Dawn Ranch Lodge, Guerneville

I recomend a Chateau. It was more spacious with a seperate "living" room that included a gas faux fireplace. It also had a bathroom, with a shower. The bathroom and shower stall were small but then again we weren't there for the restroom. The Chateau is a little more but worth it if you like a place outside of the room where you can hang back with a nice bottle of chapagne. I could see how this place may be a little "mobbed" during the summer, but, I took my wife in the spring when it was slower. It was very private and relaxing. The room was nice and clean and warm/cozy. The restaraunt had excellent food though I had my doubts.(I work at a hotel in SF so I guess I have the snooty food and beverage mentality). Our dishes were spot on and were very tasty. They had a decent wine selection as well. The service was excellent. This place is very "outdoorsy" meaning you will probably see a bug on your window or a crow might annoy you in the morning with the louf crowing. So if your not in to that then I wouldn't recomend it. But, then again, what are you doing out there anyways if you aren't there for the nature? I will deffinately be back as it is near the Russian River as well as other restaraunts and attractions. I am not a big camper so this spot was great in my opinion. This would be a great place for a group or family to block off some cabins and enjoy this place together. Kudos to the chef and bartender who really made sure we were taken care of. I will be back to this place someday.

Dawn Ranch has potential but owner seems more interested in money than repeat customers. Some "nice trys" but falls short. If you don't expect much, you will be ok . But for what they have chosen to charge for rooms, DRL has a long way to go. With that said, the setting is great - grounds are nice for wandering and sitting to read, beach (?) is marginal but does provide access to the river. Restaurant now reopened has pretty good food for the area. Complimentary continental breakfast is a joke - fruit, coffee and stale, limited breads/muffins. Staff is friendly and tries but lack of experience shows. Cabins are varied in their care and maintenance. We thought our showerhead was merely a pipe but upon closer inspection there was a filter on the pipe which seems to be their idea of appropriate for a cabin shower. Some bathrooms are so small you cannot open the door if you are not in the right spot. If this resort was a house you might say "good curb appeal but don't look too close." Overall, we've been there and don't need to go back. There are several other places which are less expensive and amenties are far nicer right in the same area. I would suggest you look elsewhere first.

The web site was very mis leading. Our room had no airconditioning, no screens, on the windows, no TV, no phone, a huge spider in the shower and several small spiders on the bed, walls, floor and in the bathroom. The room is only big enough to walk in and sit on the bed and that is it. The sink faucet had a seperate pipe for the hot and cold so we had to cup our hads and rush from one pipe to the other to wash our face or hands. I would not recomend this to anyone unles you are single and strictly need a bed to sleep on for a night and then go. Even then the price is way over priced.

There was a musty smell as you walk into the small cottage. The room was overpriced for what you receive. (No TV, no phone, no internet, no air conditioning) The grounds are nice but could be better kept up. Access to river was difficult if really an access. Restaurant was very overpriced and the manager seemed drunk.

There are no facilities in the room to hang clothes; to put clothes in drawers; the two bedroom cottages have one bathroom for four people which creates big problems when there are two couples; there is no place to eat as there are no tables to have a "breakfast;" if you want to eat in your cottage you hang out on the couch; you are basically forced to leave your room to go out to a restaurant or to their over-priced restaurant to eat. Strange setup but clean; nothing fabulous.

Loved the little cabins, very cute ane rustic, nicely decorated without any gaudy pictures. Also loved the fact that there are no TV's or phones in the room, it reaaly helped feeeling like we "got away" from it all. The staff was extremely nice and the resturant was wonderful. I recommend trying the flat iron steak sandwich, absolutely delicious. We enjoyed wandering around the 15 acre grounds and looking at the trees, also loved the fact that Dawn Ranch has it's own access to the Russian River. The resort is conveinently located in the town of Guerneville, so we were able to stroll downtown and explore the independently owned shops. All in all, we had a very relaxing stay. I would recommend this resort and it's restaurant to anyone.