Napa Winery Experience

As I mentioned in my last blog, Dick and I love the Napa Valley. It is a very special place, catering to all of your senses. For people who love to eat, there are gastronomically fantastic restaurants. For people who love to pamper their bodies as well as their bellies, there are incredible spas. For people who love breathtaking scenery and clear, starry nights, there are those magical vistas. And lest we not forget the foremost reason to come to the Napa Valley…there is the opportunity to drink amazing wine.

Dick has been collecting wine for many years and has quite an extensive wine cellar. He even acts as a wine consultant to private wine collectors and a number of restaurants in Southern California. He devours magazines, books, and newspapers catering to the wine trade and afficianados. Best of all, he has an ecclectic palate, and loves try local wines. Wherever we travel in the entire world, he will order the local brew…and love the experience. Anyone can order a major bottle of French wine, but the most fun is to sample what they make, be it in South Africa, Australia, Chile, or even a Kuala Lumpur. It definitely makes a dinner more exciting. Although, I must confess, that given our "druthers"….we are particularly partial to a cabernet from the Napa Valley.

Having said that, we were able to squeeze two days into our hectic schedule last week, and we headed north to California's great wine country. It was raining in the Napa Valley when we arrived. That is good for the drought, but bad for the tourists. Actually, Napa has had enough rain, after being hard hit with it two weeks ago and halting the harvesting of some of the grapes. Now the vintners are looking for some warm weather and light winds to dry the remaining grapes in order to increase their sugar content. All things considered, this year should be a stellar year for their wines. 


We began a wonderful day-trip wine tour at 9am when our driver, Lance, from Viviani, Inc. picked us up and took us to our first appointment...the home of Mike and Jean Lamborn, the owners of Lamborn Family Vineyards. The Lamborns live on Howell Mountain, along with their adorable English Mastiff dog, and make delicious zinfandels and cabernets. It was a bit early (9:30am) to start tasting (though that didn't stop us). We had a delightful visit with a wonderful couple. As Lance said, "If you become friends with winery owners, you will like their wine." Wine drinking is a social activity, and liking the people is a great factor. This was a statement that held true all day. By the way, for all you oenophiles, Heidi Barrett of Screaming Eagle, O"Shaunnessey and Paradigm fame helped Mike and Jean with their wine.



From there, we went to Fleury Winery, where Brian Fleury's son, Eric, had us sample their wines. What am amazing place this winery was!! The art in the building was done by son Eric who is a wonderful artist, and the jewellry was done by mom Claudia. The space itself, with four tasting areas divided by tent-like structures, was just incredible. Everything is done to the 9's....including the etched bottles of their "F"in' Red wine to the piano lacquer presentation boxes they have for gifts. I always look at the items a winery has for sale, and I can only tell you the design of their shirts, hats, and other gifts are all amazing. Didn't see anything like them in all of the valley. OAKLEY has done the shirts, and they are amazing...not the typical "Got Wine?" shirts.
The wines themselves are extraordinary. They make about 12 different kinds and we loved all of them. The pricing went from $50-$175 a bottle., but drinking any of them is a real experience.



From Fleury we went to Tournesol Vineyards in the City of Napa. This winery looks like something straight ot of Chianti in Tuscany, and I can say this with great conviction, having just been there a month ago. Even with the rain, it was a glorious sight. We were met by DJ Warner, their head of marketing. He took us into the tasting area, which not only had beautiful racks of wine, but a 1958 Volkswagen 22-window bus and a 1964 porsche roadster. Guess we know what the owners enjoy other than wine!


DJ had a lovely lunch set out for us, and we proceeded to drink some exceptional Tournesol cabernet and bordeaux-like wines. As it turns out, DJ and his wife are also making a wine under the label " Keplinger". They are making four different Rhone wines in the Spanish mode, and we tried those as well. What fun to taste such a lovely example from so small a production (less than 500 cases). We enjoyed the conversation about how the concept came about...all the way thru the labeling and the first harvest.

Wine making is indeed a labor of love. And we all think it is so romantic. Well, it is all of that....mixed in with a LOT of HARD WORK. And you are constantly being challenged by the weather. Like today....which kept getting worse.



From Tournesol we went to Caldwell Winery to meet with the owners, John and Joy Caldwell. What a FABULOUS couple they are. They built the caves in which their winery is located in the year 2000. They produce what they have named a Platinum, Gold and a Silver wine, in addition to their Varietal Collection and an every day wine called Rocket Science. They are all exquisite....as is their winery. And, can you imagine, when the weather gets too funky, John HEATS his caves to the tune of $2000 a month just to keep the wines at a good temperature to do what they need to do in the vats. Joy has bought special glasses (Eisch) to taste their wines, and used an aeriator called a Vino..... to "open up" the wine. She swears by both, but says that some people cannot tell the difference. Most women tell better than men, she says, and they tend to like the softer taste of wine in the Eisch glass that has been aeriated! John just rolls his eyes, and pours more wine. Regardless, their wines are just magic, and if you ever get a chance to come to the Valley, make an appointment to visit with these people.




Our last stop of the day was at Andretti, as in Mario Andretti. It is a lovely spot, and his wines are very approachable and nice. By the end of the day, however, it was the "end of the Day"...and, sadly, we missed Mario.

What a joy it was to have Lance drive us to all these places that we NEVER would have seen, or found, for that matter.
 Our hats off to Linda Viviani. She is the consummate professional and no request is too much for her. She can arrange for private cars, trains, and planes. She will take one person or 50….and all with the professionalism that one can expect. Her list of "special people in the Valley" is staggering, and all you need to tell her is what you like, and she will take it from there. She knows EVERYONE in the area, and can get to anyone you might want to visit. Her main expertise is Napa, but she can do, and has done, the entire coast, including Cabo in the Baja,the Central Coast, San Francisco, Washington, Oregon and now Canada. Dick and I come here a lot, and have never had such an incredible day.

And one last thing....if you are lucky enough to be able to do a day in the valley...have a driver. The police are out in force giving tickets for "driving under the influence"...and even if you are sipping/spitting....you can swallow enough to be "under the influence". I cannot recommend this too much.

Our Napa Odessey

Dick and I have traveled to Napa Valley every year for 25 years. We took our dog Daisy and now her replacement Dolly with us. It has always been challenging to find accommodations for her, as she is a sizable dog. (Dolly’s more like Marley, if you know what I mean.) Very cute, but very naughty. We have stayed in many places in Napa that we would have not chosen because of our dogs, some good and some just fair. That has now changed.

Well this weekend, we had a family celebration in Los Gatos, and we left Dolly at home. Free at last to stay WHEREVER!!!! I did a lot of research, and chose the Bardessono Hotel, Spa and Restaurant in Yountville.

The Bardessono opened in February 2009, to the much awaited publicity of the “Greenest luxury hotel in America.” There are 62 rooms in this incredible hotel which was built on the grounds of the old Bardessono Ranch in Yountville.

This is an amazing property and they have achieved everything they set out to do. The property is exquisite. The balance of color and materials blend right into the land. It is truly a “lair of luxury” being “earth friendly”.

There are four different kinds of rooms, all private in design and function. All have king/queen beds with incredible linens, and spacious patios off the main room.

The bathrooms all have gorgeous tubs and separate showers...many of them are outdoors. You can shower under the stars..in complete privacy...and then have an “in-room spa experience.” The rooftop pool is glorious..even though we couldn’t use it because it rained ALL DAY. I can only imagine how nice it would have been after a warm day.

The spa is designed by Carrita, who has designed many the world over in high end hotels and ships. The products are just lovely... as is the types of treatments available. Anything your body could desire to nourish its soul is there. And speaking of nourishing...the restaurant will be one of the best in the Valley. The meals are meant to be a “nourishing experience”, both in concept and fulfillment. And what presentation!!

The help all over the resort is well-trained, and very accommodating. Even in the all- day rain, the friendly staff were smiling. That means a lot to your guests. And no request was too much...even a recipe for something sent to our room as a “Welcome to our Hotel” was readily made available.

This is how hotels should be built and operated. What a joy the Bardessono is, and I hope we are lucky enough to come back very soon.

By the way, did I mention that the hotel was “DOG FRIENDLY”? There were 2 different couples checking in with their “Friends”, and it was lovely to see these adorable creatures welcomed. I really felt guilty about leaving Dolly at home.

However, I know I will be back....with her in tow.

More on our Napa trip coming soon....

The Med on the Crystal

What to do for our 25th anniversary? This is not such a terrible "problem". After all, being married to the most wonderful person on the planet, every day is a celebration. But we needed to mark it in another way, so we decided to take a Mediterranean cruise, revisiting places where always wanted to go and thought we never would.We flew to Barcelona, and spent 3 days before boarding the Crystal Serenity. Our first port was Monte Carlo, where we docked over night. Then we went to Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Taormina, Dubrovnik and then Venice. Sounds heavenly, doesn't it? Well, I cannot lie..... it was.

We picked the Crystal Serenity because we had been on her sister ship, the Harmony, many years before and loved all that Crystal had to offer. She is bigger thantheRegentMariner..holding 1050 passengers...and offers Butler service in the Penthouse suites.What an incredible way to travel and to experience familiar places. To land in Livorno, however, and having to travel an hour and a half to get into Florence, and then have to return to the ship by 6 is very frustrating if you have never been to Florence. For us, it was perfect, as we have already seen all of the major tourist attractions, so we were just able to wander the streets and absorb all the wonderfully familiar sights.

In this article, I am going to address mainly the ship. In the following articles, I will get into the cities where we spent a lot of time...like Barcelona and the Chianti area of Tuscany.

The Serenity is a fabulous ship and her reputation of service is well deserved. She is larger than the motorized Yachts like the SeaDream and the Seabourn but not nearly as large as the megaships. Her size allows her to have many things the small ships cannot have....like a huge casino that Ceasar's Palace designed. She also has two specialty restaurants other than the main dining room. One is Asian, called Silk, and the menu has been designed by Nobu Matsuhisa. It is just wonderful and a real treat. The other is Prego...which was as good as any Italian restaurant in Italy (and that says a lot).

They tell you on the ship that you can make reservations in the specialty restaurants twice during your sailing...but we managed to get into them more than that. Having said that, I must tell you that the food in the Main dining room is just lovely. There is no need to dine anywhere else unless you just want a change in venue. There is a nominal charge for the specialty restarants, however, just to cover tips for the waiters.

Now we need to talk about the spa...and the gym. This will be short, cause I NEVER used the gym...just walked in to check it out. And the equipment was wonderful...as was the space. Just not something we felt we needed to do, as we planned on walking a LOT.

The spa was just lovely...a beautiful hair salon with all the services, plus treatment rooms for things I don't even know about...but some women cannot wait to sign up for!! If you wanted to take care of your body all day, every day, there would be things to do. I think I would have needed to start the regimen much earlier in my life, and I fear it is too late now. Fighting gravity must begin in childhood!!!

If strengthening your mind, or expanding your horizons in on your list, you can also be busy all sea days. There are lectures, movies, programs, classes. NO ONE can be bored on a cruise. If people say they are, then they are boring people. Even if you go to the computer room, there is someone to help and even give lessons. And for Bridge players, it is Nirvana. Can you imagine playing every day...and having someone give lessons and critique your skills?

And, lets not forget the shops on board the ship. One is a Logo shop, which is just what the name implies, and the other is a beautiful store filled with lots of clothing from various designers. There were also two jewelry stores in case you got lucky at the casino!!.

When they talk about Floating Cities, that is what they mean. The ship has a big show room, and then a couple of smaller and more intimate bars...some with pianos. The Swimming pool deck has a wonderful place to eat casual food...and GREAT ice cream. I know this sounds as if I am concentrating on food...and that scares a lot of people. I can honestly tell you that you do not need to gain weight on a ship. If you get over the idea that there is food all around you, you can concentrate on asking your waiter for a plain piece of fish with the sauce on the side. Every night I ate 5 vegetables!! More and more ships have "Spa Cuisine" selections on the menues...and people are taking advantage of that. I ate more in the ports than on the ship.

What makes this ship special is the service. By the second day, the waiters in the Lido Cafex(where we had breakfast every morning) knew our names. That is quite amazing. You expect this on a 300-passenger ship, but on a 950...that is really good training. When I sat at the swimming pool, someone brought me fresh water constantly....and cool towels to wipe my hands (it was August, and it was HOT) They even changed the towels you laid on if you got into the pool!!!

As this itinerary was "Port Intensive", we only had two Sea Days...and I am here to tell you that I missed the relaxation of the ship!! Don't get me wrong, I loved the ports we were in, and I don't want to sound like I am complaining, it is just that the ship experience is so mesmerizing, that you miss the total relaxation of it. And let's face it, shopping /sightseeing can be EXHAUSTING!!!. There were days we got off the ship at 8AM, and didn't get back until 6 or 7 in the evening. The next day I longed for a day at sea...just to think about where I was and what I had been seeing.

There are only two downsides to the Serenity. The first is the size of the cabins...which is small. Everything does fit, BUT they are smaller than the other luxury liners in this category.
The other downside is that there is assigned dining, as opposed to Open dining. You have a speific table, and time...and I don't like that. I much prefer to dine whenever I choose....and with whomever I choose. And if you are assigned a table of 6, it is uncomfortable to change in the middle of the cruise to a table of 2. They do try to have a couple of "Open Dining Nights"...and that helps. Also, tipping is not included on the Crystal, as it is on other ships. They do tell you the Prescribed Amount, and it can be charged to your Shipoard account..but it is easier when it is included( I think).

Now that the travel business is in flux, things are changing for everyone. So, Crystal is now including free air in many of the cruises, as well as 2-1 pricing on some selected sailings. Make sure you book with a Virtuoso Travel Agent (of which I am one) and you will usually get another few perks that are only offered to them. Bottom line, the Crystal Cruise Line well deserves its standing among the World's Best!!!

Alaska on the Regent Mariner

As I promised you at the beginning of my blog, I will never write about anything that I haven't experienced personally.. Some things will be a bit older than others, but none will be too old so that they are no longer relevant in terms of quality or importance. Therefore, I must tell you about taking the Regent Mariner to Alaska with our twin grandsons 2 years ago.

I always tell people that picking a cruise ship is NOT like choosing a hotel. If you make a bad choice in hotels, you just walk down the street and enter another place. If you pick a bad ship (and by that I mean it isn't a fit for you) you will be miserable for the entire length of your trip. Therefore, it is extremely important to do your homework before booking a cruise. What do you like to do? Are you an early-morning person or a late-night person? Do you like to gamble...do you like big, lavish nightclub shows? Do you want many choices of restaurants? Do you want to be pampered...or do you like getting lost in the crowd? And speaking of crowds, do you like small groups of people, or do you enjoy the excitement of LOTS of people? You must be honest with these questions, because they will determine which ship you pick. And that will determine what kind of time you will have.

Because we know what we like, we decided not to take a "Geared for Children" ship. We knew our grandsons would fit in anywhere, and so the issue was to find a "Child Friendly " ship that we would love. And did we ever. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has four ships in their fleet and the The Mariner is probably one of the most fabulous ships sailing today. It was a perfect choice for us.

The ship is small enough (700 guests), yet large enough to have a wonderful gym, spa, nightclub showroom, casino, and two additional specialty restaurants to the main dining room. All the cabins are oceanview suites, and they all have balconies, but, as I said before, you have to have a fit, and we fit in with the Regent Mariner.

We like dining whenever we want..no assigned times and no assigned tables. Also, there is a Steak restaurant and a French restaurant, in addition to the main dining room. In Alaska, there are no formal nights, so dress was not an issue. On some ships, a tux is a must....or at least a dark suit...so make sure you check that out. We like paying one price, and having everything included. Yes, I mean all your tips and all your drinks! This means that if you have a drink anywhere on the ship, it is FREE...and you are never handed a chit to sign. What a gracious way to travel. It is almost as if the ship were yours, and the people on board were there for you exclusively. There is also a stocked bar in your room. I mentioned that the tips are included, but if you are lucky enough to book a major suite that comes with Butler Service, they are tipped extra. Know that in 2010 the Regent is also including Free airfare on many cruises....as well as Free selected shore excursions .

By the way, we took our boys to Alaska, and they had a Jacques Cousteau program for them to partake in and they were busy all the time. The shore excursions were fabulous, as was the time on the ship when we were sailing. So we didn't care that there wasn't a Rock Wall or a Pizza Joint (however, a GREAT pizza station is up near the pool).

Cruising is a wonderful way to vacation...and it is not only for "older" people. Just remember that the shorter the cruise, usually the younger the crowd. Most 30-year-olds don't have the luxury of taking 18 days!!! But put it on your "Bucket List". A fantastic ship can make any destination memorable.

We are off to the Mediterranean in two weeks on board the Crystal Serenity. Will post more then.

India

I DREAM OF INDIA

In September of 2008, my husband Dick and I spent a month in India. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to go back another time, so I wanted to do both the North and the South. We moved quickly. A month may seem like a long time, but doing justice to this wonderful country merits taking as much time as one can. When I close my eyes at night, I can still see the sights, smell the smells, hear the sounds, and feel the tactileness of this incredible country.

Being active in the travel industry, I had my pick of anyone to help me plan our trip…and I chose Micato. I had been to Africa with them two years ago, and LOVE everyone in that company. They are the BEST from the top down. Marion Miller, who is Micato’s India expert, helped me plan the PERFECT trip….and she had every detail down perfectly. I know I am gushing, but that is how I feel. All you have to say is what you think you might want to do and see…and she executes the plan.

We started out in Delhi, at the Oberoi. We flew non-stop Chicago Delhi on AA…which wasn’t so great. Service left a lot to be desired…BUT it was non-stop . Just an old 777 and they just kind of threw the blankets at you. We were flying First Class…but the service is nothing like the Asian carriers (which we have been flying lately). If I sound spoiled, mea culpa. BUT when you have experienced something incredible (like Cathay, Asiana and Singapore), it is hard to understand why we cannot compete.
ANYWAY, let’s get back to India. Our Micato rep met us at the airport and delivered us to the hotel…along with a welcoming gift from the Micato Staff…and all our vouchers. We would be ready the next morning to Hit the Road Running!!!

Our guide for the next two week, who would teach us EVERYTHING that was India, was Puneet. He was the most amazing man…very knowledgeable and very accommodating. He was also patient and fun. AND he listened to everything we said, so he could pick up on anything. If we mentioned that a place looked like fun, he made sure we got there the next day (or at least, he tried). Point in fact, our tour of Delhi took us past the Imperial Hotel, and I said it looked Fantastic. The next night we were taken to dinner by Michael from Micato at the Imperial. It was an incredible dinner and a wonderful way to begin our journey.

To say that the hotels in Rajastan are amazing, is the understatement of my life. I have travelled all over the world, and have been lucky enough to have stayed in many of the world’s major hotels. Dick was in the hotel business himself, and we love beautiful properties. Nothing prepared us for these, however. And each one was better than the next . Marion had selected mostly Oberoi properties, but the Taj ones like the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur are just indescribable. Talk about luxury…talk about deluxe…this is 7-star at its finest.

Puneet was the most amazing guide. He taught us not only what we needed to see, but all about the food, and how to eat it. He taught us about the people, and their feelings about so many things. We NEVER would have enjoyed India as much without his guidance. And we NEVER use a guide more than a couple of hours in any of our travelling. We could have spent another 2 weeks with this wonderful man and never gotten tired of him. In fact, I don’t know of too many people we could have spent so much time with and still look forward to seeing him every morning…including our own children!!!!

“What is important is…” was his favorite expression, and I never got tired of hearing it. From Udaipur, to Jaipur, to Jodphur, to Agra to Varanasi to Khajuraho, everything was a joy with Puneet.

I know that the pricing of a “Hands On” guide brings the cost of the trip up quite extensively, but I cannot begin to tell you how worthwhile it is. We would NEVER have understood India as well without him. And the fact that we traveled together for two weeks really added another dimension. We continued another two weeks using “Pick-up” guides in every city (Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, and Kolkata), but it wasn’t the same. Those guides were knowledgable, but we never got onto a very personal levelwith them. With Puneet, I bought a pair of shoes-- the kind that his father used to wear.--and we were able to meet his wife and children in Agra. That didn’t happen in the other cities that we just toured.

I cannot speak too highly of the people at Micato. Whenever we arrived in a city, they had a welcoming gift waiting for us in the hotel room.We always felt that they were with us…and they were. Their attention to detail is just amazing…and their clout in India is greatly appreciated. One tour company in Kolkata picked us up in a sedan…and when we told them that we were used to a NEW SUV….one arrived the next day. We were spoiled unbelievably…and it was worth every bit of it.

If anyone out there has thought of India, please move it to the top of your list. Anyone who experiences what we did will quickly know why India was the jewel in the British Crown. It is an amazingly spiritual country and the people are just incredible. Yes, there is poverty, but we have that here as well. In India, you get the feeling that it is OK…cause there are lessons to learn in this lifetime from being whatever you are. And maybe in my last lifetime I was the Maharani of Indipore!!!.

Just make sure when you plan India that your people go with a sense of wonder, joy and patience. Cows have the right of way in the road, as do the hundreds of pilgrims marching to various temples and shrines to pay their respect. If you get into the pulse of the country, it will be the most amazing trip of a lifetime.

I am still dreaming of India.

Palm Springs, CA

Visited Palm Springs last week-end to check up on things. There still is no one fabulous resort in the desert...which is amazing to me. Now that Palm Springs is becoming a "Year-Round" city, you would think that someone would put in a FABULOUS property.
La Quinta should be the one...but it would take incredibly DEEP pockets to bring it up to par. The casitas are old, and tired. BUT the grounds are wonderful, and it could be the jewel of the desert. The old/closed Ritz Carlton/Lodge at Rancho Mirage/Ritz Carlton is halted in its tracks. No word of an opening yet. Should be wonderful...but misconceived from the beginning. No one in the desert wants to dress to cross the lobby! But the setting is perfect, and it should be a welcome addition to the Coachella Valley.
So far, the best property around, in terms of full scale hotels, is the Mariott Rancho Las Palmas. It is in a perfect location, next to the River and El Paseo shopping/restaurants. The renovation did what they needed to do...and it is a great week-end escape.
For those Hyatt fans....Grand Champions is still wonderful...as is Stouffers....especially if there is a tennis tournament in town.
Many of the restaurants are staying open year round...as are the stores. Some do close, however, so you best check before making any assumptions.
The desert is still a magic place for "spa-ing" and "sporting"....and a great retreat from the smog and traffic.

Carmel, CA

Just came back from Carmel and had an incredible time. Took Dolly and stayed....where else.....but at the Cypress Inn. She loves it as much as we. What a fabulous Dog Friendly town. All the stores welcome you and your pet...and are pleased to offer them water...and treats.
The Cypress Inn offers your pup a darlling blanket, plus a velvet treat bag for "turndown" service. Everyone congregates in the lobby for cocktails..with their adorables...and by day one, names are all exchanged. Pet names, that is. Everyone knows Dolly...but not many know Dick and me!!!

The beach in Carmel is also dog-friendly, and there is nothing better in the world than seeing your pet romp in the sand and run into the ocean! What glee...what abandonment...what a mess!!!!
BUT, if your intention is to have your pet enjoy themselves as much as you....then it is a slam dunk!!!

And let us not forget the restaurants in town that make you and your pet welcome for every meal. The hotel gives you a list of dog-friendly places...and all of them are just wonderful.

What a fun place to visit....

By the way, there are other hotels in town that welcome pets. The Cypress Inn is just our favorite.