The Ranch at Laguna Beach is on the back nine of its resort renovation plans, with more than two years of work expected to be completed in May or June with the opening of all guest rooms, the spa, front desk and banquet and ballroom spaces.
The Ranch debuted its initial 62 room renovations last summer, and the de facto Presidential Suite – a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite called The Treehouse that overlooks the first green of the golf course – was opened to guests in February.
Jim Tolbert, the resort’s director of sales marketing, said the original preview goal was to expand the tourist draw to a 150-mile radius to complement a strong local following. Those plans have since been enlarged.
“We’re getting people from all over,” Tolbert said. “We’ve had people from Germany to Great Britain to Arizona, and we had many folks from the East Coast over the holidays.”
After making a turn off Pacific Coast Highway and taking a quarter-mile drive away from the ocean, guests are greeted by a vast expanse of canyon that doubles as a scenic corridor for the nine-hole golf course. Guests are pleasantly surprised, Tolbert said, by the canyon beauty and rooms that are decorated in a coastal ranch and beach cottage theme with a refreshing splash of local artwork.
“They walk into the room, their mouths open and their eyes get wide,” Tolbert said. “It’s pretty amazing to watch peoples’ reaction to this place.”
The final plan to renovate the former Laguna Beach Country Club was approved by city officials in April 2014. The cleanup and restoration of the course, which was built in the 1950s and suffering from neglect, was the first priority. The course has enjoyed a strong local following for decades and caters to all level of players and couples. To foster a golf culture at the property, free 15- and 30-minute lessons are offered, and one of the beauties of having a nine-hole course, Tolbert said, is that it’s inviting to first-timers and plays fast at a time when slow play is an issue nationwide.
“Golf is part of the culture of the place and the guest experience,” he said. “Our course isn’t intimidating, so people should feel comfortable giving golf a try.”
The 2,200-yard, Gary Roger Baird-designed course is among the most walkable in the region and offers a nice mix of par 3s and 4s and the discovery of wildlife, including deer, along the way.
Besides golf, the resort has become a dining draw for its cuisine as well as the canyon views, Tolbert said. He notes that a number of menu ingredients will be grown on site at the Harvest Garden.
“It’s American-style cuisine using fresh California ingredients. We supplement the menu with things grown in the garden here on property,” he said. “Every dish is full of flavor and the items themselves are relatively simple but technically perfect.”
Tolbert touts the creativity of chefs Camron Woods and Mary Catherine Woods and hopes that the opening of the Harvest restaurant will boost the resort’s reputation as a local dining and social destination spot in addition to making it more formidable in a competitive market.
“It’s going to be the coolest resort in Orange County, for sure,” he said.
