California Coast: Post Ranch Inn, Mendocino, & olive oil from Paso Robles
Sep 5th, 2011, 08:39 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
California Coast: Post Ranch Inn, Mendocino, & olive oil from Paso Robles
This August my husband and I celebrated our 40th anniversary with a trip up the California coast. My birthday had been the raison d’être for our last trip--we went to Sicily--and so, in the spirit of togetherness, it was my husband’s turn to choose. This meant we would not be getting on a plane. Mendocino, my husband’s all-time favorite place, was our ultimate destination.
The itinerary:
San Luis Obispo 1 night San Luis Creek Lodge
Big Sur 2 nights Post Ranch Inn
Mendocino 3 nights Joshua Grindle Inn
Atascadero 1 night Carlton Hotel
We had just the night in SLO and got in around 6. The San Luis Creek Lodge ($169/night plus tax, breakfast included), well-reviewed on Tripadvisor, was clean and reasonably comfortable with an above average breakfast. Some of the furniture seemed too large for the room and the shower (not enclosed, a tile floor with a raised edge) was odd. For our purposes, I think one of the Trellis Court rooms at the Apple Farm would have been fine. Dinner that night was at Luna Red, a relative newcomer which we were told had the same ownership as Novo. We had a few of the small plates--corn on the cob, sea bass, oysters, and duck--the only one I would recommend is the duck.
Afer a brief stop at Piedras Blancas to see the elephant seal rookery, we made our way to the Post Ranch Inn ($945/night plus tax, breakfast included):
“They’ve taken nature and improved on it” my husband pronounced and went on to elaborate: “It’s the best place we’ve ever stayed.” Things were looking up. My husband has antibodies to feeling he’s been ripped off and wondered, numerous times up the 1, how any place could be worth that much money. I care about my surroundings but have never gone to a hotel as a destination. For me, the culture, people, art and crafts, food products, and sights, both natural and manmade, are most important. I pick the hotel to fit and favor small privately owned hotels or inns with character and charm and a sense of place. My husband zeroes in on the food. We’d stayed at Ventana in the 80s shortly after moving to California and had traveled through Big Sur again with our boys. There wasn’t quite enough there there to lure us back to Big Sur on a regular basis. Still, I’d long been curious about the PRI—it had achieved iconic destination status over the years--and figured the cost of our two nights was less than the cost of the plane fare to most of the other places I’d want to travel to.
The Post Ranch Inn channels its ranch roots (the logo is the ranch’s brand) together with an Eastern meditative thread and just enough glamour to spice it up but not take away from the sense of peace and well being that begins to envelope you at reception. We were able to book a Lexus package which meant two nights of complimentary dinners, excluding tax, tip, and beverages. The 4-course pre-fixe dinner was $110/person so this was definitely a plus. The room choice was either a Tree or Ocean house; we picked Tree. After I’d made the initial booking, PRI called every few weeks to ask if there were anything else we’d be needing. I asked Megan to pick out a nice room for us and she came through, selecting one of the Tree Houses with an ocean view from the bedroom. I liked the floor plan of the Tree House with its roomy bath. The furnishings were fresh and in harmony with PRI’s architecture and roots.
We arrived in mid-afternoon and waited by one of the basking pools for our room to be readied. Took a picture for the Japanese couple making their way down the coast who mentioned that they’d tried to get a room for the night, but the inn was totally sold out. Our fellow guests were a cosmopolitan group with a good sprinkling of honeymooners.
Food: Meals are served in the Sierra Mar restaurant--very dramatic, perched on a cliff looking out over the Pacific. The breakfasts were terrific. Differed slightly over the two days with one morning including house-cured salmon with all of the accoutrements (the non-New York bagels were admittedly a small weak link). Also frittatas, bacon, sausage, a separate station providing eggs and pancakes or waffles cooked to order, yummy baked goods, a table of fresh fruit with the best mango I’ve ever eaten, fresh orange and grapefruit juice, good coffee. Dinners were four-course affairs. The food was fresh and it did taste good, but we found the presentations, which seem to be favored in “fine” restaurants everywhere now, to be somewhat overwrought. (Our best meal ever was at Troisgros in Roanne in the mid-70s). My favorite item was the fois gras appetizer.
Activities: Enjoyed Mindful Movement Meditation at 8:30 a.m.in the yurt. Saw deer and wild turkey while walking down to the store. Loved the Jade basking pool and the facial I got at the spa with Jenny. Stargazing after dinner—we topped off a memorable stay with a view of Saturn.
Service: Superb, thoughtful and warm, not overly deferential.
Was it perfect? Almost. Getting in and out of the shower, as the shower is also the soaking tub, was a challenge. The chaises longues on the Ocean house patios looked comfier, at least for this aging body, than the Tree House deck chairs.
The final verdict: We’d go back.
We’ve always loved Mendocino’s spectacular site on the headlands, the charm of the village with its Victorian homes, weathered watertowers, flowers ever in bloom, wild blackberries, its galleries and arty 60s vibe. Four years had passed since we were last there, and we’d looked forward to revisiting our favorite haunts. While the recession cannot rob Mendocino of its beauty, it did feel a bit beleaguered on this visit. There were some empty store fronts (the wonderful Zimmer Gallery closed a while back), but most of our favorites were still there. The Highlight Gallery is always our first stop, and I purchased three scarves made by a local artist. We stayed at the Joshua Grindle Inn in the North Cypress room ($279/night plus tax, breakfast included). On prior vists, we’d stayed in the main house and the watertower. Our room was comfortable, (there was some noise from the adjoining room’s plumbing), breakfasts were good, and Cindy and Charles were welcoming hosts.
Dinners: Our first night’s dinner at perennial favorite, Café Beaujolais, was a disappointment. The sauce on my duck had too much vinegar, and the spaetzle and kale were overcooked. Our second night at Mendo Bistro in Fort Bragg was much better. We liked the restaurant’s location perched above Fort Bragg’s main street. My sautéed ling cod, fresh and perfectly cooked, was my favorite dinner of the trip, and my husband’s fried chicken was excellent. Chapter and Moon, down on Noyo harbor, has a picturesque setting. The quality of the fish in my fish soup was quite good, but the seasoning was bland. Always the plainer sister to lovely Mendocino, we noticed this trip that Fort Bragg had a sense of energy that was appealing.
A tip: Harvest Market at Mendosa’s is a good place to buy local jams and honeys.
Next: lunch in Petaluma and an olive oil find in Paso Robles
The itinerary:
San Luis Obispo 1 night San Luis Creek Lodge
Big Sur 2 nights Post Ranch Inn
Mendocino 3 nights Joshua Grindle Inn
Atascadero 1 night Carlton Hotel
We had just the night in SLO and got in around 6. The San Luis Creek Lodge ($169/night plus tax, breakfast included), well-reviewed on Tripadvisor, was clean and reasonably comfortable with an above average breakfast. Some of the furniture seemed too large for the room and the shower (not enclosed, a tile floor with a raised edge) was odd. For our purposes, I think one of the Trellis Court rooms at the Apple Farm would have been fine. Dinner that night was at Luna Red, a relative newcomer which we were told had the same ownership as Novo. We had a few of the small plates--corn on the cob, sea bass, oysters, and duck--the only one I would recommend is the duck.
Afer a brief stop at Piedras Blancas to see the elephant seal rookery, we made our way to the Post Ranch Inn ($945/night plus tax, breakfast included):
“They’ve taken nature and improved on it” my husband pronounced and went on to elaborate: “It’s the best place we’ve ever stayed.” Things were looking up. My husband has antibodies to feeling he’s been ripped off and wondered, numerous times up the 1, how any place could be worth that much money. I care about my surroundings but have never gone to a hotel as a destination. For me, the culture, people, art and crafts, food products, and sights, both natural and manmade, are most important. I pick the hotel to fit and favor small privately owned hotels or inns with character and charm and a sense of place. My husband zeroes in on the food. We’d stayed at Ventana in the 80s shortly after moving to California and had traveled through Big Sur again with our boys. There wasn’t quite enough there there to lure us back to Big Sur on a regular basis. Still, I’d long been curious about the PRI—it had achieved iconic destination status over the years--and figured the cost of our two nights was less than the cost of the plane fare to most of the other places I’d want to travel to.
The Post Ranch Inn channels its ranch roots (the logo is the ranch’s brand) together with an Eastern meditative thread and just enough glamour to spice it up but not take away from the sense of peace and well being that begins to envelope you at reception. We were able to book a Lexus package which meant two nights of complimentary dinners, excluding tax, tip, and beverages. The 4-course pre-fixe dinner was $110/person so this was definitely a plus. The room choice was either a Tree or Ocean house; we picked Tree. After I’d made the initial booking, PRI called every few weeks to ask if there were anything else we’d be needing. I asked Megan to pick out a nice room for us and she came through, selecting one of the Tree Houses with an ocean view from the bedroom. I liked the floor plan of the Tree House with its roomy bath. The furnishings were fresh and in harmony with PRI’s architecture and roots.
We arrived in mid-afternoon and waited by one of the basking pools for our room to be readied. Took a picture for the Japanese couple making their way down the coast who mentioned that they’d tried to get a room for the night, but the inn was totally sold out. Our fellow guests were a cosmopolitan group with a good sprinkling of honeymooners.
Food: Meals are served in the Sierra Mar restaurant--very dramatic, perched on a cliff looking out over the Pacific. The breakfasts were terrific. Differed slightly over the two days with one morning including house-cured salmon with all of the accoutrements (the non-New York bagels were admittedly a small weak link). Also frittatas, bacon, sausage, a separate station providing eggs and pancakes or waffles cooked to order, yummy baked goods, a table of fresh fruit with the best mango I’ve ever eaten, fresh orange and grapefruit juice, good coffee. Dinners were four-course affairs. The food was fresh and it did taste good, but we found the presentations, which seem to be favored in “fine” restaurants everywhere now, to be somewhat overwrought. (Our best meal ever was at Troisgros in Roanne in the mid-70s). My favorite item was the fois gras appetizer.
Activities: Enjoyed Mindful Movement Meditation at 8:30 a.m.in the yurt. Saw deer and wild turkey while walking down to the store. Loved the Jade basking pool and the facial I got at the spa with Jenny. Stargazing after dinner—we topped off a memorable stay with a view of Saturn.
Service: Superb, thoughtful and warm, not overly deferential.
Was it perfect? Almost. Getting in and out of the shower, as the shower is also the soaking tub, was a challenge. The chaises longues on the Ocean house patios looked comfier, at least for this aging body, than the Tree House deck chairs.
The final verdict: We’d go back.
We’ve always loved Mendocino’s spectacular site on the headlands, the charm of the village with its Victorian homes, weathered watertowers, flowers ever in bloom, wild blackberries, its galleries and arty 60s vibe. Four years had passed since we were last there, and we’d looked forward to revisiting our favorite haunts. While the recession cannot rob Mendocino of its beauty, it did feel a bit beleaguered on this visit. There were some empty store fronts (the wonderful Zimmer Gallery closed a while back), but most of our favorites were still there. The Highlight Gallery is always our first stop, and I purchased three scarves made by a local artist. We stayed at the Joshua Grindle Inn in the North Cypress room ($279/night plus tax, breakfast included). On prior vists, we’d stayed in the main house and the watertower. Our room was comfortable, (there was some noise from the adjoining room’s plumbing), breakfasts were good, and Cindy and Charles were welcoming hosts.
Dinners: Our first night’s dinner at perennial favorite, Café Beaujolais, was a disappointment. The sauce on my duck had too much vinegar, and the spaetzle and kale were overcooked. Our second night at Mendo Bistro in Fort Bragg was much better. We liked the restaurant’s location perched above Fort Bragg’s main street. My sautéed ling cod, fresh and perfectly cooked, was my favorite dinner of the trip, and my husband’s fried chicken was excellent. Chapter and Moon, down on Noyo harbor, has a picturesque setting. The quality of the fish in my fish soup was quite good, but the seasoning was bland. Always the plainer sister to lovely Mendocino, we noticed this trip that Fort Bragg had a sense of energy that was appealing.
A tip: Harvest Market at Mendosa’s is a good place to buy local jams and honeys.
Next: lunch in Petaluma and an olive oil find in Paso Robles
Sep 7th, 2011, 02:03 PM
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We had a long way to go today and decided to break up the journey with lunch at Della Fattoria in Petaluma. A Zagat find on a previous trip, we had good memories and Della Fattoria didn’t disappoint. My husband and I both ordered the hot dogs with homemade sauerkraut on homemade buns (DF is known for its breads). Yum. Fortified, we made our way down the 101 to Atascadero. The Carlton Hotel ($200/night for a vintage king room plus tax) had been willing to book a Saturday one-night stay. The room seemed to be underfurnished, but the bath was large and well-equipped and I liked the fact that it was an historic hotel. The Carlton has potential and I’m hopeful that the increasing prosperity of the Central Coast will be helpful to it.
This area was cow country before it began to morph into a major wine and olive oil destination. On the recommendation of the hotel, we chose McPhee’s Grill in Templeton for dinner, splitting an appetizer of warm goat cheese and roast garlic, followed by filets with Pt. Reyes blue cheese butter. Totally satisfying. Tiny Templeton has charm--there’s a feed and grain plant smack in the middle of its historic main street.
I’d done some research before leaving home and had learned about Fandango (www.fandangooliveoil.com), a family farm just a mile outside Paso Robles which produces award-winning organic olive oils. Although they don’t normally do tastings, Jerry and Carolyn Shaffer opened their beautiful home to us, Jerry took us on a tour of the olive grove and explained how they make the oil, and Carolyn and Jerry provided tastes of their three delicious varietals. Highly recommended--we purchased some of all three.
On a prior trip, we’d rented a house in Cayucos for a few days. We really like this area of the Central Coast. In half an hour you can go from oak-dotted golden hills to the beach. Lots of cute towns in a small radius. Wonderful hiking in Montaña de Oro State Park. Good food. The rising tide of the wine industry is lifting all boats; the sense of vitality in the area is heartening.
This area was cow country before it began to morph into a major wine and olive oil destination. On the recommendation of the hotel, we chose McPhee’s Grill in Templeton for dinner, splitting an appetizer of warm goat cheese and roast garlic, followed by filets with Pt. Reyes blue cheese butter. Totally satisfying. Tiny Templeton has charm--there’s a feed and grain plant smack in the middle of its historic main street.
I’d done some research before leaving home and had learned about Fandango (www.fandangooliveoil.com), a family farm just a mile outside Paso Robles which produces award-winning organic olive oils. Although they don’t normally do tastings, Jerry and Carolyn Shaffer opened their beautiful home to us, Jerry took us on a tour of the olive grove and explained how they make the oil, and Carolyn and Jerry provided tastes of their three delicious varietals. Highly recommended--we purchased some of all three.
On a prior trip, we’d rented a house in Cayucos for a few days. We really like this area of the Central Coast. In half an hour you can go from oak-dotted golden hills to the beach. Lots of cute towns in a small radius. Wonderful hiking in Montaña de Oro State Park. Good food. The rising tide of the wine industry is lifting all boats; the sense of vitality in the area is heartening.
Sep 7th, 2011, 02:17 PM
#3
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 12,492
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What a lovely report. We passed the sign for PRI on our California trip this summer and I was tempted to turn around and go take a look at that place! It must be fabulous.
It sounds like you had a wonderful anniversary.. Congratulations!
It sounds like you had a wonderful anniversary.. Congratulations!
Sep 7th, 2011, 07:11 PM
#6
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,798
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What a great trip. Happy Anniversary.
Post Ranch is my favorite place to stay. I love it there. Good news for you...returning guests get fairly substantial discounts and access to off season deals that makes the financial bite a little easier to take.
Post Ranch is my favorite place to stay. I love it there. Good news for you...returning guests get fairly substantial discounts and access to off season deals that makes the financial bite a little easier to take.
Sep 8th, 2011, 03:44 PM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, MichelleY! I’ll start with a little background. We’re from viewcentric SoCal and, since moving here from the East Coast 30+ years ago, I’ve come to appreciate the luxury of the modern California bathroom.
To get oriented, when you go to the PRI website, click on Accommodations and then the unit you’re interested in. At the top of that page, you’ll see a link to the unit’s floor plan which I found very helpful. In addition, we toured Coast and Ocean Houses and a Pacific Suite while we were there. This information from Tripadvisor about the pluses and minuses of different units was also useful:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...alifornia.html
Here are the variables I’d consider for next time, focusing on a comparison of the Tree and Ocean Houses; the Ocean House was the most expensive unit I (but not my husband) could have conceivably booked. The Upper and Lower Coast Houses are intermediate in price between these two. As you'll see, all these choices had trade-offs.
The view: I would want to have an ocean view (especially, I think, if I lived inland) and so we were fortunate indeed to have been given a Tree House with a view from the bedroom over the sod roofs of the Ocean Houses on the other side of the path in front of us. Most Tree Houses look away from the water. In an Ocean House, you are perched right on top of the cliff with the Pacific’s infinite blue before you…unless there’s fog sitting on top of the ocean as was the case much of one day.
The interior: Here I give the nod to the Tree Houses. I liked its interior design best and appreciated its relatively roomy bath. I didn't like the bath layout in the Coast and Ocean Houses
Single unit vs. one with an upstairs and downstairs: Tree and Ocean Houses are free-standing which offers a bit more privacy and has a cool factor. Coasts have an up and a downstairs unit.
The deck chairs: If it’s a nice day, it would be a plus to be able to sit out in the privacy of your unit. The Ocean Houses have chaises longues. I think the Coast Houses have the same type of deck chairs as the Tree Houses (study the photos on the website) which I didn’t find super comfortable. Might have been fine if it had been my 25th anniversary instead of my 40th. There are also chaises longues by both of the basking pools.
The price: Current rates on the website show $1685/night for an Ocean House, $1225 for an Upper Coast House, and $1125 for a Lower Coast House.
The bottom line: On a future visit, I’d check out the “fairly substantial discount” iamq mentioned for an Ocean House. If that didn’t work for us, I’d be perfectly happy with a Tree House if it had some view of the ocean.
To get oriented, when you go to the PRI website, click on Accommodations and then the unit you’re interested in. At the top of that page, you’ll see a link to the unit’s floor plan which I found very helpful. In addition, we toured Coast and Ocean Houses and a Pacific Suite while we were there. This information from Tripadvisor about the pluses and minuses of different units was also useful:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...alifornia.html
Here are the variables I’d consider for next time, focusing on a comparison of the Tree and Ocean Houses; the Ocean House was the most expensive unit I (but not my husband) could have conceivably booked. The Upper and Lower Coast Houses are intermediate in price between these two. As you'll see, all these choices had trade-offs.
The view: I would want to have an ocean view (especially, I think, if I lived inland) and so we were fortunate indeed to have been given a Tree House with a view from the bedroom over the sod roofs of the Ocean Houses on the other side of the path in front of us. Most Tree Houses look away from the water. In an Ocean House, you are perched right on top of the cliff with the Pacific’s infinite blue before you…unless there’s fog sitting on top of the ocean as was the case much of one day.
The interior: Here I give the nod to the Tree Houses. I liked its interior design best and appreciated its relatively roomy bath. I didn't like the bath layout in the Coast and Ocean Houses
Single unit vs. one with an upstairs and downstairs: Tree and Ocean Houses are free-standing which offers a bit more privacy and has a cool factor. Coasts have an up and a downstairs unit.
The deck chairs: If it’s a nice day, it would be a plus to be able to sit out in the privacy of your unit. The Ocean Houses have chaises longues. I think the Coast Houses have the same type of deck chairs as the Tree Houses (study the photos on the website) which I didn’t find super comfortable. Might have been fine if it had been my 25th anniversary instead of my 40th. There are also chaises longues by both of the basking pools.
The price: Current rates on the website show $1685/night for an Ocean House, $1225 for an Upper Coast House, and $1125 for a Lower Coast House.
The bottom line: On a future visit, I’d check out the “fairly substantial discount” iamq mentioned for an Ocean House. If that didn’t work for us, I’d be perfectly happy with a Tree House if it had some view of the ocean.
Sep 8th, 2011, 05:29 PM
#10
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,798
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Regarding Post Ranch. Don't dismiss the Upper Butterfly units. We have stayed in the upper Butterfly on the left side of that complex. Plenty of light and very comfortable. It actually has the largest deck (with a nice view of the mountains) of all the units we've stayed in other than the upper level Pacific Suite where we honeymooned. We've stayed in the upper Mountain House unit and liked it as it is the last unit on the row of units, is fairly remote and had amazing views of mountains.
I prefer the units on the north end of the property past the restaurant where the original units are built. Even though the Pacific Suite was totally over the top and wonderful in so many ways, that area of the Inn lacks the trees and wooded beauty that characterizes the northern end of the property.
I have to agree with bon_voayage about the layout of the Tree Houses. We like this layout the best too, even though the Ocean Houses (we call them sod houses) are the trademark units here.
I prefer the units on the north end of the property past the restaurant where the original units are built. Even though the Pacific Suite was totally over the top and wonderful in so many ways, that area of the Inn lacks the trees and wooded beauty that characterizes the northern end of the property.
I have to agree with bon_voayage about the layout of the Tree Houses. We like this layout the best too, even though the Ocean Houses (we call them sod houses) are the trademark units here.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Erin74
United States
8
Apr 10th, 2010 08:14 AM
easytraveler
United States
17
Sep 8th, 2007 06:50 AM
AJPeabody
United States
4
Aug 5th, 2005 06:09 PM
