Romantic Getaways You Can Give as a Holiday Gift
Sometimes the best gift is an invitation to spend time with that special someone in your life….even better if it’s in a charming (and romantic) location where you can explore your favorite activities together and eat sensual foods in great restaurants.
Explore Northern California
MacCallum House Inn and Restaurant is my pick for a romantic escape in the seaside town of Mendocino, California. Beautifully restored with luxurious but comfortable amenities and sitting in the middle of town means a weekend listening to the waves crash down along the beach or walking around, enjoying the art galleries and locally owned shops. Don’t miss the world-class restaurants that reflect the bounty of the land and sea of Mendocino County and its coast.
Other Inns in the area that would make wonderful gifting getaways include Elk Cove Inn and Spa, Little River Inn, Inn at Newport Ranch, Sacred Rock Inn in Elk and Brewery Gulch Inn. In the famed wine country of Anderson Valley, enjoy The Boonville Hotel and The Madrones, both with their own fine dining restaurants.
In California’s Napa Valley, find mid-century design, California cuisine and spa treatments (including the famous mud baths Calistoga is known for) at the newly renovated Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs.
Even better, these hip yet comfortable accommodations sit across the street from the newly restored and reimagined Calistoga Depot. This historic train stop has been restored and made even better by Jean-Claude Boisset (JCB), a man who adores wine, spirits, gastronomy and design almost as much and he treasures history. For this reason, JCB set out to renovate and repurpose the train terminal and several train cars.
Post-renovation, you’ll find a full-scale spirits tasting room and various cool restaurant concepts. There’s a train car with Champagne and Caviar, another boasts upscale Mexican food, another is a speakeasy. There’s plenty of live entertainment every weekend. Everyone who visits will find something to drink, eat and a reason to celebrate.
Preferred Hotels and Resorts is your guide to the best properties in the world and a gift certificate to Preferred opens up a world, truly, of possibilities in all kinds of sizes, styles and shapes. They even offer wine country getaways. This winter I will use my Preferred gift certificate to head to The Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant in lovely Sonoma County.
The best part about a stay at The Farmhouse Inn, aside from the sleep you will get in the calm and rural quiet of the setting, is the multi-course meal you will enjoy in The Farmhouse Restaurant. The Farmhouse’s restaurant is no ordinary inn dining room. Under the guidance of Chef Craig Wilmer and Pastry Chef Amanda Hoang, it is an award-winning destination.
Winter in Arizona
In winter, Arizona makes for a wonderful (warm) escape and even better when the ambiance of your chosen hotel is from an earlier yet trendy era of American architecture. The Hotel Valley Ho in Old Town Scottsdale is stunning in its renovation to midcentury glory with bright bold colors, built-in furniture, clean lines and architectural curves.
Mid-century made super comfortable and set on a few acres with original oval swimming pools and scrumptious restaurants, ZuZu, as well as low-lying and hip common spaces.
If sleeping among the desert mountains is more your style, try the Ho’s sister hotel, Mountain Shadows Resort, which is tucked into Paradise Valley between Camelback and Mummy Mountain. Another mid-century gem, the enormous rooms here and views are unmatched in a boutique property.
The resort is built around two pools that allow easy lap swimming as well as catching rays on the cozy pool loungers. Harvest ‘61 is one of the best restaurants I’ve enjoyed in Scottsdale and their staff is kind, gracious and unparalleled in their knowledge of wines and food.
Give the gift of a getaway on the ocean
For a truly special once-in-a-lifetime getaway, try any of the cruises offered by Windstar Cruises in either their sailing ships or newly expanded and renovated small ships. Although the ship is small, the suites are huge by cruise line standards and are designed for comfort.
What about the food? You’ll be happy to learn that cuisine is a priority of this cruise line. In fact, Windstar is a partner of the James Beard Foundation. The cuisine aboard all of the Windstar ships is extraordinary and however long you spend on board, this will be a vacation to remember.
If your wallet can afford the hit, I highly suggest a cruise to French Polynesia with stops in Moorea, Bora Bora and more. Snorkel, dive for pearls, earn local native customs and take in the sun and clear blue waters. This is a vacation that will blow wind back into your everyday sails and refresh your spirit for the year ahead. Best of all, the cruise line takes care of all the planning!
Consider Europe in the off-season
I just love to travel to popular tourist destinations in the off seasons and I can’t say enough about touring Ireland in the fall and winter. In fact, next Thanksgiving I am already planning to celebrate in Ireland because, as we all realize in the crowded airports during that week of insane travel crowding and frustration, staying in the U.S. for this typically American holiday can make you rip your hair out!
Consider gifting your lover a trip to the Wild Atlantic Way on Ireland’s western coast or Dublin where the city will be decorated for Christmas and the Christmas markets will be open. Off-season also means more reasonable flights and hotel costs.
If your lover is a patron of the arts, other ideas for off-season travel are Berlin, Germany for opera and ballet or Vienna, Austria, for symphonies and markets.
Head to Chile to spend winter in summer
Or, if depressed by the creeping early darkness that creeps in in November and stays around through February, plan a trip for two south to Chile where they are in the middle of summer.
Visit wineries and their luxury hotels like the one considered the most luxurious in the country, VIK Hotel and Winery, an architectural masterpiece with 360-degree views of the vineyards and countryside, elevated cuisine and luxurious accommodations. Bonus, VIK Wine is considered some of the best in all of Chile.
If sunshine lifts your lover’s spirits, this vacation could be just what your romantic life is craving.
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