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Sacramento Magazine » September 2006 »
Travel: Rooms With a ViewBy Alan Humason |
From September 2006
After sweltering on the sun’s anvil (better known as the Sacramento Valley) all summer long, who wouldn’t welcome an escape to the Pacific Coast? The ocean and a nice, comfortable room beckon, with water views, cool breezes and serenity. From Mendocino to San Diego, you can find just what you seek. Here’s a look at some of the best rooms at inns, B-and-Bs and hotels along the California coast. Fort Ross Lodge: Room K-17 Jenner Just north of historic Fort Ross Russian Settlement, the understated, naturally serene Fort Ross Lodge is not the swankiest place in the world. But that’s part of its overall charm. It’s just you, the sea and a complete absence of extraneous fuss. If you seek a rugged, unspoiled stretch of Sonoma coast, at once relaxing and reinvigorating, and want little to do except drink in the scenery, this is your place. All of the rooms invite you to relax; each is as cozy and individual as a friend’s guest room. For the best of the ocean-view rooms, consider K-17, farthest away from everything and everyone. Lie on the king-size bed, look out to the rolling sea from your plush, plump pillow and hear not a sound except the surf below. Further unwind in your own sheltered outdoor hot tub on the patio (or the in-room soaking tub) before or after a cleansing session in the resort’s sauna. Close by, a walking trail drops down to the beach; it’s a little steep and rough but just fine. In the cove, seals lounge on rocky outcroppings. When you return to your room, light a wood fire and think about dinner. Fort Ross Store, just across the street from the lodge, stocks steaks, seafood, deli fixings and beverages, so you can do it yourself on your private patio. (The room has a small refrigerator and microwave; a barbecue is on the patio.) If you don’t want to cook, nearby Timber Cove Inn (800-987-8319; timbercoveinn.com) has a great bar and restaurant, or drive a little farther into Jenner; the Salt Point Lodge Bar & Grill makes a savory ahi sashimi steak, rolled in sesame seeds, quickly seared, served with wasabi cream soy sauce, Thai rice and vegetables (707-847-3234; saltpointlodgebarandgrill.com). Whatever you decide, you’ll adore the chance to kick back, relax and be at peace in the presence of the sea. -Fort Ross Lodge, 20705 Coast Highway 1, Jenner; (707) 847-3333; fortrosslodge.com Georgian Hotel: Suite 703 Santa Monica Built in 1933, the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica is a classic seaside destination recalling the golden era of Hollywood. It still has the original secluded speakeasy where Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Bugsy Segal and Carole Lombard would gather to drink illicitly, then ride the old wood-paneled elevators upstairs to bed. From all the rooms—including suite 703, high and central in the turquoise and gold eight-story hotel—large windows frame views of palm-tree-lined Palisades Park, the broad beaches and rolling waves of Santa Monica Bay and, nearby, the historic Santa Monica Pier with its signature carousel. With 9-foot-high ceilings and French doors dividing the living and sleeping areas, spacious 703 is decorated in tones of sand, cardamom, cumin and cinnamon, with furnishings leaning toward the art deco style. Amenities include ceiling fans, two televisions, a whirlpool tub and king bed. Downstairs, the lobby area offers the Veranda for meals and drinks. For breakfast (not included in your room rate), try poached eggs with lobster sauce on potato/shrimp cakes or French toast soufflé, an original Georgian recipe, served with warm syrup and fresh fruit. Lunches and dinners are available, too, via rapid delivery from nearby restaurants such as Ocean Ave Seafood next door. The Georgian Hotel has a small, efficient exercise room and massage services are available (including in your room). The hotel is conveniently close to the Pacific Coast Highway and Interstate 10, which takes you straight to downtown Los Angeles. The old speakeasy is reserved for special events; if you have family in Los Angeles, a reunion would be just swell here. Besides the grassy park and scrubbed-clean beach, you can walk to shop in the huge Santa Monica Place mall or along the festive Third Street Promenade, which includes restaurants, bars, galleries and stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Z Gallerie. Highly popular with locals and tourists alike, Third Street Promenade is a prime place for people-watching. You might want to hit the arcades and amusement park on the pier, or get into a pickup game of volleyball at Muscle Beach, then try a little bodysurfing. Return to your room and watch the sun go down, imagining what it might have been like when even Fatty Arbuckle was a big star, waiting for you in a red leather booth downstairs to knock back a Georgiantini (vodka and curaçao with a peel of lemon, in keeping with the hotel’s color scheme). -Georgian Hotel, 1415 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; (800) 538-8147; georgianhotel.com The Cliffs Resort: Room 209 Pismo Beach “Awesome” is just one way to describe the views from The Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach. “Spellbinding, inspiring, sweeping”—all give a sense of what your room with a view offers: more than 30 miles of coastline from the rugged foothills and deep water of Avila Beach to the north and the vast complex of sand dunes that make up Oceano Beach and Point Sal to the south. In between: endless miles of Pacific Ocean, a show of huge brown pelicans soaring and diving for their catch, and the pulsating surf at the base of the 150-foot cliffs that give the resort its name. In Room 209, one of 165 rooms and suites, you are treated to a king-size bed from which you can view the horizon, and a whirlpool tub with a mirrored wall to catch the reflection of the sky. The color scheme is all about the beach—tones of sand, driftwood and seashells will make you crave the outdoors. Below, a central swimming pool and adjacent hot tub form a gathering place for guests; so too does the 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour at the lively Sea Cliffs Restaurant. (During happy hour on Fridays, tacos are free.) The Cliffs is a great staging area for exploring the lightly populated, largely unspoiled Central Coast. Kayak in the nearby Morro Bay estuary, take an eco-tour, golf or indulge your inner child by driving dune buggies at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreational Area. To sample regional wines, you can hit the road or try Taste, a new, innovative wine bar in nearby San Luis Obispo where you can sample more than 70 San Luis Obispo wines in one location (5828 Orcutt Road; 805-541-5868). For abundant produce, visit Avila Valley Barn just minutes from the hotel. Hearst Castle is about an hour’s drive to the north. Whatever you do, savor the gorgeous views. Hundreds of miles from both San Francisco and Los Angeles, especially on a clear day during a luxurious California sunset, the horizon doesn’t get much sharper than this. -The Cliffs Resort, 2757 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach; (800) 826-5838; cliffsresort.com La Valencia Hotel: Ocean Villa Three La Jolla Bougainvillea, bamboo, bird of paradise and ubiquitous palm trees; a sultry breeze in the afternoon; a lightly fragrant orchid at your elbow; and a direct sightline to the warm waters of La Jolla Cove—all are part of your experience at one of the Ocean Villas at La Valencia Hotel, minutes north of San Diego. Known as “The Pink Lady of La Jolla,” this sprawling Mediterranean-inspired landmark has a long legacy of elegance and service, from its inception in 1926 to its listing among the Historic Hotels of America in 1989. Ranging from 400 to 1,500 square feet, the 15 villas were introduced in 1990. Ocean Villa Three, with its vaulted, beamed ceilings, is open and airy, with two floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls to expand the sense of space, plantation-shuttered doors and well-defined living, dining and sleeping areas. In the living room, you can relax on the long sofa facing the ocean or step onto the balcony (oriented to provide quiet and privacy) and lounge on a padded chair and ottoman. Inside, club chairs face a plasma television or swivel toward the fireplace. The bathroom is huge, with two sink areas, whirlpool tub and another TV. The walk-in shower doubles as a steam room with one regular and two direct-down showerheads. The bedroom contains a king-size bed, third TV and a complete stereo system that pipes music throughout the entire suite. You’re never going to want to leave. The hotel has a central swimming pool and several restaurants. At lobby level, the Whaling Bar and Grill is reminiscent of a seaside pub, specializing in steaks and seafood. Also, the Mediterranean Room and Tropical Patio serves breakfast, lunch and dinner (seafood is the emphasis) in a Spanish-themed dining room and flower-filled patio. The intimate 10th-floor Sky Room is undergoing renovation and should reopen next year with a new menu and enhanced panoramic views of the coast. La Jolla offers lots of shops and a bevy of fine restaurants. For great seafood and live music, consider innovative Fresh (858-551-7575; freshseafoodrestaurant.com). Start with tuna tartare with ponzu and sesame lavash, followed by coriander-crusted mahi-mahi, sautéed tilapia or white prawn-crusted sea bass. You can walk to grassy Scripps Park and reach the bluffs. Nearby is the so-called Children’s Pool. Originally built as a safe area for kids because it’s sheltered from the swells, it’s now a protected area for dozens of lounging sea lions, who seem untroubled by the abundance of gulls and cormorants in their midst. -La Valencia Hotel, 1132 Prospect St., La Jolla; (800) 451-0772; lavalencia.com advertisement
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