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Half Moon Bay

Getaways- The Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay

February 27, 2014 By kimwheeler No Comments

Rarely does a getaway combine nature and luxury at the same time. Hiking seldom involves cocktails overlooking the beach after. Biking along the sea followed by a gourmet dinner isn’t the norm. However, that is the charm of The Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay, which has the best of both worlds. You can commune with nature and feel pampered as well!

Half Moon Bay has been one of my favorite spots in Northern California for so many reasons. I love it’s wind-swept beaches with some of the most picturesque dunes and wide-open expanses. The tide pools of Fitzgerald Marine reserve here are the some of the best in the world.  The biking and hiking paths meander for miles over charming bridges, beautiful fields, and around sand dunes and hidden  beaches. The trees alone here charm me. The downtown is unspoiled and uncommercial, still a small sleepy beach town. I love it all. This is also home to Mavericks, location of one of the most famous big wave surfing events in the world.

This charming and romantic spot was a foggy Northern California beach town when the Ritz decided to build a world class resort around an historic golf course and nestle it’s property right on one of the prettiest coastal views anywhere. The Ritz here is a destination resort. You go to Half Moon Bay to get away from it all, and the resort coupled with nature is perfection.

The resort attracts a varied group. There are couples getting away for a few days, families hoping to enjoy some quality time with each other, as well as men on golf trips and women doing girlfriends spa getaways. You also get travelers from all over the world, who have heard of the charms of Half Moon Bay.

My husband and I got down here last in October, during the famous pumpkin festival. I loved how festive the resort was with pumpkins and gourds all over. We enjoyed lunch in the Conservatory, overlooking the ocean.  It was one of the nicest days and I knew we had to come back and experience this spot as a family. Last week. during our boy’s winter break from school, was the perfect time.

Driving up to the Ritz, you get the feeling of being of being in Cape Cod.

Right away the loveliness of this resort surrounds you…

It’s designed like a East Coast shingle style beach home, which I love.

Inside it’s all whites and blues.

Cozy nooks to relax are by the many fireplaces.

There are several public rooms that open on to each other that have spots for reading or having a cocktail or cappuccino. It reminds me of the design of the Lodge at Pebble Beach in that way.

We were thrilled about our guest room, which looked over the Pacific and the 18th hole of the golf course.  There was a balcony and quickly everyone got their relax on.

 Case in point.

 Our room was spacious and pretty. There were chairs and a table just right for activities. We really wanted a place to reconnect with the kids and brought cards and games. The hotel concierge has board games as well.

After we all kicked back a while, we explored the property and took in the ocean views.

We ended up at the indoor pool house. The very large pool was great for the kids to mess around.  Max and I chilled in the jacuzzi, while we debated about cocktails by the fire pits after or before sunset.

Walking to the pool.

The Ocean Terrace, with fire pits, is popular for evening drinks or hot chocolates. Their bagpiper plays at sunset every evening. The sunset couldn’t have been more beautiful that night!

The Ocean Terrace is alfresco dining and it is open all day for drinks and light bites. The view is my favorite here looking towards a little hidden beach, and you can see golfers finishing their 18th.

When we came back to the room, the boys were excited to find the resort had left them a s’more kit for the fire pits after dinner! A quick dry off and we all headed to the terrace to watch the sunset….

My guys dressed up (California style), for dinner.

 Then to dinner at Navio, the resorts’ lovely main restaurant…

 Dinner at Navio, was a treat.  I loved the blues and ocean inspired hues. There is a real feeling of being on an elegant ocean liner, and even the ceiling is curved like a ships hull.

There was so much to choose from, seafood is the specialty and there were many interesting and unique dishes. The boys were excited when the chef, Kevin Tanaka, came out to chat and we got to learn more about some of the original creations on the menu.

Jackson, my gourmet had snapper, and it’s his new favorite. I had salmon from Scotland that was finished with a butternut squash and cocoa relish. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! Max loved his butterfish. Griffin had the macaroni and cheese and chicken fingers that we all stole a bit of.

I also loved my market salad with it’s beets, goat cheese and pistachios. I believe this was one of the best meals we have ever had. The view of the ocean was the capper. I was happy to sit there with my champagne all evening if I could…However, the boys couldn’t wait to get out there and make s’mores.

Boys + fire+ sticks- Of course they loved it!!

We warmed ourselves by fire pit and made our gourmet s’mores. I have never tried this kit before, but will again! The homemade marshmallows and chocolate plus graham crackers crusted with sugar made for very decadent treat. You can purchase this kit at the Ritz.

I think you can see I couldn’t help myself! Thank goodness for the little wipes that come in the set!

Did I mention they also have a wine, cheese and chocolate bar that’s called Eno?
Chocolate, wine and cheese? What’s not to love? This a perfect spot for a nightcap, dessert or some afternoon wine-tasting after an ocean walk.  Check it out if you are here even just for a day visit. It’s right above the Conservatory.
After a day of exploring and a wonderful dinner, we curled up in our cozy room. 
Nothing beats going to sleep hearing the ocean waves.
Even the little door hangers are half-moons.  Love!
We have traveled quite a bit in the past few years and I have to mention the bedding here. Wow, probably the best bed and bedding I have ever slept on. I love the feeling of drifting off on a soft cloud… Fabulous sleep!!
  We woke up to this…
So peaceful! Max and I let the boys sleep in and grabbed some coffee downstairs in the pretty Conservatory.
The Conservatory Lounge has complimentary coffee bar in the mornings. It’s another beautiful spot to have lunch or dinner here. On Thursday nights they have Burger, Beer and Jazz event, with local musicians which looked like a lot of fun.

We then took a morning stroll along the beach paths. 

Breakfast where my boys matched the decor, at Navio again.
 Gourmet Irish oatmeal for me. The men partook of the pancakes and waffles. House apple juice is fantastic too. The seafood eggs benedict is supposed to be phenomenal. Next time perhaps…

After our delicious breakfast, the boys did a special bike tour with the Ritz Kids program.

The winding trail that begins along the ocean here, goes as far as 5 miles into the town of Half Moon Bay, and beyond.

The boys went with Sean, a fun guys and great guide who took them for an hour and a half along the trail, across meadows and into the quaint town..

Sean took a pic of Griffin that he Instagramed. 🙂  They had a blast!

Bikes are available as well as segway tours for adults. The Ritz Kid program has special bike tours and fun activities geared to many ages. They have a kids night out program on Friday and Saturday nights, so parents can dine at Navio or try the wine bar, and have a relaxed evening, while children can get dinner and a movie with crafts. Kind of genius. You can read more about it here.

I was glad to know Jackson and Griffin weren’t too old, at 15 and 12, to do something like this and still have fun.

It was great to have some time to play tennis with just my husband and I on their courts.

We even took some time out to hang out on the Ocean Terrace and have our coffee with a view.

Next time, I think I would love to check out the beautiful spa and have a treatment for myself!

 I also want to get to this hidden beach, that is to the front right of the resort…

Some other nice points at this beautiful hotel were the baths. Love the bathrooms! They are luxurious, spacious and have many spots for your toiletries. That isn’t always the case.

The products in the bath are Asprey from the U.K. These were totally new to me and I loved the whole mess. I’m especially crazy about the hair products of this Purple Water line.

I didn’t get a chance to see if they are sold on site. They are wonderful and I am hoarding the last bits at home now.

 I also appreciated how they designed the room with pretty and roomy closets to store your luggage, jackets and shoes out of sight. So smart. Hotel rooms feel so much more spacious when you can walk about without tripping over someone’s bag or shoes, right?

After check-out, (I always hate that part), we popped over to downtown Half Moon Bay to check out some of the cute shops and grab lunch.

 Downtown is home very good bakeries, home shops, a wine and cheese store, a cooking store and a cool spot called Earth Impact with all Earth friendly finds! Always excited to find stores like that.

These cool California cutting boards were at Abode. Also fun is The Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Company.

Colorful graphic aprons and more at this darling cooking store, Toque Blanche.

Some of my other favorite stops on the way in or out to the resort are Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, for tide pooling,  The Waterfront Coastside Trail, for bikes or hikes, the Half Moon Bay State Beach for unmatched vistas, and Sam’s Chowder House, for world famous lobster rolls and a great beach scene.

You could easily spend a weekend or a week here, so many things to see and do along this coast!

We are all already talking about the next time we get to go back again.

Special thanks to Kaitlin Crawford of Ritz Half Moon Bay for making this trip possible and tailoring it to my family of four! Thanks also to the staff at Navio, and the chef Kevin Tanaka, who made our night. Last, but not least, the Ritz Kids program and Sean, who made some great memories for my boys.  A media rate for accommodation was provided by the Ritz, but the experience and opinions are solely my own.

Photos all Northerncalstyle except for the top and bottom photos, courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton.

Filed Under: family travel, Getaways, Half Moon Bay, The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, travel

Our Holiday at Home #Latergram

January 24, 2014 By kimwheeler No Comments

Cannot believe Christmas and the holidays have passed already. Is it me or did the end of last year fly by crazy fast? There were a lot of things on my to-do list that just never happened. Gee kind of like this post..

 I still wanted to show some of the fun here in Northern Cal during winter break…So what the heck! Better late than never! (Okay if your done with holiday posts feel free to click over to something more relevant and exciting. I won’t be offended. 🙂

Though we did not leave for the Christmas break, we did get to squeeze in some lovely walks as the weather has been very mild here, compared to the rest of the country. I love the rough and brambly gray of much of the plants and trees mixed with the buds that are already showing on so many plants. I think it’s been too warm actually.

It’s still warm! We are loving it, but feeling bit guilty about it.

 Chilling with the neighbors’ cat in my yard.

We Californians are probably all going to hell! (Hope not!)

Love this old ivy wall surrounding an historic house I pass on my walk.

 I did get out for a day with my favorite guy.  My husband patiently shopped with me and we shared a lunch outside on of my favorite days of our break. He and I did quite a few walks and little dinner dates and coffee runs. One of the perks of staying home was more downtime together for all of us.

We also drove to Half Moon Bay to walk the beach a little and grab clam chowder and lobster rolls at Sam’s Chowder House.

It was an amazingly gorgeous day for December. 

The boys built the Lonely Mountain from the Hobbit.

We saw that and the Mr Banks movie on  our break. I loved Mr Banks!! Highly recommend that one.

Also got to stop at my favorite nursery and get a few ivy plants to perk up the house.

The other highlight of the holiday break was getting up to San Francisco for a night with the kids. We were a bit hampered by Griffin twisting his ankle right before we left. : [  It wasn’t ideal, as San Francisco is such a walking city and a tough one at that with all the hills. His crutches were exhausting and so we couldn’t cover much.

We walked to Macy’s to see the pets up for adoption in the windows. The boys love that.

Also so many gorgeous holiday windows!

Burberry

I loved Gumps! Their windows were chic and original..

Our motley crew.
And cute!

Inside the mechanical toys and Santa’s from all over the world charmed us. We were all fascinated!

Gumps is a must do on a shopping trip here! Unique and fab items from all over.

Loved the windows at Ghurka…

How about those Cartier panthers?

We got to another of our favorite spots, Fiona’s Sweet Shoppe.

Griffin and I first discovered this tiny treasure on our summer trip to SF. They specialize in Scottish and U.K. candies. They have things that you’ve never heard of or tasted and they do samples. Don’t miss Fiona’s which is on Sutter Street. My favorites are the brown sugar cubes that have black licorice in them!

Picked up a darling modern Christmas tray and more at Crate & Barrel. Always love everything there.

C&B is wonderful spot to find fresh ideas. I always want to re-do my home after a visit.

Neiman Marcus’s huge tree reflected from the windows.

Dinner was just Max and I as the kids preferred to stay in the room and watch their own movie. Griffin couldn’t really walk anywhere far. We got them a room service pizza and they were thrilled.
We stayed at my favorite, The Hotel Monaco, and they give kids a complimentary movie card, which was so nice. We also got some passes to, “Raid the Bar,” which was credit for your honor bar, so the boys got sodas and goodies from it. 
It’s those little things that make The Hotel Monaco and Kimpton Hotels worth choosing. This was all on out own dollar and it was nice that so many perks come along with an overnight stay.
Griffin and I chilled out in the animal print robes a bit too. Fun!

Dinner in the downstairs bar was delicious and fun and it was nice being in the hotel while the guys were upstairs.
Things were going okay until the next morning when our neighbors texted to tell us our Guinea Pig had his head caught in his wire ball. 🙁

Can you believe it? That’s our sweet neighbor Abby, who rescued him.

Luckily one of her brothers got our wire cutters and pried him out. We were so thankful to them! The pig was unharmed…However at that point we threw in the towel and came home. 
Still it was lovely to be in San Francisco during Christmas even if it was 18 hours!
We did New Years at the home of my friend Aimee and her brood who are like family to us. They also enjoy lots of crazy nutty teens and make it fun for them as well with obnoxious hats and exploding items! I don’t think my kids would enjoy New Years if we weren’t there.
We had time to spend with my 96 year old grandma Jody too. The boys helped her grocery shop. It was a perfect day except in my excitement I locked us all out of the car with my grandmother’s groceries and ice cream inside!  That was fun. Didn’t bother my grandma at all of course! She rolls with the punches and that’s why she has probably lived so long!

We spent a fair amount of time just chilling like my neighbor cat does here in my yard…Is that cat yoga or what??

And now we are off…Another year and all that. January is flying by too fast.

 Here’s to 2014!

If you’re still reading, happy weekend!

Kim
All images property of NorthernCalStyle

Filed Under: Bay Area in winter, Fiona's Sweet Shoppe, Gumps, Half Moon Bay, Holidays at Home, Hotel Monaco, San Francisco

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