Solage - Calistoga, California

August 9 - 11, 2015

If you know me at all you know for the past 4/5 years I have dreamed of going to Solage.  Well the time finally came where I got to go and I loved every relaxing minute of it.

For my 30th birthday this year I had gone wine tasting in Yountville.  One of the places we checked out was Cornerstone Cellars.  It was very highly rated so we went in for a tasting and fell in love with the wine.  So when a notification from TravelZoo popped into my inbox offering a discounted tasting and cheese plate at Cornerstone.  I jumped on the chance to buy it!  So on the way to Calistoga this was my first stop!

After drinking wine, eating cheese and joining a wine club, it was on to Solage.  The drive from Yountville was about 25minutes.  Upon arrival at Solage - the concierge took our bags, car and offered up some ice tea. 

Each room at Solage is bungalow style with a parking spot next to your location.  Two cruiser bikes and a lock await you as your main mean of transportation around the resort or into town.  And an eco friendly tote and water are waiting for you upon arrival in the room.  

The room includes high tech amenities such as an iPad programmed as resort guide, free wifi (strong signal!  I was actually able to work) and Apple charging station.  

The main pool is just as gorgeous as all the pictures make it out to be.  Seating was never a problem when I was there and they have 4 - 5 cabana's you can rent out for the day at the end of the pool.  The pool bar offers a large selection of items and the pool staff was very attentive.  I do recommend the Kirin Frozen Beer - although I am not much of a beer drinker... the frozen top keeps the beer so cold all the way to the last drop.  Amazing for those hot hot days!  

Sol Bar was tied for my favorite part of the trip - along with spa.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!  I actually ate here all 3 days. :)  The fish tacos were the bomb - hands down best I have had in California!  I got these each day.  It comes with a pickled cabbage and a spicy aioli sauce -- thinking about this right now has me drooling!   The pork belly steamed buns on the dinner menu were also really good.  Tons of flavor - good size.  

In regards to food - other than being at the resort - I did not feel like downtown Calistoga had much to offer.  I biked into town each day as well, looked around, got some ice cream, got an appetizer or two but that was about it.  Everything closes really early and there are not many shops to walk around to - One or two cute ones but you can be in and out in 10/20 mins.  

Now the spa...which is probably why most people come to Calistoga/Solage anyway!  The grounds are amazing -- best I have seen at any resort.  Walking in there is a relaxation room - recently redone - and almost pure white from the ceiling to the floor.  So pretty!  Right outside of this waiting area is an open garden where you can see across to the fitness area.  Down one path are the massage rooms - each offering a private entrance from the path and an outdoor shower.  Down another path you will find the entrance to the bathhouse and mud bar.  And just a little further in you will find the geo thermal mineral pool - 18yrs and older only and at a temperature of 98 degrees.  

The treatment I did was the Solage sampler only offered between Monday - Thursday.  For 320 dollars - got 3 treatments.  First it started with a 30 minute body scrub - you have 3-4 scrubs/scents to choose from.  I chose the lavender scrub - not only does it smell amazing - it is locally made.  After the scrub - I rinsed off in the outdoor shower and moved on to a wonderful 60 minute Solage massage. As most of you - working on a computer with my horrible posture all day leaves me with neck and shoulder pain so there is nothing better than a good massage.  Sadly 60 minutes is way to short.  Thankfully - that was not the end... I then moved over to the 60 minute signature mudslide.  The first portion of the mudslide is the mud... shocking I know.  Here you pick essential oils to be mixed into the mineral enriched mud.  Some will mix up the mud and send you into a heated room where you will apply the mud all over your body.  The mud then dries and pulls out all those toxins from your body.  After about 20-25 minutes an attendant will knock on your door - ask you to shower at one of the indoor  showers in your heated room or at the outdoor shower.  The next 20 minutes is the water portion of the treatment.  You relax in a private soaking tub which is filled with the geo thermal mineral waters.  Lastly you will then move into the rest portion.  Here you get into a chair and put on headphones -- the chair syncs the smoothing music to vibrations.  They say that 20 minutes of sleep in this chair is equivalent to 2 hours of REM sleep.  Sadly I was so focused on trying to sleep within that 20 minute timeframe...I could not fall asleep.  :(  

The only disappointing part of the trip was a bachelorette party at the pool on Sunday.  The group was girls were way to loud and way to drunk to be at the pool.  By 6pm they were falling over which lead to getting the pool with bloody cuts and dropping phones in the pool.  Ugh - so annoying and not what you want to deal with when you are paying close to 500 dollars a night.

Overall I loved my trip to Solage and I would not change it for the world.  I am so thankful I got to check it off my bucket list.  Next time (yes there will be a next time) I think instead of staying at the hotel - I will stay in Yountville and drive to Solage for a spa treatment and some fish tacos.  :)  

Highlight of my Trip:
- Fish Tacos
- Spa 
- Crusin' around on the Cruisers!

On my to-do list next time:
- Explore some wineries around the area
- Try something new at the spa

Carmel by the Sea, California

September 1, 2013

Most Labor Day weekends consist of beaches and BBQ's - so that is exactly what I planned on doing.  After talking with many of our 'dog friends' we decided to head over to Carmel - due to the fact the town and beach are so animal friendly.  This would be Ryu's first time to the Pacific Ocean so we wanted to make it a good trip.

So pretty!

Dog friendly to the max!

We left San Jose around 10am - what a mistake!  What should have been an 1 hour and 30 minute ride ended up being a 2 hour and 30 minute ride due to traffic on 101 and 156.  After getting on to Highway 1 we exited Ocean Ave and found parking quickly - although it was only for 2 hours.  We stopped and got out and went on our way to find a lunch spot.  Based on Yelp reviews we tried:  Carmel Bella.  The restaurant is very causal and is order and seat yourself style.  Because we had a dog we waited less than 5 minutes outside for a table.  In total there are about 5 tables outside, however, the turn over on the tables are pretty quick.  Unfortunately we missed breakfast at Carmel Bella - as on Saturday and Sunday it ends at 1pm.  For lunch I had the grilled cheddar warm sandwich on country toast.  I LOVE grilled cheese - so I am not going to lie I was a little disappointed in this one.  The bread was perfectly crunchy - and stayed so throughout the meal (which sometimes is not the case) so that was a positive but there was too much cheese and oil in the sandwich to eat the middle bites.  I would go back to the restaurant and try their breakfast and/or their salads/cheese plates.

Across the walkway from Carmel Bella was an adorable little jewelry shop called Blackbird.  As you know - I have an obsession with jewelry from Asia (specifically Japan and Taiwan) because the bands are thin and dainty.  It just so happens that Blackbird sold just that - amazing thin band rings and necklaces!  I got a gold band ring which could be worn alone or could be stack-able.

From here we headed off to the beach!  It was about a 10 minute walk due to a scared dog who wanted to stop and smell everything!  It was beautiful!  When you get to the end of Ocean Ave you run into the beach - the sand is soft and and the beach is really clean.  At the top you look down a hill of sand and can see the long stretch of beach and pick the least crowded area.  I was really surprised by the amount of people on the beach - and how you didnt feel crowded at all.  There are kids and dogs running in and out of the water, dogs playing fetch and people running up and down the beach.  Oddly with all of that it was still very relaxing!

Ryu was a trooper during his first time at beach.  After carrying him down the sand hill - it was determined he loved the sand but was not a fan of the Pacific Ocean.  I am not sure if it was because it was cold or if it was the salt water - maybe it was both.  After a few dips in the water - he made a point to avoid the waves washing up on shore.  However - he LOVED playing fetch in the sand and I think we got some really cute pics that I want to print out!

Myself and Ryu!

Getting his feet wet in the Ocean. 

He prefers to watch from a distance. 

Please dont take me back in the water!

Lets play!

Fetch in the sand.  

After wrapping up at the beach we decided to head back to San Jose as Ryu had enough for the day.  The town of Carmel was extremely dog friendly -  and when I mean dog friendly I mean dog friendly i.e. Ryu pee'ed and pooped in the middle of the sidewalk on the main street and although we cleaned it up not 1 person gave us a rude glare or a nasty comment.  In spite of the friendly atmosphere I think it was an overload for 4.5 month old Ryu.  The crowds and other dogs made him a little skid-ish at times and other times he got frustrated that he could not just go play with some dogs off leash like he does at home.  As he grows it is good to introduce him to new environments and he will learn to adapt.  I cant wait to take him back - and I cant wait to come back and explore more of the adorable town.

San Luis Obispo, California

April 26 - 28, 2013

Reunited and it feels so good!  It was Alana's last weekend in California before heading back home (Boston) - so since she was in LA and I was in the bay area we decided to meet at the half way point of San Luis Obispo (aka SLO).

SLO is a college town (home of Cal Poly) and has a relaxed beachy feel to it (probably since Pismo and Avila are only 10-15 minutes away).  It has amazing food and is the perfect getaway for nor cal and so cal people.

I left work about 3:30pm on Friday and expected to hit traffic until at least Gilroy.  Luckly traffic on the 101 wasn't too bad and I was able to make it to SLO around 6:45pm.  We stayed at the Quality Suites Inn on Monterey Road which was about a 3minute drive from downtown.  The hotel rooms are a dated - however - the services and location of the hotel make it an exceptional place to stay.  The hotel offers a free shuttle service to multiple places throughout SLO - between the hours of 9am - 10pm.  There is also a manager's reception host every night between 5:30 - 7:30 - offering free snacks, beer and wine.

The first night in SLO we had the hotel drive us downtown and ate at Ciopinot.  It is an upscale seafood restaurant.  We got their about 8:15 and did not have to wait for a table -- however it was 90% packed so if you are looking to eat here it would be a smart move to make a reservation.  For an appetizer Alana and I split an order of the crab cakes.  They were good - mostly crab not breading which is always good.  For our main meal we both wanted cioppino but we did not think we could eat a full order - so what the waitress suggested was we order the bowl of the soup base and do an add in of crab.  She was so nice to offer this suggestion as the meal we ended up having was $19.00 dollars instead of $35.00+ dollars.  The cioppino had good flavor and was delish to eat with the bread given to the table.  I would go back here - we left full and happy.

Cioppino @ Ciopinot.

Saturday morning we woke up and missed the hotel breakfast - but we didn't sweat it.  We got ready for the day and headed over to Splash.  If you have never been to Splash you really dont know what you are missing.  For $8.00 the must have is the chowder (chowdah -- for all you Boston folks) in a bread bowl.  It might be the best chowder we have on the west coast -- which is kind of sad cause it isn't as good as Boston or New York chowder.  When you order the chowder it comes in a wonderfully large sourdough bread bowl with a grilled cut out of the bread for dipping.  The crunch of the bread with the warm creamy chowder makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  They have breakfast food and sandwiches as well.  Again this is a must do!  They also have a location in Pismo on the Pier.

Chowder @ Splash. 

After eating at Splash we went back to the hotel and got ready to go to Taste of Pismo which was held at Dinosaur Caves Park.  The event focuses on local foods and wines of the area and views of the ocean cliffs. Samples are handed out from different stations and you can make your rounds as frequent as you would like.  A wine glass is given out for the tastings and that is your souvenir from the event.  I would highly recommend this event for a girls weekend or an event with friends to do something new and fun.  The food and atmosphere was great.  The event is located in a tent in the middle of the park - so my recommendation is to wear flat shoes.  From the event we went out to the walk out points and took some pictures and enjoyed the warm weather.

Alana in Pimso. 

Taste of Pismo. 

Taste of Pismo wine glasses. 

Outside the Taste of Pismo. 

Amazing cliff view. 

Alana and Shannon.

Shannon and Alana. 

Next on our list was to head back to SLO and walk around downtown.  We did some shopping - including a hour long stop at Sephora to pick out lipstick and then met up with my cousin Kacy for dinner.  We went to Nova which is a newer restaurant recommended by Yelp and the hotel.  The wait was about 30 - 45 mins but well worth it.  Since at evening time it was getting a little cold we opted for inside seating - but if the weather is nice I would recommend waiting for something on the patio because the view and atmosphere is great.  To eat I had spinach and ricotta ravs in a white wine sauce - YUM!  Alana and Kacy opted for the chow novo which also looked delish!  The restaurant offers alot of veterinarian and gluten free options which is really nice.  We basically shut this place down and headed home a little after 10pm.

The next morning around 9:30am we met Kacy at the front of our hotel and went to breakfast at Apple Farm Restaurant.  There was a little bit of a wait - even at 9:30am.  The service was a little slow but the food was really good.  I had the french toast. :)  Delish!  If you plan on going here for breakfast - which you should - make reservations!

Apple Farm. 

Breakfast time. 

French Toast from Apple Farm. 

After breakfast we packed up and headed our separate ways - Alana back to the east coast and myself back to San Jose.  The trip was a great getaway from home and perfect girls weekend location.  I just wish we had longer!

I cant wait to plan our next trip!

Highlight of my Trip:
- Taste of Pismo
- Hanging out with Alana and Kacy
- Relaxing!

On my To-Do list next time:
- Hiking
- Pismo Beach
- Firestone Restaurant

Los Angeles, California

December 2012

The week after returning from my Taiwan/Thailand adventure I was off to Los Angeles, California for a conference.  It was a quick trip - fly in Wednesday evening and head out Thursday but it was fun none the less.  My roommate from college, my bff, my wifey, my eastcoast/westcoast partner in crime was also in LA during this time.  She was saving lives and being awesome as a travel nurse in the area.  So we took this time to catch up - I was staying at the Sheraton Downtown Los Angeles and she was going to come stay with me for the night and we would head out for a night on the town with dinner and drinks.

The Sheraton Downtown was sub-par for a Starwood Hotel.  The rooms were old and dated, the decor was blah and the bathrooms were cramped.  The only good part of the room was the bed - it was heavenly.  The worst part of the stay was as Alana was coming up from the lobby, her elevator got stuck!   She and 2 other people were trapped inside for over an hour and the LAPD and the LAFD had to come get them out.  After the whole ordeal - not once did the hotel staff try to compensate them!  Not even a free drink at the bar!

Once she was finally out of the elevators - we decided to go out and eat.  The Sheraton is in a good location - as there were many restaurant options near by.  We ended up at Bottega Louie and it just so happened my coworkers were there as well.  The inside of Bottega Louie is a site to be seen.  It is classic and modern at the same time, it is clean with minimal decor on the walls yet it is elegant.  When you first walk in there is a dessert counter - with macarons all the colors of the rainbow.  YUM!  After a minor wait (because my coworker had already put his name in), we sat down and ordered a glass of champagne and an artichoke pizza to share.  The pizza was thin crust and very light but so good.  I would def recommend the pizza!  For our next course Alana and I order two salads to split - one was the Caesar salad and the other was the Modena which is butter lettuce, candied walnuts, goat cheese and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.  Wow was the Modena good - it might be one of the best salads I have had and I still crave it months later!  For our main entree we shared the Fettucine Belmondo - which had cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, and parmesan.  The pasta was good - not the best I have ever had and I tried some of the Lasagna my coworker got and that to me was a little more flavorful.  For dessert with second glass of champagne we had Beignets - hot and with an amazing raspberry compote - as well as a selection of 4 macarons - the strawberry macaron with strawberry buttercream and candied strawberries was out of this world.  I would highly recommend going to this restaurant!  I just wish there was one closer to me!!!

Bottega Louie.

Macarons upon walking in.  

Alana and myself <3

Dessert!

After dinner we walked around the area - and found our selves on the set of a TV show.  It turns out the Mindy project was filming the inside of a local building on South Grand Street.

Mindy Project film set. 

Our next stop was Seven Grand - a whiskey bar downtown.  The bar is similar to a speakeasy.  The drinks are well manicured and made from fresh ingredients.  The atmosphere is dark and stylish.  The bartenders put alot of love into the drinks - so of course they taste amazing!  It was a great place to sit back and relax.

Drinks at Seven Grand.

Unfortunately that was the end of our night and the next day it was off to a conference for me - but I cant wait to go back and explore the area more...and maybe stay in a better hotel.  :)

Highlight of my trip:
- Seeing Alana (love her)
- Bottega Louie