Review: The Sea Ranch Lodge: First In

Why book?

If you dream of getting off the grid while relaxing into an atmosphere of serenity, the Sea Ranch Lodge offers that perfect and surprisingly hard-to-come-by combination of nature and nurture. More retreat than resort, the 17-room lodge leans into its eco-conscious cred, maximizing the natural beauty of the surroundings and bringing those elements indoors to create a fully restorative experience. Think Ventana Big Sur without the glitz, or Esalen without the grooviness, and you’ll have an idea of what to expect from this harmonious melding of modern design and nature-inspired simplicity at the edge of the sea.

Set the scene

Picture the famously sinuous stretch of California’s cliff-hugging Highway 1 as it winds along the craggy coastline of Big Sur, then superimpose that iconic image on a far less-traveled stretch of the same coastal highway 250 miles to the north—and you’ll have some idea of what to expect from the dramatic landscape surrounding the place. Watch the drama of surf thundering against towering sea-stacks and curling into deeply crevassed coves, and it’s easy to understand how this area got nicknamed the Scottish Coast and to celebrate the fact that you don’t need to go that far to find the same windswept majesty.

Crossing county lines between Sonoma to the south and Mendocino to the north, this area is so little-known, even to locals, that marketing experts have saddled it with the moniker Mendonoma, in an effort to locate it in the cultural consciousness. But what’s truly appealing about Sea Ranch is precisely this isolation, a sense that you’ve stepped off the map into a place as rugged and untamed as it ever was.

Look around the rustic-chic lodge, where groups gather around fire pits and couples toast the sunset from a row of Adirondack chairs facing the sea, and you’ll see every combination; hiking boots and fleece, platform sandals and flowing dresses, cashmere sweaters and leather. This is a place where you can celebrate a special occasion in high style, or leave your makeup and shaving cream behind.

The backstory

Certainly the founders anticipated this sense of timelessness when they purchased the magnificent 53-acre ranch property and hired the now-legendary team of architects, designers, and landscape architects whose vision turned it into a groundbreaking example of earth-conscious design.

Taking their cue from the bleached-wood barns and rough-hewn sheds so characteristic of the California coast, architect Charles Moore and landscape architect Lawrence Halperin embraced the bohemian ideals just beginning to upend the stuffy conventions of the time by creating high, vertically oriented buildings with slanted shed roofs, skylights and lofts that still feel exuberantly modern today. Carefully placed to take full advantage of ocean views but not block them, the buildings seem not so much on the land as embedded within it.

When it opened in 1965, the Sea Ranch didn’t look like anywhere else on earth, and even today the low-lying stacked-cube layout of the lodge—built in 1968—delights and surprises. You’ll find yourself thanking everyone involved who thought to keep things clean and open, leaving you free instead to concentrate on the natural beauty of wind-sculpted cedar trees, weathered fences, riot of wildflowers, and the play of salt spray on ebony rocks.

It seems no accident, therefore, that the first thing I see upon entering my room is a trail map of the property, along with a detailed wildflower guide with careful descriptions and photographs of no less than 30 native blooms.

The rooms

With just 17 airy and spacious rooms, the Sea Ranch gives every guest plenty of room to breathe, and the interiors are laid out to make every breath a meditative one. Ceiling-high bay windows with wide, pillow-strewn window seats frame vistas so dramatic it’s hard to turn your attention to the indoors. But when you do, the interplay of light, land and water is echoed in white oak plank floors, smooth cedar walls, and blonde-hued modern furnishings in sinewy lines. Returning to the clean, spare northern European aesthetic that inspired the original designers and enlivening it with bold dashes of color and texture, design firm NicoleHollis has taken that inspiration to new levels of openness, embracing a sense of clarity and ease that inspires creativity and contemplation as much today as it did almost 60 years ago. I found myself itching to pull out a journal or sketchbook as soon as I tucked myself into the window seat. (Hint: Notebooks are provided in the rooms, with sketching supplies available upon request.)

Hand-woven textile wall pieces, earth-toned stoneware pots and vases, and bold graphic art pieces, most commissioned from California designers, continue to evoke the connection to earth while at the same time imparting a forward-looking exuberance. Soft, light wood is everywhere in closets, desks and headboards handcrafted by Santa Cruz Woodworks. Bold blue stoneware tiles tie bathrooms to the sea, and you can turn the shower—hung with fresh eucalyptus to infuse the steam—into a meditation hall with the accompaniment of a Sefari “bathe in nature” meditation soundtrack provided in your room. All this to say that you’ll be hard-pressed to leave your tranquil cocoon, despite the irresistible pull of the hiking trails that fan out along the coast from just below your window.

There’s no such thing as a basic room here; even the smallest ones, at 240 to 260 square feet, look out over the bluffs to whitecaps winking in the sun. Located on the second floor for even more expansive bluff-top views, the 400-square-foot deluxe studios feature an additional queen fold-out bed along with the standard king or two queens. While the bathrooms in most accommodations feature walk-in showers, a few of the upstairs rooms have bathtubs, making those rooms a good choice for families. The rooms are TV-free for maximum serenity but come outfitted with Bang & Olufson Beosound speakers for music and meditation and high-resolution Occer binoculars on hand for easy whale and seal-spotting. Rates start at $500 per night.

One small disappointment was the lack of access to the loft in my deluxe studio, tucked so high under the shed roof that it was deemed unsafe to allow guests access by ladder. These private, elevated spaces so intrinsic to the character of the property will remain closed to the public while management seeks a practical solution.

The Sea Ranch Lodge is just a small part of the much larger 7,000-acre Sea Ranch community, which has grown to encompass 2,224 homes clustered around a series of sunny meadows surrounded by stands of wind-breaking cypress. If you’re seeking to house a larger party, many of these homes are available through private rental.

Food and drink

Adjacent to the lodging wing, the South Building houses a restaurant, referred to as The Dining Room, a casual cafe with outdoor porch seating, and a cozy bar that opens to a glass-walled solarium lounge. Opened in 2021 in advance of the lodge’s reopening, all almost instantly became lively local hangouts where neighbors stop in for a quick drink and the latest intel on nearby happenings or gather for an evening of lively discussion. You’ll want to come early or hang late to nail a coveted seat at the bar or secure the most popular seat in the house, the wide, deeply cushioned couch in front of the lounge fireplace. The last Wednesday of every month is Locals’ Night in The Dining Room, when neighbors enjoy a reasonably priced set menu served community-style at long tables.

The menus at both the Dining Room and the bar evolved from the place-based sensibility of Chef Eric Piacentine, most recently of the Big Sur Bakery and before that Bernardus Lodge, who harvests as many of his ingredients as possible from the lodge’s kitchen garden and sources others from local ranches, farms, and fishing fleets. Standouts on the late June menu, which changes frequently based on seasonal availability and chef’s whim, were a delicate salad of thinly sliced artichoke hearts and a seafood medley featuring flaky grilled sole alongside tender scallops and delicately shredded fresh-trapped crab.

The bar serves up a lighter menu of small bites, like tempura black cod with ginger-sesame dipping sauce and succulent local halibut suffused with cilantro and basil. Along with a wide variety of bottled beers and ciders, regional draft brews on tap include local favorites Pliny the Elder and Boont amber and craft cocktails like the sunset-hued Del Mar, a citrus-based concoction of ford’s gin, orange bitters, and grapefruit-honey-thyme shrub.

A small general store is stocked with picnic supplies, books, games, and artisanal products so you can take the bounty of the Sonoma coast home with you.

The neighborhood/area

You could spend days exploring and never leave the property, which stretches along ten miles of coastline and extends inland across Highway 1 and up into the sun-browned coast range. And you’ll find plenty to do within the expansive coastal community, starting with a hike along the Bluff Trail, which hugs the cliff top connecting a string of sheltered beaches and sheltered coves. (Much of this trail is closed to all but Sea Ranch residents, so access is an added benefit of staying at the lodge.) Closest to the lodge, it’s a vertigo-inducing climb down the staircase to Black Point Beach before the trail continues on to Pebble Beach, Stengel Beach, and Shell Beach. Perfect your game at the Sea Ranch Golf Course, an 18-hole Scottish-style links course designed in two phases by Robert Muir Graves to incorporate the natural elements of the seaside terrain.

With its spiral shape, rainbow-hued stained glass, and curvilinear polished redwood benches, the seashell-like Sea Ranch Chapel celebrates the best of 1970s hippie flamboyance in a contemplative space open to the public.

But head off property to pick up the regional vibe and you’ll find a string of shabby-chic coastal villages that teeter on the verge of hipness. Poke around the eclectic shops, galleries, and cafes of Gualala, Point Arena, and Elk and you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled on the Mendocino of 50 years ago, when artists first began setting up galleries and studios in ramshackle storefronts.

Don’t miss the 153-year-old Point Arena Lighthouse, where a climb up the 115-foot tower yields birds-eye views and the Signal Museum houses the original Fresnel lens.

The service

Attention to detail has been a hallmark here from the very beginning and today’s experience is no different. Every comfort is anticipated, from the touch-control heated floors to double-layered blinds that allow you to filter out the afternoon sun without blocking the view, or darken the room completely for a sound night’s sleep.

Help is always at the ready with extra amenities and quick demonstrations to help you master some of the room’s higher-tech features. An activity board outside the cafe features a roster of events and activities such as lectures, yoga sessions, weekly trivia nights, twice-a-month jazz concerts in the lounge, and a monthly Makers’ Market with live music. While most visitors choose this hotel for the solitude and prefer to explore on their own, concierge bookings are available for kayak excursions, wine tasting, and other curated experiences.

For families

Families are welcomed here with a friendly, low-key attitude that has delighted kids roaming free through the open spaces. Games are on offer from the concierge, and the store stocks toys and games, and childrens books. Family-oriented programming includes Friday BBQ nights at the Links and, in summer, a weekday Kids Club summer day camp for kids ages 3 to 12.

Accessibility

Fully equipped ADA rooms are available on the first floor, where some rooms are also dog-friendly.

Anything left to mention?

Breakfast on campus is limited to light fare served in the cafe such as egg sandwiches, pastries, and smoothie bowls. So fans of a hearty country-style breakfast will need to seek it in town.