Sunburst Ocean Retreat

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, and perfectly equipped for remote working. 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 owner. Kitchen has granite and wood countertops and is fully equipped, including a new propane stove/oven. 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, new propane furnace, Apple TV with Netflix subscription, DVD player, games, lots of books. Furnished comfortably in contemporary style. For people working remotely, the house is equipped with the fastest internet on this part of the coast (Further Reach Business Platinum, 110 Mbps upload/download, 60 Mbps minimum) and a cell phone booster that provides the best reception for miles around. The loft boasts two desks (one is a brand-new, sit-stand hydraulic desk), both equipped with high-quality monitors and desk chairs, as well as a multifunction printer. (Guests would need to provide their own keyboard/trackpads and adaptors for the HDMI cables.) 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 opens to a twin, and a queen futon in a private alcove in the loft 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, as well as a base for comfortable remote working; 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. SSeparate studio on the back of the property (above garage) is occupied by a long-term tenant, but you will rarely see or hear anyone there. You will have full and exclusive use of the main house and property grounds around it. Please no loud or late parties, however. Guests access house through a keypad with code provided at booking. ** Please note: until the covid-19 crisis passes, we have added a $60 surcharge (this is listed as a "management fee") to cover the additional labor involved in additional cleaning protocols. Thanks for your understanding Also, in order to protect our local community, which only has a small medical clinic, we also require all guests over 12 years of age to be fully vaccinated against covid-19. We are relying on the honor system here, but by requesting a reservation you are confirming that everyone in your party eligible for a vaccine is fully vaccinated. We appreciate your cooperation. ** Maximum 8 people, including children over 2 years of age, and a maximum of 6 adults. 1-2 dogs are welcome, and the beach across the street is dog-friendly. There is a $80 pet fee, per dog (if you have a second dog, the second fee is payable to owner through separate arrangement). We'd also appreciate it if shedding dogs are as much as possible kept off the furniture; there is a pet cover for the couch that can be used. 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. Owner is university professor in Vancouver, Canada, and happy to answer any questions or deal with concerns by phone, text or via e-mail. I am 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 local jam 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 hot tub is also always professionally serviced between guests. We pay Rhonda and Mike, our dynamic managing/cleaning duo, a high 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 out of the rent. Three night minimum over holidays, 3 night minimum on all rentals. Additional 11% local Mendocino tax for any rentals under 30 days. Special, discounted weekly, monthly and academic semester rates also available, contact owners for details. I can also offer discounted rates and/or cleaning fees for individuals or couples who will only be using the master suite and are OK closing off the downstairs suite with bedrooms #2 and 3 and second bathroom (This closes off with sliding door). Contact me for details. COVID-19 update: Mendocino County has removed most restrictions on transient lodging, other than the requirement that guests agree to follow the latest Mendocino health guidelines and that we have a caretaker on call to deal with any covid-related issues. The latest guidelines can be found here: https://www.mendocinocounty.org/home/showdocument?id=37424 I will send the pdf after booking. By requesting a booking, you are agreeing to abide by these guidelines.