Writing up a place like Olema Cottages comes with a fair amount of Insider’s Anxiety. It’s a small property and availability is already tight. But after consulting with some of the top Secret Travel Destination experts in the field, we decided that it was just too good not to share.

Located in bucolic Olema Valley in West Marin County, the property sits on pastoral grounds at the foot of Point Reyes National Seashore. It’s a humble refuge that offers sweet delicious goodness, the kind they stopped making long ago. Hens roam the laid back gardens with hopes that you’ll feed them from a bucket filled with scratch. A breeze sways tall eucalyptus trees, gently rustling its leaves. Before we get too Robert Frost on you, take a look at some more photos.

Cottages are homey and stocked with essentials: a comfy bed, a wood stove and a stack of novels. For our money, it’s the most expedient way to unplug from the whole adult thing and get in touch with that uncluttered, childlike peacefulness lurking somewhere inside.

Even though the property feels a million miles away from everything, it’s actually in the perfect location to take advantage of the area’s great food and nature (which we’ll feature in a future post). It’s maybe 5 minutes to the trailheads at Bear Valley Visitors Center. It’s right next door to an amazing dinner at the Shaker chic Sir & Star. Across the street is the woodsy fun Farmhouse bar (bonus: they stock this). And the awesome Marin Sun Farms is just up the road. We recommend snagging a cottage with a kitchenette and stocking up on the following breakfast fixings for the next morning’s bliss: Bacon and pastured farm eggs from Marin Sun Farms, a soul-warming loaf of Brickmaiden Bread from Bovine Bakery, and OJ from Palace Market. We’ll await your gushing indebtedness upon your return.

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