Review: The Ranch at Laguna Beach for Families

Laguna Beach, California, is one of the Golden State’s most desirable coastal enclaves. The Pacific Coast Highway lines the western edge of town, and boutique shops, sushi stops and sparkling sea views are plentiful. But over the years, I’ve learned to seek out Laguna’s more tucked-away gems, and that includes The Ranch at Laguna Beach.

Hugged by brushy canyon mountains and just slightly hidden from the coast, The Ranch at Laguna Beach is a serene escape spread across 87 acres. I have visited the property twice — once for an adults-only getaway, and most recently with a multigenerational group of 10. It was an end-of-summer, double-birthday soiree, and the level of service around every bend of the ranch impressed us all.

Here’s why The Ranch at Laguna Beach is great for groups with travelers of all ages. 

Accommodation Types at the Ranch

Canyon Rooms and Creekside Studios are good picks for couples, but they can also be booked as adjoining rooms for larger groups. All boast sophisticated coastal decor (chosen by local designer Tuvalu Home) and sliding doors that lead out to furnished patios, inviting guests to connect with nature. In addition to the natural landscape of the canyon, the grounds at the ranch are meticulously cared for, with trees and manicured greenery lining all walkways. It’s not uncommon to see cottontail rabbits sprint from one flowering bush to another, or to watch them munch on blades of grass on small patches of lawn — so long as guests keep their distance.

This August, my family of four stayed in a two-bedroom Cottage Suite. Like a townhouse, it was two stories and adjacent to another suite of the same configuration. At 1,125 square feet, there was ample room to stretch out, and even to invite the rest of our family over to hang out — they were staying in Canyon Rooms mere steps from the front door of our suite.

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We had a dining table with seating for four, which we used as a snack station for the four children in our party (ages 12, 5, 5 and 1). And the first-floor living room basically became one epic fort for the 5-year-olds; they had flashlight-lit conversations behind hanging blankets and hopped from pillows and chairs in their own version of “the floor is lava.” 

Advisors should also know about The Treehouse, a two-bedroom, three-bathroom house perched above the rest of the ranch and overlooking the golf course and creek. Hexagonal and measuring 1,600 square feet in size, the home has a full kitchen, dining and living space, a wraparound deck for sunrise coffee (and surely golf spectating, if we’re talking about my husband) and its own private gazebo — all of which makes it an ideal booking for families, wedding parties, honeymooners and more.

Golfing and Gardening at the Ranch, Plus Beach Access

Laguna Beach proper has only one golf course, and it’s at The Ranch at Laguna Beach. The nine-hole course is “good for accurate golfers,” my husband said with a sly smile. In other words, the fairways are narrow, so players newer to the sport should expect to lose a few balls. But hunting for them in this setting — with canyon walls and bunnies and deer watching over you — isn’t really something the golfers I know would complain about. My husband, his brother and their dad spent a couple of hours together on the course, and we cheered them on as they teed off, as the Hole One tee box is right by The Ranch’s main lobby structure.

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Another facet of The Ranch that my family appreciated is Harvest Farm, a half-acre, bio-dynamic farm tucked  deeper into the canyon. A golf cart or a shuttle van takes guests back to the site (complimentary guided tours are available daily), and a chipper farmer leads the way once there. We loved hearing tales of pesticide-free gardening — an unbelievable number of swallowtail and monarch butterflies flitted about in our single hour there — and how the team maintains its epic compost pile, using scraps from on-site restaurants and eventually putting the rich soil back in the adjacent garden beds. There’s also a giant chicken coop that houses dozens of happy birds; farmer Ashley invited us in to pet and feed the lady chickens, whose eggs go to property restaurant Harvest for use in fresh pastas.

The garden is just one prong of The Ranch’s sustainability plan, which also includes no single-use plastics onsite, irrigating with only reclaimed water and crushing used glass bottles into sand that goes into golf course bunkers.

If clients are coming to Laguna Beach for time in the sand, note that the beach is walking distance from The Ranch (about 10 minutes). There, The Ranch operates Lost Pier Cafe. Or, clients can opt to drive and park at Main Beach, a popular and oft-photographed stretch of sand mere minutes away. 

On-Site Dining

Harvest serves incredible dishes three meals per day in a grand, lodge-like setting. Note that one side of the venue is a bar with windows that open fully and look out to the golf course and canyon, making it an incredible perch for adults.

The Harvest menu is full of things I want to eat — California fare with plenty of seafood and bold flavors. Our party of 10 dined here three times, and dishes such as steamed mussels, crispy duck drummettes in a sweet chili glaze, crispy brussels sprouts with toasted pecans and stone fruit and braised short rib over cheese and corn polenta stole the show. 

Service was abundantly friendly and accommodating, and we really put the Harvest team to the test in terms of accommodations. My niece has severe allergies, and adhering to her strict guidelines can make travel extra challenging. But executive chef Kyle St. John went so far as to email with my sister-in-law ahead of our visit to list out menu alterations he could arrange, and he came out personally on our first evening to check on us. Similarly, chef Carla Callejas took care of us at brunch.

I was also insistent that we hang out with the locals at The Porch, a spacious outdoor dining area adjacent to the lobby. There’s a scaled down menu here, but the views, live music and fire pits (not on during warmer summer evenings) are what most folks come for. The young kids collected leaves and grasses, and looked for bunnies on the nearby putting green, while the moms, dads and grandparents enjoyed a meal alfresco.

Our other favorite hangout was the pool, because nothing occupies young kids the way an afternoon of splashing does. As much as we love a beach day — and as close as the beach was — we found that the pool, hot tub, garden, golf course and other outdoor spaces were just right for our family gathering.