The Sea Ranch

The Sea Ranch is an exquisite primary residence and second-home community along a 10-mile stretch of California’s most beautiful coast, some 110 miles north of San Francisco. It’s where stunning marine environment, beautiful weather year-round, and the feeling of being far away from urban and suburban development meet with the Pacific Ocean.

Subject to strict architectural design requirements, The Sea Ranch has become world renowned for blending development with the beauty of the natural environment. Consequently, the outside appearance of the homes may be modest or unassuming, but inside they are everything but that.

Press here for more photos taken from the famous Bluff Trail along the coast at Sea Ranch.

We recommend the following publications about The Sea Ranch:
The Sea Ranch Association.

Our homes are west of Highway One. Casa Pacis is at the end of an ocean-side cul-de-sac, in the desirable "Unit 28," which has wonderful sand dunes -- the largest dunes in all of The Sea Ranch -- and a long, wide sandy beach with lots of driftwood. One can see and hear the waves crashing into the "Walk-On-Beach" from every room in Casa Pacis. The soothing sights of the ocean meadow, and the endless horizon and marine layer cloud formations over the ocean complement the Sea Ranch experience from our "Casa Pacis" (Lat. for "House of Peace").

Bella Vista is located 1.5 miles north of Casa Pacis. Its unique position on a knoll give it amazing views up and down the coast, looking over a beautiful ocean meadow and over the rooftops of a few other homes, all of which -- due to the design restrictions of The Sea Ranch -- blend so well into the environment that they become entirely unobtrusive and complement, rather than disrupt, the ocean views from everywhere inside of our Bella Vista home. 

High season never ends at Sea Ranch. The sensation of beauty in the Spring at The Sea Ranch is augmented by a wealth of wildflowers, as well as the famous Monarch butterflies, with one of their nesting destinations in a grove of trees just a 10-minute walk from Casa Pacis. Summer sees more sunshine at The Sea Ranch than in most other locations along the California Coast. Due to the inwardly curved coastal contour along Sea Ranch, the "California fog bank" most of the time hovers a few miles away from the coast over the ocean, transforming the coastal bluffs and meadows, from The Sea Ranch to approximately Point Arena, into what the locals call a "banana belt." Fall is arguably the most beautiful Season at The Sea Ranch, with prevalent warm -- but not hot -- mostly sunny weather; and Winter, with its comparatively mild temperatures and occasional heavy coastal rain storms, has become a favorite season for many visitors to The Sea Ranch. Temperatures are usually in the 40s and 50s at night and 60s during daytime, occasionally stretching into the seventies in late summer and fall. So bring your jackets and forget worries about air conditioning -- the ocean takes care of that!

There are many similarities between The Sea Ranch and Tahoe Donner homeowner associations, such as large common areas interspersed with developed lots, expansive hiking/biking trail systems, attractive recreational facilities, a golf course, and a lodge with a fine restaurant. The Sea Ranch has about 2200 lots, 1800 of which are developed, mainly with single-family homes. Tahoe Donner is about three times the size of The Sea Ranch but undiminished in the character of a nature-oriented paradise for vacationing.

First and most importantly for both, The Sea Ranch and Tahoe Donner, strict architectural standards provide for a pleasant blend of natural beauty and developed environment. Fencing is restricted to provide view protection of parked vehicles from streets and neighboring properties, but not to mark property boundaries. The pleasant, apparent absence of vehicles in Sea Ranch is, in fact, one of the marked first impressions new visitors to The Sea Ranch often comment on. There are no power lines disturbing vistas in this part of The Sea Ranch -- they are underground. Plants on private properties must be approved and are restricted to indigenous varieties. Bright building colors are not permitted. There are no street lights, and external house lighting is required to be subdued. 

Another feature — more related to health — of The Sea Ranch is minimization of electromagnetic stray fields, or "electronic-noise" (EMF), in the general Sea Ranch area, far away from "suburbia." Antennas on rooftops would do no good, because there are no TV signals to catch. All you see are occasional satellite dishes -- we cannot escape those minute communication EMF signals coming from satellites. There is a cell phone tower, pretty far away from Casa Pacis and Bella Vista, yet providing good cell phone service in every room of both houses. What's left is then "EMF radiation by choice" caused by the Wi-Fi routers installed in individual homes. (We have located ours at Bella Vista and Casa Pacis as far away as reasonably possible from where people usually are, while still providing good signal strength -- but still accessible to our guests so they can unplug them altogether if they so desire). This makes The Sea Ranch essentially an electronic-noise free environment (an “EMF hole”). 

The Sea Ranch Lodge has an excellent — somewhat pricey — restaurant, which is also ideal for staging festivities. There are three recreational centers with swimming pools, saunas and tennis & pickle ball courts at The Sea Ranch, all open to our guests at no charge. The Sea Ranch has an 18-hole golf course with breathtaking ocean and coastal vistas. The trail system of The Sea Ranch consists of about 10 miles of amazing bluff-top trails, about 15 miles of ocean meadow trails, and about 20 miles of hillside trails (located east of Highway 1). Some of these trails are also open to, and quite favorite for, mountain biking. Less experienced bikers love the 40 miles of The Sea Ranch internal paved roads that have essentially no traffic to cope with. 

The nearby town of Gualala, about 2 miles north of Bella Vista, has two supermarkets, two gas stations, and numerous boutiques, restaurants, and even two bookstores. In spring, summer, fall, or winter, The Sea Ranch is an ideal place for vacationing away from it all.

Short Term Rental Advisory for Sea Ranch

The Sea Ranch Homeowners Association has imposed nuisance prevention rules for short term vacation rentals (“STRs”), with stiff fines for non-compliance. Hosts are required to make sure that guests familiarize themselves with these restrictions.

The Sea Ranch Vision Committee states:

Sea Ranch is a community built to suit the landscape, designed to fit into the surrounding nature and to create harmony with the landscape, animals, and our neighbors. Residents and part-timers alike share this vision. Our goal, and a founding precept, is to live lightly on the land.

All renters are invited to use the same trails and amenities that owners appreciate, including the beaches, pools, picnic areas, tennis courts, the Chapel, airstrip, library, and many more amenities. But The Sea Ranch is not a resort. As Lawrence Halprin, the original landscape designer stated, "resort implies no responsibility - you are just there for fun - to escape responsibility." Here, responsibility to the environment, and the plant, animal, and human residents, is paramount. Our houses are not built to stand out. Instead, we strive to make our houses fit in and let our surroundings be the star.

We have accepted the responsibility to act as conservators of the land, nurturing our native plants and protecting wild animals by leaving them wild. We don't feed them. We aim lights downward and turn off unneeded lights so we can see the stars at night, and keep our lights out of our neighbors' houses.

We value the community here and the social life it affords us, but we also cherish our solitude and privacy. We are careful of each other's property and property lines, and the commons areas that provide the peaceful surroundings we enjoy. The entire Sea Ranch is a No-Drone fly zone.

We soak in the sounds of the ocean, birds, and wind, and the complete quietude of our redwood forests. Please do not disturb others with loud noise and observe our daily quiet hours from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Our 50 miles of trails will lead you along the breath-taking ocean bluff to black, brown, and white sand beaches, through open meadows abuzz with birds and bees, and redwood forests so tall they block the sun. Watch for wildflowers everywhere in the spring. We heed the trail signs and use the trails as intended. Those of us with dogs clean up after them and keep them on a leash.

The fire danger is often high. Absolutely no fireworks ever, and smoking is not allowed on commons, including trails, roads, and recreation centers. Celebrate fire prevention - come visit The Sea Ranch sheep and goats, our animal weed eaters.

We invite you to join with us, live like Sea Ranchers while you are here! Take full advantage of all that is offered and enjoy your stay, whether it's for a day or two or the foreseeable future. We hope that someday you will become our neighbor.

From the Preamble of the Governing Documents (1965) of The Sea Ranch:

“It must be assumed that all Owners of property within The Sea Ranch, by virtue of their purchase of such property, are motivated by the character of the natural environment in which their property is located, and accepted, for and among themselves, the principle that the development and use of The Sea Ranch must preserve that character for its present and future enjoyment by other Owners.”

From the Bluff Trail near Casa Pacis

Tahoe-Donner 

If you want to vacation in a paradise for mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, water sporting, tennis, hiking — or just enjoying nature at its best — Tahoe-Donner is the place for you!

Tahoe Donner is a renowned planned community in California's beautiful High Sierra mountains near Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake. While Tahoe Donner has golf, tennis, swimming, and other recreation facilities, it also has its own Downhill Ski Resort, and the Tahoe-Donner XC Ski Center is known as the world’s best. To all these our renters get discounted tickets.

Furthermore, Tahoe-Donner is only a short drive from Palisades (formerly Squaw Valley), Alpine Meadows, Sugar Bowel, North Star, Boreal Ridge and other great downhill ski areas, and the outstanding Royal Gorge XC Ski Area. Our Alta Vista Chalet is located in a quiet and stunning panoramic vista location in Tahoe Donner, near endless hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing trails.

For more information about Tahoe Donner see the website of the Tahoe Donner Association. 

Similar to The Sea Ranch, which was actually a model for the development idea that lead to Tahoe Donner, the Tahoe Donner resort has strict architectural standards that provide for a pleasant blend of natural beauty and developed environment. Fencing is restricted to provide view protection of parked cars, but not to mark property boundaries. Plants on private properties must be approved by the Tahoe-Donner Architectural Standards Committee and are restricted to indigenous varieties. There is no street lighting, and external house lighting is required to be subdued (and turned off if not ad-hoc used). 

The Lodge at Tahoe Donner is associated with the Golf Course and has an excellent restaurant with a reasonably priced menu. There are two large recreational centers with swimming pools and tennis courts, and a large, well-equipped gym. In addition, Tahoe Donner has a deeded Marina at nearby Donner Lake with a boat ramp, boat rentals, a sandy beach/swim area and a cafeteria. The Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Area has new facility for XC ski equipment rental and casual dining. The Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area is ideal for beginners and quite enjoyable for intermediates; it is very reasonably priced and located just downhill from the Alta Vista Chalet. The trail system of Tahoe Donner has a major trail head just a few hundred yards from the Alta Vista Chalet. From there one has the choice of several loops of trails for 1 to 3-hour and longer hikes, leading along majestic vista sites, at an altitude of 7000 to 8000 feet elevation. These trails are also open and ideal for mountain biking. These amenities make Tahoe Donner a favorite destination for vacation renters in Winter and in Summer.  

Short Term Rental Advisory for Tahoe Donner

The Tahoe Donner Homeowners Association has imposed strict nuisance prevention rules for short term vacation rentals (“STRs”) with stiff fines for non-compliance. All owners who rent their homes are now required to submit these rules, verbatim as written, to their guests and receive their consent for compliance before arrival.

Some Specifics about the Tahoe-Donner Rules:
To preserve full enjoyment of the exceptional natural beauty of Tahoe Donner by all residents and visitors, the Tahoe Donner Association (TDA) has imposed “unusual” RULES.  Please understand: Tahoe Donner is a private primary and secondary home community, and some local residents are critical toward short term rentals of TD homes, because of perceived repeated non-compliance with these rules by short term renters. Please help us preserve the opportunity to make our home available to valued, considerate renting guests like yourselves. These rules include:

— No Smoking:  due to fire danger, smoking is prohibited everywhere in Tahoe Donner.
— No Charcoal (June – Nov):  nowhere in TD (also no Webers; propane BBQs are OK).
— Control Pets: must be under full control at all times anywhere in Tahoe Donner; clean up after pets.
— Speed limit on TD roads: 25mph (except as posted on Northwoods Blvd).
— Stay on Trails:  private and common property boundaries are not marked by fences.
— No Drones: drones or model airplanes are prohibited anywhere in Tahoe Donner.
— No Sound Disturbance: No amplified sound on decks at any time; quiet time 9:00pm - 7:00 am.
— Turn off External Lighting when not needed (after 9PM).
— Do not litter: deposit trash and recyclables in “Bear Box” or take it home with you. 

Abadiania

Abadiania is where the spiritual healing center known as “Casa de Dom Inacio” is located.

Abadiania is located in central Brazil, about 65 miles west of the Capital city of Basilia, on a plateau at an altitude of 3500 ft (1050 m) above sea level. There is almost always a slight breeze; accordingly, even though Abadiania is located in the tropics (15 deg southern latitude), the climate is pleasant. The winter months (May - September) are sunny and dry (low humidity), with temperatures ranging in the high 50s F (15 C) at night and mid to high 70s to 80s F (21-26 C) in the afternoons. Temperatures during the summer months (Nov - March) are on average only about 5 degrees F (3 deg C) warmer, thus still quite moderate, Typical summer days are often interspersed with cloud bursts in the afternoon/evening that can be quite spectacular and easily produce an inch of rain in less than an hour, followed by pleasant sunshine.

The plateau location of Abadiania makes for amazing top-down views from the the edges of town into the surrounding landscape.  This includes the "Casa de Dom Inacio," which has amazing north-westerly vistas, our Casa de Luz, which has the same general view directions, and the “Alegria” and “Amor” apartments, which enjoys expansive, unobstructed north-easterly views.

The town of Abadiania has about 20,000 inhabitants, 5000 of whom live on the northerly side of the 4-lane highway between Brasilia and Goiania, where the Casa de Dom Inacio is located. This entire section of town, while still very modest in overall appearance, has an unparalleled energetically charged mystique, which is sensed even by people who would normally be quite immune to such "esoteric" sensations.  

The Alegria and Amor apartments and Casa de Luz house combine the desirability of very close vicinity to the Casa de Dom Inacio (just across the street from Alegria), fantastic soothing views, utmost privacy, and just the perfect distance -- just a few minutes on foot -- to the commotion and acvitivities of the typical Brazilian town of Northern Abadiania.  They also offer amenities that are commonly expected by foreign travelers but exceed what is available in the typical Brazilian accommodations in town.