San Fran / Big Sur - May 2014

Highway 1 on way to Big Sur

We were originally going to spend Memorial Day weekend in Phoenix but Shawna had a conference where she was presenting in Half Moon Bay and Keith needed to visit some properties in the San Fran area so we re-directed plans and went to Northern California.  Surprisingly, Rak and Sim were in town so we got to spend some time with them as well.  And, we caught up with Liz who was spending her last few days in San Fran before coming to visit us in Denver.

Keith at Post Ranch Inn

Accommodation:
Chez Mehta/Singh - Always comfortable and the price is unbeatable!  We stayed here for one night before we went to Big Sur and for three nights when we returned.

Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur) - This has been on Shawna's "list" for several years.  We stayed here for two nights.  Built in 1990 right off the Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur, the Inn is several hundred feet above the coastline.  There is a guardhouse on the drive in and the person there passed on our names to the reception so they knew who we were when we arrived.  When we checked in, we were greeted with a glass of wine and then we were taken to our room in one of the hybrid Lexus SUVs that the resort has to drive customers around the site.  The buildings are made of wood and blend into the environment.  Our room faced the ocean and had a great balcony to relax on and hear the sound of the waves below.  The property is quite stunning and so relaxing!

Room at Post Ranch Inn

Balcony from Room at Post Ranch Inn

Ritz Carlton (Half Moon Bay) - Shawna stayed here for two nights during her conference.

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

Activities:
Shawna flew to SF from Hartford and barely made the connection in Chicago - the gate was closed when she arrived but was able to get the gate attendant to open the door for her.  Keith's flight was on time from Denver so he picked up the rental car and drove to Rak and Sim's with Shawna following by cab about an hour later.  Rak was not home that night so after a quick chat with Sim we just went to bed. 

On the Friday, Shawna had a quick call for work and then we headed off to Big Sur for two nights.  The first stop was Carmel where we grabbed lunch and then walked around town and along the beach.  We then drove up into Carmel Valley and tasted wine at both Chateau Julien (OK wine offset by a very friendly lady pouring the wine) and Boekenoogen which had a good Pinot.  We checked into the hotel and went straight to the room which was magical.  We read a bit, napped, and had wine and cheese on the deck - the minibar was stocked and it was "free" to consume anything we wanted.  We then walked down to the reception and got a ride across the road to dinner at the Ventana Inn.

Carmel

We had all the best plans to do a hike on the Saturday but decided that we loved the resort so much - why leave??  We woke up early, read, fell asleep again, and woke up a second time - perfection.  We grabbed breakfast at the Inn and then went back to the room to read, relax, and nap again - yup, we were super-lazy.  Out of guilt, we then went for a walk around part of the 100 acre property and then stopped by the dining room for a lunch of salad and lamb.  Keith then grabbed the two remaining chairs at the pool while Shawna ran back to the room to change.  It was only a couple of hours at the pool but they were glorious.  We had to head back to the room to get ready for our 4pm massage appointment - conveniently the spa was only 30 feet from our room.  Keith got the signature massage while Shawna got the hot stone massage - both were very relaxing and enjoyable!  When we returned to the room, we relaxed on the deck for a little while and then showered and had dinner at the Inn.  We first had a drink on the deck at the restaurant - it was a bit chilly so Shawna wrapped herself in towels to stay warm.

Hot Tub at Post Ranch Inn

Shawna at Post Ranch Inn

On Sunday morning, we lazed around and had breakfast at the hotel, checking out around 11am.  We then drove to Point Lobos and hiked the perimeter trail for 2.5 hours.  The scenery was beautiful and the weather perfect - we saw lots of birds and sea lions as well.  After the hike, we met up with Rak, Sim and Ria at Harley Farms in Pescadero to buy some goat cheese and then went over to Duartes Tavern to buy pie to bring home.  We had a great Indonesian dinner in Saratogo and then drove home to their house in San Fran.

Hike in Point Lobos Park

Dinner at Indo Cafe

On Monday, Liz met us at Rak and Sim's house and we drove to Sonoma to begin our day of gorging! First stop was Fremont Diner where we had to wait for over an hour to get a table.  Marwah and his girlfriend, Sidney, met us there.  We pretended to get some exercise while waiting for our table by walking around the area for about 30 minutes.  Next stop was Rams Gate Winery where we tasted some wine.  And then we ended up back and Rak and Sim's house for a guitar concert put on by Ria and a dinner party.  Ria charged us each 50 cents for the concert and we could each pick a song.  She played about 8 songs for us, including "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" which was adorable!  For dinner, we ate cheese, a veggie tart (made by Rak), a salad (made by Shawna) and marinated, grilled chicken (made by Simran's mom).  We of course had lots of wine and it would not be a dinner party without it turning into a dance party - Keith, Rak and Marwah showed us their moves which was quite hilarious!

Chicken and Waffles at Fremont Diner

The Gang at Rams Gate Winery

On Tuesday, Keith went to see some properties and Shawna worked from Rak and Sim's house.  In the afternoon, Shawna and Simran went for a 'tasting' walk, stopping at Anthony's Cookies for a cookie, El Chile Lindo for an empanada and El Techo de Lolinda for a margarita.  Liz came over that evening and we all met up with Rak for dinner.

Simran and Liz

On Wednesday, Keith went to see more properties and then he flew home to meet up with Liz in Denver.  Shawna worked from Rak and Sim's house again and in the afternoon, she and Simran went for a walk and then had dinner at their house - Simran's mom made a yummy chicken biryani and spinach.  Shawna then drove to Half Moon Bay where she stayed for two nights for a conference, flying home finally on Friday.

Keith at Point Lobos

Restaurants:
Grasings (Carmel) - Had lunch here.  We had a glass of wine and shared a salad and sandwich - both quite tasty.

The Restaurant at Ventana Inn (Big Sur) - The Inn is directly across the road from the Post Ranch Inn.  We ate inside and had farm egg and shrimp for appetizer and swordfish for dinner.  The food was very good.

The Restaurant at Ventana Inn

Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur) - We had breakfast here both mornings and lunch on Saturday.  We also had dinner here on Saturday night.  For dinner, we shared the salmon and abalone for appetizers, duck for entree and cheese plate for dinner.  The food was very good but we both thought Ventana (the night before) was better.  You can't beat the views from the restaurant - overlooking the ocean from a high!

Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn

Indo Cafe (Saratoga) - We had dinner here with Rak and Sim.  Hard place to find and no great decor but food was awesome.  We shared the Nasi Campur which is a combo dish of yummy Indonesian food.

Fremont Diner (Sonoma) - We had lunch here with Rak, Simran, Marwah, Sidney (Maura's girlfriend) and Liz.  We wanted to have breakfast but by the time they seated us, the menu changed to lunch.  We all shared ham biscuits and deviled eggs to start and Keith and Shawna shared the chicken and waffles for an entree which was amazing.

Fremont Diner

Rams Gate Winery (Sonoma) - We tasted the white wine here and also had a bottle to share amongst us.  They have a very good rose.  The tasting room and grounds are very nice.

Shawna and Keith at Rams Gate Winery

Padrecito (San Fran) - We had dinner where with Liz, Rak and Simran.  Great Mexican food.  We started out with a few drinks and then we shared three types of tacos, guacamole, fish crudo and lamb meatballs.  Everything was very tasty!

Ice Cream Bar (San Fran) - We had dessert here after dinner at Padrecito - yummy caramel honey ice cream.