In one of our last pre-parenthood weekends last spring, we treated ourselves to a romantic overnight escape at this luxurious inn nestled on the stunning Mendocino Coast.  Harbor House (check out the web site for more pictures) is just a few minutes’ walk from charming and tiny Elk – an unincorporated coastal town in Mendocino County with a population of 208 – and makes an excellent base […]

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What a perfect evening.  A few weeks ago, our friend from St. Helena e-mailed us a “Local Escape” promotion for Calistoga Ranch, and after viewing the Web site, we immediately called to make a reservation.  With many Saturday nights already snatched up, we opted for a Sunday, March 9th.
We arrived at the serene, Zen-like Calistoga Ranch […]

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In our post of last Monday, we reviewed Iron Horse Vineyards in the Russian River Valley, one of our favorite wineries in Northern California.  Combine the below itinerary with a visit to Iron Horse or any of the other RRV wineries, and you’re guaranteed a postcard perfect wine country visit.
1.  Wine Tasting: Begin in the early afternoon by […]

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Perhaps Sonoma wine country’s most enticing feature is its gently rolling hills covered in wheat and dotted sparsely with eucalyptus, cypress and oak trees — by any reasonable standards, a stunning landscape.  It’s an area that lends itself perfectly to overnight visits from San Francisco, which is an hour’s drive south, but unfortunately, many of the more attractive accommodations will set you back $500 plus a night.  
Over New Years […]

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