A Mediterranean Style Getaway: the Kenwood Inn & Spa in Sonoma Valley Wine Country
If you zip around the corner too fast on the Sonoma Highway you may miss it, but if you slow down you will see a charming glimpse of the Mediterranean in Kenwood that may make you blink twice. I typically travel to Italy a couple of times a year and this place has a similar feel without risking those uncertain international flights right now. Vine-covered Mediterranean style architecture, wrought iron embellishments, gurgling fountains, pergolas wrapped with fragrant blossoms, and terracotta pots filled with citrus have that quintessential Med feel. On Valentine’s Day weekend, not long before the two months quarantine began, my husband gifted me with a 3-day stay at the old-world style Kenwood Inn & Spa in Sonoma Valley, California.
If you zip around the corner too fast on the Sonoma Highway you may miss it, but if you slow down you will see a charming glimpse of the Mediterranean in Kenwood that may make you blink twice. I typically travel to Italy a couple of times a year and this place has a similar feel without risking those uncertain international flights just now. Vine-covered Mediterranean style architecture, wrought iron embellishments, gurgling fountains, pergolas wrapped with fragrant blossoms, and terracotta pots filled with citrus have that quintessential Med feel. On Valentine’s Day weekend, not long before the two months quarantine began, my husband gifted me with a 3-day stay at the old-world style Kenwood Inn & Spa in Sonoma Valley, California.
A video tour of our spacious suite at the Kenwood Inn
On Valentine’s Day we indulged in 80-minute massages at the newly reimagined Kenwood Spa located just off the pool lined with luxurious private cabanas. We also enjoyed the largest spa (complete with waterfall) we’ve ever seen located just off our suite. Sunbathing on a cool day in February felt truly luxurious.
That evening Chef Sam Badolato was the featured chef for the private Pop-up Valentine’s Day Dinner. He and his staff served up a delectable five-course prix-fixe menu and wine pairing, locally sourced with an Italian twist and we enjoyed every foodie bite.
The Kenwood Inn is located near wineries, cafes and some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. We enjoyed an extensive tasting at Kunde, just a hop, skip and a jump from the Inn, as well as a delightful alfresco lunch at Salt and Stone. Other favorite wineries include Deerfield Ranch Winery, Wellington Cellars, St. Anne’s Crossing, Ledson and the Mayo Reserve Room.
If you live in Northern California as we do, the wine country is an easy road trip from just about everywhere. A short trip to this ‘Mediterranean’ escape may be the perfect getaway for you. To learn more about wine country and The Kenwood Inn and Spa please contact us to book your next wine country getaway. Thanks to my sweet husband for the perfect gift for this travel advisor who loves the Mediterranean and wine country. x
Ciao!
Heather
More blog posts on California:
Our Delectable Cooking Class with Chef Salvatore Quarto at Fonteverde in Tuscany
Virtual travel is more popular than ever with all the time most of us are spending at home these days. There is nothing more delectable than pasta in Italy and I’ve been looking forward to sharing a cooking class we experienced at Casina delle Rose at Fonteverde in Tuscany. Famed Chef Salvatore Quarto was our master teacher and the classic dish pici cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) was on the menu. This delicious dish is simple yet decadent. We hand-rolled each strand of pasta for class but with some pecorino cheese, fresh pepper, and a lovely premade or even dried pasta, it’s easy to recreate from the pantry.
Virtual travel is more popular than ever with all the time most of us are spending at home. There is nothing more delectable than pasta in Italy and I’ve been looking forward to sharing a cooking class we experienced at Casina delle Rose at Fonteverde in Tuscany. Famed Chef Salvatore Quarto was our master teacher and the classic dish pici cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) was on the menu. This delicious dish is simple yet decadent. We hand-rolled each strand of pasta for class but with some pecorino cheese, fresh pepper, and a lovely premade or even dried pasta, it’s easy to recreate from the pantry.
Today I’m sharing a few images plus a video I put together of this foodie experience with Chef Salvatore in Tuscany (scroll down).
During our ‘slow life’ at home I’m working on my video skills! ;)
Pin It!
To make homemade fresh pici pasta from Eattiamo.
To make the Cacio Pepe with pre-made pasta use this recipe from Epicurious.
More of the Virtual Cooking Class from Travel & Leisure
I’m always happy to book unique experiences like this cooking class for my clients. Contact me to put an Italian cooking class experience, like this one, on your horizon! Stay healthy and safe! Ciao, Heather
Read more on our visit to Fonteverde Spa and Bagni di Pisa with our beautiful host, Cristina Morellini.
Self-Care Tips for Stressful Times
It’s day 53 of our sheltering in place chapter and I finally polished my toenails. Is this a positive sign? I hope so! At least my toes are looking more cheerful. Overall, we are feeling more positive with May on the horizon. For now, we continue to stay home and stay safe.
It’s day 53 of our sheltering in place chapter and I finally polished my toenails. Is this a positive sign? I hope so! At least my toes are looking more vibrant. Overall, a bit of the mental fog is lifting and we are feeling more optimistic with May on the horizon. For now, we will continue to stay home and stay safe.
How are you doing during this stressful time? Now that you have likely had much more time at home are you changing up your self-care routines? As we already know, deep-breathing, exercise, healthy eating and proper rest are essential for self-care and stress reduction. I've also found that spa time at home is important for wellbeing.
Though there is less need to dress up on days like these, it doesn’t mean self-care should take a back seat. I’ll admit, I have had a few days where a shower felt like too much trouble, but I find I definitely feel better (physically and emotionally) when I take the time to care for my skin, hair, and nails.
I’m digging in my drawers for facial scrubs, masks, and serums that are half-used or forgotten. By the way, doesn’t it feel good to go through the items that have not been frontline and either use or dump them? It’s cost-effective, green and, honestly, my drawers have never looked better. Now that we have the luxury of time, I want to share a few of my must-haves for a spa day at home.
My necessities for a self-care home spa experience:
*Plush bamboo towels (2 matching sets in white for easy care laundering)
*A comfy, absorbent spa robe
*A fragrant candle like Jo Malone’s Basil and Neroli
*Facial Masque-Caudalie is a favorite that I picked up in Paris
*Body wash - Le Labo - Bergamote 22
*Skin serums and moisturizers from Peter Thomas Roth
*My Clarisonic Mia (a lifechanger for my skin)
*My DIY beauty elixir (see below)
*Cucumber and lemon water in a carafe
*Soothing, calming music (Spa channel on Satellite or anything 'Chill or downtemp' on spotify)
I’m planning to purchase this BeautyFIX box on sale that does not require a subscription right now. $24.99 for products worth over $100.00 and should come in handy since I’m no longer shopping in stores.
It’s nice to let our skin breathe (sans makeup except for business zooms) but moisture is key. I’ve recently renewed my appreciation for a household product that is a miracle in a jar. Read this post on My DIY Beauty Elixir for Thirsty Skin that I wrote a couple of years back.
I found these great tips for Self-Care from Virtuoso:
How to have the ultimate Self-Care Day
In need of some wanderlust?
Favorite Travel Spa Experiences from the Curated Travel Blog
Practicing Delayed 'Grativacation' for My Postponed Trip to Italy
I had planned to arrive in Italy today for a luxury travel event in Venice. My itinerary included a brief stay in Milan, a hosted tour of Turin, followed by a full weekend of luxury events in Venice. I have been looking forward to Travelux 2020 since I attended for the first time in March of 2018. That event, hosted at Lake Como, was filled with luxury travel experiences in and around Lake Como, San Remo, and Abano Terme. The trip caused me to fall even more in love with Italy, Italians and living la dolce vita. The event was also a life-changer for my new travel business.
I had planned to arrive in Italy today for a luxury travel event in Venice. My itinerary included a brief stay in Milan, a hosted tour of Turin, followed by a full weekend of luxury events in Venice. I have been looking forward to Travelux 2020 since I attended for the first time in March of 2018. That event, hosted at Lake Como, was filled with luxury travel experiences in and around Lake Como, San Remo, and Abano Terme. The trip caused me to fall even more in love with Italy, Italians and living la dolce vita. The event was also a life-changer for my new travel business.
I’ve been looking forward to reconnecting with my Italian travel partners and friends, so I’m disappointed about the necessary change of plans. Like so many of us, I’m practicing delayed ‘grativacation’ while looking forward to getting back to Italy when the event is rescheduled.
In the meantime, I’ve been looking back over blog posts from that trip in 2018 and will never forget, despite the most meticulous packing of my life, how I arrived in Italy for my first luxury travel event and my luggage didn’t arrive for another 6 days! I learned a lot about packing strategies but, more importantly, how to ‘make it work’ when your resources are low. I also wrote about my best tip for when you are forced to wear sneakers at a fancy event at Villa d’Este and dealing with other uncomfortable moments. ;)
Are you practicing delayed ‘grativacation’ too? What trip did you have to cancel? What travels are next are your wanderlist? Since you may have time on your hands, like most of us do these days, you can read more about my solo adventures in Italy in 2018 in the collection below (see first post at lower right of collection).
Check out: Keeping Your Wanderlust Spirit Alive
“Delayed Grativacation - The fine art of looking forward to a postponed trip and keeping the wanderlust alive. ”
Hello From Our Home to Yours in the Age of 'Physical Distancing'
Hello Friends,
Who could’ve known, just a few short months ago, what our current ‘normal’ would look like? Though our world feels like it’s turned upside right now I do hope you are finding moments of comfort, connection and even humor as our lives have slowed down.
Hello Friends,
Who could’ve known, just a few short months ago, what our current ‘normal’ would look like? Though our world feels like it’s turned upside right now I do hope you are finding moments of comfort, connection and even humor as our lives have slowed down.
I’m on day 19 of my ‘physical distancing’ and am hunkered down with my husband here in Chico in Northern California. We are healthy, comfortable and yet concerned about the state of our world right now. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, truth be told. How are you coping? How has this new chapter impacted your life?
I shared a few thoughts on Instagram earlier this week:
A glimpse of our world in the ‘slow life’ era.
We’ve been busy in the kitchen. Destination themed dinners have been a hit (think paella, sangria and fried plantains from Spain with the Gipsy Kings playing in the background). We’ve been trying to keep our meals fresh with lots of veggies and salads but I also broke down and baked chocolate chip cookies for the first time in years.
WOW! Hello cookies, we’ve missed you!
With all the home cooking we are now doing I must confess to missing some of the dishes at our local restaurants. We’ve ordered take out once or twice and plan to do it again soon to support the local businesses.
You will find the recipe to these soft and yummy chocolate chip cookies on my Pinterest board here. By the way, I used a light whole wheat flour and they turned out perfectly.
This made us laugh today. Does your home cooking weeks on end leave you feeling like this?
Humor from my wise mom.:)
This video popped up in the images on my phone today. We were in Provence this week last year and it is a good reminder of the beauty of that trip and to have hope that we will be traveling again someday soon.
I’ve had a number of friends and clients reach out to see how my world in the travel business is faring during Covid-19. Though I’ve had a number of changes, including my two biggest groups (one to Paris and a Med cruise) cancel within two hours of each other, many of the other trips I’ve worked on for clients are being postponed rather than cancelled. This is hugely helpful for the travel industry as well as our own peace of mind. Those of us who are energized and motivated by travel are feeling like our wings have been clipped about now. Don’t dispair! Look towards the future, plot your travels for next fall, 2021 and beyond. I share more tips in this post on How to Keep Your Wanderlust Spirit Alive.
Thank you for reading today. Stay healthy and please reach out if you are so inclined. Let me know if there is specific content I can share - Travel inspiration? Travel tips? Travel Updates? Health and Wellness? - that would be helpful. Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below or by email. We will get through this chapter by supporting each other.
Be well,
Heather
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The Curated Travel Collection: France
The Edith Piaf playlist is lilting on Pandora, we are dining on Salade Chevre Chaud and sipping on Château Minuty Rosé Et Or for lunch. We are feeling in the mood for some French inspiration today.
In the Curated Travel Collection below you will find a number of blog posts on our recent travels to France.
PRENDRE PLAISIR!
Heather LIndstrom, Curated Travel in Paris
The Edith Piaf playlist is lilting on Pandora, we are dining on Salade Chevre Chaud and sipping on Château Minuty Rosé Et Or for lunch. We are feeling in the mood for some French inspiration today.
In the Curated Travel Collection below you will find a number of blog posts on our recent travels to France.
prendre plaisir!
“France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older- intelligence and good manners.”
“How can anyone govern a nation that has 240 different kinds of cheese? ”
Chateau Eze above the french riviera
“The easy glamour of the French Riviera in the late 1960s - inspired by Romy Schneider’s character in La Piscine - mixed with garden elements. Blueprint, botanical, lattice, Queen Anne’s lace and folly prints are paired with cleaner silhouettes and proportions in a fresh palette of green, white and coral.”