Gracie’s cabin in the redwoods of La Honda is absolutely delightful. It is pristinely clean and surprisingly bright and modern feeling inside. It is quite literally tucked between large redwoods, perched above a rocky stream that was still flowing actively in mid-August despite the drought. Gracie was highly hospitable and available for questions.
A couple things to know to make the most of your stay: Bring waterproof sandals or such for the trip to the hot tub. Maybe a bathrobe or wrap too. The hot tub is tucked into a private corner between the garage and stream, but the walk across the property either down the gravel driveway or across the backyard is a bit exposed to the neighboring house. Gracie provides lovely fluffy white robes that might get dirty if taken outside. Believe me, you’ll want to spend lots of time enjoying the outdoors here, as nice as it is inside. The cabin bed is very comfy. Blackout curtains could make a nice addition for mornings, but the view is wonderful.
The murmur of the stream over the rocks is mesmerizing when you turn off the jets in the hot tub and listen to nature while soaking. Enjoy the view of the stream from above. The embankment is high and very steep, so don’t expect to dip your toes in. There are lots of birds high up in the trees; we even heard some night songs. This feels like more of a proper wildland forest area than most parts of Tahoe. Such a find so close to San Francisco and the East Bay.
Our only issues were temporary for the cabin or unique to us. The convection/ microwave had recently died and was (unknown to us) temporarily replaced with a regular microwave. My travel partner managed to pull off a miracle by still making a surprise birthday cake with the ingredients he had hidden in his bag (plus an addition from of Gracie’s supply of Nutella packets). He used ceramic bowls for “pans” and emergency recipe conversions as if he was on a high stakes TV cooking challenge. He bumped his head a lot on the low kitchen track lights, but he is unusually tall.
Definitely a new favorite hideaway.