From San Francisco, to Sonoma, and to Lake Tahoe there is something for everyone this Spring Break. Family vacations are a wonderful way to reconnect with family members and old friends. As my children have become young adults and their interests have varied, we like to find destinations which appeal to all of us. This year their three universities had coinciding Spring Breaks so we took advantage of that opportunity with a trip to California.
San Francisco was a great starting place for our family of five. In Golden Gate Park's Chinese gardens, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. People were lined up for the new California Academy of Sciences in their amazing new building designed by architect Renzo Piano. It's been called the "un-museum" and it claims the be "the only place on the planet with an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and 4 story rainforest all under one roof"(a green roof at that.) We stayed at the Fairmont Heritage Place, a recently opened luxury residence club within the building which housed the historic Ghirardelli chocolate factory. The 1, 2, and 3 bedroom residences are currently available for short stays through Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Our 2 bedroom urban chic unit was 1200 square feet, opened out to an amazing terrace with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay, fire pits, and lots of outdoor seating.
Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Sonoma, I stopped to see the new Cavallo Point resort. Nestled beneath the bridge with a Sausalito address, this oasis is the result of a sensitive restoration of a one hundred year old army base named Fort Baker. With a spa, cooking school, Michelin star restaurant, hiking trails, kayaking, and stunning views of San Francisco and the bay, this environmentally friendly resort is another great example of something for everyone.
The wine country in March is relatively quiet. The yellow mustard which grows between the vines was just finishing and the fruit and nut trees were beginning to bloom. Here we connected with old friends and our host graciously took us on a drive Sunday morning north through Napa Valley to Calistoga and then over a windy mountain road down to Santa Rosa and south through the Sonoma Valley. The vineyards on the green hills, charming towns, and great bakeries along the way to sustain ourselves made for an unforgettable drive. With no traffic this was great way to see the natural beauty of this amazing wine growing region. We stayed at our friend's home but in the past have stayed at the beautiful Carneros Inn which lies between the towns of Napa and Sonoma at the top of the ridge. Each guest room is an individual cottage designed so well that many of their guests have tried to duplicate the simple attractive décor in their homes such as the great bathrooms with clever shower with a door to the outside shower and private garden/terrace. Of course, a spa and beautiful pool are included. The fine dining at the Farm relies on local produce and the casual Boon Fly Café is famous for delicious homemade donuts.
Our drive up to Lake Tahoe from Sonoma was slowed down by one of their famous blizzards which dumped nearly two feet of snow on the mountain pass and gave us a lesson in tire chains. What could make for a better start to 5 days of skiing than 2 feet of powder followed by blue sky days? Lake Tahoe is surrounded by no less than 14 Alpine ski resorts. This time we stayed on the South Shore at the base of the gondola for Heavenly Valley at a Marriott Condo resort called Timber Lodge. Straddling the California/Nevada border, this Heavenly Valley offers the breathtaking views of the beautiful waters of Lake Tahoe. We combined 4 days at Heavenly with one day at Kirkwood which has great bowl skiing above the tree line. What it lacks in a charming base village it makes up for with great varied ski terrain and the views. On the north side of the lake, both Squaw Valley and Northstar-at-Tahoe offer great base villages. Off the road to Squaw, Alpine Meadows has been a long time locals favorite, a no-frills mountain a great varied terrain. If it's luxury you crave, the Ritz Carlton Highlands will offer ski-in ski-out lodging at Northstar when it opens this Fall and will raise the bar as the most sophisticated place to stay in the Tahoe area. The north shore also Alpine Meadows is a no frills great challenging mountain.
On the last day, we left South Lake Tahoe and drove to Kirkwood Resort for one more amazing chance to ski: blue sky, open bowls above the tree line, and inexpensive lift tickets. We loved it! Driving back to the bay area from Kirkwood took us through the beautiful gold country, acres and acres of symmetrically planted blooming nut trees, a huge wind farm, and lots of abandoned mining equipment. A beautiful drive!
So from the city to the wine country, to the ski hills of Tahoe and back through the rolling hills of the Gold country, this something for everyone trip was a break from the ordinary for us.
San Francisco was a great starting place for our family of five. In Golden Gate Park's Chinese gardens, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. People were lined up for the new California Academy of Sciences in their amazing new building designed by architect Renzo Piano. It's been called the "un-museum" and it claims the be "the only place on the planet with an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and 4 story rainforest all under one roof"(a green roof at that.) We stayed at the Fairmont Heritage Place, a recently opened luxury residence club within the building which housed the historic Ghirardelli chocolate factory. The 1, 2, and 3 bedroom residences are currently available for short stays through Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Our 2 bedroom urban chic unit was 1200 square feet, opened out to an amazing terrace with sweeping views of San Francisco Bay, fire pits, and lots of outdoor seating.Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Sonoma, I stopped to see the new Cavallo Point resort. Nestled beneath the bridge with a Sausalito address, this oasis is the result of a sensitive restoration of a one hundred year old army base named Fort Baker. With a spa, cooking school, Michelin star restaurant, hiking trails, kayaking, and stunning views of San Francisco and the bay, this environmentally friendly resort is another great example of something for everyone.
The wine country in March is relatively quiet. The yellow mustard which grows between the vines was just finishing and the fruit and nut trees were beginning to bloom. Here we connected with old friends and our host graciously took us on a drive Sunday morning north through Napa Valley to Calistoga and then over a windy mountain road down to Santa Rosa and south through the Sonoma Valley. The vineyards on the green hills, charming towns, and great bakeries along the way to sustain ourselves made for an unforgettable drive. With no traffic this was great way to see the natural beauty of this amazing wine growing region. We stayed at our friend's home but in the past have stayed at the beautiful Carneros Inn which lies between the towns of Napa and Sonoma at the top of the ridge. Each guest room is an individual cottage designed so well that many of their guests have tried to duplicate the simple attractive décor in their homes such as the great bathrooms with clever shower with a door to the outside shower and private garden/terrace. Of course, a spa and beautiful pool are included. The fine dining at the Farm relies on local produce and the casual Boon Fly Café is famous for delicious homemade donuts.
Our drive up to Lake Tahoe from Sonoma was slowed down by one of their famous blizzards which dumped nearly two feet of snow on the mountain pass and gave us a lesson in tire chains. What could make for a better start to 5 days of skiing than 2 feet of powder followed by blue sky days? Lake Tahoe is surrounded by no less than 14 Alpine ski resorts. This time we stayed on the South Shore at the base of the gondola for Heavenly Valley at a Marriott Condo resort called Timber Lodge. Straddling the California/Nevada border, this Heavenly Valley offers the breathtaking views of the beautiful waters of Lake Tahoe. We combined 4 days at Heavenly with one day at Kirkwood which has great bowl skiing above the tree line. What it lacks in a charming base village it makes up for with great varied ski terrain and the views. On the north side of the lake, both Squaw Valley and Northstar-at-Tahoe offer great base villages. Off the road to Squaw, Alpine Meadows has been a long time locals favorite, a no-frills mountain a great varied terrain. If it's luxury you crave, the Ritz Carlton Highlands will offer ski-in ski-out lodging at Northstar when it opens this Fall and will raise the bar as the most sophisticated place to stay in the Tahoe area. The north shore also Alpine Meadows is a no frills great challenging mountain.
On the last day, we left South Lake Tahoe and drove to Kirkwood Resort for one more amazing chance to ski: blue sky, open bowls above the tree line, and inexpensive lift tickets. We loved it! Driving back to the bay area from Kirkwood took us through the beautiful gold country, acres and acres of symmetrically planted blooming nut trees, a huge wind farm, and lots of abandoned mining equipment. A beautiful drive!So from the city to the wine country, to the ski hills of Tahoe and back through the rolling hills of the Gold country, this something for everyone trip was a break from the ordinary for us.
- Rose Wylie, T100G Travel Manager
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