a perfect Bay Area weekend getaway

view from 668, Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay (c) 2018 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

With so many ways for Bay Area residents to spend a romantic weekend, it's hard to choose! This Thanksgiving, we returned to Half Moon Bay, California. The Bay Area is such a pleasure when the roads are empty! Leaving home a bit after 11 a.m. on Thursday morning, Waze routed us over the Bay Bridge, through San Francisco, and treated us to a relaxing drive down the coast. We pulled up to the entrance to the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay by noon.

Hanging out in the Club... Our room was ready, and after unpacking, we went straight to the Club for lunch. If you've never booked a Club room at a Ritz-Carlton, you're missing a treat. With five meal presentations during the day, the lunch spread included pumpkin soup, sandwiches, salads, cheeses, and desserts ... not to mention Ritz Carlton's addictive chocolate chip cookies. The breakfast buffet now includes an omelet station where the chef will cook your eggs to order ... and Club guests enjoy complimentary cocktails in the late afternoon ... and dessert temptations in the evening.

Golf anyone? The Club's windows look out over the 9th green of the Ocean Course of the Half Moon Bay Golf Links, and I had fun watching golfers playing the hole. But you don't have to just watch... golfers will enjoy the challenge of playing two championship courses — the Old Course and the Ocean Course.

Half Moon Bay is a town with cute shops and good restaurants. We reserved a table for two for Thanksgiving Dinner at Pasta Moon, and our meal was excellent. There were six main course menu options, but I chose the Diestel Farms Turkey — moist and flavorful! I loved my dessert of Warm Molten Chocolate Cake with a scoop of vanilla chocolate gelato. Reservations were definitely necessary, so I'm glad I consulted Open Table.

There's plenty to do to fill a weekend. You can stay at the Ritz-Carlton and luxuriate in the spa — or you can venture forth to hike the redwoods or explore miles of beaches. Here's my blog from my last visit two years ago.

The smart way to stay at RC Half Moon Bay — book through your Virtuoso travel consultant and enjoy a complimentary Full Breakfast for two daily as well as a $100 credit towards a heavenly spa treatment.

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe | Lake Club

Lake Club at RC Lake Tahoe, photo by Jodi Demko

I learned just this morning about the brand new Lake Club which opened this summer at Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe. Yet another reason to visit this mountain resort during the summer months, Lake Club is available only to hotel guests. Access is limited to just 40 guests per day, ensuring an exclusive experience absent the crowds on public Lake Tahoe beaches. The Club offers access to its own private beach.

Like a Club Lounge, the Lake Club provides its guests with complimentary food presentations and open bar during its open hours. Guests have use of an outdoor whirlpool and recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding. Priced at $250 per person per day, Lake Club is complimentary for children under five years old. Shuttle service is offered every half hour from the hotel.

If you want to spend the day on the lake, here's one way to avoid visitors crowded onto the small public beaches, made even smaller by last winter's rains that filled the lake. Our guests at RC Lake Tahoe benefit from STARS amenities; you'll receive complimentary daily breakfasts for two guests for the regular room-only rate.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay | superlatives

Old Course, 18th Hole (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I can't say enough good things about our three night stay at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. We've had three glorious days on the coast. The weather has been beautiful. The area offers a lot of reasons to visit. The hotel is one of the finest Ritz Carlton resorts I've ever visited. I absolutely love the views from my room — a Firepit room facing the 18th green of the Ocean Course ... admitting floor-to-ceiling views of the sky, sea, fairway, and mountains.

I took this picture Sunday morning from the Club Lounge on the 5th floor of the hotel looking north. You can see the pounding surf, the soft light of the dawn (about 7 a.m.), and the 18th hole of the Old Course. Sitting by the window, it was fun watching golfers playing this challenging hole and follow their shots from tee to fairway (or rough) to green (or sand trap). Although one golfer shot a par, there were many more bogies or worse.

Just 23 miles south of San Francisco, consider Ritz Carlton for a weekend getaway (or midweek, if you're retired!). Our clients receive the following Virtuoso amenities:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Daily full breakfast, for up to two in room guests
• $100 USD Equivalent Spa Services credit, to be utilized during stay (valid for treatments and/or spa retail products, not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability

copyright  (c)  2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.