California
Our first stop was Bodega Bay on the Sonoma Coast where we had a night's stay. As it was dark, we couldn't see much so had the opportunity the next morning of having some breakfast and a quick look around. Our hotel the Inn at the Tides is a lovely comfortable hotel just across from the food market, fishery and restaurant, all owned by the hotel. This area is where Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds was filmed! It is a gorgeous pretty bay and whilst we were looking around we were visited by a sea lion who was hoping for a scrap from one of the fishermen! After checking out we headed further North via a lovely little café in Jenner for a coffee break to the Redwoods State National Reserve. Wow, the trees are very high and there are some great walks and trails to follow.
We then travelled on to Gary Farrell Winery where we had a lovely tasting with magnificent views from the elevated position. On to Healdsburg for lunch which was a lovely little town and somewhere I would love to have explored for longer but we had to make tracks for the long drive up to Lake Tahoe. We arrived into Lake Tahoe late and again in the dark so headed straight to dinner with our host. Our base for a few days was the Lake Tahoe Resort hotel which is situated right next to the state line with Nevada. On one side of the street is California and the other is Nevada with its large casino resorts, very strange! The hotel is in a great position on the main street with restaurants and shops nearby and only a few minutes walk to the gondola.
Most of the group headed off for a day's skiing the next day but as I have a back issue I decided to have an explore and then braved the gondola, which takes you to 10,000 feet to meet them for lunch! Amazing views so it was worth my shaky legs!! This area is classed as South Lake Tahoe and has the benefit of skiing and winter sport activities and then during the other months you have water activities on the pretty lake and hiking, biking etc a real outdoor resort with lots to offer.
We said goodbye to Lake Tahoe and headed back down to Napa, staying at the River Terrace Inn. A lovely peaceful hotel, situated near the Oxbow Public Market and Wine Train with lots of eating options and only a 10/15 mins walk to the centre of Napa. We visited two very different wineries a short drive from Napa. The Tudal Winery has been family run for over 40 years and set in about 6 acres so small, quirky and traditional. A tasting is very personal here and I would highly recommend for a more authentic experience. Our second visit was the Robert Mondavi Winery, which is a very different operation with over 400 acres. In a beautiful setting it was a very sleek tasting experience and an alternative option. We then said goodbye to Napa and headed back for San Fran for our last few days.
I have been to San Fran before but enjoyed re-discovering this vibrant city. With a food tour around one of the ferry buildings that has lots of artisan food suppliers, yummy! A private cable car tour of the city, visit to Alcatraz (again) and a sunset boat cruise under the Golden Gate bridge. After a busy week it was time to head home, this time via Phoenix (never again!)
A great combination of city, coast, countryside, lakes and mountains!
If you are interested in this trip or I can tailor make your own perfect trip, please get in touch.