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Gray's Retreat
On the Old Point Reyes
Schoolhouse Compound
Point Reyes Station, California
Check Availability
For Reservations, Call 415-663-1166 or Email: PRSchool@sonic.net
Gray's Retreat rate $245 for two each night; $25 for each added person
plus 10% hotel tax. $75 to bring a perfectly behaved
dog.
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The barn building that
contains Gray's Retreat and the Barn Loft is most often taken
to be one of the rustic barns indigenous to rural California.
We used just that as a prototype when designing the structure,
but filled the inside with all the comforts available.
Sequestered quietly at the very end of the private lane to the
schoolhouse compound, the Retreat is designed to celebrate the
solitude of its setting. There are nine-foot high French windows
and doors that frame the views of the spectacular Point Reyes
Peninsula to the west and the sunrise over Elephant Mountain to
the east.
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Gray's Retreat
and the Barn Loft |
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View of Elephant
Mountain
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Gray's Retreat living room alcove |
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The
interior is casual country and elegant. A cozy fireplace is surrounded
by a rocker, easy chair and comfy couch. A trundle day bed with
lots of wool blankets shares a wall with our fine library of two
hundred field guides and naturalist writings about Point Reyes and
its wonders. Original art by Gray and other local artists
exploring the beauty of Point Reyes graces the walls.
A laundry room, private phone line, television with cable and VCR
(hidden discretely in a cabinet with the collection of nature videos),
and stereo, complete the up-to-date amenities. |
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An antique four
poster queen bed looks out to the morning sun patio and towering
Cyprus trees beyond through French doors. The day bed in the living
room enjoys the full view of Point Reyes and converts to a single
or double bed. The firm mattress couch in the alcove becomes an
excellent double bed. One end of the living room may be curtained
off to create a second private bedroom, separate from the sitting
area around the fireplace.
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Gray's Retreat
living room
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are comfortably furnished for outdoor living. The east patio
is off the dining area for ease in barbecuing and lounging.
Guests bask in sunshine the moment the sun rises over the mountain.
Completing the scene, a massive century-old Monterey Cypress
wind break, planted with the founding of every coastal ranch
in the area, has been home to families of red-tailed hawks and
great horned owls for generations. |
Gray's Retreat dining room and patio
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Looking
west from the Retreat patio |
The western patio off
the living room is perfect for a glass of wine in the quiet while
watching the sunset over Point Reyes. When the stars come out, guests
may gather around the fire in the patio chimenea. |
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The kitchen is equipped with family cooking gear, cookbooks, a gas range
and oven, coffeepot, bean grinder, Cuisinart, dishwasher and microwave.
Lots of china and glassware stock the cupboards. Double tile counters
provide ample room for working and serving. It is the ideal spot for returning
after a days adventure of gathering from our local oyster farms, wineries,
village baker, produce vendors and cheese makers, to indulge in the leisure
of cooking and dining together. An equipped picnic basket, beach chairs
and barbecue beckon for outdoor adventure. The bath includes a tub and
shower. The Retreat is partially wheelchair accessible with a ramp and
wide openings between the rooms (the bath is not.) A hidden gate may be unlocked to connect the patio with the Barn
Loft patio for groups.
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