This mountain retreat is exactly what we needed. It's about equidistant between Big Basin Redwood Forest and the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Henry Cowell Redwood Forest on the way to Santa Cruz was our favorite spot. We loved staying here. Sue & Allen had a perfectly stocked private area for guests. They allowed us privacy on the very large deck too. We felt 100% welcome, and it was never awkward. We slept with the windows open with great comfort. Sleeping to the sounds of the forest and the fountain on the deck was delightful. Ben Lomond has a few really good restaurants and bakeries nearby. We also loved picking up a few items from the very healthy corner market and the liquor store in town. Great selection at both. If you have to feed your Starbucks habit like us, there's one about 10 minutes away too, but you'd never know it unless you looked it up. Boulder Creek has a few locally owned coffee shops about 5 miles up the road for the more immersive mountain retreat.
I know this review was supposed to be more about Sue & Allen's place than the town, so, to sum it up, their place was amazing. We loved it. You won't regret staying here.