The Sea Ranch Lodge - Sea Ranch, California

Monica B.

From the moment Erica in Guest services/reservation answered the phone she was so accommodating ! I was changing my reservation. She was patient and lovely. This was our first time at Sea Ranch lodge and it was amazing! The property is magical, and the ethos of tuning into nature brings balance back to the visitor. You can feel the history of the reverence for nature all around. No TV in the room, yeh! Dreamy beds and bedding. The views of the majestic dramatic coast line are incomparable! The trails take you along the coasts breathtaking views. It all puts you in a state of tranquility and gratitude. |Every single staff member was so lovely. The bartender Trace is a true mixologist, engaging person and just lovely. We were celebrating some good news and this enhanced our experience around it beyond words! Thank you all at Sea Ranch Lodge! We will be making an annual trip to see you again and again! Monica

Nicole T.

This is a family oriented hotel so please know this before you go! Children were lying on the sofas in the bar lounge and sitting on the floor in the hallway from the bar to the dining room.

Note you must make a reservation at least the night before or you cannot dine for dinner there (they close reservations). They do have a more limited bar menu you can order from though!

The staff were very nice and friendly. Bartender was great! Food was okay, salad was underdressed. I would’ve asked for extra normally but they were understaffed. They were so overwhelmed, they forgot to give me a silverware set and I had to remind them for water. I offered to order directly from the bar versus my table when the host told me they were understaffed, because as someone who works in service I understand it can be tough. It is clear they aren’t managed well. Management should ensure the staff has the resources to succeed, especially given the price point. I would’ve expected it to be more polished and a smooth experience. There are so many better places to go in this area that care about their customers.

The grounds are lovely and there’s a wonderful view of the sunset! The architecture is also beautiful. My cheese plate was beautiful with fresh fruit.

Adriana P. F.

(restaurant review)
Lunch: five stars. Great food with a wonderful view. Will definitely come back for lunch.
Dinner: three stars. Fantastic service but the food was only so-so, and there's no view at night to make up for it. High hotel food prices.

Gautam B.

Truly stunning location. The home we booked (foothill close) was even better than the photos, spotless, and perfectly equipped. Amenities and service were beyond top notch. Loved the privacy of being out in the community rather than holed up in the main lodge - just a few minutes drive down the scenic 1.

Will be back as soon as I can afford!

liz K.

Hey parents with kids this is not a pretentious place and the staff is so wonderful and welcoming that I can’t recommend Sea Ranch enough. Are you hungry for some delicious food? Breakfast, lunch or dinner- even cocktails this lodge has you covered. Need a min to unwind on the patio? They got you. Want a great meal and space for the kids to stretch their legs. Sea ranch has that.

Great art at the gift shop and on the walls. Lots of trails to hike or let your kiddo ride their strider on. Tide pools galore and sandy beaches. I just can’t recommend this place enough. Stop reading this review and just book.

Natascha T.

As we booked the Tarp House at Sea Ranch via the Sea Ranch Lodge, and there is no separate listing for that rental, I am posting this review here. We really wanted to like the Sea Ranch as the concept is great and the location spectacular. Unfortunately, the poor service impacted our stay significantly. After we were told we couldn't check in at 4 PM because propane had to be refilled, we were told we still couldn't check in as there had to be a safety check. We were offered to stay at a different (better) house and when we accepted were told we could stay at the Tarp house as planned (and that the other house wasn't really better). ||Our group included 3 cyclists who rode 50+ miles a day and I discussed the option of avoiding Hwy 1 and instead using roads inside Sea Ranch and that appeared to not be possible. There appears to be a lot of secrecy in Sea Ranch and we were told only moments before we went there where The Tarp house was located. It turned out, there was literally a 20% incline and miles of hills to get to the house. That would have been great information to have for people on bikes who were already tired. ||Once we got to the house, we were welcomed by the intense smell of propane gas all around the property. As safety concerns had delayed our check-in, we were concerned about our health, and a person in our group checked on the propane tank and closed an open valve to an attached canister that stood on top of the propane tank next to a cover that clearly wasn't in its place. We reported our concerns to the lobby when we went for dinner at the lodge and were told not to worry that all had been checked. Interesting that first thing in the morning an engineer turned up to check IF everything was indeed ok. ||Apart from that, the house is an architectural marvel and in a beautiful (if remote from the lodge and ocean) forested hill area. There were 4 BR and one BR turned out to be a very high platform with beds on it, with a vertical ladder going up. The platform was a least 8 feet high, the ceiling so low and the ladder so steep that none of us dared to check it out. I would not let kids sleep up there as they could break their necks falling down (and I am assuming going to the bathroom requires using the ladder.||The hot tub in the glasshouse looks cool and the glass tunnel leading there is directly connected to one of the BRs. We didn't end up using it as we didn't want to disturb the couple in the connected BR. The big beautiful Master BR has glass all around. Beautiful forest views. Zero privacy. I wouldn't have cared so much about someone looking in from the forest, but the living room has a window that provides a view into the BR as does the corridor and walkway to the middle porch area. No BLINDS. You do the math. ||The fireplace seemed nice but wasn't functional as the wood kept falling out onto the floor. I love great design but design over function doesn't work well.||Overall, the staff was not very friendly and none of us plans to return. Oh, did I mention we paid $1,400 for one night on a Friday night for the house? I assume Sea Ranch is living off their old glory and looking at other reviews, they don't even bother to respond to complaints.

Henry D.

We came two nights in a row and had made reservations. We came for a family style meal on Halloween. Food was good, service flowed and sommelier paired a wonderful wine with our meal. Next night we showed up at 7. Ordered off the menu. Appetizers came quickly. At 9pm we flagged down our waitress to ask if something was happening. Got an immediate response “I don’t control the kitchen”.
The sommelier who was a delight both nights tried to smooth things out from there but appears this restaurant has no manager and no procedures in place.

Wish we had cooked at our rental house on day 2. Would have left 4 of us with a much better opinion of facility. I have owned and operated restaurants. This doesnt need to be difficult. We had reservations and if kitchen is backed up a bit you inform customers bring them a drink but you dont let them sit there for 1.5 hours with no communication.

Xavier G.

Sure it’s a beautiful facility in a blessed location - but it’s poorly managed and understaffed. Staff did the best they could to keep up with demand but it’s clear they’re overworked and under appreciated. They were very nice considering their load.

Tables couldn’t be kept clean, 10+ person line in the cafe (with 1 1/2 staff behind counter), dirty eating tables.

Hire more staff and take care of people - both staff and those staying and eating here. This places wants to be luxurious and modern-edge, but its all looks— it isn’t operated that way.

Overall the rooms look nice, coffee was ok, food in cafe was good and the views are amazing. But lots of room to be better at building bigger team and execution excellence.