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Stillwater Cove Ranch
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5 reviews for Stillwater Cove Ranch
Old school (literally, the farm used to be a boy's school) rustic, but the stunning natural surroundings are what counts here. You can poke around the farm, make friends with the peacocks and watch a border collie in action as it herds the sheep in for the evening. A path leads to a quick hike through the lovely redwoods in neighboring Stillwater Cove Regional Park that then gets you to the cove.
Staff/owner was friendly and helpful, even though we were never able to get the instructions for check-in via their telephone to work for us. Stayed in the 'Science Room' and had my first experience with electric blankets. They are awesome and I am so buying some of those things. Wait, I live in Texas and have central heat. Never mind. It was chilly, but no big deal.
My only minor and possibly silly quibble - the cottages and rooms are not as secluded as I thought. For whatever reason, I had the impression of ~utter seclusion~. Luckily (for us), I'm not sure that anybody else was staying and we seemed to have the place to ourselves. It was super quiet and I slept like a baby on cold medicine under my toasty electric blanket. $95 a night seems like a great deal for that area, so I ain't complaining.
Seems obvious, but bring food. We had a few meals at Alexander's, the restaurant at the Timber Cove Inn. They were tasty meals, but a little pricey. Not sure that there is anything else close by. (Alexander's has vegetarian options and and super nice wait staff.)
So, yes, rustic, but beautiful. Look for the forest-guarding ent in the meadow right before the schoolhouse on the way to the cove!
We went to Stillwater Cove Ranch for belated-anniversary/valentines/presidents day weekend trip. my boss recommended this place, a small family farm that was homesteaded in the 1860s on the coast between Jenner and Gualala. *rustic*. they converted some of the old farm buildings into sleeping quarters. no restaurant, no hot tub, no TVs, no services. but i knew it was perfect when we turned off highway 1 and tried to pull into the driveway and couldn't because it was being blocked by LAMBS! and then peacocks! and all other sorts of cute animals. i was pretty excited. we stayed in the cook's cabin, which had a fireplace and a sort of view of the ocean, past the main original farmhouse.
we poked around the farm for a while until it got dark, talking to the farmers and cuddling the baby animals with our eyes, and then we drove up to gualala sunday night for dinner, ate at the "roadhouse", where i admit i felt like a weirdo for ordering a vegi burger in a place that specializes in ribs and other smoked/BBQ'd meats.
monday we slept in late, checked out, and then went across the road to check out the dangerous Stillwater Cove Beach. it was a bit cold and misty, but still really beautiful and full of kelp. the cove is also the mouth of a small river/large stream, which was overflowing and causing erosion on the beach that we could watch! little mini landslides everywhere. i wandered back to where the river came out, between highway 1, a redwood stand, and the ocean, and for a few minutes i thought i was in the most beautiful place in the world. and then i decided that i needed to CROSS that river, and climb the bank on the other side back up to the car, instead of take the somewhat-precarious hairpin coastal road with no room for pedestrians that we came down on. so we debated the best route for a while and then did it and only got a little bit wet and muddy. we forged that river! and then climbed the somewhat slippery and very steep bank back up through the redwood trees.
check out photos here: http://www.flickr.com/...
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I love living in California. A mere three hour drive out of the hustle and bustle of SF proper can land you in a humble rustic wonderland nestled in a grove of old oak trees like that of Stillwater Cove Ranch, free from the distractions of television, internet, and cell phones (the closest cell phone service begins and ends an hour from here in Guerneville, eek).
As the abalone season comes to a close this month we went up with the whole crew from the The Adventure Sports Dive Club to make sure everyone got their limit - mission accomplished. While I didn't do any actual diving this trip, I sure did my share of eating.
The ranch was once an all boy's school whose grounds were transformed into their current state in the 30's, keeping the cottages original purposes as the names of the rooms. One of which is "The Dairy Barn," equipped with a full service kitchen, dining room, and bunk beds, which we rented out and put to use as a common room and a non-stop feast producing haven. In two days I ate more then I usually eat in two weeks - abalone in any and every way you could possibly imagine - bbq'd abalone, fried abalone, grand marnier abalone, abalone burgers, abalone lobster rolls, abalone lobster pasta, abalone stroganoff, abalone lobster omelets, etcetera etcetera.
Our room, the "Teacher's Quarters" was a large open room containing two full beds, a bathroom, deck, fireplace, and kitchen for the bargain price of $110 a night + $10 a night to keep your favorite four legged friend with you.
The charm of the property is topped off by it's inhabitants - an incredibly warm staff and property manager, and swarm of peacocks and sheep - but be warned, the staff and property manager can turn slightly less friendly if the aforementioned four legged friend is set off their leash and attacks peacock or sheep.
This is a great and affordable place for both a group getaway or a peaceful place to come and connect back with yourself by yourself. The seclusion and nature of camping with the luxuries of a hotel right there on the coast *koom-by-ya*
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It's true, I'm a metropolitan girl, born and raised. You might even call me city-fied, but you would be wrong.
I am now forever a crunchy convert.
In the past, nature and me had a few afternoon rendezvous, but this was the first time I spent the night.
Ever.
Completely unprepared, I went out and got a sleeping bag and a mattress pad.
Not that I was truly roughing it or anything, I mean, I was in a barn with a roof and electricity and a shower and toilet and stuff.
No cell phone, which means I had better not have any emergencies when going down those treacherously steep inclines along the beach (take 'em slooooooww and yes, it's totally worth it).
But something about its grandness felt very safe, and it reaffirmed for me what I've always suspected, which is that cell phones are so not important every waking moment of every second of every day.
Hiking boots aren't super necessary, but if you have them, you probably paid a whole bunch of money for them, so you might as well bring them along. If you're going in your regular shoes, pick shoes that are stable and can get dirty, with thick soles to protect the bottoms of your feet. The land you will be treading is not flat, not even a little.
The beaches are great for laying down in the sand in your jacket and running your fingers through tiny amazing rocks and shiny pieces of beach glass littered all over. There are huge smooth rocks to sit on, take your shoes off and run your bare feet against.
Peacocks. Everywhere. How do peacocks sound? Like amplified cats in heat. And those roosters are not like in the movies, where they crow once in the morning and that's it. Uh-unh, you hear them all night and all day. For me it's no problem, I sleep so deep I wouldn't be surprised if my heart stopped. If you sleep light, though, bring earplugs.
It's worth it just to see the views - the proud rocks, all that blue water that goes on forever, the greenest moss on the trees, the yellowest California poppies, the densest trails full of wonder, unlike any part of the coast you have ever seen.
There are great little rocky hills just beyond the milk barn where you can watch the sunset, at night the stars look like you could eat them, and there are a dozen other secret adventures everywhere you turn.
A tremendous, connecting experience.
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It's all about the setting. The accommodations are quite simple. Comfortable enough, but not remotely luxurious. The ranch, however, sits on the edge of the Pacific, oriented southwest into the sunshine or storm winds. Behind are sheep fields and redwood groves. The rustic masonry and redwood buildings used to house a boys' school. Now you get to check into them and fall asleep to the sound of the waves. Watch out for the peacock wake-up call, though. Hiking, diving, picnicking, pleasure drives, Fort Ross -- there's not a whole lot to do up here. Bring a book. Deliciously remote.
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Specialties
Stillwater Cove Ranch is a small country inn and working farm with spectacular ocean views. The inn includes seven rustic units, most with cooking facilities, fireplaces and views. A bunkhouse for large groups is available, plus a large conference center, dining room and professional kitchen that may be rented for larger events, meetings or weddings. Chickens, sheep and milk cows are raised on site and are a part of daily farm life, with chores happening twice a day.
Located on scenic Highway 1, the property adjoins a local Regional park with hiking trails and beaches.
History
Established in 1930
Stillwater Cove Ranch was a private boys school from 1932-1963. During its peak, the school educated 50 boys a year. In addition to an education, boys also learned the value of work by taking care of the extensive garden, milking cows, feeding pigs, fishing, chopping wood and learning a number of rural skills and farm chores.
After the school closed, the buildings built between 1930 and 1950 out of native stone and redwood, were converted to a small hotel. The rooms are called by their school era names - the School House, Teacher's Cottage, Cook's Cottage and Dairy Barn.
Today a few of the traditional farm practices continue with the care of the chickens, sheep and milks cows - chores still happen twice a day.
