Straus Home Ranch

In the search for our wedding venue, the beautiful Straus Home Ranch immediately caught our attention. After touring the gorgeous grounds with the kind and accommodating Vivien and Michael, we felt an immediate kinship to them and were completely taken by the magical setting of their Ranch. We knew without a doubt that this was the place for us. When the day came for our intimate gathering of family and friends, the beautiful surroundings proved to be the perfect place to celebrate our special day. Vivien and Michael were genuinely happy to help and be available for any questions or concerns that arose throughout the weekend. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about what a perfect event it was. From the towering eucalyptus trees, the charming interior décor, the bay-​front beach – we had a wealth of incredible places to spend our weekend. We can’t imagine having our wedding anywhere else, and could not recommend this property more highly.

After extensive searching, dreaming, and scouting, my wife and I fell in love with Straus Home Ranch as a potential wedding venue. As we left after our initial visit, we loved everything about the house, the property, and the hosts. It is so beautiful… a perfect mix of rustic, cute, charming, and naturally classic. All the details are well tended to. The house is clean, and well set up for cooking, sleeping, and hanging out with 8 people. Vivien and Michael are so helpful with everything. I couldn’t imagine better hosts.
Given that we were asking to be their first wedding of our size, they were incredibly accommodating and considerate of our needs. After many visits to the farm, and much communication about the details, we had our wedding with 75 guests at the house two weekends ago. It was perfect! The weather, the lighting, the space for ceremony and reception everything was so beautiful, easy, and smooth. I couldn’t be happier with our experience.
As a bonus, we we’re able to rent two beautiful houses directly across the road from the house for many of our wedding guests (20) to stay. They were able to take a beautiful walk to and from the house to celebrate with us without the hassle of having to drive. Everything worked out so well. Our guests loved it, we loved it… I only wish that I could do it all again!
Whether you are looking for a gorgeous and cozy place for a family get away, or a unique venue on the California coast. I highly recommend Straus Home Ranch.

Our film crew shot a music video for Leslie DiNicola at Straus Home Ranch in early May, 2015. Overall experience was stellar, with Michael and Vivien graciously providing excellent hospitality throughout our stay.
The property itself is gorgeous, crowned by a charming farm house with updated appliances and amenities. Just a short one hour drive from our east bay production studio in Emeryville!
Highly recommended! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would rent again. :)

The house is beautiful, the scenery around it spectacular, and the surrounding area is second-​to-​none nationwide. If you’re looking for a place to kick back and relax in West Marin, this is the spot. The home is historic, but don’t conjure up images of worn down and funky. In truth, the furnishings are modern and well appointed, the beds are new and extraordinarily comfortable, and the kitchen is top notch and has everything you’ll need to prepare a meal for 2 – 12 people. I was exhausted and in need of a quiet and tranquil setting to get away for a few days. This rental more than fit the bill, and was beyond my expectations. We ate great food, saw amazing stars, kayaked on the bay, slept in late, and enjoyed our stay immensely! A perfect location for a perfect vacation!

I came to this house on a family vacation with my mom and some other friends, and absolutely loved my stay. The kitchen (very important to a teenage boy) is very well stocked with more appliances than you could imagine using and is very cozy with bright lighting and a beautiful wooden bar for eating and talking. The bedrooms (also very important) have enormous queen sized beds that you fall asleep in within seconds if the light’s off. The baby grand piano, as well as some great board games and books, make a nice addition to the homely living room. Wifi is decent which makes up for the lack of cell phone reception. Outside of the house, there are enormous eucalyptus trees that smell amazing and make the landscape breathtaking. Vivien was able to give us an amazing tour of the fields and I got to see some baby calves! The history of the farm is incredibly rich throughout the last fifty years.
This area of California has tons of activities for tourists. My family and I went on a spectacular hike on the Tomales Point, where we found a stunning secluded beach, making for a perfect picnic of baguette and cheese. And even driving along California’s Highway 1 gives gorgeous views of the coastline.
Thank you so much for this unique experience! I hope we get the chance to visit again.

We had our wedding here, it was perfect for a small group (30) and the house is absolutely gorgeous. All of the guests were blown away by the place. Very comfortable inside and four bedrooms upstairs. Great place for a weekend getaway.

Wow… what a house and experience! It was an absolutely perfect stay for our group of 9 friends celebrating my fiancé’s birthday weekend on 6÷28÷14.
I would highly recommend the location if you want a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. Michael was the best host I’ve ever come across, which is a high compliment. He gave us an historical tour of the farm, the fields, the beach, the barns, and a great overview of the Straus Family Creamery history in the organic movement/​land preservation of Marin County. Really amazing if you’re into that sort of thing (which we are). So much history in Tomales Bay!
He then let us be to enjoy the property… which had everything. The kitchen is huge and fully stocked with all the oils, spices, condiments, specialty utensils (shucker!), kitchen gadgets (rice cooker), cast iron pans, gas grill, and even a nice care basket of Straus Creamery items. We bought 2 bags of hog island oysters to shuck in the afternoon, had fish tacos in the evening with all the sides, and a big farm breakfast the next morning. For dinner, we loved the huge table setting… with some day trippers coming up, 12 people fit around the table for dinner pretty comfortably.
The rooms… wow! All four of them are upstairs and are gorgeous. Lots of natural light, brand new beds, tasteful décor, and each had views of the bay or farm. The upstairs has such a cool wrap around deck that some friends hung out to play music on and some of us enjoyed star gazing after dark, such a cool feature. We had people go to bed at different times and the noise from downstairs didn’t bother anyone trying to sleep earlier.
There was also a TV room (which we didn’t use much, except for the 9^th person who used the comfy pull out couch). We did use the piano and sitting room, with a baby grand that was used a lot :) Comfy, stylish couches-​chairs and floor rugs that when we moved into that area. We also loved the big 1^st floor wrap around porch, but spent most of the afternoon in the front yard and the patio area shucking/​eating oysters, drinking wine, and enjoying a perfect sunny day. We also really enjoyed taking a stroll the nearby beach across highway 1 after dinner… I only wish we would have brought some firewood to enjoy the cool evening at the beach longer. Also a plus, no mobile phone service :) but great wifi for hooking up to spotify and posting your favorite pics instantly, ha.
I can’t recommend the Straus Ranch enough… just go!!!

This is the house the Straus Family lived before, and you can feel the warm hospitality the family always had. Renovated as a modern vacation house, the house still has the feel of the history and memories of the family. The owners, Michael and Vivian, are very friendly and pay attention to the details of the house. It is close to many attracted places such as Hog Oyster Company, Cow Girl Creamery and Point Reyes station. Surrounded by the beautiful nature, the house has both the convenience of the modern life and the nice atmosphere of the rural life. We are sure you will enjoy a most wonderful stay there!