St. Orres

We celebrated Fathers Day at the St. Orres Sunday Brunch. A party of 8 allowed us to sample and enjoy most of the great dishes on their Brunch menu. Every dish arrived beautifully plated and excellently prepared. The bloody mary’s w/​a large prawn — would gives Sam’s in Tiburon a serious run for the money. Romosas made w/​champagne and fresh huckle berries were lovely and not as sweet as Mimosas. The hostess, wait staff and head chef were all attentive, delightful. and treated us like royalty. The Dining Room nestled in the sun-​filled tower was a great setting to have a wonderful father’s day brunch. Perhaps one day we’ll try staying at the St Orres BnB — but we definitely left happy and well fed. Thanks!

What an expensive disappointment this place is. We were there for dinner and were sat in a corner table, then completely ignored. Other diners sat after us were provided water and bread. I tried to catch the eyes of the staff who made no attempts to scan the room. After a few minutes I started to raise my arm trying to get attention to no avail. When they provided water refills to the table sat after us, I finally got up and asked if we could have water too. No apologies. The staff acted as if they were doing us a favor by serving us. Then the food. Lots of game. If you have simple dietary desires, go elsewhere. I had the beef loin which was good. Really a five star entrée. But the vegetables were poorly prepared. Almost an afterthought. The mashed potatoes were starchy and flavorless. On top of the mash were two thick cuts of, again, spice free spuds. Potato on potato. Really? Each diner received exactly three peas. And I had a baby carrot, which was delicious in its simplicity. They have an excellent bar tender who knows how to make a martini right.

We just stayed in the Guest House for our honeymoon this weekend. It was nice and quiet but was not too impressed with the staff. We walked in at 2:55 to check in and I guess check in isn’t until 3. When we walked in, we could hear people talking in the kitchen and phones ringing but no one came out to help. We waited for about 15 mins. Finally we went outside and a woman saw us walking around aimlessly and didn’t offer to help us. Finally my husband went up and asked her if we could check in and she said someone will be up there in a few mins. Finally when someone else came to help, there was no apology, just asked us what the last name was. Just very short and not friendly whatsoever. Also, the rm had some cobwebs and cracks in the wood all over the place. But it wasn’t a horrible experience overall, mostly because we didn’t have to interact with the staff at all.

One of my very favorite coastal dining spots. great food, terrific ambience, and a wait staff that allows diners to relax and enjoy a meal the way that food is meant to be enjoyed. One delicious, exotic dish at a time. Plating is a work of art, and the way the chef blends flavor is not to be missed! A real treat.

I was so excited to be returning to St Orres since our last visit a few years ago. We had stayed at the Tree House and loved it. This time we thought we would try the Pine Haven cottage. I wish I could give a glowing report but this place was so full of HUGE cobwebs. Cobwebs with lots of dead bugs were over the door to the bedroom, cobwebs around most windows, around bottom of mini frig and LOTS of cobwebs on the overhead stainedglass window. The carpet was old, stained and just dirty looking. All the vinyl blinds need replacing as they are terribly bent out of shape. The ones in the bathroom were either dirty, moldy or dirty/​moldy. Speaking of mold, the inside of the shower door was full of mold. The unit is dated – wood needs to be cleaned and waxed-​but it was the mold, dirt and cobwebs that keeps me from recommending this beautiful spot. When I mentioned it to the lady who was at the front desk, she just said she would talk to the maid. Maybe they need to hire someone who will actually clean the cottage. The restaurant food is very good and very pretty on presentation. One night we ate in the dining room and one night we ate in the little bar area – both were quite nice. The view from the small breakfast nook area was spectacular – we could see and hear the ocean– and each day we watched the chickens and the deer roam the grassy area around us. My hope is the management will take note of this posting and bring the cottage up to clean standard. it really is a beautiful cabin if it were clean.

I just do not know how to put it in writing how much we loved this place. Lol We were celebrating my 40^th Birthday. From walking in to check in and then walking into our cabin. …it was awesome. Everyone treated us like they knew us. The room was very clean. If you take wine and forget wine glasses no worries they have some in the room. We had dinner reservations at the restaurant there. We sat at the bar with «Lupe», who everyone that came in seemed to know. She was a gem. Lupe made me a Basil gin martini that was out of this world. (I would give her a raise :)) I complimented her on her beautiful earrings she was wearing. She took them off and insisted I have them as a birthday present. :) the dining room ambience was very relaxing and romantic. Dinner was Fabulously Gorgeous and delicious. The Services was outstanding. Rosemary, the Major D, came to our table to welcome us and made us feel at home. In the morning, a gentle knock on the door would notify us of breakfast. It came in a wooden box with orange juice, fresh fruit, and a main dish. Also two bowls of cereal. They did not disappoint in that department either. Breakfast was amazing as well. We are definitely going back for other special occasions. My Birthday weekend was perfect. One small suggestion, maybe a small radio or CD player to listen to music in the rooms. Thank you everyone at St. Orres. You are all very kind and generous. We can not wait to go back.

Very nice ambiance. Food quality is very good and tasty. We were there on a cold night and were seated at an absolutely freezing table. We sat for a good long while and had to ask for our service to start. Although it got better, pacing was still not good. My soup and entrée were not hot enough. I think for these prices, the experience could be improved. I can see that this would be a good place for a special dinner but if that had been the case when I went, I wouldn’t have been pleased.

Always outstanding food, friendly service, and warm environment at this long-​established and unique restaurant/​inn on the Mendocino coast. They always have some wild game on the menu like boar, venison, etc. Crab cakes are the best on the coast, and my husband and I will sometimes go eat there just for the world class ginger cake. Lupe in the bar takes care of casual dining guests, while Rosemary and the longtime staff make diners feel special.

My children, myself, an a good friend went for dinner last nite. Where do I began… what a lovely evening. Pampering like this dosnt come along often enough in life. Thank you so much for allowing us to enjoy your beautiful property, and amazing restaurant. Everything about our evening was spot on perfect. The item that pushed it over the top for me, was the Gingerbread cake. In a word,…incredible! Every course was not only beautifully presented, but was, delicious. Perfectly timed between courses as well. Our drinks (cocktails) were made exzactly as they should be done. We will be comming back again, an again, as often as life permits.
Patty
P. S. the little dogs that ‘shyly’ make an appearance now an again, an are so well behaved, darling, just a darling touch. Any place that is pooch friendly, has my vote for sure. «We thank you»

Our second year to have Thanksgiving dinner at the St Orres restaurant. It’s the best place to eat around Gualala — a very cozy dining room with good food and very good service. The crab cake and scallop appetizer was particularly good and I’m not really a scallop fan — well prepared and very flavorful. The swordfish was served on a spicy fritter that really made the dish special. Excellent, friendly service. Their non-​holiday fare is also very good. I recommend highly.

Cool building/​vibe. Bad food. Scallop and pheasant entrees were borderline inedible. Can’t recommend.

We stayed in Blue Iris and Black Chan-​something. Stay in the Black Cabin your whole time there – completely worth the $$! Looooved our stay here for our babymoon!

My husband were able to sneak out for a date night while vacationing in the area. Frequented by locals, including many from nearby Santa Rosa, and tourists this place is a beautiful stop along Highway 1 with unique dinner entrees like boar, duck, lamb, and venison, just to name a few. The architecture is so unusual and fun, feels Russian (which is true to the history of the coast) yet so much of the design came from locals. The beams were recycled from the railroad tracks and the turrets are made from the gold of old computer chips. Meals range from $ 40-​$ 60 and includes soup and salad. Service was great, everyone was very helpful as it was a team effort running this dining room with so many patrons.
My husband ordered the venison, which he enjoyed, and I had the salmon. Every time something came out of the kitchen you could hear the oooo’s and ahhh’s as everything was plated so beautifully. We enjoyed both chilled peach soup (which could be considered dessert) and a hot parsnip soup. We also had a beautiful tomato, pesto and mozzarella salad.
I noticed that many ordered the abalone and scallops as an appetizer, which looked amazing, just couldn’t bring myself to order.
They have a full bar and Bartender makes speciality drinks. Wine list offers many wines local to the area. This time I choose to enjoy a Basil martini, which was fantastic, not too sweet and not too sour. The other favorite special being ordered was an apple peach ginger martini.
Dessert was an extra addition to the meal, but we’ll worth the wait. There was a large group that just came for drinks and dessert. We ordered a praline and espresso chip ice cream. The praline was actually melted brown sugar that created a beautiful shell for the ice cream. (Similar to the heated sugar on top of a crème brulé)
In review, it is a great stop off the highway for an extravagant dinner. You can’t beat the scenery and beautiful coast view out the window either.

First let me say that I am bias the wife and I love this place. It has been are go to escape for 7 yrs. I your want to escape the rat race and find your center this may be the place for you. The wood work throughout the property is amazing, with crafters touches everywhere. The food is served in a three course meal or a lite fair just main course small plate. On our last trip I had creamed parsnip soup served hot (I thought it would be terrible) it was fantastic, more please. The caprese (spelt wrong I’m sure) good but not my favorite. With venison as the main course. This took some bites to get used to as most of the time I order stuff I have not eaten before as I trust this chef/​kitchen staff completely. By my last bite I indeed would have eaten more. The cabins are were we like to stay. I won’t tell you which as they are all different and I am sure one will speak to you and that will be yours. If you travel on the coast off season mid-​week they have no problem letting you have the run of the place, to check it out thoroughly. Naturally they can only show you places without guests in them. They still use keys with flashlights attached it gets dark at night better star gazing. Yes stars they are still there. Go, stay, and enjoy.

This review is for a stay at one of the cabins:
We stayed at Sorrel Glen and it was so lovely! Inside it’s probably no bigger than a hotel room: bed, small sitting area, bathroom and deck, but it felt secluded and homier than a hotel, and it was very comfortable and while not super luxurious nor contemporary in décor, our particular cabin didn’t feel terribly dated either! And it was SO cute from the outside! And our view from the deck was lush and pretty, facing the woods. Ours was probably the closest to the property’s spa and sauna so that was nice. There’s a lot of great light coming into the unit.
The bedding was insanely soft. We couldn’t tell if it was because it was old/​worn or if it was because the linens were million-​threadcount, but we slept very comfortably and didn’t want to check on for that bedding alone. And the breakfast delivered to our door was so sweet! Again, nothing particularly luxurious but it was so so good, the cooked part of the breakfast was very well made as was the granola that came with it, and perfect portions.
We would go back in a heartbeat, and maybe even consider spending an entire weekend just staying in the cabin or on the grounds, it’s that comfortable and lovely!
BE FOREWARNED: no cell service, no WiFi except in lobby.

We were staying in Gualala and came here for dinner. The menu offers 3 courses for $ 50. Butternut squash soup was fine, tomato salad with pesto fine. I had the stuffed pheasant for my entrée and could not force myself to eat it. It was beige in color throughout, including the skin, the meat, and the stuffing. I wish it had been as bland in taste because then I would have at least been able to eat it. I don’t think I’ve ever sent a meal back, but the taste was bad as if it had gone off. The waitress didn’t hesitate and comped me another entrée, but I’d honestly lost my appetite already. Very unpleasant.

Best bed and breakfast in Mendocino county, tucked in the hills with 50 acres property where the cabins for guests are hidden between the trees. Ambiance is magical and the food is upscale. And how much do I love the private sauna in our cabin???

OH MY GOD.
Escaping from the concrete jungle, St. Orres was the serene getaway that we needed. About 2.5 hours from SF, this getaway has the best of both worlds: ocean view with a forest-​y backdrop. We opted for a cabin, Blue Iris.
This cabin, well, it was built around the bathroom. There is a two person jacuzzi tub, 7 person sauna (or 9 skinny people), shower, and porch in the bath area. I promise to take more pictures of the cabin in the future because I unfortunately only brought my long range lens with me. The toilet is in the bathroom, but in open view (be okay with it!).
The one qualm about this cabin is that it’s pretty open. Yes, there are wooden blinds in this cabin and with wooden blinds there are little «cracks» in between (cracks, as in views through). If you’re paranoid and a private person like me (I mean, it’s not like there’s 50 people outside of your cabin watching), then you can be creative and use the bed skirt to cover the blinds atop the jacuzzi tub (what we did). And especially with the cracks by blinds by the bed, you can use the spare blanket provided to swing over the wooden beams to cover said cracks. This… Worked!
All in all… This escape was GREAT! I will make a separate review for the restaurant, but our dinner there was phenomenal! Also, a vegetarian breakfast brought to your door??? WHAT! Amazing. Also, the delivery person seemingly vanished… Stealth mode.

We returned this week (after about 15 years) to St. Orres, our favorite, romantic get away from the city to celebrate our 20^th wedding anniversary. We stayed at the Tree House cottage and enjoyed every minute of our two night stay. The cottage was exactly the same as we remembered: Although 15 years ago having no cell or WiFi access in the room was not much of an issue, this year it was a welcome detox from technology! (There is free WiFi access in the main hotel and a quaint pay phone booth.) Behind the cottage is a view of peaceful redwood trees and from the front is a view of the ocean. You can hear the ocean if you keep the deck doors open. The deep soaking tub is the best — don’t forget to bring bath salts/​bubble bath.
We enjoyed dinner both nights at the St. Orres restaurant. The oysters were perfectly dressed and so incredibly fresh; the cold coconut soup was delicious; the lobster tail, scallops and rack of lamb were amazing. The service was warm and attentive; and we loved hanging out with the bartender (who treated us like old friends); we also enjoyed chatting with charming and friendly locals.
A warm breakfast is delivered to your door each morning: A vegetarian egg frittata the first day and scrambled eggs the second; fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, muffin loaf, and granola cereal with milk. My fond memory of our stays in years past was the delivery man knocking on the door with a warm, «Good morning, breakfast!» This time though, we just got a quick knock and a quick «Breakfast.» Not as nice as we remembered, but it didn’t take away from our overall wonderful experience.

Came here for the Memorial Day weekend. Stayed in the Fern Canyon room. When we first arrived, our room literally looked like a tiny shack from the outside, however once we stepped in, it was wonderful. Tiny, but very cozy. There was a double sized bed, fridge, coffee maker, some kitchen utensils and cups, a small table with two chairs, and a shower that was in a separate room from the toilet which was nice. The balcony was HUGE! You actually have two balconies, one right outside your sliding back doors and then if you take some steps down there’s a second balcony. We didn’t see a river though so it must have been dried up at the time we were there. Breakfast was delivered in the morning to our doorstep. It was incredibly peaceful to have breakfast on our balcony in the morning. The breakfast was extremely delicious. I loved the granola and their quiche the best.
This room was right across from the hot tub area. We used that one night and it was super relaxing. We stayed a bit past the closing time and the bubbles still worked.
This is such a beautiful place and so convenient because the beach is literally a 5 – 10 walk down a trail which is not very difficult to get to. Lots of hiking trails nearby and the gualala river. Perfect mix of nature.
Everyone here was very hospitable and friendly. We bought some of their granola to take home since they make it fresh. A little pricey at about $ 11/​lb but nice to take back as a souvenir! They also have a few dogs on the property and they are just adorable.
This place is fantastic if you’re looking for an escape! There is not much reception here and no TV’s so you really are one with nature. Amazing place to get away and just relax. You will definitely feel rejuvenated after coming to St Orres!