The Inn at Newport Ranch — Hotel in Fort Bragg

There’s a ton of obvious reasons to recommend the Inn at Newport Ranch (stunning views, beautiful rooms, expansive grounds), but the reason I’m writing this review — and this is the first time I’ve ever bothered to leave a review of any hotel — is that the staff here is hands-down the most talented and capable group of people I’ve ever had the joy of receiving hospitality from.||I’ll start with the food: every meal was fresh, innovative, and perfectly prepared. Most of the ingredients are grown on-site, with everything else procured locally, and the kitchen staff knows how to make the ingredients shine. Even the lettuce was memorable, and lettuce isn’t good at being memorable. B&B breakfasts are usually forgettable, but here they’re distinct and exuberant: steamed eggs with a hint of soy sauce, wood-fired king mushrooms, house-made jams and jellies, soft almond tarts, dizzyingly fresh sourdough, salted butter served at the perfect temperature. Dinners were even better. Expertly prepared fresh sablefish straight from the boat, locally raised lamb chops, a strawberry tart made from fruit grown just yards away. There’s no conventional bar or dedicated bartender, but even the cocktails were five-star quality. My martini was cold as ice (a good martini is the best measurement of a good bar), and the speciality cocktails were perfectly balanced.||As good as the food was, the service was even better. Our server for most meals, a young man whose name I sadly can’t recall, was either professionally trained in hospitality or had a preternatural talent for it, if not both. He noticed every detail, and brought a sense of casual, homestyle friendliness to the table even while maintaining a crisp fine-dining atmosphere. It was impressive to watch, and it's the kind of attention to detail that seems to have disappeared in the post-Covid hospitality world.||But the highlight of my stay — and the reason I’ll come back — was the stellar tours of the grounds and garden given by Otis and his spouse Felicia (I hope I've recalled their names correctly). My partner and I wandered into the garden as Felicia was working, and she dropped everything to teach us about the plants, the design of the garden, and the different culinary and medicinal preparations of what she was growing. It was all a genuine work of art, and it was so lovely to hear directly from the person who was growing some of the best produce I've ever eaten.||

The next day, our last day at the Inn, we took Otis’s 2-hour ATV tour of the grounds. It was easily the best and most memorable tour I’ve ever taken in all my travels. Like his wife, Otis grew up nearby and has deep, rich knowledge of the plants, history, and culture of the area. I was stunned at how much he knew about the culture, history, and life ways of the Yuki people who once called Newport home, and he had impressive stories to tell about the more recent logging and industrial history of the area. He also knew that I'd been under the weather the previous night, and his wife had prepared a tea of turkey-tail mushrooms for me, which Otis served with a beautiful and convincing lesson about its medicinal properties. I could go on and on about what I learned from him; such profound oral knowledge takes an attentive lifetime to acquire, and it’s a true treasure to have access to it. It’s the kind of knowledge you simply can’t buy.||Here's the bare truth: there are a lot of beautiful hotels on the north coast, many of which also have stunning views and great food. But what sets the Inn at Newport Ranch apart, and what makes it well worth the money, is its world-class staff and service. Everyone, including the housekeepers and friendly hosts who I haven't had space to mention here, was outstanding at what they do. They’re the reason to go, and they're the...

Me and my wife decided to celebrate our 10 year anniversary by taking a break from our every day life and staying at Newport ranch for 4 days. Over all we had an amazing time enjoying the beautiful ocean, mountain views and most of all privacy. Several times we felt like we were the only couple on the property. Very private and intimate. All the staff was very helpful and friendly. We felt like we were surrounded by friends rather than strangers. I would definitely recommend the UTV property tour with Otis. He was very knowledgeable of the local environment and history. We loved it so much we decided to go on second tour the next day to see the rest of the 2000 acre property and it's hidden gems. Worth every penny. We even got a chance to feed the cows at the end of it when my wife expressed her interest in animals. Our first night we stayed at the inn for the dinner service and we were not too pleased with our experience. We expected a big ranch dinner with plenty of food, but instead we received tiny portions of food that tasted amazing but after we finished we were still hungry. The food felt mismatched and out of place with the rest of the experience we had staying at the Ranch. On the other hand the breakfast was amazing and very filling. I could hardly finish it. Delicious 😋 We also tried the lunch. It was decent, but selection is very limited for anybody with gluten allergy. What made it better was the fact we had it during our UTV tour :). Only reason why I didn't give 5 star review is our dining experience. If the food was in line with the rest of the experience i would not hesitate to give 5 star all day long. I would recommend Newport Ranch to anybody who is looking for private and friendly place to stay close to the coast and mountains. Truly a hidden gem. We'll be back.

Update 7/31/2022 We have spent another weekend at the Newport Ranch and had even better overall experience than the first 2 times. After having a bad experience with food during our first visit we were very hesitant to eat dinner at the Inn again, but we are so happy that we did. They hired new chef Stacy and she is so much better than the previous chef Adam. Every meal we tried was absolutely stunning and very well fit for the ambience. My wife has savere gluten allergy and she was able to enjoy every meal as much as I did without feeling excluded thanks to Stacy being able to substitute food containing gluten. We did miss Ian and his friendly company in the evening. But new staff is great as well. We always feel like we are welcome and surrounded by friend. Last but not least UTV tour with Otis exceeded our expectations. We got to see big part of the property and enjoy a delicious picnic by camp fire. The UTV makes this place just that much more special. Well worth the money. I just hope that the prices are not going to keep going up as much as they have over the last year that would price us out of the market. This place now earns every bit of five...

My wife and I spent a luxurious Christmas with her mother at The Inn at Newport Ranch. I don’t know where to start. The staff, scenery, food and accommodations were all amazing. Everyone working at the ranch — from reception to dining to maintenance were all outstanding, friendly, and went out of their way to create a great experience. The grounds of the ranch were stunning — from pounding ocean surf against towering cliffs to 2,000 acres of sublime redwood forests — with miles of trails connecting all of them. The staff graciously offered us an ATV ride which allowed my mother-in-law to see much of the property and stunning views that would have been completely out of her reach on foot. Our guide hunted for mushrooms and watched for bears in the dense forest while pointing-out a dozen amazing picnic spots from the oceanfront up into the hills.

The ranch is only a few minute drive from Fort Bragg (not Newport Beach in SoCal like we thought!) with several yummy restaurants and brewery, but we never left the comfort and convenience of our own hotel dining room for three breakfasts and dinners. The food was delicious, ample, and well served with several wine choices to compliment each meal. I dreamt of the french toast breakfast in front of the fireplace each morning.

Finally, our two-bedroom suite was one of the most impressive rooms I have ever visited. At least eight trees (yes, trees!) passed through the suite from below the floor up to the ceiling. The fireplace made a cozy room that we didn’t want to leave. The full kitchen allowed us to bring our own food and drinks. Both rooms had comfy beds and their own small bathrooms. But the icing on the cake was the hot tub right outside our back door overlooking the ocean cliffs and ranch pastures.

There were so many activities we never even got to experience! A lovely sauna on the second floor, a large meeting room and spa below our building, whale watching, mushroom foraging trips, picnics, horseback riding and mountain biking mean there is something for everyone at the Inn at Newport Ranch — even if it’s just reading a book in front of one of the four fireplaces or the wrap-around deck!

For the record, our stay was very expensive. I believe dinners were $95 per person, and the extra activites all have a fee.

I’m guessing that I might sound like someone who works for the ranch, but I assure you that none of us have any connection. We were simply so impressed with the property and had such a wonderful holiday experience that I wanted to make sure others learned about this...