The Santa Monica Mountains are the dominant feature of Pacific Coast Highway on the 50 miles from Oxnard to Santa Monica. The crumbling coast ridge of mountains comes right to the sea and the road winds along the rock faces for this stretch with Malibu houses and estates sprinkled around like large boulders on loose soil waiting to be washed or shaken into the sea.

A few roads turn inland from Highway 1 into rugged canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains with place names like Point Magu and Mulholland Highway and Topanga Canyon.

Read More…

Oxnard is one of California’s cities that blows me away when I see the population listed as over 200,000 residents. This city has probably had one of the largest increases in population among California cities during my lifetime.

I do not know much about Oxnard except that it is where Highway 1, Pacific Coast Highway reappears as a separate route from Highway 101 following the coastline south along the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu to Santa Monica.

And there are a large number of Mexican restaurants.

Oxnard is about 50 miles south of Santa Barbara. The hotels in Santa Barbara are expensive relative to Ventura and Oxnard. Ventura can be a cheap place to stay on weekdays, but weekend rates climb. The high rates on weekends in Ventura make Four Points Ventura Harbor one of my favorite places to stay when the cost is 3,000 Starpoints per night.

Traveling south from Oxnard is basically the Los Angeles metropolitan area either traveling 101 inland through the San Fernando Valley to LA or Highway 1 along the coast to Santa Monica and LA.

Residence Inn Oxnard River Ridge offered a convenient stop  last Tuesday at an affordable price ($109) with the benefit of earning a free night certificate with my second stay for Marriott Rewards MegaBonus (Feb 1-April 30, 2013 promotion).

My two free nights from last week’s stays already posted to my account. Read More…

One of the best views of San Francisco is from the 36th floor of the Grand Hyatt San Francisco near Union Square. The tip is being there on a clear day. Here is a 44 second video taken from the 36th floor Grandviews Restaurant and Lounge.

One travel tip I have picked up over the years, primarily through my frequent stays in San Francisco, is to visit hotels with high floor and rooftop bars for great panoramic vistas. One drink, then move on to another place is an affordable way to experience a nice hotel and location - after taking plenty of photos of course.

This video is from 2009. Downtown San Francisco has not changed much since then, except the Grand Hyatt has been completely remodeled and there are some new skyscrapers South of Market (first view in video).

A mountain resort hotel in southern California has joined Marriott Autograph Collection properties. Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa is located at an elevation of 5,100 feet in the San Bernadino Mountains about 100 miles east of LAX. This area is a mountain getaway resort within two hours drive of the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice.

Lake Arrowhead Resort originally opened in 1923. Scenes from some Hollywood movies have been filmed at the hotel. The resort has undergone a $26 million restoration of 162 guest rooms, 11 suites and the Spa of the Pines. Dining includes BIN189 for lakeside fine dining and Mountain Aroma’s coffee bar and pastries.

LAResort.com homepage.

Lake Arrowhead Resort Marriott Autograph Collection homepage.

This property enters Marriott Rewards as a category 6 award night at 30,000 points per night or 120,000 points for a 5-night stay.

Marriott websites already allow reservations for Lake Arrowhead Resort. I checked a sample midweek (cheaper rates) Tuesday and Wednesday night stay for May 14-16, 2013.

King Lake view room + 1,000 Marriott Rewards bonus points = $178.00 per night. 2-night stay = $463.72 after tax and resort fee.

There is a $20 resort fee at Lake Arrowhead Resort that includes wifi and parking.

An even better rate for a King Bed, Lake View room is AAA rate including breakfast for $188.10. A 2-night stay after tax and resort fees = $485.33. Breakfast at the hotel for an additional $12 is a great added value.

If you are willing to forego the Lake View, then AAA will get you into the hotel with a mountain view room for as low as $153 per night. This works out to $205.11 per night after tax and resort fee = $410.22 all-in for two night stay.

Lake Arrowhead, California, Google Maps

The Autograph Collection Hotels of Marriott are unique independent hotels signing on with Marriott Rewards for marketing and brand identity. There are currently 42 Autograph Collection Hotels with 15 of these hotels located outside the USA.

Hotel Adagio (1929) near Union Square, San Francisco and The Hotel Blackhawk (1910) Davenport, Iowa are two other recent additions to Marriott Autograph Collection.

There has been a buzz these past few weeks about Monterey County listed as a Top Ten Wine Travel Destination 2013 in the February 2013 issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Three items over the internet got me thinking about Monterey County wineries this week. First was Points, Miles & Martini blog where I saw this Top 10 news. A comment on the blog struck a nerve that I couldn’t shake off.

I’m not so sure about Monterey, CA –  I thought it was all trinkets and knick-knacks with over-priced wine.

My reaction is to think this person did not stray from the tourist areas of Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf. I walk down to the Monterey waterfront regularly for the sea life. The vineyards of Monterey County are not located in Monterey.

Second internet item about wine is an email I received about the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Event April 4-7, 2013. I’d like to attend that event.

Third item is the River Road Wine Trail Event February 9, 2013. There will be 11 Salinas Valley wineries participating. $30 per ticket for a few more days until they increase to $45. This seems like a good day to get a Monterey County wine education.

To recall the last time I was walking around Monterey County vineyards I had to step back a year to January 2012 when I made a drive to Cachagua Valley on a 75 degree winter day that also happened to be my birthday.

Galante Vineyards Wine Tasting in Carmel, California

Driving from the Galante Vineyards wine tasting room in Carmel to Galante Vineyards is about 23 miles out of town, east on Carmel Valley Road and then south over the rough mountain Cachagua Road for the short-cut route. Or drive over 30 miles the long way to the southern entrance and far less nerve-racking route to Cachagua Road from Carmel Valley.

View of Santa Lucia coastal mountains range from atop Cachagua Road via the westerly mountain road from Carmel Valley Road.

Galante Vineyards, Cachagua Road, Carmel Valley 

Cachagua General Store

A wine enthusiast is lucky to find gas and food among the vineyards in Cachagua. If the General Store does not meet your needs, then time to drive to Carmel Valley Village, 13 miles away by the longer and easier road route.

Google Maps Carmel-by-the-Sea to Cachagua region vineyards in Monterey County.

Rather than get into the merits of whether Napa and Sonoma County wineries are passé, I thought I’d take a drive out Carmel Valley Road in January 2013 and check out some of the wineries and sights along the way. Once I got into Monterey County Wine Country it looked to me like horse and cattle ranches still seem to outnumber the vendors and vineyards in Carmel Valley.

Carmel Valley, Monterey County, California

Napa County and Monterey County both have about 45,000 acres of vineyards. Monterey County is geographically 5x the size of Napa County. Napa County has twice as many wineries open to the public than Monterey County.

Nearly all Monterey County vineyards are located in the Salinas Valley (98%). Monterey County River Road Wine Trail is having a Valentine’s Passport 2013 event on Saturday February 9 with 11 participating wineries for $30.

River Road Wine Trail vineyards on the west side of the Salinas Valley at the base of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Highway 1 runs the length of the Big Sur coast on the other side of the Santa Lucia range. Carmel Valley Road is the most accessible road cutting west to east through the coastal mountains.

Carmel Valley Road

Carmel Valley accounts for about 1% of vineyard acreage in Monterey County. San Antonio and Hames Valleys are the other 1% of vineyard acreage in the far southern portion of Monterey County, about 100 miles southeast of the city of Monterey off Highway 101.

Carmel Valley wineries are the closest vineyards to Monterey and Carmel hotels.

Sitting in a restaurant in Monterey or Carmel, checking out ocean views is one way to drink local Monterey County wines or visit a wine tasting room for a large variety of local appellations. Most Monterey County grapes are bottled elsewhere. Check out that Napa Valley winery label carefully.

Carmel Valley is the hot spot of the Monterey Peninsula on those foggy summer days when the moisture won’t leave the coast. Ten miles inland on Carmel Valley Road usually means bright sun and swimming weather in summer months.

Quail Lodge is a resort that closed down its Carmel Valley hotel in the great recession. The Quail Lodge rooms are being remodeled and reopening April 2013. I received an email for a good value $125 rate for initial bookings March 26-April 18, 2013 including parking and breakfast.

Quail Lodge, Carmel Valley, California

Earthbound Farm is an organic produce market and café on Carmel Valley Road for a bite before or after the wineries.

Chateau Julien, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, is the first winery encountered traveling east along Carmel Valley Road.

Chateau Julien estate, Carmel Valley Road

Vines in winter.

Carmel Valley Ranch is a Joie de Vivre hotel member and one of the resort hotels in the valley. This property was remodeled a couple years ago by John Pritzker (Hyatt Hotels family member). Carmel Valley Ranch hotel rooms are located at a high elevation on the hillsides of the Santa Lucia above Carmel Valley just west of Garland Ranch Regional Park.

Garland Ranch Regional Park is between Mid-Valley shopping center where there is a Safeway and basic services and Carmel Valley Village, 10 miles east of Highway 1. Garland Ranch park is 8.6 miles east of Highway 1. This area is a 3,500 acre preserve along the south side of the Carmel River with trails from 200 ft. to 2,000 ft. in elevation. Horseback riding, hiking, picnics and a place to get your feet wet in summer are features of Garland Ranch.

Garland Ranch park warnings. I have encountered a few rattlesnakes over the years. I count myself kind of lucky not to have ever come across a mountain lion. If I do, I will let out some primal scream. Really! That is what you are supposed to do along with raising your arms up high and waving them about.

Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley

Bernardus Lodge is both a resort hotel and winery. This luxury hotel is a member of LHW, Leading Hotels of the World and has made the Condé Nast Gold list for hotels every year since 2004.

Bernardus Lodge vineyards, Carmel Valley. The restaurant and bar of the Lodge is a relaxing place to visit for a drink and some food.

There were a few deer grazing across the street from these vines.

Carmel Valley Village is another location with wine tasting centers for several of the local wineries.

• Parsonage Village Vineyard
• Georis Winery
• Bernardus Winery
• Boete Winery
• Boekenoogen Winery
• Heller Estate Organic Vineyards
• Joullian Vineyards
• Talbott Vineyards

Georis Winery, Carmel Valley Village

Monterey County as a wine destination is easily accessible from Carmel, Carmel Valley and Monterey hotels. The Carmel Valley Road runs 50 miles from Carmel through the Santa Lucia Range and meets up with the Salinas Valley along Arroyo Seco Road near Greenfield. A drive along River Road to the wineries on the west side of the Salinas Valley and Highway 68 back to Monterey/Carmel is about a 100-mile loop.

There are plenty of outdoor activities in Carmel Valley, Arroyo Seco and the Monterey Peninsula for days of entertainment. I have driven this loop in the past for swimming, hiking and camping in Arroyo Seco. One of these days I might try the 100-mile winery tour of Monterey County.

Sources:

Why Monterey Beat Napa as California’s Top ‘Wine Destination’ – Laird Harrison, KQED blog Jan 28, 2013.

Monterey named top wine travel destination for 2013 - Jeanne Cooper, SF Gate Jan 8, 2013

Monterey County General Plan – Agricultural and Winery Corridor Plan October 2010

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

Lassen Peak (10,462 ft.) is a volcanic mountain in northeastern California and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. In May 1915 Lassen had a spectacular eruption captured in photos. This California volcano ignited the imagination of Americans. The Lassen Peak area was given National Park status on August 9, 1916.

http://www.nps.gov/lavo/naturescience/upload/eruptions_of_lassen_peak.pdf

People tend to think of active volcanoes in the U.S. only in states like Hawaii and Alaska. The Cascade Volcanic Arc in the Pacific Northwest U.S. is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” with dozens of volcanoes in the Cascade mountain range that stretches from Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta in northeastern California to Mt. Baker in northern Washington State and Mount Garibaldi in southern British Columbia. Read More…

Park Inn by Radisson Fresno is currently the most western Park Inn hotel in the US for the Carlson Rezidor Hotels Group brand. Park Inn is far more prevalent in Europe. This hotel was the Four Points by Sheraton Fresno, a Starwood hotel, when I stayed here in May 2011.

The Park Inn Fresno property is an older hotel designed as several separate two-story buildings with a total 201 rooms around a central courtyard with a large swimming pool.

Swimming pool photo from May 2011.

The swimming pool really is the highlight of the property in my opinion. Read More…

Highway 70 was a new experience for me and I snapped photos of sites that seemed eye-catching. Apparently I photographed the most popular scenery along the route according to the Plumas County, California tourism website.

This short tunnel through the mountainside enticed me to photograph.

There was gold and riches to be found across hundreds of miles of the California Sierra Nevada in the 19th century gold rush era. Gold and other valuable minerals and elements changed the state of California economically and ecologically. Read More…

Are You Experienced?

Here are my Californian Screamin’ tips for saving money and time during your visits to Disneyland.

Read More…

The Disney California Adventure at the Disney Resort Anaheim opened in 2001 across from the Disneyland entrance. I hadn’t been to Disneyland since 1997. I remember a large open space visible around Disneyland from our high rise room window in 1987 when staying at the Disneyland Hotel. There does not seem to be much empty land around Disneyland these days.

Disney California Adventure Paradise Pier rides with view of three Disney hotels from Sheraton Park Hotel Anaheim:

• Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (left)
• Disneyland Hotel (blue tinted front)
• Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (low rise building on far right)

  Read More…