"Most people will fly into San Francisco or Oakland and rent a car (it’s about a three-hour and-45-minute drive from SFO, three hours from OAK). We drove up from L.A. and it’s a nine-hour drive, so we broke it up. We did a stopover in Monterey on the way up; we stayed at Asilomar Conference Grounds which has a retro summer-camp style and a private boardwalk that leads straight to Asilomar Beach. (One of my biggest tips for budget traveling is to look up state parks and conference centers for lodging.)"

"Before we went, everyone was like, “Make sure you bring your own groceries because there aren’t a lot of options close to Sea Ranch,” and I obviously like to cook and eat, so we prioritized food shopping on the way and even brought a cooler along. If you drive up on a Sunday or a Thursday you can hit the Marin Farmers Market, which is great."

"A few minutes drive away from the Marin Farmer's Market, there’s Farmshop, where you can stock up on baked goods and fancy snacks for the house."

"Bodega Bay Oyster Company in Petaluma is really worth a stop, too. We got sandwiches for lunch there and picked up cheeses and fresh local oysters (like Miyagis and Kumamotos)."

"When you’re at Sea Ranch, it’s mostly just spending time walking around in nature and at the house. We got up and took a morning walk along the bluffs to Green Cove Harbor Seal Rookery; we were there for the birthing season, so there were all these baby harbor seals sunning themselves."

"After breakfast, we made our way to the Sea Ranch Chapel, which was designed by James Hubbell and commissioned by one of the Sea Ranch residents. From far away it looks like a funky wizard’s hat or a Smurf hat, but when you get closer it’s reminiscent of a shell and is super-charming. Someone wrote me recently that they got married inside!"

"Then we drove to Gulala, the closest little town, and Point Regional Park (about five minutes away) to hike along the coastal bluff to Walk-On Beach."

"We drove up to Point Arena Lighthouse (about an hour and 20 minutes from Sea Ranch) to catch the sunset."

"A bit further north there’s Harbor House Inn, where you can go for drinks and dinner; they do a kind of Japanese prix fixe menu. It’s a really famous place so just remember to make a reservation."

"Woke up and took our daily morning walk. This time we followed a trail to Stengel Beach, which is small and rockier. The beaches here are so beautiful but kind of cold and melancholy (think Big Little Lies) and it gets pretty windy; they’re perfect though for brisk walks and picking up pebbles and shells."

"We made lunch and then headed to Salt Point State Park (about 15 minutes south) for a walk around the trails. The wildflowers were in full bloom when we were there, and some of the ice plants looked like bright-colored shaggy carpet all over the hillside (in Monterey they call it the magic carpet)."

"On the drive back toward San Francisco you can head west through Sausalito or east along the coast. If you go west, stop to shop for discounted plates and mugs at Heath Ceramics - they sell factory seconds at this location."

"Have lunch at Hook Fish at Proof Lab, an amazing fish shack at a beer garden with fish tacos and fish and chips."

"If you head east, stop for lunch at Hog Island Oyster, where there are picnic tables outside and you can grill your own oysters."

"You can also stop at The Marshall Store, which is famous for its barbecued oysters."

"Stop again briefly in Point Reyes to check out the Coyuchi store - I always stock up on bath towels, robes, and bedding here."

"Essential stop to pick up cheeses like Mt. Tam and Red Hawk."