Stunning 3 BR / 2 BA architectural home on the ocean two miles north of the town of Gualala. 180 degree ocean views on private 3-acre private estate with landscaped yard. Art and architecture blend, post-and-beam with spacious loft, balcony-windows, open floor space, views of ocean from most rooms and hot tub. Secluded but centrally located. Beautiful, dog-friendly Cooks Beach across the small county road, hiking trails, kayaking, wine tasting.
Dramatic beam architecture with massive Bay Bridge timbers, walls all red cedar, 3 Bdr and 2 Ba, 3200 sq. ft. There are views of the ocean from every window but also incredible privacy, with the house sited on a hill, in the midst of 3 acres of coastal property with meadow. This is not The Sea Ranch (a planned development to the south of Gualala), but the wild, rural Mendocino coast. Constantly changing scenery from morning sunrise to evening sunset, whale watching and wildlife. Also wonderfully landscaped grounds with fruit trees, flowers and herbs, big yard for kids to play in, croquet set, outdoor chairs to watch the sun go down. The house is a unique masterpiece designed and handcrafted by a noted local architect, who owned the house for decades until selling to current owners.
Kitchen has granite and wood countertops and is fully equipped. Expansive loft and office space with sunburst window, multiple skylights, huge windows with stunning 180 degree views up and down the coast. Large, ocean-view hot tub, outdoor dining, stone fireplace with wood-burning stove, hi-speed internet, Apple TV with Netflix subscription, DVD player, games, lots of books. Furnished comfortably in contemporary style.
Master king bedroom upstairs, one queen bed and one double bed downstairs, all with ocean views. The living room couch folds out into a fullsized bed, a loveseat in the loft that opens to a twin, and a queen futon in a private alcove in the loft that is perfect for a child's sleep area. Although the bedrooms are all very private, the house has many windows and skylights and is filled with light as soon as the sun rises, so those who like to sleep in late might want to bring eye-shades.
The loft and office space are spectacular, with a massive sunburst window giving views to the south, multiple skylights and large balcony-windows that allow one to step out past the roofline and give dramatic views up and down the coast. Recent re-roofing job also included all-new skylights, including openable ones in the loft, master bedroom and master bath that provide both views and fresh air.
Famous Cooks Beach is right across the street. Beachcomb, surf, or jump in the waves right in your front yard. Kayak the Gualala River (2 kayaks available for guests to use), fish, or take in world-class hiking, local Sonoma Coast wineries and spectacular Anderson Valley (Mendocino) or Russian River Valley (Sonoma) wine trail. Or just relax and whale watch from the upstairs loft or while enjoying the hot tub.
Perfect for art lovers, artists, writers, families, reunions, dreamers, romantic getaway seekers, nature and ocean lovers and those seeking serenity in an architecturally unique house. A family of grey foxes live on the property and, if you get up early enough, you can see them hunting the grounds. The kitchen faces south with ocean views, and ideally located to step out onto the deck for outdoor dining. Would make an ideal writing or artistic creation getaway (artist’s light table in loft and lots of desk space and bookshelves, plus fast wifi and large external monitor for laptops); weekly, monthly and academic semester rates also available.
House is less than 2 miles north of the town of Gualala. The town offers 2 good markets (one organic), art galleries, great independent bookstore, funky cafes, video rentals, gym, yoga studio, and many excellent restaurants. Quite a few other restaurants in area, including world-class St. Orres (walking distance from house), Vue, Sea Ranch Lodge and Timber Cove Resort’s Coast Kitchen.
Parking easily for 4 cars. Set back from the road, private estate feeling, on berm above and to the West of Highway 1 with thick forest screen, so almost no traffic noise, which is rare for oceanfront property along this stretch of coast. We are in the banana-belt area of Northern Sonoma / Southern Mendocino, in the fog shadow of Pt. Arena, so usually very sunny and mild.
Separate studio on the back of the property (above garage) is sometimes occupied, but you will rarely see or hear anyone there. You will have full and exclusive use of the full main house and property grounds. Please no loud or late parties, however.
Guests access house through a keypad with code provided at booking.
1-2 small to medium dogs allowed, but an extra $50 pet fee applies (per pet; if you have more than one dog please send second fee to owner via Paypal). Excess cleaning charges (for instance, for fur coating all surfaces of house, uncleaned dog droppings, etc.) may also be held back from security deposit. We are pet friendly; please help us to stay that way.
Owners are university professors in Vancouver, Canada, and happy to answer any questions or deal with concerns by phone, text or via e-mail. We are always available to make suggestions for people who want more information about where to go, what to see, dining out, etc. And please enjoy the welcome gift basket of tea, local wine, and chocolate.
Our wonderful local caretakers, Rhonda and Mike, can help deal with on-site requests or needs; we will provide their contact info with our welcome package.
Note on our cleaning fee, which is relatively high: We’ve stayed in a fair number of AirBnB and VRBO places, and cleanliness levels vary. Sometimes it’s spotless, sometimes you’re not sure what surfaces are safe to touch. How recently was that comforter cover washed? Sunburst is always brought to hotel-level cleanliness, which in a house of this size (especially one that allows dogs) takes time. The spa is also always professionally serviced between guests. We pay Rhonda and Mike, our dynamic managing/cleaning duo, a solid hourly wage, because they are meticulous professionals, can handle any cleaning or maintenance emergency with grace and aplomb, and because they are great people and our friends. Sunburst could not function as a rental property without them. The cleaning fee is set at what is basically our historically minimum cost, which we very occasionally encounter (2 guests with no pets who don't light a fire, eat out for all their meals, strip their bed as requested, and leave the entire downstairs wing untouched); otherwise we pay the difference.