It’s spring in Yosemite…the waterfalls are flowing, the wildflowers are blooming and there’s life and beauty at every corner of this stunning California treasure. If you and your partner seek a quiet mini-moon amongst Mother Nature, let me introduce the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite for your week or weekend “roughing it.”

Reporting from Yosemite and Big Sur – Last year, in the middle of the recession, my husband, Paco, and I pondered our fall vacation, weighing an ever-growing travel wish list with an ever-growing urge to save. Instead of Greece or the Great Barrier Reef, we chose a California road trip. By avoiding international airfare and the weak dollar, we were able to splurge in a few key places while saving in a handful of others, a high-low budget journey without the jet lag.

The magic and splendor of the holiday season come to vibrant life again this year with the 84th anniversary season of The Bracebridge Dinner at The Ahwahnee, a full-service, AAA Four-Diamond hotel located in the winter wonderland of Yosemite Valley. Under the roof of the grand lodge, which is surrounded by a stunning, natural setting of granite cliff faces and snowcapped incense cedars, this remarkable American theatrical tradition transforms the hotel into a 17th century English manor for an elaborate feast of food, song and mirth for eight performances, December 13 through 25.