Our Honeymoon Plan
Through the benefit of frequent flier miles, we will be traveling First Class direct to San Francisco from Cleveland to kickoff an 8-day adventure!
The first four days and nights will be spent in the Sonoma/Napa wine country. We found an incredible "casita" in which to stay. Rustic, romantic and lushly landscaped....Hacienda de Amor...located one mile from Sonoma town square. (See photos/story below). Using this as our base, we will visit vineyards, enjoy great wines, romantic restaurants, bike rides, markets and grilling out in our private yard. Maybe even a hot air balloon ride!
The first four days and nights will be spent in the Sonoma/Napa wine country. We found an incredible "casita" in which to stay. Rustic, romantic and lushly landscaped....Hacienda de Amor...located one mile from Sonoma town square. (See photos/story below). Using this as our base, we will visit vineyards, enjoy great wines, romantic restaurants, bike rides, markets and grilling out in our private yard. Maybe even a hot air balloon ride!
The Hacienda was designed and built by Roger Hartly an architectural engineer. He was inspired by the secret walls he would pass by on the streets of Italy. Upon entering the gate we are told we will be transported into another world, with fountains flowing, colorful gardens and birds of all kinds coming to nest in the red clay tiles. The owners are also often told by people who walk through the gate that they feel like they are in the south of France , Italy or Mexico. Our casita has it's own outdoor eating area and two patios to sit in. The owners said the light at the end of the day is filled with a golden color that you try to absorb every moment with your eyes or a camera. And, if we miss our pets, the owners have a few of them...we can play ball with Poochini the dog or visit with Mona Lisa, the cat. Being that we love to cook, I am sure Felix and I will make good use of the outdoor grill, dinner under the chandelier tree, the Adirondack chairs and chimnaya on a few of our nights! We do plan to hit a few of the stellar restaurants in Napa/Sonoma as well!
Day five will take us west to the Sonoma Coast along the beautiful Pacific Ocean's edge. We will be staying at the cozy Bodega Bay Lodge (see below) near Bodega Bay, CA, where the movie "The Birds" was filmed (for those who can appreciate old Alfred Hitchcock movies, you'll know how funny this is). The Lodge is situated between the Bay/Inlet and the ocean. From here we'll venture into the quaint harbor town, hike along the coastline and enjoy incredible sunsets on the ocean. Hoping to experience the very view you see below at the restaurant at the lodge :)
Day 7, we'll head toward San Francisco where we'll take a night tour of Alcatraz (heard GREAT things about this from my nephew and his wife, as they did this on their honeymoon almost two years ago). We'll stay in the Fisherman's Wharf area and enjoy walking around a least a small part of San Fran and possibly end our tour with a drink at the Top of the Mark. On Day 8, we'll leave San Francisco, fly to LA for a brief stopover at LAX and fly back, First Class once again (!), direct to Cleveland.
We CANNOT wait for this time away together to kick start what we are sure will be a fantastic married life!
We CANNOT wait for this time away together to kick start what we are sure will be a fantastic married life!