St.Orres Inn, Gualala CA

Category & Type :

Lodging

Location :

Gualala CA

Phone :

707-884-3303

Price Range :

$90 to $420

Website :

http://www.saintorres.com

Information about St.Orres Inn...

European-style Hotel with eight handcrafted rooms on the second floor sharing three baths. Two front rooms have stained glass French doors leading to a balcony with an ocean view. On 50 acres of naturalized, landscaped grounds, bordering the redwood forest lie a total of thirteen cottages, five in The Meadows and eight at Creekside. Creekside cottages share exclusive use of a hot tub and spa facility. Some cottages have private soaking tubs, Jacuzzis or saunas and more have views of the ocean.

 

"One spring day in 1971, Gualala native Don Halloway directed my gaze from the window of his small cabin through beautiful redwoods and down to the sparkling ocean. He was referring to 28 acres between Gualala and Anchor Bay, soon to be known as Saint Orres, and for sale for, what was then, a princely sum.

Ignorance being the better part of valor and with a certain innocence of financial matters three old friends originally from Mill Valley, Eric Black, Robert Anderson, and Richey Wasserman, formed a partnership and the purchase was made. Homes were sold, debts were called in, families were moved into the existing funky cabins, and a dream was begun.

Originally called the Seaside Hotel and built in 1929 by Sid Johnson, the hotel had a general store where the dining room is now located. There were gas pumps in front, as the original highway passed just a few feet to the west of the hotel. Upstairs were 10 rooms, mostly used by loggers in the summer, and fisherman in the winter months. The dining room was in the present day lobby, with the kitchen in the back. Five small cabins were scattered around a meadow behind the hotel.

Framed conventionally with redwood 2×4s, siding and t&g interior paneling, the partners partially dismantled then rebuilt the structure.

A century-old mill in Philo was carefully taken apart for the 10”x10” timber framework, some of which were 44 feet long, then hauled to the coast on an old logging truck. After five years of hard labor, artful scrounging, and desperate fundraising, the restaurant opened in January, 1977. And so began the story of St. Orres Inn.

Many local artists and crafters assisted in giving Saint Orres its quality and unusual hand-built appearance. Prior to his career as an architect Michel Wike did much of the early landscaping.

Famous carver and painter Tom Rude lent his hand. Ed Hurley created lamps and other lighting fixtures.

Donna Bishop and Anne Kessler sewed quilts for the beds in the hotel rooms and cabins. Annapolis resident Doug Simmonds assisted the late Samm Hawley in the design and execution of all the leaded glass windows. Heidi Endemann has contributed her incredible prints and exotic paintings from the beginning. These contributions transformed a stunning but empty structure into a vibrant work of art.

As early history, the property was homesteaded in the 1830’s by George St. Ores whose family had immigrated from Russia via Canada. He built and designed many of the “dog hole schooner” loading apparatus along the coast, including Bourn’s landing just to the south.

In 1888 his son William built the short lived “trapeze” cable apparatus, used for loading split redwood and tanbark, located at Arena Cove. For a bit of St. Ores family history one can visit the Anchor Bay cemetery and view the large family plot.

Over the years, St. Orres Inn partners have come and gone. Only one, Eric Black, master woodworker and Saint Orres designer, has remained from the beginning. The son of an eminent San Francisco architect, Eric drew inspiration from the Russian stave church design of the inn.

Beginning work at Saint Orres in 1975, Rosemary was the tax consultant and controller, eventually taking on virtually every aspect of the inn and restaurant operation, in addition to becoming a full partner in the business. After more then thirty years of continuous, top quality service to the local community, and the world at large, Saint Orres remains an example of the best of both the old and the new, whether it be cuisine, lodging, or architecture, and surpassing innovation in all three.

St. Orres was "green" before green was even a concept. The original cabins on the property were either kept intact and remodeled or torn down to use as building materials for the new structures. Every possible stick of wood, piece of panelling or outdoor siding has been recycled into what is here today. The Main Hotel building was constructed using materials from the original Seaside Hotel and heavy beams and larger timbers came from a 100 year old logging mill near Philo, CA.which was carefully taken apart and hauled to the coast on an old logging truck.

Builder and designer, Eric Black, makes it a point to use and re-use all the resources at his disposal. The wainscoating in Pine Haven, for example, comes from the old, 1920's wood panelling from some of the original fishermen's cabins and the copper roofing on the domes is from reject circuit boards. Even the firewood for the wood stoves and fireplaces is split from dead trees on the property. Nothing is wasted.

Currently under construction and nearing completion is an architecturally compatible complex of administrative and support structures behind the inn proper. Eric hopes to begin work soon on a gift store/welcome center/tea room alongside the inn. More than any other, this new design will optimize the flagrant beauty and timeless construction techniques of one-thousand-year-old stave churches located in Russia and Scandinavia. Slated to be built with sustainably harvested old-growth fir logs, this new building will be constructed to last at least as long as it took to grow its timbers, between 400 and 600 years.

The Mendocino County Coast abounds with wildlife and natural beauty. And the land around St. Orres shares in its richness. Nearly every day our meadows are graced by foraging deer and if you listen, in the spring and summer you can hear the distinctive chirp of ospreys as they fly overhead. If you're lucky, you may even see one coming in from the ocean carrying its fresh catch or a branch for its nest. The forest behind us is host to bobcats and fox, wild mushrooms and huckleberries. The ocean is home to abalone, sea urchins (the "uni" in sushi bars), salmon, dungeness crab and ling cod.

River otters play in our local streams and feast on steelhead and trout. The banks and fields around them are home to egrets and cranes. The rocks off our coast are full of sea lions and harbor seals and many of our beaches are birthing grounds for their pups every spring. From late September through much of November and then again from March to May, gray whales migrate up and down the coast and often frolic in our coves. This is truly a magical place.

Celebrate any occasion, large or small, in our dramatic three story Main Dining Room or our more intimate Solarium Dining Room. Both feature our original, highly acclaimed and award winning North Coast Cuisine ...freshly prepared organic and wild foraged food...fresh seafood, wild mushrooms and wild game. Candle light and romance for intimate dining or private events. Wine & beer selection.

A full breakfast is delivered to your cottage each morning.

Full service catering is also available.

The Spa Pavillion, featuring a large sun deck, sauna, a hot tub and a massage room, is for the exclusive use of the guests of the Creekside Cabins and Cottages. Massages can be booked by request.