The Best Cali Beach Spot You've Never Seen

Mike Goebel is California.

If, during a visit to his newly reimagined beachfront property, Dillon Beach Resort, you happen to cross paths, he will most likely be sporting sunglasses and a branded trucker hat from the adorable onsite General Store + Surf Shop. And, as he shoots you an easy smile from below the brim, the whole experience will crystalize for you. Because his chill, accommodating, West Coast vibe pervades everything here—and it’s the best kind of contagious.

This part of Sonoma’s coastline doesn’t look like your average California beach. Driving toward the water on a rambling road lined with eucalyptus trees and wildflower fields, visitors pass impossibly green bucolic farmland, peppered with horses, cows and sheep. The landscape feels so lush that it almost evokes the English countryside rather than the Golden State.

And then suddenly—boom. There’s the ocean.

Some locals may remember this spot—poised amidst windblown cypress trees on a rugged cliff overlooking a sprawling expanse of the Point Reyes National Seashore—in a different incarnation from their youth. In fact, one friend of mine, who grew up in nearby Oakland, shared vivid memories of coming here to frolic with family as a child, when the area was simply sand dunes.

Most recently, the hilltop here was home to a trailer park, which unfortunately deteriorated and fell into disrepair over the years. Which is perhaps not surprising as the windswept beachside locale is not easy to maintain. “The backdrop of the Pacific Ocean is mind-blowing and something we never take for granted,” says Goebel. “But it's also equally challenging, trying to battle Mother Nature’s elements of coastal breezes and salty corrosive air.”

Luckily, he has proved to be the right man for the job.

Goebel, who has been driving Northern California hospitality since he opened his first bar in San Francisco’s North Beach twenty-two years ago when he was only 25 years old, has always had a special place in his heart for Dillon Beach and West Marin, in general. So, when the 55-acre property came up for sale in 2018, he jumped at the chance.

It took over four years of slow and steady renovation and improvement, as—complying with extra strict environmental ordinances—he reimagined and reshaped the destination bit by bit into what it is today: Now, a neat cluster of tiny gray and cream houses—with clean, modernist, prefab lines and giant picture windows to let in light—sits overlooking an often empty stretch of beach, at once elevating and retaining the casual spirit of the place.

This resort may be five-star, but it’s anything but stuffy. “This place is for anyone who loves the coast,” says Goebel, “but this isn’t your typical California beach. The vibe here is very laidback, very chill—a place for people to come and unwind and relax.”

Outside each cabin, there are Adirondack chairs in muted tones to blend seamlessly with the landscape. Inside each, the decor is midcentury surf chic, with slatted wooden floors, shiplap walls, gas fireplaces and poppy details like wall-mounted surfboards, Acapulco chairs, yellow 1950s style fridges and vintage-style turquoise microwaves. The cottages and cabins vary in size and view, though many manage to house entire families of six and full kitchens without feeling cramped.

For when the casual onsite restaurant, Coastal Kitchen, doesn’t serve, The General Store sells tasty goods like the makings of full lunches, dinners and snacks (often sourced nearby), local wines and beers and much more. Guests can also stock up on all the trappings of a beach vacation—from games to sunblock to wetsuits and covetable neon woven beach blankets.

One big draw is the shop’s vanilla and salted caramel soft serve made by Double 8 Dairy just up the road, reflective of the foodie haven that surrounds. Dillon Beach is set amidst dreamy purveyors from creameries (like Toluma Farms where baby goats and goat cheese tastings abound) to oyster farms (like Hog Island Oyster Co. on stunning Tomales Bay). And lauded local restaurants—like Nick’s Cove, helmed by Top Chef veteran Chris Cosentino—source their ingredients within mere miles for meals so special they could not be replicated anywhere else (think Smoked Black Cod Dip with Fried Saltines).

The result is literally the taste of the place.

Among the most special dining options is Dillon Beach Resort’s own new Open Fire Beach Feast dinner series on the shore (with a discount for hotel guests), featuring local chefs from the area. Here, dishes are prepared over an open fire in an oceanside cypress grove. Diners feel the sand beneath their feet while mingling and sipping cocktails from a streamlined mobile bar trailer strung with fairy lights and nicknamed “The Breeze Bar.” Finally, as dusk settles, they sit down at a long Instagram-worthy table for an unfussy and also unrivaled meal.

In a word, Dillon Beach Resort delivers—a return to simpler times, a slower pace, the kind of memories that become happy places to return to in our minds again and again. “It's rugged, raw and so damn beautiful,” Goebel sighs. “It's so close to the hustle of the Bay Area, but when you get to the coast, you feel like you’ve been transplanted to a land far away.”