The room (Ocean House): Fantastic, although if you are expecting some relationship between $ spent and square footage, you will be disappointed. The room is cosy, but oh so perfect! Log fire cabin a highlight. Great coffee, organic stuff in the minibar (gratis) and, more generally, a strong environmental focus throughout. The ocean view is rather temperamental: the mist that keeps all of the vegetation alive, descends upon the Ranch on a fairly regular basis and therefore it will be your luck which determines whether you get to see the ocean and not the room type.
The restaurant: great views on mist-less days, good food and an excellent value for money classics on the wine list! The service was rather cool and awkwardly patronising. It did not feel intentional though, just a tad off. If you fancy something simpler, you would need to escape the Inn, but there are plenty of diners about once you do.
The surroundings: sublime! Something out of a fairy tail with humming birds buzzing, rabbits hopping around, deer quietly eyeing you up to gage if you have an apple spare. The mist, when it comes, adds an air of mystery to this breathtaking place. The surroundings really do make you appreciate the environment and the hybrid Lexuses that drive around the property are also pretty cool.
Facilities: good pool, hot tub, yoga studio and gym. The yoga class was great albeit a bit on a spiritual side than most city dwellers would be used to.
The atmosphere: a touch of David Lynch here...always being watched...Be it on the main path or in the middle of the redwood forest, members of staff will suddenly pop up just as you were starting to relax. You never quite feel alone, unless, of course, you are hiding out in your perfect room. The fact that you had to drive past an empty car park to hand in your car keys to reception adds to this feeling...kinda like checking yourself back into the priory.
In summary, amazing, but so are the prices. When you pay around £1.5k a night, the expectations are pretty high and there is very little that will pleasantly surprise you. Post Ranch Inn met those expectations to a t. This is a place I'd go back to, but not in the short term...maybe once I'm older and wiser and, crucially, with a lot more cash to spare.