Aeolian Ranch

I slept okay, but we took quick showers with our eyes closed and left first thing in the morning. The place felt like a run-down house, not a ranch, with a shared bathroom that looked unchanged since the '60s or '70s. The living area outside the bedroom was shared too.

Expect a hostel-style setup: your bedroom is private, while the bathroom, kitchen, and living room are shared. They leave complimentary coffee and granola bars, and sometimes there may be fresh fruit from their small farm for guests. The ocean view is lovely. It's an adults-only stay, with no children permitted.

They charged us another $30 because we arrived at 10:15 p.m., just 15 minutes after the stated check-in time. I only got notice of the fee on check-in day, when free cancellation was no longer possible. I immediately texted to ask if we could check ourselves in. The door is always open, but they refused, saying they wanted to greet guests as a courtesy. Instead, they showed up and insisted on the extra $30. The alternative they gave us was to leave in the middle of the night and lose what we'd paid for the room. We travel a lot and have never had anything like this happen. Other reviews cover the cleanliness, too. I'd pay a little more to stay somewhere else and be comfortable.

The property had a stunning location and view, and the owners were friendly. The price seemed fair for what we got, but there were a lot of problems. Our room smelled musty, and my wife found mold on a pillow. The shower curtain had mildew, the bedding didn't feel freshly washed, and I found another guest's ticket information under our blanket. The bathroom was outside and shared with other guests. Neither the sliding door nor the screen door would lock, and the Keurig machine didn't work. There's no TV in the room, only in the common area. It felt more like a hostel.