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.

a beautiful sunrise at Half Moon Bay

sunrise over the 18th green at Half Moon Bay (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Another day, another beautiful sunrise... This is the sight right outside the sliding doors of our room at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. With the Pacific Ocean to the right and the coastal mountains to the left, this is as beautiful a panorama as you could hope for. Straight ahead is the fairway and green of the 18th hole at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links, a beautiful Scottish links style course along the sea. In fact, Ritz-Carlton has two 18-hole championship courses to challenge avid golfers.

We've been here less than 24 hours, but I totally love this resort. Today we're planning to enjoy the resort's Signature Redwoods Drive. This includes a visit to the town of Half Moon Bay and a scenic drive past pumpkin farms, wineries, redwood forests, and windswept beaches. I'll blog about the experience tomorrow.

Just 23 miles south of San Francisco and a half hour drive from SFO, Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay is a great destination for weekend getaways ... and an ideal setting for a company retreat. Of course, by booking through your Virtuoso travel advisor, you'll get free daily breakfast for two, a $100 spa credit, complimentary internet, and an upgraded room if available, all for the regular price you see online.

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

weekend trips in the Bay Area

view from One Bush Plaza, San Francisco

Looking for something to do over a weekend? Here are some thoughts if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Weekend in the City. Spend a couple of nights in the city. My favorite SF hotel is the Four Seasons San Francisco. I like its location right on Market Street. If you take BART into the City, you can get off at the Powell Street station and walk into the hotel without ever crossing the street. It's an easy walk from the Four Seasons to Union Square, Chinatown, and AT&T Park where you can see the world champion San Francisco Giants baseball team.

Wine Country — Napa County. Napa County, one of the best wine growing regions in the world,  has some fabulous resorts. Auberge du Soleil, Meadowood, Bardessono, and Calistoga Ranch are all wonderful, but each is so different. Give me a call to find the right resort for you.

Wine Country — Sonoma County. Less famous and less crowded, Sonoma County attracts Bay Area residents who want to avoid the Napa County crowds. The Farmhouse Inn is something quite special with a Michelin-starred restaurant,  and you can make complimentary S'Mores at night with gourmet Valrona chocolate. Prefer to stay in the town of Healdsburg? We were very impressed by Hotel Les Mars just a block off the square.

A room with a view of the Golden Gate. We're spending a couple of nights at Cavallo Point at the end of May. Located in Marin County, you'll enjoy views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge from this renovated historical resort.

A room with a view of the Pacific Ocean. So many great options for Bay Area residents. Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay has a great golf course, and Post Ranch Inn is a dream destination in Big Sur for a romantic weekend getaway.

Lake Tahoe. Just a three hour drive to the mountains for skiing (in the winter, if it bothers to snow) and mountain biking and outdoor adventure in the summer months. Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe is our favorite resort here, located mid-mountain at Northstar.

Email me for added-value amenities at each hotel or resort I've mentioned that you can't get when you book online.

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman 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.

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay | what to do

Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, less than an hour's drive south of downtown San Francisco (and just 23 miles from SFO), is on the outskirts of a small, picturesque town overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The only oceanfront resort in the San Francisco Bay area, there is lots to do — a sandy beach for kids to play on, miles of coastline for couples to walk along, 36 holes of golf, horseback riding on the beach, a great spa, tennis, wine tasting, and great food.

Half Moon Bay is a great destination for a romantic weekend anytime of the year - or for a summer family vacation. I was intrigued by the Signature Drive that the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay suggests for guests. You can spend a few hours taking the drive, or make an entire day out of it. The tour is replete with suggestions for lunch and dinner along the way. Pictured on the map above, the tour winds through five distinct regions:

1. Historic Main Street. Explore the historic downtown — stroll and shop for art, crafts, jewelry, antiques and more.

2. Pumpkin. Drive past farms, fruit stands, and visit the Annual Art & Pumpkin Festival held every October.

3. California Redwood. Hiking trails, biking, horseback riding, and dining.

4. Santa Cruz Mountains. More than 70 wineries to visit as well as dining.

5. Coastal. Walk miles of sandy beach or the bluff-top trail that hugs the coast.

Coastal View rooms at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay are definitely worth the upgrade — request a south-facing room for the more spectacular view — and the Fire Pit rooms are very popular. Located on the ground level, they feature a patio with a gas fireplace and adirondack chairs overlooking the coast. Ask your travel consultant about various vacation packages as well. As a Virtuoso guest, you will enjoy complimentary amenities such as free breakfast daily, room upgrades, and a spa credit.

If you want a beach vacation with warm ocean water and hot summer days, there are better choices. Mark Twain's famous comment — the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco — may be an exaggeration, but it's true enough. I love Northern California's temperate year-round climate, but there are better choices for "a week at the beach."


Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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