Foodie Honeymoon Getaway

[memco]

I'm looking for suggestions on where to take a honeymoon in CA that's a bit of a getaway that would appeal to a foodie. I am considering something like Cambria or Carmel as they have the best of the beach and rural scenery, but am open to alternate suggestions. If we do go to a city or stay near one, I'm leaning towards San Francissco. I'm from LA and travel to SD pretty regularly so don't want anything that's too close to the norm. Hotel recs would be a plus as well.

[thirtyeyes]

Start in San Francisco and get a hotel in Union Square. You will not see such a dense field of great restaurants outside of New York. Do a play in the Orpheum and visit Golden Gate Park. Then drive up to Napa and spend a few more days in a B&B. Give French Laundry a shot, get a bunch of friends together and have them all start calling at the same time, exactly 2 months out at 10am PST.

[phee]

I like the Napa/Sonoma idea, and, if you needed beach time, you could spend some time at a rental in Sea Ranch (Gualala). The proximity to Napa and SF is both convenient and a beautiful drive. There are some great little restaurants en route both directions.

[syrahgirl]

I would choose Carmel over Cambria for the foodie part. There are many great places to dine in Carmel and the scenery is gorgeous on this area of the coast. The Highland's Inn, Tickle Pink Inn and La Playa are all places we have enjoyed staying in Carmel. Napa Valley has Yountville, you will experience some of the finest food in the country here. The French Laundry, Redd, Ad Hoc, Bistro Jeanty, Bottega are all there. I would definitely try to get up to Healdsburg where there is Cyrus, we have dined there 3 times now, it's the total "wow" factor at Cyrus. The Hotel Healdsburg and the Inn @ the Plaza are places we have stayed in Healdsburg. In Yountville, consider the Yountville Inn or The Villagio. We are considering at stay at Bardesseno this March or the new venue Hotel Luca in Yountville. :)

[memco]

Thanks for the rec, I will definitely try to make it to Carmel if not Napa, both of which sound great.

[jennywenny]

Just a thought, I personally much prefer pacific grove to carmel, I found carmel a bit odd and stuffy and just reminded me too much of Del Mar and La Jolla near where I live. At the time we went, passionfish and red something restaurant were both wonderful. We also had a wonderful lunch at the aquarium.

I'm very jealous! If it was me I'd start in monterey area, then drive up the coast to san francisco for a couple of days, then a couple of days in napa/healdsburg/yountville (not actually staying in napa itself)

[Ewilensky]

What an awesome idea for a honeymoon! Congrats!

I'd also vote Sonoma/Napa but also spread out to try some places in the Russian River Valley and end up with a weekend in SF.

And hey, if it doesn't work out, give me a call. ;-)

Have fun!

[Cathy]

Something you may or may not have considered. A cruise. But not a typical one. At all.

http://www.expeditions.com/Destinatio...

The "Autumn Sojourn in the Pacific Northwest" is a 4 day cruise, 62 guests on board, max. Emphasis of the wine and culinary delights of the PNW region. No formal dress, everything is included, the activities are more educational and the whole experience is unique.

From the website:
What is the food like? Can I get low-fat, low-salt or vegetarian options?
Every destination has a "flavor." And we believe our guests should have every opportunity to "taste" the destination. A great deal of thought goes into what we serve. With every voyage on every ship we make an effort to bring regional flavors to your table with fresh, local fruits, vegetables and spices. And our sustainable seafood program aims to serve locally caught or harvested fresh seafood.

Full buffet breakfasts, casual lunches, and leisurely dinners with plenty of choice are served in our comfortable dining rooms in an open, single-seating dining environment, or on deck or even ashore on a remote beach. If you have special dietary restrictions, please let us know in advance and we will accommodate you.

[memco]

Wow, that does sound like an awesome cruise. I will look for some more info.

[Beach Chick]

Totally agree with DD about Napa/Sonoma area..spent many long weekends eating and drinking like Royalty.
We love going to SF and doing day trips to Napa too..
But the glorious Trifecta that we just did a couple of years ago was Big Sur/Carmel for a couple of days...Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn, Passionfish in Pacific Grove, Big Sur Bakery..
SF for 3 days of Boulevard, Slanted Door, Gary Danko...Napa, we did Redd, Taylor's Refresher (ahi burger) and our beloved wineries Silver Oak, Rombauer and Joseph Phelps.

It was sublime..

[Dagney]

Ditto all of the above. Husband and I were married at The Post Ranch Inn. We ate the food of the gods every single night. I will also suggest Black Cat in Cambria.

It's a long shot to get in, but dinner at French Laundry in Yountville would be a treat.

[Beach Chick]

Dag..what a place to get married!
The food matches the incredible views of Post Ranch..this is where Jesus would stay if he was hanging in Big Sur!
I've heard great things about Black Cat..we go up to SB quite a bit and wondering if they are open for late lunch?
Been to FL and we did our reservations on opentable at midnight 60 days to the day of our lunch..with the economy, hear that its not such a long shot to get in as much as it used to be.

[Dagney]

I am pretty sure Black Cat closes after the normal lunch hours. Cambria is such a tiny place, so there is not a massive late afternoon crowd milling about town. I read somewhere several months back that BC had a chef shake-up, so I hope it's as good as it was before.

[DiningDiva]

What about Napa/Sonoma. Not only would you get great food, there's wine. Mendocino has the wine and romantic setting.