The storied legend that is Sea Ranch Lodge is back after a multimillion dollar reimagining. The 53-acre property, set on the dramatic coastline of Northern California in Sonoma County, was originally formed in the 60’s based on the ethos of ‘living lightly on the land.’ The architecture and lifestyle of Sea Ranch residents aimed to operate in harmony with the wild, coastal beauty all around them, and now Sea Ranch Lodge’s reopening invites guests into that same vision.

North Building Courtyard, The Sea Ranch Lodge

Built in 1968 and one of the oldest buildings at Sea Ranch, the North Building features 17 redesigned guest rooms that inspire guests to live in harmony with the natural elements. Every detail has been carefully crafted and sourced in pursuit of this goal. The custom closets, headboards, and desks, were built by Santa Cruz Woodworks Shop. The mid-century elbow chairs by Hans Wegner and the armadillo loungers by Mut Design. Each room features a woven piece by Berkeley artist Jess Feury and ceramics by San Francisco-based artist Sasinun Kladpetch. The organic, casual design references the many styles that have been used throughout the building’s history. 

Historic photo of the Lodge, pre-renovation

Historic photo of the rooms, pre-renovation

“The restoration of The Sea Ranch Lodge guest rooms not only honors the vision of the original developer and original group of architects including Joseph Esherick, Al Boeke and Lawrence Halprin, but also provides an elegant yet modest design curated by NICOLEHOLLIS,” said Kristina Jetton, the General Manager of Sea Ranch Lodge. 

Sea Ranch Guest Rooms

Each room looks out on the endless azure of the Pacific, allowing guests to watch the sunrise over the ocean beside the warmth of a roaring fireplace or cozy up on a cushioned window bench wrapped in a Brooklinen blanket and spot wildlife through Occer binoculars. For those who want to get outside, there’s plenty of room to roam and explore Sea Ranch’s 53 acres. Guests can hike the trails to Bihler Point or Black Point, enjoy some tide pooling and picnic lunches at Black Point Beach, or stroll to the iconic Sea Ranch Chapel.

Sea Ranch

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Our favorite properties tend to be the ones that use food and wine as a key ingredient in showcasing the beauty of the region, using seasonal, ultra-local food to bring a true taste of Northern California to the dinner table. At these properties, from Michelin-starred restaurants to family-run wineries, a strong sense of place is instilled into every dish. 

Michelin Coast-to-Table

Harbor House Inn quietly occupies a private cove about 16 miles south of the quaint town of Mendocino. Outfitted with redwood, the dining room– originally created as a showroom from the region’s logging days– overlooks the property’s gardens. Beyond that, the cove’s clear turquoise water laps at the foot of cliffs and a stunning arched rock formation commands the attention of the horizon. 

Harbor House is a small inn with only six traditional rooms in the main building and five standalone cottages for extra privacy. Those staying at the inn are privy to early access to dinner reservations, but many come just for the food. Twenty seats are available each night  Thursday through Monday for a tasting menu that typically features around 12 courses. The menu rotates nightly and is sourced locally. As many ingredients as possible are sourced straight from the garden on site, and the rest are products of local farms and ranches. Out of the 12 courses, there is typically only one land-based meat dish. The rest highlight fresh vegetables, produce and seafood. 

 “The ability to forage for seaweed, mushrooms, herbs and edible weeds in our backyard and the surrounding coast and forest has shaped the cuisine to be a true local snapshot of our area,” Chef Matthew Kammerer said.

Night after night, Harbor House plays with the ever changing flavors of the region, elevating not only delicacies like sea urchin, but also more humble items like seaweed harvested from the nearby coastline, or lace lichen plucked from overhanging trees. The creativity and vision is evident in every dish, earning the restaurant its rightful place as the only one with Michelin stars in Mendocino county. 

Small Batch Production

A hundred miles further south in Sonoma, Beltane Ranch perfectly encapsulates the magic of small-batch wine production and farming. When you step onto the property, you’re greeted first by a friendly shaggy dog (and maybe the far off bleating of the babydoll lambs), and then by the warm presence of Lauren Benward, whose family has run the ranch for six generations. 

 The property was built on a colorful, ‘Wild West’ past. In 1879, a pioneer California viticulturist and winemaker named John Drummond planted Beltane’s first official vineyard. He utilized the property’s volcanic soil to graft the old mission style grapevines to fine wine varieties, including Cabernet and Chardonnay with cuttings from the French Chateaus: Margaux, Lafitte Rothschild and the Hermitage in Bordeaux. 

In 1892, the ranch was purchased by Mary Ellen Pleasant, an abolitionist, feminist, and business magnate– unique titles for a black woman to achieve during a time of high racial prejudice. Pleasant was business-savvy and a well-connected social powerhouse– operating boarding houses, a hotel, restaurants, laundries, quicksilver mines, brothels, arranging marriages, and conducting numerous other ventures.

Today, the Beltane Ranch boasts 120 year of agriculture hospitality and remains one of Sonoma’s few small, family-run wineries. Brother and sister team Lauren and Alex Benward have expanded and diversified the property’s agricultural offerings, in addition to their wine production. New produce gardens, heirloom fruit trees, and heritage breed laying hens are just a few of the additions guests can see around the property and enjoy the fruits of in the dining room. Meals at the ranch are often exclusively fruits, veggies, olive oil and herbs grown on the property. 

Forage for Your Own Wild Ingredients

One night by the fire at The Inn at Newport Ranch, I sat sipping a candy cap-infused old fashioned. On the plate in front of me, were the crumbs of a delicious hors d’oeuvre: a petite wild mushroom pastry. The next morning– clearly riding something of a mushroom craving– I would order a mushroom omelet. All of these refreshments were fueled by the fungi that I had the opportunity to forage earlier that day in the surrounding redwood forest. With an expert guide at the lead, we had set out on an ATV tour to see the property, plant redwood seedlings and forage the fruits of the forest. From fresh bay leaves to redwood sorrel, we filled our wicker baskets with wild ingredients for the kitchen. 

Every evening, a three-course, seasonally-inspired dinner is served by the crackling fireplace in the main lodge’s dining room. Depending on what’s in season (or whatever the foraging baskets brought in that day), the menu could include anything from fresh abalone and oysters to honey glazed smoked duck with Mendocino mushrooms to a blood orange tart with toasted meringue. It’s more than just a meal; food is one of the most immersive experiences the property is able to use to share the diverse beauty of the surrounding land and sea.

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On our first full day at the property, Otis took us on an ATV tour of the grounds. 

“It’s like having your own private state park,” Otis said. Having worked at the property for many years, Otis is an Inn at Newport Ranch legend and pretty much an encyclopedia of local information. From the the legacy of the local Indigenous peoples, to tales of area’s history as the small logging town of Newport, to stories about the property’s wildest past guests– each story was more fascinating than the last.

The Rocky Mendocino Coast

Our ATV expedition began at the main lodge, set on cliffs overlooking the sea on a bluff of coastal prairie. Cattle graze in their pastures beyond the accommodation structures. Aside from the main lodge, where the dining room and three guest rooms are located, there are four other stand alone cabins for guest lodging. Most are clustered closely together, but the owner’s house, Sea Drum, offers more seclusion and an unbelievable view of the ocean. The name of the four bedroom house pays homage to the waves hitting the cliff just below. 

We skirted along the property’s 1.5 miles of coastline. The cliffs gave way to pristine, turquoise ocean, to secret beaches, and according to Otis, the watery home of seals, kingfish, king crab and even 18-foot great white sharks. Set against the drastic edge of one vista, there was a vast kettle suspended by chains over a fire pit, the perfect setting for the Viking themed wedding that had recently taken place there. During certain seasons, humpback whales swim to the foot of the cliffs and rub barnacles off their backs. Leatherback sea turtles, orcas, and gray whales are just a few other visitors known to pass through.

Foraging in the Forest and Planting Redwood Trees

We left the ocean behind and turned our ATV to the riparian forest. Less than a mile from the coast, we found ourselves in a different environment entirely. The tree cover dimmed the light, the earth smelled damp, and everything was verdantly green. The trees in this new microcosm– including douglas fir, alder, and big leaf maple trees– can handle the salty ocean air, and serve as a barrier between the iconic redwoods we would encounter later on. 

We searched for mushrooms along the forest floor. Otis showed us which fungi to look for, how to cut off the dirt and debris with a harvesting knife, and gather them in wicker baskets. Those wishing to dive further into the experience have the opportunity to inoculate their own mushroom log, which they can then bring home and enjoy for days to come.

Heading further along the winding trail through the forest, towering redwoods began to come into view. Otis caught sight of wild bay leaves, which we added to our baskets for the ranch chef to use, then took a nibble of some redwood sorrel. It looked like clover, but had the tart-sweet tang of sour apple. Dining at the property often includes whatever foraged ingredients such as these that are brought into the kitchen.

Guests are invited to plant redwood seedlings to grow for future generations to enjoy. Of course, we didn’t pass up the chance to leave our mark with our own baby trees. Otis said that kids particularly enjoy this experience, with one rambunctious young lad naming his seedling “Destroyer of Carbon.” Planting redwoods, and the mushroom foraging for that matter, are both part of Otis’ weekly routine. Activities at The Inn at Newport Ranch aren’t gimmicks devised to entertain guests. Rather, visitors are invited into authentic ranch undertakings. I think that is what makes any experience incredibly rich: people can always sniff out what is orchestrated on their behalf and what is genuine. 

After ascending to a mountainous high point overlooking the coast and forests we had just journeyed through, Otis pointed out how much farther the property’s boundaries stretched. We had barely scratched the surface of The Inn at Newport Ranch’s 2,000 acres. Next, it was back to the sea, where we enjoyed a turkey, brie and fig jam baguette at one of the property’s 15 picnic spots. As we nibbled on the sandwiches that Ranch staff had so kindly packed for us, the sun slowly sunk into the ocean and painted the sky in soft pinks and oranges. It was incredibly peaceful– not another person in sight and only the sound of the crashing waves as a backtrack. 

Food and Family

Every day at The Inn at Newport Ranch ends with a complimentary happy hour by the lodge’s roaring fire, followed by an indulgent dinner in the redwood-accented dining room. The menu features local ingredients, including the mushrooms that we had foraged mere hours ago. There was even a candy cap mushroom-infused Old Fashioned on the menu! The minimal number of rooms means a minimal number of guests. As you recount your day by the fire or chat over breakfast, you quickly get to know the few other people who are staying. An easy sense of camaraderie quickly develops over the course of your stay– both with other guests and the staff. 

In addition to the truly stunning scenery and diverse landscapes the property has to offer, that is probably how The Inn at Newport Ranch drew me in most. You leave truly feeling like you became a part of something special, if only for a short while. You become part of the family. 

A stay at the Inn at Newport Ranch pairs well with: Sonoma and Mendocino: A Farm to Table Road Trip

Reach out to a Destination Specialist today to book your stay at the Inn at Newport Ranch, complete with customized experiences along the Mendocino coast with expert guides at the lead.

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