St. Orres is on a beautiful piece of property on the Mendocino coast north of Gualala that feels like an estate. It's peaceful and quiet. I've stayed in two different cabins. All of the cabins are lovely with very nice amenities. There aren't any landline phones, (but there is a pay phone) so keep the cell phone charged, and check your email some other way.
The Wake Robin deck faces not only a fern canyon, but a meadow where the deer hung out most of the morning, and a wild turkey mother and her 7 babies wandered through (mid July). The panorama of an ocean expanse is visible, and you could see a beautiful sunset from there. The deck on the fern canyon was also a beautiful view, and I didn't feel that I was missing out without a view of the ocean. The cabins are kept private by wooden fences.
St. Orres also has rooms above the restaurant in the main building located on a different part of the property south of the cabins.
The Sea Pines cabin is funky, and not as private as the others, but there are only a few other cabins, so there aren't cabins near it. It has an expansive view of the ocean out its front window, one of the nicest fireplaces, and they give you plenty of wood. It gets a 10 for Best View from a Bathroom Window where brushing your teeth can become almost a meditation. On a foggy day it would be a wonderful spot to do hand projects, laptop projects, or watching a movie on your laptop in front of the fire.
The breakfasts were very good. One day included quiche, pumpkin bread, fruit, homemade granola, milk and orange juice. The second day was a breakfast burrito with the cereal, fruit, milk and juice. If you need a breakers-against-the-cliffs fix, it's easy enough to go to a coastal access point down the road. Some of the nicest are south of Gualala.
Gualala is a quiet and slow-pace town. The places to stay in town are right on the main road, have many more cars, slamming doors, and people wandering around, and are not nearly as private and quiet as St. Orres, and are more expensive.
The '60's are alive and well in Gualala. The local radio station played some of the best nitty-gritty rock and folk mix, not just the popular standards that are still being played. This stretch of the coast is about solitude, peace and quiet, soaking in the ambience of the ocean and the lovely Gualala River, so bring your own fun.
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