Ride Request Form,
August 19 - August 24 Retreat: arrive Monday August 19, depart Saturday August 24
Deadline to submit a request for a ride is August 1st:
We are in the middle of nowhere, and services are extremely limited! So…
When we charter a passenger-van for pickups from Sonoma County Airport (STS), it needs to be arranged weeks in advance (based on number of passengers). If you don’t submit your request by August 1st, then we may not be able to help you, and then you’ll have to rent your own car from the Airport or reserve an Uber at your own cost.
Due to distance, we can’t pick up our guests ‘one-at-a-time’ as each person lands. Please be patient and willing to wait for others to land. And please be flexible with accepting a return ride earlier than needed (there will almost always be someone else who needs to get back to the airport earlier than you need to be there).
Read www.grapplersretreat.com/travel in full before you book a flight, in order to make sure that the flight times you choose are compatible with our ability to arrange a ride to the retreat (and back to the airport) for you.
You must use this form to be put on the pickup list - please do not email your flight/travel details to Alex or Sarah (but of course feel free to email us with questions about booking an appropriate flight). Thank you for understanding.
Please Note: If your flight is delayed, we can’t hold up the rest of the group (nor are we able to simply charter an additional pickup service). In this unusual case, you’ll need to book your own Uber to the retreat (it’s actually pretty easy — but it can be a bit expensive). Thank you for understanding, and for being considerate of the others eager to get here!
Please complete the form below
Please read over this entire page before requesting a ride:
*all requests for transportation must be submitted 3+ weeks before the start date of the retreat**
**Due to the distance of the drive to the retreat (2-hours from STS), we aim to pick up several people at the same time… so you may need to wait for others to land before we complete the pickup and head back to the retreat — but generally the wait isn’t too long (the pickup time is generally after 1:00pm and no later than 3:00pm).
**For your departure flight on the last day, make sure you book something that doesn’t require our car to leave the retreat before 9:00am. And keep in mind that the latest possible departure of our car from the retreat will be 12:00pm (so if you have an evening flight, you may have an extended wait time at the airport before boarding you flight).
Grappler’s Retreat Location & Travel Info
The retreat is located in a remote part of deep Northern California, approximately 1-mile from the historic coastal village of Mendocino. This is approximately 3-hour drive north of downtown San Francisco, and 2-hour drive north of Santa Rosa.
Address: 11203 Gurley Ln, Mendocino, California 95460
If you are flying in and don’t want to rent a car, we will help you get here!
Flying In:
Fly into Sonoma County Airport (airport code is STS) — this is by far the closest airport.
If that is not a practical option, then look to fly into San Francisco International Airport (airport code is SFO), and see Options #4 and #5 below.
If you’d like to have your own vehicle and do some extra exploring while you’re in Northern California, you can rent a car from either STS or SFO airport. There is plenty of room for parking on the retreat property, and we even have an EV charger.
But if you’d us to arrange a ride for you to the retreat after landing, read the options below.
Suggested travel options:
Sonoma County Airport (STS)
Option #1 (from STS)
Fly into Sonoma County Airport (airport code is STS) on the first day of the retreat. STS is a very small regional airport, so it’s an extremely easy airport to deal with. It is also the closest airport to the retreat (about a 2-hour drive).
We send a car to STS for pickups (generally between between 1:00pm and 3:00pm, depending on landing times). Just get there no later than 3:00pm and our car will pick you up and get you to the retreat. If you arrive very early and need to wait, the airport features a great restaurant and bar, called Sky Lounge, where you can settle in while waiting for your pickup.
Option #2 (from STS)
Fly into Sonoma County Airport (airport code is STS) on the day before the retreat starts, and book yourself a room at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport (the Hotel offers a free shuttle that will pick up up from the airport terminal, and take you down the road to the Hotel where you can check in).
Many people prefer to fly into Northern California a day early, so that you can fully recover and be fresh for the retreat. We encourage this option if you’re traveling from very far away!
In addition to the Hotel’s amenities, there are restaurants and a movie theater within walking distance of the Hotel.
We’ll send a car to come pick you up the next day (sometime between 1:00pm and 3:00pm) after you’ve had a chance to relax and recover from your long journey!
Option #3 (from STS)
If you prefer not to coordinate your landing time with our pickup window (for example, if you’re landing after 3:00pm on arrival day), or if you just prefer a bit more flexibility:
you can rent your own car from STS
you can book your own Uber to take you to the retreat (due to the distance, this will likely be over $150).
San Francisco Airport (SFO)
We strongly recommend flying into Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa (it’s easier and closer). But if that is not an option, then book a flight to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). If you are flying internationally, then SFO will be your best option.
Option #4 (from SFO)
Fly into San Francisco Airport (SFO) and land on the morning of the first day of the retreat.
Once you land at SFO, you’ll exit the arrival terminal and get on the Sonoma County Airport Express Shuttle. This shuttle has departure times from SFO once per hour (from the early morning hours into the evening). You’ll be able to find a pickup location just outside your arrival terminal.
This Airport Express shuttle will take you all the way to the much smaller Sonoma County Airport (STS), where we can arrange a ride for you as long as you arrive at STS before 3pm. If you arrive very early and need to wait, the airport features a great restaurant and bar, called Sky Lounge, and also a very nice coffee shop called Cousteaux Bakery, where you can settle in while waiting for your pickup.
Click here for current schedule and more info on the shuttle: Airport Express Shuttle
Option #5 (from SFO)
Fly into San Francisco Airport (SFO) on the day before the retreat starts, and book yourself a room at the Double Tree Hotel in Rohnert Park (this is north of San Francisco, about half-way to the retreat). Many people prefer to fly into Northern California a day early, so that you can fully recover and be fresh for the retreat. We encourage this option if you’re traveling from very far away!
The Airport Express shuttle will take you from SFO to the Double Tree Hotel in Rohnert Park (this hotel is the shuttle’s second scheduled stop)
You’ll want to book yourself a room at the Hotel in advance, with late checkout. It’s a very nice hotel with great amenities and an on-site restaurant.
Once you land at SFO, you’ll exit the arrival terminal and get on the Sonoma County Airport Express Shuttle. This shuttle has departure times from SFO once per hour (from the early morning hours into the evening). You’ll be able to find a pickup location just outside your arrival terminal. Click here for current schedule and more info on the shuttle: Airport Express Shuttle
Spend the day/night at the Hotel relaxing and recovering from your long international travel.
Trust us, this is the better way to go! You don’t want to go through a long international flight and head to the retreat immediately after you land. You’ll be exhausted and not able to fully take in the experience if you’re jet-lagged and tired.
On the arrival day of the retreat, our pickup car will meet you at the Double Tree in the early afternoon, and drive you the rest of the way to the retreat!
Option #6: If you have a unique travel situation or if your available flights options don’t match up well with our pickup schedule, then:
Fly to Northern California a day early and get a hotel room at either the Double Tree Hotel (see Option 5 above) or at the Hilton Garden Inn (see Option 2 above)… and we’ll pick you up the next day when everyone else flies in.
If you can’t make a decent departure flight on the last day of the retreat, then book a flight for the next morning. We’ll get you back to the city, where you can book a room at either of the two hotels mentioned above, and then shuttle from your hotel in the morning to either San Francisco Airport (if staying at the Double Tree) or to Sonoma County Airport (if staying at the Hilton Garden Inn).
You can arrange your own private car service:
We recommend a local local shuttle service run by “Rex” — his rates are reasonable and he has a great reputation. You can find his contact information on his website, here: http://www.obar11.com — his phone number is 1-707-321-6655, and his email is obar11@hotmail.com
If rex is busy, another great option is this local shuttle service: mendoinsidertours.com their number is 707-962-4131
Otherwise, you can rent your own car from the Airport and drive to the retreat and back. While having your own car at the retreat is certainly not necessary, many enjoy the ability to do some extra exploring on the Northern California coast before and after the retreat.
Arranging Your Return Flight
When booking your return flight, just keep in mind the above-mentioned drive-times, and book a flight that doesn’t require you to leave the retreat before 9:00am on the final departure day of the camp (again, please submit all requests for transportation 3+ weeks before the camps starts, otherwise we may not have room for you).
we’ll get you back to Santa Rosa, where you can either get a flight out of STS, or take the Sonoma County Airport Express Shuttle all the way to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Our return car will leave the retreat sometime between 9:00am and 12:00pm (exact time will depend on the person who needs to leave the earliest to make their flight).
If you need to leave before 9:00am to make your flight, then you will need to arrange your own transportation
We recommend a local local shuttle service run by “Rex” — his rates are reasonable and he has a great reputation. You can find his contact information on his website, here: http://www.obar11.com — his phone number is 1-707-321-6655, and his email is obar11@hotmail.com
If rex is busy, another great option is this local shuttle service: mendoinsidertours.com their number is 707-962-4131