A Hotel Worth Going Out of Your Way For
The Northern California dream, in hotel form.
I think I first heard of The Inn at Newport Ranch around 2018, a few years after their opening. I have badly wanted to stay ever since. At one point, I went so far as to say it was the single hotel I wanted to stay at most, at that moment, in a TikTok video that went viral. I finally got to check this magical place off my list in the days between Christmas and the new year. It was a Special experience, through and through.
The getaway was a last-minute idea, something their team made happen so flawlessly and quickly. They’re really great humans who are really great at their jobs.
One of the more fun parts of this job is the ability to treat the people who have known me longest on experiences they may not have otherwise. For this trip and this hotel, a girl’s trip seemed like the obvious choice, and one of my oldest friends was the perfect choice to come with me.
Cat and I met when we were two, at preschool, and our families have a 28-year long tradition of celebrating Hanukkah together. This trip was falling on Hanukkah! Plus, Cat also loves to travel and has good taste and appreciates the same things I do – she was the perfect plus one.
The Inn at Newport Ranch is about a 3-and-a-half hour drive from San Francisco, up through Marin and Sonoma Counties, then west to the Mendocino Coast. It’s one of the prettiest shorelines of California. Less-touristed, too, largely because it’s harder to get to and much more rural.
It’s an area that has had a lot of up and down in their cultural pattern, something the locals have weathered impressively. Largely, it’s an area known for logging and more recently and then not, cannabis. And it’s known for having two very cute towns, Fort Bragg, just inland from The Ranch, and Mendocino.
Look, many associate this area with some truly great hiking. But, unless this is your first post here, you likely know I am not a hiker. Somehow, I knew that would not be an issue here – I would be able to get the full experience without having to schlep myself up a mountain.
I was so very right. And what an experience is what it was. Fantastic.
We arrived about an hour before sunset, under a slight drizzle. Cat knew little about where we were going, I thought I knew a good deal more, but really I was just as in the dark. There is so much to know and revere about The Inn at Newport Ranch.
You arrive via Highway 1, the most golden of the Golden State’s roads. Also yes, it is true, in Northern California, we do not call it “the one.”
A gate marks the entrance to the ranch, and as soon as you turn in it’s abundantly clear it’s better than in photos. Rare! So very rare, especially in California. I was thrilled.
There’s a palpable sense of peace you feel pretty immediately. Part of it is it’s a truly Special Piece of Earth. But also, as a hotel, the energy of the land has been tuned to its highest vibration by the owner, conservationist, and mind behind The Inn at Newport Ranch, Will Jackson.
The land was home to the Yuki people for what’s thought to be 10,000 years, and who were completely wiped out within 5 years of colonization. Their legacy stands strong, however, and carvings and tools are often unearthed around the property. And then, it was a thriving logging town, Newport, until it wasn’t, as is the way with so much industry. I’ll come back to the former town of Newport in a bit.
Now, the land is a working farm, with cows roaming the property, which stretches far and wide on both sides of the highway. Because of Will Jackson, it is all preserved and locals are employed.
The Ranch has two reigning princes, a brown horse and a white horse, Dollar and Gus. Their presence adds an air of regality to the rugged coast and redwoods in the rear. With the fog that’s so signature to the Northern half of my home state and the natural ebb and flow of the property’s land, they have a stage they thrive on.
Cat and I parked in front of the main inn building, where there are two EV chargers, for the record, and eagerly tucked inside to check in.
Mercedes, the wonderful Innkeeping Manager, was at the desk to greet us. I try not to judge a hotel based on pre-stay email correspondence (especially when I am a guest of the hotel), but I am human and I’m thrilled to report that Mercedes was the harbinger of all the good to come. I am definitely not brief in how I email, just as I’m rarely brief here. She matched my energy, and made all the magic happen. Good hospitality, in my eyes, means a true understanding of the guest during their stay. But then, to me, great hospitality means making an effort to understand the guest from the first touchpoint until far after they’ve left. That’s most definitely the case for the humans of The Ranch, they’re a special bunch that made everything possible. I even had my first true tasting menu! I’ll get to that.
Guests are greeted with a welcome toast, which Cat and I will both always say yes to. And I will always say yes to the tour, too. Mercedes showed us throughout the main inn building, which was constructed so beautifully of redwood it feels as though it’s been there forever, even though all but one wall are under ten years old.
Immediately, Cat and I were looked at each other with the same thought “it’s just like my house” – my beloved childhood home in Mill Valley that we had to sell. A house she knew pre and post renovation, she was only one of two people in my life able to share that moment with me. It had a lot of exposed redwood, which gives a distinct cozy feel that to me is about as home-like as it comes, but also very true to Northern California. The Ranch and my childhood home are definitely kindred spirits, which is so cool that there is, in fact, a place I can go when I miss “home.”
There’s a main dining room with windows as walls on three sides, and an epic, non-traditional wood-burning fireplace on the fourth. To the left, the windows look out onto the expansive green of the ranch (it’s so very green) and the roaring Pacific Ocean. Straight ahead there’s a window seat, through which there’s a picturesque fence and a birdhouse that gets a lot of action. It’s so well done. Endearing and cool, sophisticated but laid-back.
While we were there, all meals were served in the restaurant, with tables against the windows with that same Holy Sh!t View. The same room is home to a beautiful fireplace, with a constant blaze roaring and a couch to read a book or warm your feet or sip a beverage or two. It’s incredibly inviting while always feeling luxurious. That’s a constant duality of the whole place and experience.
Mercedes also showed us three rooms upstairs, before their guests for the night had arrived. The three rooms share a hot tub on the roof, which looks out directly at the sea and it’s quite the natural spectacle to watch. The most sought-after room, the Captain’s Quarters, is well worth the hype. It’s small but special – really special. A very cool bed lays in front of a wide panoramic window with a dead-on view of the ocean. You can sit in bed and just watch Mother Nature do her thing, waves crashing on the cliffs with an irresistible drama. Or, you can perch yourself on the wood-carved wave-shaped sitting nook, which is such a brilliant touch. The whole room is equipped with nautical curios that feel very natural in the space, while also being an undeniably cool curation. If the room is available, snag it.
After the tour we were brought to our room, Hearthstone, which was recently renovated and was executed perfectly. It’s in its own building, looking out onto the pastures where the horses graze, the garden, and the sea. The room had a wood-burning fireplace, beautiful stonework, a cute and well-designed seating area, a very good king bed and heated floors. I forgot how much I love a radiant floor. It’s such a nice little indulgence.
It was the perfect room for a girl’s trip, but would be equally great with a significant other, as there is a private hot tub on the patio outside that is not not romantic. The Grove Suite is the other room name to know.
We gabbed and then got ready for dinner, which we were both incredibly excited for. Because I am allergic to so many things across so many categories, it’s always been impossible for a hotel or restaurant to cater a tasting menu to my allergies without impeding on the experience. But, when Mercedes asked via email if I had any dietary restrictions and I listed all my allergies, she responded that it wasn’t a problem at all. I was shocked and excited and quite curious.
The menu changes every night, largely based on the land. It’s true California farm-to-table fine dining, the kind they feature on Netflix shows. From start to finish, it was flawless. The pacing, the food, the drinks, the service, the servers – all A+.
We had local oysters with a pink peppercorn mignonette, a dream-worthy mushroom soup with “frizzled” leeks, I had an incredible tuna dish and Cat had something I was allergic to that she said was fantastic, and we ended with a perfectly-cooked pork roast, which was an unexpected nice touch, as sometimes my mom makes a pork roast for Hanukkah (duality, and all that jazz). Dish after dish, it was fantastic. So fresh. Perfectly portioned, not one tiny bite and not also typical American wasteful sizing, and so inventive while also being so harmonious. I never said “interesting” after taking a bite of anything, which is my go-to when gastronomy goes over my head (or palate), and was my one inner fear about finally experiencing a tasting menu in it’s fullest. Nope, not here, this is not the fancy food that leaves you wanting a burger nor something you have to pretend to like. It’s a fantastic experience with food. Cat agreed on every front, and she has much more to compare. It’s a must for at least one night of your stay, if not all.
But also, as I frequently write, the staff is half the experience for me. And Spencer and River, a great duo, were the coolest and also most professional and most accommodating. Cat and I spent probably far too long talking their ears off, but they were just so interesting and we wanted to know all the things about all the things, especially the food. Again, to any hotel owners reading, hire the interesting and talented people! Don’t go for the quick, convenient hire, wait for the perfect complement to your team – it’s worth it. Here, it all comes from the incredible General Manager, Blair. She leads the way in all the ways.
The next morning, after both soundly sleeping in the lovely plush bed, we woke up to the horses out the windows, and a perfect partly cloudy, intermittently foggy Northern California day. I love drama when it comes to nature.
We were booked for breakfast at 8:30, which was a truly incredible spread of such variety – congee to banana bread, all delicious. Caffeinated and full, we headed out to explore the ranch – finally.
The sheer amount of land and coastline on the property is impossible to understand until you’re up close with it. It’s vast and varied and a true treasure of California, something I don’t say lightly.
We started with the horses, even though I’m allergic. The gardener is a lovely woman who encouraged us to pick anything and feed it to the horses, if they like. So Cat did, and I appreciated horses for the first time in my life. What beautiful beings. And what great land these two have to roam and claim as their own.
We continued on one of the paths towards the cliff and wandered throughout different alcoves and angles, appreciating and absorbing.
Will Jackson, the owner, collects views. As he puts it, “we’re all born different, I got the view gene.” And at 96 years young, he has created the coolest series of benches and picnic tables in prime view positions throughout the ranch, so he can watch the cinema of life from different perspectives in his great natural theater. It’s such a special touch. Naturally, we lingered until a couple got up from one of the best spots, and stood sentry for a while, wondering aloud about a vast variety of things of which none I can recall.
As it approached 11am, we headed back to the main inn as it was time for the main event. The team had so kindly and generously booked us a UTV tour with Otis, ending in a picnic.
I had very little expectation for this. I think I thought it was going to be a quick jaunt around the property with a picnic. IT WAS NOT THAT. It was so much, all of which I’ll cherish forever.
First off, Otis is a true treasure. He was born and raised there, and now his wife keeps the garden and he tends to the land and brings the guests into his world. He has a deep, vast, impressive knowledge of The Ranch and also the region and nearly everything in between. He’s fun, he’s cool, and I will quite literally never forget him. That is to say that yes, you need to request a UTV tour with Otis. Must!
Cat and I got in the very cool UTV and Otis started by explaining about the seven microclimates on the property. I had thought of this word very little until then, and now I can’t stop thinking about it, because it was so easy to feel the difference as you went between them. A neat experience, my dad would say.
Otis taught us about the Yuki people, something which we were fascinated in. I feel really grateful that our local school system did educate around the people native to our land, so I find this part of California history both extremely important and fascinating.
Otis taught us about the history of Newport, the logging town that took timber down the coast to San Francisco. The whole town was equipped to get things from the very steep, rocky cliff onto a boat – an impossible-to-imagine scenario looking at it today. Otis taught us about the algal bloom in the ocean, and the waves, and about whales, and pretty much everything else. When I got home, I realized that I learned more from Otis than I did from any other single individual in the year 2024. All in one day!
He took us all throughout the coastal areas, and then across the highway into the redwood forest. Happy Hotelers, this is a very Special Piece of Earth within a very Special Piece of Earth. All the trees are new growth, yet grand and prevailing as they always are. I will forever be grateful to have grown up in a home with redwood trees in my backyard, because I think the more you look at something the more you appreciate it and both Cat and I really appreciate the giants.
But even if you are from a desert and have never experienced the smell, there’s an undeniable force to reckon with within these redwoods. There are so many universes co-existing and it’s a powerfully special environment.
The UTV was outfitted with cute blankets, which was a lovely touch as Otis wound around the trails, up and over and through the woods, telling us all the things about all the things. It was epic, Cat and I both can’t get over it. There’s even a special little surprise that you get to do with the redwood trees, but I won’t spoil the surprise.
Eventually, we made it to the top, to Otis’ favorite viewpoint on this side of the highway. What a view! Overlooking the hotel and the ranch and the ocean, with the fog dancing through the sky in between. The perfect place for a picnic. A damn good picnic. I chose the chicken salad sandwich, which was the best I’ve ever had, made with herbs from the garden, and Cat had a roasted on-property foraged mushroom and goat cheese sandwich. Brownies and chips and salad with a very good vinaigrette, too. All with the view. The cherry on top.
Just as we were finished, Otis came to pick us back up and wrap up the tour, which we were both very sad to do. It will go down in the books, that’s for sure.
My feet had been wet since I stepped in a puddle after breakfast (probably why I still have a cold that will not go away and it’s not Covid or the flu) and we decided a dip in the hot tub was the perfect antidote to our chill. I’m not always a hot tub person, but it’s the perfect place and it was the perfect time for it. Blissful.
In retrospect, we should have had dinner again at the restaurant at the hotel. We were going to go on the Skunk Train to the Glen Blair bar and have dinner in Fort Bragg, but after our fajitas and nachos, we decided we rather cozy up in the big bed and watch a movie instead.
So that’s what we did. And we kept bringing up anecdotes of things we had loved from throughout our stay. What an epic day. What an epic stay.
To the whole team, thank you, thank you, thank you. It was incredible, start to finish.
Happy Hoteling Rating: 9.6/10
To everyone reading, thank you so much for being here. You are simply the best and I am the luckiest. And I think I’m moving to Italy.
xx Your Penpal,