Very occasionally, when I rent a property, I fall completely in love with it at first sight. I fell head-over-heels for Beauty Springs Ranch. It was an extraordinary place to spend three nights in December 2021.
It is extraordinarily large. You are not just renting a house; you are renting an entire 320-acre ranch. It sprawls from an open, grassy ridgetop at elevation 1800’ down an oak-covered mountainside. One day I walked for ninety minutes and never even left the property.
It is extraordinarily beautiful. From the house on the mountainside you have a 180-degree panorama of mountains, ridges, and ocean.
It is extraordinarily secluded and private. From US 101 in Atascadero you drive for about twenty minutes up into the coastal mountains on winding two-lane roads. Eventually you reach the ridgetop and the gate to the ranch. Once inside the gate, you can immediacy see the expansive panorama you will enjoy — thousands of acres of natural beauty — but you cannot see a single house or road, other than your long driveway leading down from the ridge. When you arrive at the house you discover that you can in fact see one neighbor, but their house is 3/4 mile away.
It is extraordinarily quiet. For three days we heard no neighbors, no traffic, no car alarms, no barking dogs… just crickets and a few birds.
You will notice that I haven’t even mentioned the house yet. It’s spacious, tastefully furnished, and feels like a luxury villa with Spanish Mission-style decor. There are gorgeous views, toward the coast and along the ridge, from many rooms in the house and especially from a spectacular pool terrace. There is lovely landscaping and a Mediterranean garden with walking paths among flowering shrubs.
The two of us slept well on a comfortable bed in the master bedroom, and cooked our meals in the well-equipped kitchen. We enjoyed looking at the Milky Way from the jacuzzi, but the pool temperature in December was 75 so we didn’t swim. (The owners are purchasing a pool cover which may help retain heat.)
But you can find plenty of beautiful houses to rent. What makes this one rare and extraordinary is the landscape, the panorama, and the ranch… a stunning ranch-in-the-sky where you can luxuriate in the unspoiled natural beauty surrounding you.
Beauty Springs Ranch is on a shortlist of my favorite places that I have ever stayed, and I am so glad that Nick and Janet are sharing it.