Need to know
Rooms
21 cottages.
Check–Out
10am, but flexible, subject to availability. Check-in is at noon, and staff ask you arrive as close to this time as possible, since group activities begin at 2pm.
More details
Rates include all meals, drinks, snacks, guided hikes, fitness and yoga classes and a daily 50-minute massage, plus departure group transfers to LAX.
Also
The Ranch Malibu’s staple six-night program isn’t particularly suitable for guests with limited mobility. However, there’s an ADA-approved cottage on-site — our Smith 24 Travel Team are on-call to help with bookings and any questions.
Please note
There aren’t any TVs here and cell reception is limited along this remote corner of the coast. There’s free WiFi in your rooms if you’re in desperate need of a scroll, but you’re encouraged to unplug as much as possible during your stay.
At the hotel
Five-acre gardens, treatment and meditation huts, activity house and boutique. In rooms: free WiFi, climate control, free bottled water, hairdryer and bespoke, natural bath products.
Our favourite rooms
All the cottages have a similarly serene feel, with their own Secret Garden-style entrances, an easy-on-the-eye cream palette, and rustic, farmhouse features. You’re encouraged to come alone, to make the most of the quiet, but if you’re visiting as a duo the Guest Cottage with One King Bed is where we’d be deciding to bed down.
Poolside
Cool off after your morning’s hike with a soak in the outdoor swimming pool, shaded by looming trees and bathed in the ranch’s signature serenity. There’s also a cold plunge pool for those in search of a healthy shock to the system.
Spa
In a sense, the whole ranch is your spa. Roaming animals keep you relaxed; barrels for foot baths sit alongside a clutch of epsom salts and herbs for post-hike soothing; meditation huts invite quiet moments, and there’s a fitness house for exercise-induced endorphins. But if all you’re really craving after those early morning treks is a traditional treatment, head to the ‘massage village’, where seven standalone huts rest ready for your scheduled daily deknotting. There’s an infrared sauna that’s free to use, too, and you can pay for acupuncture, cupping and IV infusions.
Packing tips
As long as you’ve an open mind (and a sturdy pair of Salomons), you’ll be all set to make the most of your stay.
Also
For those taking their health kick seriously, there’s Bod Pod testing on-site.
Children
Over-14s are welcome, but this wellness programme is likely too intense for anyone under 18.
Sustainability efforts
Sustainability is a pillar of life at The Ranch Malibu. All the restaurant’s produce is grown in its five-acre regenerative and organic garden, home to over 100 different plant species. The hotel’s resident animals (goats, dogs, cats, chickens, bees) play an important role in waste management, pest control, plant pollination and supporting mental health. Daily activities are centred around learning about your landscapes and how the hotel is helping reforestation efforts, as well as delivering excess food to local food banks and removing litter from Malibu’s farms. The Ranch has their own charity, too, which provides an education to marginalised communities. They also partner with California-based and global charities, including the Clean Water Foundation and the Santa Monica Trails Council.
