We had a wonderful experience with the animals and the employees. Our bungalow, The Monkey Manor,…read moreincluded bed n breakfast, was right next to the lions and they were very vocal especially after dark. We were close up to the rhinos, bengal tigers and camels. Loved the open viewing area where the large animals roamed and the walk bys included two ferrets and a cavie. My only issue was access for handicapped people. While they have handicapped parking, it was a very long uphill walk to see the lions and tigers. For people with mobility issues you might need a wheelchair. Maybe they should have one or two on hand. I don't need a wheelchair normally but I sure could have used one for this.

This was our third time staying at the Vision Quest Ranch. We absolutely loved our stay once again…read more The staff was helpful, knowledgeable, and welcoming. Danielle booked my last minute stay and assisted me in choosing crunch time as my add on. She also was one of the staff that brought an opossum around for our evening visit. An opossum is a common animal but I learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed the brief encounter. The evening was beautiful sitting on the porch listening to the animals. ( bring ear plugs if nighttime sounds disturb you) The extremely comfortable bed had a heating pad to perfectly warm the chilly evening. The stay includes a wonderful continental breakfast, a feeding of the camels, and entrance into the small but very well cared for zoo. I look forward to returning already!

Enjoyed our experience here on a short Father's Day weekend getaway…read more Was greeted with wine and rubber duckies for the little ones. Also got free cookies and wine in our room. The room was spacious, we added a roller bed and BabyQuip crib. Signed up for the little rancher and was super cute. The kids got to feed the goats, per sheep, alpaca, donkeys and mini horses. Did breakfast buffet daily, as we had credit. We also went to the pool, and the kids loved it. Walked around the golf course and saw some deers. There was a wedding so it was kind of loud. Wished the in room dining had more food. All in all, good experience here.

Beautiful expansive resort. It is part of Hyatt so you could hook with points. Great place to relax…read morebut not a points value play. There were some activities included with resort fee like 1 h complimentary driving range or tennis court. But most activities were additional charge. Nightly s'mores were a nice touch. Few good options on the resort but several options wishing 5-10 min drive, even more if you go out 15-20 min.

My wife and i attended a wedding here and were absolutely blown away on the Scenery and the Service…read moreof the Staff that worked there. The wedding ceremony and reception was handled so smoothly. We were very impressed!! The bar area was very clean and the variety of drink selection looked unlimited. For dinner we selected the steak. The Steak here was Amazing!! It was a Harris Ranch NY steak that just melted in our mouths. It was Cooked to perfection!! I've had quite a few steaks throughout the years but this was one of the best one I've had! My Compliments to the Chef! I would highly Recommend this place for your venue.

A well-kept course and good food to end a tournament. It seemed balanced as well with some wide…read morefairways if you have a fade or draw and plenty of hills. I would recommend. Their friendly cat was also a nice surprise.

Loved the hike especially during the fall! It was so beautiful being up there. Our dog loved every…read moremoment of it. Parking was really easy to find. If there aren't any in the lot, there is overflow right before you enter. There were a ton of hiking routes to try. We just kept walking until our dog got tired (which was after hiking for 2.5 hours) Towards the end of the hike there was a rattle snake that another hiker warned us about that forced us to turn around to find another route down since it was blocking across the trail. Otherwise, it was great! Tons of off leash dogs on trails and families of varying ages so very kid friendly as well.

I love Garland ranch. There are several different walking trails. They have a visitor center and…read morebathrooms. Make sure you have on good hiking shoes and bring sunblock and water on warm days. Bring your dog or come solo, the beauty of nature is always so peaceful here. Our kiddos definitely enjoyed getting out to enjoy the area, we will return!

The Sanctuary Beach Resort is one of the most beautiful boutique hotels located in Marina,…read moreCalifornia along the Monterey Bay and Marina Beach. The hotel makes you feel super welcome the moment you walk in. We stayed in a bay front room with the the most incredible sunsets and sunrises. To get to your room they provide a shuttle from the parking lot right to your room. The rooms are new and modern with plenty of space and partially stocked. There is also room service if you want it. There is also a restaurant on the grounds but make a reservation. The hotel itself is beautifully maintained and really clean and they offer complimentary teas and coffees in the lobby. If you're planning a trip to the Monterey or Carmel area I would definitely recommend the Sanctuary Beach Resort.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but I left this stay feeling genuinely disappointed. I had this…read morehotel saved for a long time and booked it after seeing so many glowing reviews about the pet-friendly luxury experience. We paid around $1,000 for one night, so I arrived excited and expecting something special. Unfortunately, our experience was the opposite. Many of the pet-friendly touches that influenced me to book were missing at check-in. There was no personalized dog welcome setup, no dog package, and my dog's name was not on the welcome sign until I called later. I had also requested a simple welcome card for my mother-in-law's first trip to California, and although staff said they would gladly do it, it was never done. We also had multiple room issues throughout the stay. The TV was not working, the phone buttons to reach the front desk did not work, there was no extra pillow for the fold-out bed, and there was even a leftover dog chew from a previous guest found in the bed. To be fair, the maintenance employee was kind and helpful, and the complimentary bottle of wine was appreciated. However, for this price point, the lack of attention to detail and overall service was really disappointing. What upset me most was checkout. I politely explained that I was disappointed and thought at minimum the pet fee might be removed, but there was no effort to make things right beyond emailing the receipt. Beautiful location, but the experience did not match the cost or reputation. I truly wanted to love this stay and left sad and let down instead.

Volunteer service and they do a great job, food was great, very highly recommended [extra…read morecharacters to post this review]

Amazing hospitality by volunteers!!…read more Loved the vibe and food. Had a good time. Would love to revisit the place and will highly recommend it.

If you are considering Holly Farm as the venue for your wedding, and you just want the tl;dr, then…read morehere are my three most important suggestions for you: 1) You should absolutely go with Holly Farm. 2) You should accept every piece of advice Erin, Ryan, and the rest of the incredible team have for you along the way. 3) You should start getting excited right now about La Creme because their food is out of this world. Picking Holly Farm as our venue was the first choice we made in our wedding planning process, and trust me when I say that it was by far the best one. The pictures speak for themselves, and yes, it's as amazing as it looks (though if you haven't visited, you should take the excuse - it's truly stunning in person), but the real game changer is the team. The Holly Farm fam has been at this for decades, and it SHOWS. They cater to your needs and your vision, whether you want to be super hands on and into the nitty gritty on everything, or whether you want somebody to completely take the reins for you. We were so so appreciative for Erin's help during the planning process; any time we were stuck on something, she had a recommendation ready that was never just "off the shelf". We didn't want to be totally consumed by wedding planning all the time, and even though Erin had a big list of vendors ready to go, we were more than happy to listen every time she said "here's the 2 who I think you guys would love". It's really really telling to me that every single vendor we spoke to - without exception, including the ones we didn't end up choosing - all said some version of the same thing: "oh man I LOVE doing weddings at Holly Farm". Here's what I'll say about the weekend itself - it truly feels like you are staying at a luxury resort where you and your friends are the only guests. The entire staff is so attentive, so friendly, and they take care of all the details and logistics so that your only job really is to just enjoy the weekend and stay relaxed. We cooked a huge friends and family dinner in the Adobe and they cleaned the entire kitchen for us! Anytime we were hanging out in the evenings they rolled the portable heaters up without us asking! They moved our rental equipment around to make cool outdoor spaces for us so that we could get more use out of it than just the wedding itself! And nothing felt so satisfying as passing by Ryan on a path and hearing "hey I just lit your fireplace for you!". Of everything we loved about our wedding, the thing we loved most was getting to have this full weekend experience with our closest friends and family in one place, made truly special by the care the entire Holly Farm team put into making us feel at ease and at home. And one final thing - lest I leave you with the impression that this is only about good vibes - the operations for the wedding itself were incredible. Every vendor knows the team and knows the venue, everything works like clockwork without you having to supervise anything, and Erin, Ryan, and their staff have things so tightly coordinated that we didn't have to stress about logistics at all once the weekend got started. I can't emphasize enough how big a difference that made to us compared to some horror stories we'd heard from other weddings. Here are some final quick hits on other things you might be wondering about - but seriously, pick Holly Farm: - I didn't write an entire review for Tamie and La Creme, because it would be just as long, but they do amazing work. This is straight up excellent food, not excellent "wedding" food. - The rooms and buildings are very cool and very comfortable. - Yes, the Paraiso suite is "open air". Yes, it really does stay warm. Having a roaring fire in there, plus a heated blanket on the bed....A+. - The optional River House for extra space is definitely walkable (~3 mins), but it's nice to have flashlights at night. - Having the flexibility to use the space however you want for the entire weekend is a highly highly underrated perk. We had people hanging out on Thursday and Friday and it was a ton of fun. Highly recommend making plans that utilize the space every day. - We were nervous about the higher cost at first, but asking friends and family who stayed on site to pay for rooms turned out to not be a very big deal, and what we charged them was still way less than area hotels. - The music has to switch from DJ's speakers to house speakers at 9:30pm, but the house speakers can stay on all night if you want. We had just as much fun after the switchover. - No curfew is also a huge perk not to overlook. Erin and Ryan if you're reading this THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN YOU GUYS ARE ROCK STARS!!

As my husband and I drive up the central coast to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, we…read morethought this was the perfect time to share a little bit about our insanely incredible experience getting married at Holly Farm. Our wedding was an absolute dream come true. The love we had for each other and for our family and friends that traveled from across the country to celebrate with us was reflected in the beauty and spirit of Holly Farm and all of the wonderful folks that work there. From the moment we arrived, we were blown away by the warmth and charm of the space. It was as if every inch of the venue was designed to make us and our guests feel at home, while still capturing an elevated, magical atmosphere that was simply unforgettable. Everyone at Holly Farm went above and beyond to ensure each detail of our wedding weekend was flawless. Their attention to detail was extraordinary, and it was clear they genuinely cared about making our day perfect. Ryan and Erin were so caring and attentive, and they made us feel like family. They were there for every little detail and made us feel completely at ease. The food, catered by La Creme, was nothing short of five star restaurant quality. We've received countless compliments from our guests about how delicious everything was! This was a big deal, especially coming from our families who are used to extravagant New Jersey weddings with an abundance of food. They all told us it was the best wedding food they'd ever had, which is about the highest praise you can get from a family who knows food! Everything about The Holly Farm was perfect--from the gorgeous, tropical setting that felt like a hidden paradise against the coastal backdrop of Carmel to the impeccable service and food. We couldn't have imagined a more beautiful, heartfelt, and memorable experience, and our friends and family STILL haven't stopped raving about it! Our wedding weekend was made even more special thanks to the onsite haciendas where we, along with some of our close friends, stayed. The houses were cozy yet luxurious, and perfectly appointed with a level of service that truly felt five-star. Each detail was perfect, from the unbelievably comfortable beds to the wood burning fires that were lit by hand each night and the wonderful house staff that made everyone feel at home the moment they arrived. Getting to spend the whole weekend in such an enchanting space made the whole wedding feel so much more special, a truly immersive experience vs a single-day event. We loved discovering the countless nooks and crannies throughout the property where our friends and family could relax, chat, and soak in the surroundings. It created a sense of intimacy and closeness that made the entire experience feel so special. When the weekend was over, we genuinely didn't want to leave. Heck, we may even crash the wedding that's probably getting ready to kick off this weekend! The Holly Farm made every moment magical, and we will forever cherish our time spent there with the people we love most.

Love this venue! As a photographer this venue seems like it was made with a photographers eye…read more Every detail is thought of from the bridal suite to the gorgeous pool. To the black and white dance floor. I love it!

Found Gardener Ranch through Here Comes the Guide and loved it. Inquired about more information and…read morestarted looking at reviews on here. I saw a review left by Sarah A. about hemophobia, but gave the Ranch the benefit of the doubt, because they responded denying the claim. Anyways, I reached out multiple times and was very upfront about being queer. I was not answered once. Despite what they say, they don't host same-sex weddings - either that, or their organization skills are abysmal. Very disappointed -- wish I would have heeded another Yelper's warning

Mike and crew were great guides. Horses healthy and well taken care of. Beach ride is a trail…read moreride, nose to tail, but was still enjoyable.

Ten years ago exactly, I met Steve and his horses while on my travels (from England). It was a…read morelife-changer. I'll never forget his kindness, respect and map drawing in the sand while I rode Bailey - forwards and backwards; a far cry from the suburban nose-to-tails in Richmond Park, Surrey. Such fond memories and much missed, all of it. Highly recommended.

Green Oaks Creek Farm is one of those places that embodies the promise of sustainable living in the…read more21st century. The coastal communities located between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz are ideal spots for such experiments in low-impact land use, and they offer great alternatives to corporate food culture to those lucky enough to access them. Green Oaks Creek is a small, family-owned farm and rural retreat located south of Pescadero between the Pacific and the Santa Cruz Mountains. You can tour the farm, camp out, stay overnight in a yurt, or even hold a wedding on their eco-friendly property. These all sound really great, and the farm - part of a historic orchard and ranch property settled by the Steele family in the early 1900s - is near to lots of cool places to visit: Pigeon Point lighthouse, Año Neuvo park, Butano park, Coastways Ranch, etc. But this review is about the food. On three acres of land dedicated to organic strawberries, flowers, herbs, and vegetables, the folks at GOCF produce some very lovely and delicious products, which the sell at several farmers' markets in the area and through a CSA program: Palo Alto (Sun), Pacifica (Wed.). and Half Moon Bay (Sat). Their stand is small but superb. We've gotten some fantastic Seascape organic strawberries, sweet and rich in flavor, as well as ultra-fresh green garlic, mixed greens, and lettuce. It's a lovely little set-up with something new every week, including cut flowers. We are happy to have found them and look forward to their late spring and summer offerings. Perhaps we'll visit the farm in the future, too!

We chose this place as a way to spend our anniversary weekend. We wanted to be away from the city,…read moreclose to the beach and hiking places, and we were enticed by the green, sustainable character of the Farm. What we found was not a green grass to camp on but a dry, dusty, stubbly field. The "kitchen" is this 3-walled, straw bale structure which looked unkempt, at first sight, and had rotting food in the fridge and questionable utensils. The outdoor bath is not dedicated to the campers, but actually shared with the farm staff. You'll find multiple towels and toiletries strewn about if you try to use it. But most of all, there was no sense of being welcomed by the owners. It was like having guests was an afterthought. It gave the impression of a couple of latecomer hippies that were on their way to failing their return to the land, and had a hard time keeping it all together: the farm, the retreat business, and their lives. We were going to spend two nights and ended up leaving the next morning to go back home.