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California Wine Lovers: Unique Rooms at Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites

January 23, 2014 by The Mom Jen 13 Comments

Vendange wine is a brand my husband and I have bought in a pinch, thanks to it’s low price point, since college. The name translates from French to “grape harvest” and is also the name of Carmel’s newly acquired and renovated hotel, Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites. We recently reviewed the inn and met with owner, Brian Lee, coincidentally also an alumni of my husband and my alma mater and immediately felt a connection to the fabulously unique hotel concept!

Beneath the pergola, around the firepit, and among the beautiful landscaping, Mr. Lee filled us in on how he came about tying the hotel in with the area’s expanding wine scene. You see, there are 18 rooms in the Inn, 15 of which are sponsored by local wineries and are specifically decorated to reflect each individual brand. Among the top of the line memory foam beds, marble-tiled bathrooms, and flat screen TVs, you’ll find that the thematic rooms also include wines from the sponsored winery, maybe on a table, or hanging as art like in the Twisted Roots room. Often you find a mini-bar in a hotel room, well at Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites, you get an opportunity for a wine tasting bar in the privacy of your suite!

Our suite was themed after the Twisted Roots winery. Just before checking into the hotel, we were at the Twisted Roots tasting room in Carmel Valley speaking with Josh Ruiz, wine maker, about his story. Our room reflected the seasons on the vineyard and both Josh and Brian mentioned they’re changed out quarterly. Above the fireplace an amazing shot of a grapevine that can almost resemble an oil painting. As I mentioned, the wine is displayed on the wall as art and also there’s a photo book in the room that gives you a look into the vineyard along with space to write about your stay in the room. I was happy to know the prices of the wine matched the price you’d find if you purchased at the tasting room, not inflated!

Brian gave us a tour of the property and a look into the J. Lohr room complete with wine barrel on the patio overlooking the pergola, where on some evenings during spring and summer live music can be enjoyed. I also fell in love with the art in the colorful and interesting Cima Collina room with headboard made with wine bottle bottoms that light up!

The staff and hospitality are warm and welcoming at Vendange Carmel. Upon check-in you’re given a map of downtown Carmel (a bit of a far walk, but do-able) and if you have questions about dinner locales, they are more than happy to offer suggestions. Evening wine and cheese hour (available on weekend nights) is one of my favorite perks at a hotel and this was no exception! We met a lovely couple from the bay area and found that they also lived in New York. We chatted, enjoyed both red and white wines of California, cheese and salami, crackers, and nuts. We had such a great time, we spent the entire 2 hours eating, drinking, and talking and never went to dinner! Each morning there’s a filling continental breakfast for a 2 hour block! I loved it didn’t begin until 8pm and lasted until 10, makes for a relaxing morning and a chance to sleep in a bit!

Travel incentives are offered at Vendange Carmel. If you’re a member of a partner’s wine club, your room will be discounted, check with the hotel for more information when booking! The “Sip, Savor and Enjoy” Rewards Program can:

Earn free nights
No blackout dates
Priority check-in
Wine upon check in
Chances to win monthly raffle prizes

The program is simple: For every 5 nights you stay, you receive 50% of the 6^th night. (Consecutive night stays not required). For every 10 nights you stay, you receive the 11th night complimentary. (Consecutive night stays not required). There is no sign up required! Just provide your email when booking a reservation and they will let you know when your rewards are redeemable!

Our stay was incredible, romantic, and fun! The only thing I’d suggest is to not sleep with both the heater and the fireplace going, it got so warm I had to open the window! I know we’ll be back to Vendange Carmel for a staycation again soon, the variety of rooms will have you enjoying a different experience each time! Visit Vendange Carmel online, http://www.vendangecarmel.com/, to book your next stay in Carmel!

Our stay was hosted, all opinions our own.

San Francisco: Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Kimpton Hotel Packages

January 22, 2014 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Grab your love and head to the city with Kimpton Hotels and their fabulous Valentine’s Day packages! The California weather has been incredible this winter, but if the fog rolls into San Francisco, you’re set with these warm and romantic offers to satisfy the heart, soul, and stomach!

The Prescott Hotel’s Perfect Picnic Package
The only thing that can go wrong with a picnic is the tricky weather in San Francisco. The Prescott Hotel, perfectly located in Union Square, is offering guests the chance to have the perfect in-room picnic complete with a picnic basket, a bottle of red, a bottle of white, a charcuterie spread, gourmet cheeses and a fresh baguette. Top it off with a complimentary an in-room movie- no reason to even leave the room! To book, please visit www.prescotthotel.com

The Monaco’s Ultimate Indulgence Spa Suite Package – Looking for pure relaxation? Kimpton’s Monaco San Francisco, which was recently redesigned, is offering a package perfect for anyone needing to relax and recharge. The Monaco was recently redesigned with a fresh and bold new look and provides the perfect home away from home when visiting the city. This package includes deluxe accommodations in a newly redesigned Spa Suite which includes a spacious seating area and spa bathroom with an oversized Jacuzzi tub, locally-sourced bath salts, and a bottle of Champagne. For more info or to book the package, please visit www.monaco-sf.com

Kimpton’s Harbor Court Hotel- Chocolate Bliss
Kimpton’s Harbor Court Hotel on the waterfront in San Francisco has teamed up with the award-winning culinary tour company to offer the Chocolate Bliss Package. Guests will enjoy a bay-view guestroom at the hotel and be treated to two tickets to Gourmet Walks’ SAn Francisco Chocolate Tour. The three-hour educational walking tour includes seven stops at various chocolatiers and artisans all of which include generous samplings. The award-winning tour is mostly flat so not too hard on the gams and starts at the Ferry Building and ends in Union Square. Guests can book the package at www.harborcourthotel.com.

For more info on the tour (which anyone can book separately), please visit www.gourmetwalks.com. They are also offering a special Cupcakes & Chocolate tour for Valentine’s Day.

Pamper Yourself While You Travel

January 21, 2014 by The Mom Jen 7 Comments

Whether you are traveling for business, with your family, or as a couple, you often need to stop and smell the roses. Or stop and get a pedicure, or stop and take a bath, or stop and get a massage! So many options are available when you travel, you can pamper yourself in your room, within your hotel, or in town at a nearby day spa. Whichever you choose, make sure you squeeze time in for yourself and your overall trip will be enhanced!

In Your Room
At the Kenwood Inn and Spa in wine country, you pretty much have all 3 choices available to you, but on our last trip, my husband and I hardly left our room! With romantic CD’s, an in-room fireplace, and a jacuzzi tub, enjoying an evening in can be nothing but romance and relaxation!

When you look for a hotel or resort, check the room amenities and the resort photos to see what you’ll have available. I can tell you that bath salts, jacuzzi tub, and candles in the bathroom are everything you need to wind down during your travels and there are speakers in there as well to listen to the provided music! Pour a glass of wine and warm up by the fire…Bliss!

In Your Hotel
Many hotels and resorts offer an on-site spa that allows guests the opportunity to schedule a much needed pampering. We recently visited the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells (Palm Springs) with our whole family and after a 7 hour drive, I enjoyed some down time while my husband took the kids to the pool! The Spa Esmeralda has a plethora of treatments to choose from such as:

Body scrub
Body wrap
Couple’s Massage
Facials
Fitness classes available
Fitness counseling
Foot bath
Hair & scalp treatments
Makeup Services
Manicures/pedicures
Massages
Men’s services
Paraffin hand treatments
Plunge pools
Steam room
Therapy baths
Waxing

I opted for the pedicure since we were in near 80 degree weather in January, I wanted to wear flip-flops! Entering a relaxing room in my spa provided robe I sat in a dim room sipped water while I awaited to be called back. I was given champagne and the remote to a massage chair while I received a hot stone massage on my lower legs and calves then got my toes pretty!

In Town
Last fall I spent 3 days in the Yakima Valley and kept to a busy schedule. I was grateful for my guide at the CVB who included down time for me to be able to catch up and not feel completely overwhelmed. She dropped me off at Ummelina day spa in town where I received a tea spa drink followed by an amazing foot bath and aromatherapy, had a facial with extractions, and a massage of my shoulders and back. After feeling like jelly and craving a nap, I rinsed and cleansed in the most amazing shower where jets shot out to my sides and the rainfall from above was like being in the middle of a waterfall!

Sometimes when you leave a place of such such peace, quiet, and relaxation you ask yourself why you don’t do this more often.

With all the traveling I do for my website and with my family, I’m vowing that in 2014 and beyond I will include an opportunity to pamper myself at least each season, because my body and soul deserves it! Do you pamper yourself often enough? Let me know in the comments below!

Services provided as part of my media tours, gratuity is my own, all opinions are mine!

Kayaking on the Napa River

January 21, 2014 by The Mom Jen 2 Comments

(photos courtesy of Craig Smith)

A few years back, my husband and I visited Sonoma and enjoyed a Sip and Cycle bike tour. Of course we were in wine country, so the “sip” part of it was that we stopped and tasted wine at some fabulous locations. Randy from Getaway Adventures was our guide and owns the fun company and I was excited when I heard he was leading our Kayak Tour during my recent Napa media trip!The weather was like a summer day, in the 70’s and warm. Our group drove down to a Yacht Club in Napa and chose partners and launched at a city owned public boat ramp adjacent to the club. No cameras, phones, or other electronics were to be brought, and it makes perfect sense just in case of tipping, it was nice to be unplugged for a few hours. The mirror-like waters and blue sky is forever emblazoned in my brain!

My partner, Anita had been a joy to talk to during my trip that I was excited to join her as we enjoyed some exercise along the Napa River. Paddles in hand, life vests on, and after a quick lesson on paddling, turning, and steering, we were off. At first we stayed close in our group and enjoyed some history and information from Craig Smith of the Napa Downtown Association. Craig shared his love for kayaking, keyed us in on the Napa River-Napa Creek Flood Protection Project, as well as expressing his pride in the city and we all kept a leisurely pace.

We paddled along past the Napa Valley Wine Train, Downtown, Oxbow, and down just past Trancas St. About 1.5 of quiet, peaceful waters, lovely conversation, and beautiful scenery. Many families and individuals fish off the banks for Steelhead trout or Chinook salmon. I thought of my father who’d love to be doing that at the time! One of our group members was concerned by time as she had a spa appointment, so they disembarked at the Trancas area which led to a few more groups doing the same. Anita and I overheard that we could do a bit more kayaking and we’d be picked up a short distance down the river on our way back.

Our return trip was just as relaxing, though our underworked muscles started feeling the burn. We told ourselves, “just a little bit more, and we’ll be picked up.” Apparently our lines of communication were fuzzy and we ended up doing a full 3 mile round trip back to the Yacht Club dropoff. It was getting dark, we found our way back up the launch pad and awaited our ride. We truly enjoyed our adventure and recommend it if you get a chance!

This isn’t a ‘standard’ trip, but one that anybody could request. Getaway Adventures has a variety of excursions and if you’re interested in this particular one on the Napa River, contact Randy at http://getawayadventures.com/ to figure out a trip that works best with the tides!

My experience was part of my Downtown Napa media tour, all opinions my own!

California Central Coast: Carmel Food Tour Review

January 14, 2014 by The Mom Jen 9 Comments

Some days I have to pinch myself. I live just a short 35 minutes away from one of the most beautiful spots in California, Carmel-by-the-Sea! People from around the world visit this amazing area in the Monterey Bay each year as it’s know for it’s delicious food, fabulous wine, world class golf, art, culture, and of course the Pacific Ocean. I was born and raised locally and have explored the beaches and tidepools, come fishing with my dad, and have toured the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium, the area is wonderful for children.

It’s exciting to know as an adult I can enjoy Carmel in a whole new way as my husband and I were excited to make a day trip over to the coast and enjoy Carmel Food Tours with our lovely tour guide Staci! Staci started this fun and rewarding culinary and cultural adventure for herself in 2012 and has made it one of the top excursions in the area for tourists!

We met Stacy at the Carmel Plaza at Junipero and Ocean streets. The plaza itself hosts shops, dining, and wine tasting along with beautiful landscaping. The cool winter morning was warmed by Stacy’s smile as we met our group for our 3 hour tour. So our first stop was right there in the plaza, The Cheese Shop Carmel offered us up some Monterey county Edam, an English Cheddar, and an Argentinian Parmigiano Reggiano. The shop’s motto is Eat Cheese, Drink Wine, Live Life Happy and we hear that if you go in there you can wine taste, sample all the cheeses your heart desires and you’ll also get some fun chatter, jokes, and an overall good time! Our appetites whet, we began our stroll down Mission Street making our way to the next stop.

Staci chatted with us about the architecture of the city, the fact that there are no street lights, and also that you need a permit to walk in town with heels. We arrive at Casanova Restaurant next, known to locals as Carmel’s most romantic dining destination. European cottage from the outside, inside you’ll find a maze of rooms and nooks that would be perfect for any couple looking for a hideaway to enjoy eachother’s company. You can dine at the very table that Vincent Van Gogh had his last meal, or outside among the trees. Here we sampled the restaurant’s spinach gnocchi, a treat that is like eating a bit of heaven. Not made from traditional potatoes each bite was light and luscious and we vowed to return to explore more of the menu and well as tour their hand-dug wine cellar. Over the course of the tour, you get enough bites to satisfy a nice lunch and to honestly leaving you are determined to come back for a full meal, it’s win-win for both customer and clients Staci works with. Our next stop had us at a familiar location, Mundaka for Spanish Tapas. My husband and I visited this restaurant once before and enjoyed it’s eclectic menu of little bites. Remembering the lamb burger we both loved, we sipped some amazing red wine sangria and enjoyed a bite of crostini with manchego cheese with pequillo peppers. Since we visited last, they opened up the building next door to the restaurant as a cafe.

Taking paths less traveled and enjoying the scenery is something Staci encourages. Often we are destination based, need to get to and from where we’re going and not taking enough time to look around.

Look down at the paths, look to the side for the vines and the greenery, taking in the colors and textures that abound.

Look up and see the beauty of decor, look down at the beautiful tiles mixed into the staircases. Carmel is abundant with beauty.With a plate of gelato in hand from Salumeria Luca, Staci leads us into Trio Carmel, a specialty oil and vinegar shop that includes beautiful art and wine.We’re encouraged to add different flavored oils and vinegar to our gelato and to believe this is indeed a sundae of sorts, the combination is amazing. We enjoy some local Monterey County wines like Pelerin and Le P’tit Paysan. I don’t dare take seconds or over do it on the wine, I am pacing myself and we have 3 stops yet. On the corner of Dolores and 7th, you’ll find a little French Cafe called La Bicyclette, owned by the same family as Casanova. A majority of this restaurant’s food comes from within 10 miles of it’s downtown Carmel location, talk about fresh and sustainable! We enjoyed two mouth-watering pizzas including the Local Champignon with portabella, cremini, oyster mushrooms, caramelized onion purée, thyme, and truffle pecorino. It was a flavor explosion in my mouth as I’m a die hard pepperoni pizza lover. The second was a Butternut Squash pizza with gruyere, arugula, speck ham, and sage, I’m claiming this my ultimate favorite. As Staci is gluten free, La Bicyclette can offer a gluten free pizza with some time notice, I’ve heard you’d never know the difference in flavor!The menu changes daily, the pizzas are a staple. We will return again when we visit Carmel-by-the-Sea for sure! Next up was visiting the art gallery and wine tasting room of Figge Cellars. We were in for a huge treat as there was a Rolling Stones art exhibit in house and the photography was simply stunning. While we sampled the Pelio Chard and Pelio Pinot Noir, we strolled about the gallery admiring the artwork. We’ve been to Figge once before, but this tasting showcased two entirely different wines than before, so we were excited.

Rounding out 7 locations in under 3 hours, we finished our tour at Lula’s Chocolates. I mean was this tour made for me or what? Decked out for the holidays, we enjoyed salted caramels in chocolate and I have to admit, I’ve already been back to this place since our tour!

For $69 per person, this tour gets you outside in the fresh coastal air, has you walking, eating, drinking, and sampling some of Carmel’s best culinary and cultural experiences. That price is a steal and Staci’s knowledge, her smile, and her passion for the area she lives in is contagious. This would be fun for couples, a girl’s getaway, or bring your parents. I think this is one of the best ways to get to know a town during your visit, I’ll be looking these up more often as I travel!

Don’t forget your walking shoes too! To check out the dates or reserve your own private tour, visit http://www.carmelfoodtour.com/.

Our tour was hosted, though gratuity was on our own.