Oceano... new Destination in HMB

I have always relished my get-aways to Half Moon Bay, just 40 minutes from my home in Palo Alto; now I have a new and wonderful destination for my own R and R, as well as to recommend as a wedding location to my brides and grooms! Oceano Hotel and Spa, Half Moon Bay Harbor!

I am starting with the spa, because I plan to be a "regular" there when it officially opens later in the summer!

Elisheva Basseri, A Bride's Best Friend,
Beverly Yip, Especially Yours Chair Covers, and I were treated to lunch with the catering staff at Oceano, followed by a guided tour with Nancy Nerhan, Special Event Manager at Oceano, of the entire property, including the chic shopping "street", seen below, which...



...is now being filled with unique shops such as Savvy Skirts, a boutique owned by women and filled with items all created by women..savvy business women, thus the name, Savvy Skirts!


Nancy, Elisheva, Bev and I all found something to ooh and ahh about at Savvy Skirts...El and I left carrying bags of items we knew we needed for our wedding coordination work...such as the elegant fabric covered clip board we used the next day at my Casa Real wedding..(see next blog entry!)



After shopping the "main street", Nancy showed us the ceremony site outside the hotel... a beautiful spot protected from the wind in the quiet harbor, with a view of the water and the fishing boats moored in the peaceful village scene.



As a perfect ending to a wonderful tour, Nancy treated us to Gelato and Espresso in the Italian coffee shop, which is one of the charming treats awaiting guests at Oceano and the Harvest Harbor Shops.





Did I mention the yummy baked items which are available with the espresso and gelato????

Now I will give you an overview of our tour:

The hotel guest waiting room for spa treatments; Oceano's luxurious spa, is scheduled for a grand opening later in the summer.....we will all be there, as soon as the doors are officially open!

The relaxing lobby with its soaring ceiling and lots of natural light!

A "standard" guest room, decorated in sea foam green and beige...so welcoming and relaxing!

The entry area of the ballroom, where cocktail receptions can begin for wedding receptions; it can be used after dinner as a moonlit dancing floor!

The ballroom, where guests can be served an elegant wedding dinner.

Elisheva, Nancy, Jenn, me, and Beverly

We ended our tour in the lobby, promising to return soon to enjoy more time with new friends at Oceano, Half Moon Bay!

Castello de Amorosa

Driving into the Napa Valley area always has reminded me of a trip to Italy, but after my recent visit to Castello di Amorosa, outside Calistoga, I am wondering if there isn't a secret passage into Italy when you drive through these gates.

Hidden from view of cars racing by on the St. Helena highway is this modern day recreation of a 10th century Italian Castle. When my friends and I were invited to drive up for a tour and wine tasting, we had no idea what awaited us!

Audrey Hardy, the new Director of Hospitality at Castello di Amorosa, provided us with a personalized tour, touching on all 8 levels (4 above ground, 4 below ground) of the castle; it is absolutely amazing to see the authentic detail, from the roof tiles taken from the remains of actual villas in Italy, to the hand painted frescoes in the Chapel and Banqueting Hall to the wine caves carved out below ground, just as they were in the Dark Ages!

This view could definitely be in Tuscany; the green rolling hills, the lovingly-tended grape vines, and the stone turrets to frame the entire panorama took me back to fond memories of San Gimiaghano, one of my favorite Italian towns.

Jenne Hohn, Jubilee Lau, and Morgan Doan, 3 of my closest friends from the early days of my Wedding Planning business, had a wonderful reunion during our day at Castello di Amorosa.

The Banqueting Hall is furnished with hand-made replicas of the massive tables and chairs found in castles from Italy in the 1200's, and decorated with frescoes, painted by 2 Italian brothers who came over from Italy just for this project.

This is one of the dozens of wine caves, built in a variety of sizes and configurations, where wine is stored, and intimate dinners can be hosted.

The Knights' Room, a larger below-ground option for events, replicates the area where the knights in the days of war between castles, would meet to don their armor, before heading out to battle.

After our extensive walk through the castle, Audrey treated us to a gourmet wine tasting, with 14 varietals, produced and bottled at Castello di Amorosa, as well as a chocolate pairing with their reserve Cabernet Savignon. Wow, what a day...after this, my little group took Audrey out to lunch in Calistoga, where we learned more about her new role as Hostess of a Castle!

I encourage you to make a visit to Castello di Amorosa; most of us can't afford a trip to Italy this year, but a drive up to Calistoga, could easily be with in the budget, and will provide the dose of Italian beauty and culture you may be missing...it did for me! Ciao!

New Venue: Solage, Calistoga

This week I had an assignment to do for my Wedding Research, 101 "Ongoing Studies" class...explore and stay overnight in a wonderful new resort/spa/wedding venue in Napa Valley!

Thursday I made a visit to the Solage Resort and Spa, in Calistoga, where I was generously given a complete tour of the property by Lindsey Relyea, Wedding and Event Sales Manager, and then invited to stay overnight so I would have first hand knowledge of the Solage Resort Experience...what a treat!!!
Let me take you on the tour as I "experienced" it:

The bocci ball courts welcome the guests to the Solage property, placing recreation and play as first and foremost in the guests' thinking!

The sound of water flowing into the sleek, modern Solage fountain, escorts you into the Concierge Registration Lobby, where you are offered a cup of Chai Latte, the chef's signature hot drink. As you pick up the key for your guest cottage, the friendly valet staff can drive your car to your cottage door, and unload the luggage, while you become familiar with the 22 acres which comprise Solage.

The lap pool, with private cabanas, is available for Solage guests, as well as a smaller pool to the left of the lap pool, more designed for family fun.

The Solbar Restaurant is well known throughout the Napa area; their chef, Brandon Sharp, most recently of Gary Danko and The French Laundry, focuses on locally sourced ingredients to create fresh and unique menus which change almost daily.

Lindsey helped me visualize how a wedding and reception, (Solage has more than 30 weddings booked for this year; pretty amazing for a venue that just opened in 2007!) would flow here at Solage. The private lawn, which adjoins a well equipped indoor reception space, can be set with chairs to comfortably accommodate up to 200 guests.

After the ceremony, guests would move to the adjacent cocktail area, before they are invited in for dinner. There is another space at Solage, on a different part of the property, for ceremony and receptions of up to 50 guests; I toured this area as well, and it has a cozy yet open feel, with a nice combination of indoor and outdoor options.

At this point, Lindsey left me to get to know the rest of Solage on my own, as a guest; I can now personally (and highly!) recommend the luxurious, relaxing and service oriented experience of being pampered at Solage!

This is the waiting area for those who choose to have a relaxing spa treatment. Spa Solage consists of five different buildings, 14 treatment rooms, and a Bathhouse with several pools, and mud treatment rooms; the pools are filled directly by the springs of Geo thermal mineral waters, which have been coming up for centuries, from deep below the ground in Calistoga.
This is my guest house, with the complimentary cruiser bikes parked outside; guests love to use the bikes to ride around the property, to the nearby wineries, or into the neighboring town of Calistoga.

I love the personalized "license plates"!

Now we are coming to my personal favorite amenity of my stay at Solage...they have the softest, coziest robes I have ever, ever enjoyed! The hardest part of checking out, was having to take off my robe! If I had more time to relax at home, I might have considered purchasing one...but I think I can only enjoy such a treat when I am away from home and work... I will just have to return to Solage, and my plush robe!

It was tempting!!!

As a way to get to know Solage even better, I made time for lunch at Solbar before driving back to the Bay Area. The day could not have been more beautiful for the outdoor dining/ patio lounge aspect of the Solbar. Restaurant manager, Bradley Wasserman, who had made time to meet with me the day before on my tour with Lindsey, was on duty again, to make me feel welcome.

After looking over the delightful choices on the menu, I chose the Spring Seasonal, Two Course Lunch, with the Spring garlic and savoy spinach soup, and the Cuban Sandwich, which Bradley recommended when I was looking for something hearty...I had a long drive, and had skipped breakfast to enjoy my room...(and my robe!).
I was very impressed with the service throughout Solage, and the restaurant was no exception. I saw Bradley's staff offer synchronized service to a table of 6 guests; 6 servers came out in unison, and presented each guest with their lunch selection simultaneously. I usually see this with the most elegantly catered wedding meals, but not for lunch at an outdoor venue...very classy!

Even the bread was served with flair...the rolls are from the bakery beside The French Laundry down the road in Yountville, the butter is made on property at Solage, and there are 2 kinds of salt...brown Hawaiian and Local Sea Salt.

Spinach soup, with wild mushroom puree and goat cheese croutons.

My Cuban Sandwich, with one of the freshest green salads I have ever tasted...local produce make a big difference! The ham in the sandwich was cured at Solage, and the pickles made there as well. I could only eat half of my sandwich, so the Solbar staff wrapped up the other half for Jeff...a nice treat to give him when I return from my "wedding research"!

I encourage you to make time to get away, and enjoy a break at Solage; and if you are looking for a restful, beautiful and unique wedding venue, I encourage you to consider Solage...and I would be happy to be your on site wedding coordinator!!

Hard Hat Tour

I have a new neighbor! Rosewood Sand Hill is preparing to open their doors in April of this year in Menlo Park, within walking (well, hiking) distance of my home in Palo Alto! On Tuesday, Todd Outhouse, Catering Manager for Rosewood Sand Hill escorted my friend Jubilee Lau and I on a "hard hat tour" of the property, enjoying a preview of what will be completed in just a few weeks. I love having a before and after perspective, so I want to share photos from our tour with you, to whet your appetite for the unveiling of the finished hotel/resort/event space later in the Spring.

This will be the Madera Restaurant, with its state of the art open kitchen, huge welcoming fireplace, and hip, upscale bar area; floor to ceiling windows provide incredible views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the nearby rolling hills, which I have loved and explored for the 20+ years I have lived in this beautiful area.



Slate floors, massive wood paneled walls, and intriguing light fixtures will accentuate the bar area...Todd has promised that I can post another photo of this very room, later this Spring, with me sipping a glass of wine and watching the sunset behind the Santa Cruz Mountains!

Of course, no tour of a new venue would be complete without a wedding coordinator seeing the areas where a wedding could be celebrated! Rosewood Sand Hill has thought of every amenity and convenience for brides and grooms and their guests to have an elegant, relaxed and seamless wedding day.
The Vista Lawn (still in process!), which will be ideal for wedding ceremonies, is adjacent to the Rosewood Terrace, which opens directly into the Rosewood Foyer, and the Rosewood Ballroom, pictured below.

I love the color palette in this room, because it offers a warm, welcoming tone, but does not dictate which colors a bride could incorporate into her wedding design. It seems that I am not the only one to appreciate the wedding possibilities here, as Todd and his staff have already booked seven weddings for this year, and the doors have not officially opened!

This is the entrance which guests will use as they first arrive at Rosewood Sand Hill; they could not imagine what awaits them just beyond the front door!

The infinity pool, with private cabanas, and hot tub, adjoins the 17,000 square foot Spa, offering massage, saunas, hair and makeup design, manicure/pedicure salon, fitness center, and a broad range of other personalized services...what an oasis of relaxation for the Rosewood Sand Hill visitor!

Jubilee and Todd paused in the tour, to enjoy the view, fresh air, and quiet of what will soon become very popular destination for visitors from all over the world. I am so glad I can just drive a few short miles to enjoy all that Rosewood Sand Hill has to offer, not to mention that promised glass of wine with my friend Todd Outhouse!