Choosing a California wellness retreat location for my newest adventure—Women of the Rancho—was not easy. I am passionate about connecting women with horses as a way to soothe, heal and teach self-care techniques, and I didn’t feel I could do that at an an ordinary resort.
No. The first thing I required was an excellent equestrian program. The horses need to be well-trained and properly cared for. I also required beautiful surroundings, comfortable accommodations and staff that were not only excellent at their jobs, but friendly as well.
Then I found Alisal Ranch. It ticked all the boxes for a California wellness retreat with horses, and then some. Let me tell you about my latest visit, which was ostensibly for business but frankly, I needed a break!
I have stayed at many ranches over the years, but during my recent overnight trip to Alisal Ranch, I had a spectacular experience that started with check-in and continued through my departure the following day. Alisal staff and managers treat each guest like a VIP. Alisal Ranch is very focused on providing excellent service to each guest.
After check-in I fell in love with my accommodations. I had a cottage near the entrance with a porch that included three comfortable chairs and a view of a green pasture complete with with a palomino and a buckskin horse grazing contentedly. The cottage was spacious, with many thoughtful touches. The front room had a fireplace and Murphy bed with a great setup for hot tea, hot chocolate, or coffee in the morning. A welcome bottle of red wine was in the room, and a half-bath off the living room. In the back, facing the river, was a king bed and a large bathroom with a deep tub and large sink area for all my stuff. Behind my cottage, beside the river, was a small enclosure for laundry, ice machine, and firewood. There were extra pillows and a blanket. I was told A/C was recently added. After dinner, I found chocolates next to my bed.
No wonder this was Julia Childs’ favorite place to visit for many years!
Around 5 p.m., I ventured to the Oak Room Bar, which offered complimentary homemade potato chips, guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, and savory meatballs for a pre-dinner snack. There was a guitar player in the corner softly strumming melodies. Lodging includes well cocktails, California wines, and beers.
After a pleasant stroll around the ranch and a change of clothes, I arrived in the dining room for a 6:45 p.m. dinner seating.
Evening dining at the ranch is country formal. This means a sports jacket and collared shirt is required for men, and for women this is an opportunity to rock a western dress or skirt with cowboy boots, or you could wear a blouse, nice jeans, a western belt, and boots.
My reserved table was next to the window with a great view. The dinner setting is elegant. I don’t eat beef often, but my favorite meal now is the New York steak with cowboy butter on creamy mashed potatoes, crispy tobacco onions, and green beans. The steak was tender and perfectly grilled, and that cowboy butter was delicious. This is an upscale cattle ranch, so it was not unexpected that the beef was superb. There were vegetarian (or vegan) choices on the menu, as well as fish and chicken.
I learned from my friendly waiter that if you don’t want to overeat, you can order a half portion. This was great news for my upcoming California wellness retreat!
The dessert menu had some excellent choices, but I opted for a special warm chocolate lava cake with a scoop of vanilla.
After dinner, I returned to the cottage and used the Wi-Fi booster provided at the front desk to video chat with my husband. Then I did a little reading before bed. I opened the windows for some fresh, cool air and added an extra blanket to the bed. The cottage is well thought out and easy to move into.
The following day, after a wonderful breakfast, I met Adriana at the barn. She is the Special Events Manager and an equestrian who will be helping me with our retreat. Kay is a seasoned wrangler who was leading our advanced ride.
After saddling up, we headed out onto the trail. It was a cool, beautiful morning. Soon, we were in rolling hills with majestic California oaks, and tall sycamore trees spread throughout the property. Kay was riding her horse, a Mustang palomino. She took us into some beautiful scenic ranch areas below the Santa Ynez mountains, near the Alisal reservoir, and into the high meadows sprinkled with cows.
The Chumash flat rock bowls used thousands of years ago for grinding acorns were an excellent stop for photos. With some imagination, you could see a Chumash gathering place with a rock formation as a kitchen surrounded by witness trees going back 800 years ago. You could feel the history and nature. But the best part for me was the trotting and loping on the trails. I had a responsive, sure-footed horse who listened to me and Kay was one of the best wranglers I have ridden with in many years.
It was a spectacular visit for me and an opportunity to plan with the ranch for our upcoming Women of the Rancho retreat.
I spoke to Margaret Robert, who is in charge of reservations. Women of the Rancho is filling up, so now would be an excellent time to book if you are still considering. Most bookings so far are women who love to ride and plan to travel alone to the ranch. Women of the Rancho is perfect for women wanting a wellness retreat and a riding experience. You will have many opportunities to make new friends, reflect, relax, and recharge. You can come by yourself or bring a girlfriend to share the fun.
For those who book, you will hear from Adriana and me as we get closer to October because as with all my retreats, your California wellness retreat experience begins long before the retreat.
