Sparks Ranch Resort - Sonora, California

Eunjoon J.

I'm shocked with the amount of bad reviews about Val!! She's been nothing but amazing throughout our 3 day wedding. I loved the privacy we had and it was such a blast partying with my friends and family at Sparks Ranch Resort. She even said if by any chance we're not satisfied with our 72 hours here, she'd allow us to come back for another 3 days of retreat FOR FREE!

Val truly cares about her client's experience with her venue and I couldn't recommend anywhere else if you want to have a wedding or a simple cozy & luxurious getaway in the California mountains! They've got spas, swimming lagoon, smoke-free firepit, beautiful waterfall to take pictures at, lovely lodgings to stay... couldn't explain in words enough.

Thanks for the magical experience Val, we're going to miss you so much💖

Nathalie S.

I had a wonderful stay at Sparks Ranch Resort! Val was an amazing host. She was so welcoming and friendly, which truly made me feel at home and so comfortable (I slept so well too!). The property is stunning and leaves a magical impression on you.
Photos do not do this special place justice; you have to visit it and experience it for yourself. I'm definitely planning to come back soon!

Marie C.

Property is very tired, landscaping overgrown, dead potted plants abound, hot tub is a swamp, roof needs repair… must have been lovely 20 years ago. Val Sparks lacks integrity. She did not honor our contract for a celebration of life luncheon and exclusive rental of rooms and guest house. She rented the guesthouse to someone else during our “exclusive time” offering no refund of $800 paid for these rooms and the full kitchen we no longer had. She said “honey you got a good deal”. We did not. Paying $200 per room per night for such tired space was not a good deal. Our Memorial Luncheon was always for 50-75 people … she lied that we had said it would only be 20 people. Not true… our family alone is over 30 people. Sadly we had a no refundable deposit or we would have changed venues after 3 local catered told us they would no longer work with Val Sparks.
Our celebration of life luncheon turned out fine as we scrubbed and cleaned…ignoring the dead plants, etc. We also begged a great caterer to help us and that was a great success! Very sad situation. BEWARE… many lies and stories. I’m sure, like the other many negative reviews that she will have a dishonest response below… do not believe it.

Diane S.

I agree with ALL of the negative reviews. Years ago, s a traveling Tech, a traveling RN & I had to escape in the middle of the night, like abused wives, to not be swindled out of money! It is a real shame, the property could be a beautiful, functioning, clean & magical place.

Diane M.

I would not recommend the Sparks Ranch Resort to my worst enemy. The setting for the resort is lovely. From afar it looks magnificent! Up close is another story. The cabana, bathroom and outdoor spa out by the pool area were filthy. We spent hours scrubbing and sweeping before our event. The place hadn't been cleaned in a very long time.
In the Main house upstairs, not one of the three spas in the bedrooms worked properly. One had no cold water at all, another the spray hose was frayed, broken and sharp to touch and the other had no working jets.
There were no sheets on the beds upstairs and it took until 10:00 pm our first night to get Valerie to do as she promised.
The place is more sad than anything. Valerie is way over her head and cannot manage the property properly. I would never stay at the Sparks Ranch Resort even if it was free.

Charlene A.

Where to even start… the owner is extremely rude and disrespectful. I called to simply ask her pricing, since none was listed on the website, and instead of telling me she starts on this 20 minute talk about amenities, rooms, how much she parties etc. I indulge in the conversation, as to not be rude. Finally she asks me my budget and I tell her I only want a ceremony no reception and less than 2k. (We are spending over 15k on our honeymoon and want a simple wedding) so as I say this she laughs and tells me how that won’t get me nothing but a barn and a parking lot then continues to laugh. I didn’t want to be confrontational so I explained how I have called 3 different beautiful venues that do ceremonies for less than 2k. She proceeded to laugh and say how she is sure they can not keep their lights on with that price. I was shocked and honestly didn’t have any words to say at that point. I’ve never been so disrespected in my life. She then tells me her ‘people’ would never go somewhere like that and that 15k was a great price for a wedding in this little town. I just hung up.
Needless to say only go here if you are super wealthy l, otherwise you will be treated like a peasant.

mombo B.

Sparks Ranch is beautifully appointed. The grounds are spacious and lovely, the rooms comfortable and clean. Valerie the owner is a hoot! She’s friendly and aims to please .
We all really enjoyed our time there. The executive suite is set up for someone with special needs and our friend in a wheelchair had good access, which is rare in that area.

Bill G.

I wish I could give no stars because my experience was horrible. My daughter picked Sparks Ranch as her wedding venue. Promises were made by the owner and 2 months before the wedding, the owner said, in a text message, that she could not accommodate the promises. A mad scramble to find a new venue, new caterers, new hotel accommodations, etc, etc. You get the idea. The owner has not returned the deposit and small claims court is the next step.