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Mini-Moon Monday:Tenaya Lodge At Yosemite

Admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:20:54 +0000

MINI-MOON MONDAY: TENAYA LODGE AT YOSEMITE
RealweddingsMag.com
April 5, 2010
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.”
Recommended Resort:   Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite. About two miles south of Yosemite National Park’s southern gate, Tenaya Lodge is a gorgeous resort with the perfect mix of rustic and refined. This is the “organic” Sierra experience. Guests are greeted in the lobby with soaring cathedral ceilings of timber, natural stone fireplaces and tribal designs. The beauty extends through Tenaya’s 294 guestrooms, suites and cottages, most newly renovated and inspired by native Mono and Miwok art.
Check in:   Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, 1122 Highway 41, Fish Camp, CA. tenayalodge.com, 888-514-2167.
Check out:   The rooms at Tenaya are warm and spacious. My pick for a romantic getaway is a Spa Room, offering 550-square-feet of living space, a private balcony, full wet bar with refrigerator, seating area with a pull-out sofa bed and coffee table, an extra large bath area with a whirlpool tub separate from the shower. Definitely your “do not disturb” type of escape.
Don’t Miss: The Spa… featuring massage therapy and a menu of spa treatments ranging from nine different varieties of facials to body brush and polish, hydrotherapy, therapeutic paraffin treatments, enzymatic sea mud pack treatments and more.
Dining is a treat at Tenaya, from the regional cuisine and fireside dining at Sierra Restaurant, heralded for Executive Chef Frederick Clabaugh’s distinctive “Sierra Alpine” cuisine, to the casual experience at Jackalope’s Bar & Grill, Parkside Deli or wonderful in-room menus.
Of course with the Park at your fingertips there are also plenty of outdoor activities to keep you busy and the hotel can set up naturalist guides, mountain bike rentals, fly fishing, horseback rides, rock climbing and much more.
Tenaya Lodge’s respect for its natural surroundings has evolved into a model of “green” operation that most resorts merely aspire to. One example: the lodge’s eco-designed lighting eliminates ambient bleed beyond property lines and protects the night sky for stargazing. Perfect!
Follow the link for article and photos: http://blog.realweddingsmag.com/mini-moon-monday-tenaya-lodge-at-yosemite/

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Highway 1s Golden Opportunities

Admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:13:21 +0000

HIGHWAY 1′S GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES

Sally Horchow

LATimes.com

April 4, 2010

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.

Google Maps plotted our teardrop-shaped drive — from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park, across to Big Sur, and back down the coast on California 1. We blocked out a few days in mid-November, late enough in the season to avoid crowds on the roads and trails. Our mission: relationship renewal through shared car time, delicious meals and scenic hikes.

Like millions of Americans before us, we gassed up our station wagon ($45) and took off with a couple of suitcases and our first budget line item: a cooler full of Trader Joe’s drinks and snacks ($30), which would come in handy on the highway, hikes and hotel stays (instead of the expensive mini bar).

After the first five-hour leg, the Tenaya Lodge, a 244-room resort two miles outside of the south entrance of Yosemite, was the ideal stopping point. We arrived at sundown and took advantage of the California Bed & Breakfast Package ($139 a night for two) — spending one comfortable night on a down feather bed, followed by breakfast in the Sierra Restaurant — which left us refreshed and ready for the park.

Just 15 minutes later, after paying the $20 seven-day entrance fee, we were hiking in Mariposa Grove, the largest concentration of giant sequoias in Yosemite, with names such as Grizzly Giant and the Three Graces. We took the requisite photo in front of the California Tunnel Tree, the base of which was cut in 1895 to allow coaches to pass through it, and a funny shot of a gigantic pine cone the size of Paco’s head.

One breathtaking wilderness experience checked off our list — before 10 a.m., no less — and we felt bolstered for the hourlong drive into Yosemite Valley. We turned off at the Tunnel View for the first of many Ansel Adams moments with Yosemite’s granite peaks and waterfalls. A few minutes more, and we were at the base of the flowing Bridalveil Fall.

Then we motored to the floor of the valley and the Ahwahnee Hotel, built in 1927 as the grande dame of accommodations in Yosemite and boasting incredible views of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. Although the standard room rate seemed high ($425 a night), we had been told that an overnight at the hotel and a meal in its dining room, with a 34-foot-tall ceiling and stained glass windows, were imperative. To take full advantage of our first splurge of the trip, we checked in early to drop off our things and rest.

Later, a two-mile sunset hike to Mirror Lake — with the ultimate photo op capturing the changing colors on the park’s granite walls — proved 10 times the experience our mediocre, if fancy, room and overpriced ($125) dinner were. And, of course, the hike was free. Next time, we will choose Yosemite Lodge, where its food court had a perfectly acceptable bowl of chili ($4.35) and a burger ($8.50). We’ll have a cocktail in the Ahwahnee bar instead.

“Greece’s got nothin’ on Cali,” I said, cranking up the Who as we drove out of Yosemite Valley. The varied scenery on the five-hour drive to Big Sur, with the winding mountain road giving way to flat fields, golden rolling hills and, ultimately, the dramatic Oceanside cliffs of California 1, made us appreciate our trip choice.

As did our contrasting accommodations: two nights at the rustically modern Glen Oaks Big Sur, a renovated 1950s motor lodge ($175 a night), which allowed us one blow-out night in splendor at the Post Ranch Inn ($1,185 a night). Despite the sky-high price tag, the Post Ranch Inn was worth every penny. The stunning views and architecture, luxurious Cliff House room, spa massages and meals at the Sierra Mar Restaurant were the best hotel experiences of our lives. Even so, the Glen Oaks proved much more than a budgetary necessity. We relished our two restful nights in our chic and cozy room, as well as the communal exchange around the fire pit.

Others around the fire pit gave us tips about the affordable dinner at the Big Sur Roadhouse ($12.95 an entrée), the don’t-miss sunset cocktail at Bohemian Nepenthe ($10 for a vodka drink), and breakfast at the Norwegian-style Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, where we ate three days in a row (about $15 per person per breakfast.)

We worked off our drinks and meals on beautiful hikes above the rugged coastline. One such trek, which started on a fire road adjacent to California 1 in Andrew Molera State Park, was particularly rewarding, if gruesomely steep. We were happy not to learn until later that it is sometimes called “the Golden Staircase,” accompanied by tales of hiking terror.

Traveling in our car meant more than getting from one place to another; we also took scenic drives as an activity. The Pebble Beach 17-mile Drive was a highlight ($9.25 toll), where I spent four quarters’ worth of time peering through the spyglass at sea lions on Bird Rock, and my husband marveled at the Pebble Beach golf course where Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 strokes.

Although the final stretch — the mostly coastal drive down Highway 1 connecting to the familiar 101 Freeway — delivered us home, we cranked up the music and savored the ride as much as our first glimpse of Half Dome or our last sip of wine at the Post Ranch Inn. We also reveled in our well-balanced budget and trip: about $2,000 for two blow-it-out nights and dinners and about half that for four other fun-filled days.

“Goin’ mobile,” the Who sang. “Keep me moving.”

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The Bracebridge Dinner

Admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:14:03 +0000

THE BRACEBRIDGE DINNER

Edge San Francisco.Com
November 1, 2009

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.

The Bracebridge Dinner is recognized as one of the most sought-after holiday events in the U.S. In 2006 The Wall Street Journal reported, “Bracebridge is, without much doubt, the country’s, if not the world’s, premier Christmas dinner.” Decades earlier, The Bracebridge Dinner was featured in 1938 on the cover of Life magazine and acknowledged as an impressive and extravagant American holiday tradition.

Produced by San Francisco-based Andrea Fulton Productions, The Bracebridge Dinner is an evening celebration that transports guests to Old England, where more than 60 professional singers, court characters and other performers tell the story of a Christmas feast with Lord Merrick of Bracebridge and his household. During each performance, up to 300 guests enjoy a lavish, seven-course dinner inspired by elaborate Old English Christmas cuisine by The Ahwahnee’s Executive Chef Percy Whatley, with service meticulously choreographed as part of the show. The Ahwahnee Dining Room, with its 50-foot ceiling topped by massive log beams, serves as the Great Hall at Squire Bracebridge’s manor. The entire room is a stage, crowned by an elaborate Squire’s table and decked with elaborate holiday decorations, many of which are restored originals from the first productions in the late 1920s.

The 2009 performances of The Bracebridge Dinner at Yosemite take place December 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 25, at 6 p.m. One- and two-night lodging packages for two at The Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls and the Wawona Hotel are available. The 2009 package rates range from $963 to $1,720 plus tax, and include lodging for two, two tickets to The Bracebridge Dinner, gratuity, a portrait sitting and shuttle service for non-Ahwahnee guests. Single tickets to The Bracebridge Dinner are available for $375 per person, including tax and gratuity.

Enhancing The Bracebridge Dinner experience at The Ahwahnee are five special concert presentations in the hotel’s Great Lounge by the Andrea Fulton Chorale and soloists. The concerts feature musical performances of holiday favorites, as well as pieces from the opera and Broadway repertoire. The concerts are open to the public, free of charge, and take place December 15, 17, 19, 21 at 8p.m., and on December 23 at 2p.m.

The original production of The Bracebridge Dinner was created by Garnet Holme, a California pageant director, who conceived the event for The Ahwahnee’s first Christmas in 1927. The inspiration for this yuletide ceremony was author Washington Irving’s The Sketch Book (1819) that described Squire Bracebridge and English Christmas traditions. After Holme’s death in 1929, Donald Tresidder, president of the Yosemite Park & Curry Company, asked world-famous photographer Ansel Adams to assume directorship. Adams, who was also a talented musician and pianist, worked with Ahwahnee interior designer Jeanette Dyer Spencer to improve the script, set and costumes. Adams continued directing and performing in The Bracebridge Dinner until his retirement from the production in 1973. Eugene Fulton, who took over the directorship from Adams, began as conductor of the Chorale in 1934, and served as musical director beginning in 1946 after a two-year production hiatus for World War II.

The current director and executive producer of The Bracebridge Dinner, Andrea Fulton, took over the role from her father after his death in 1978. Fulton grew up with Bracebridge, performing in the production since the age of five. She currently plays the role of Augusta Billingsly, Housekeeper of Bracebridge Hall. Margo McCarty, a performer in the Chorale for more than 20 years, was brought on by Fulton in 2004 to serve as co-executive producer. McCarty’s husband, Michael McCarty, is co-artistic producer with Fulton and performs the role of Lord Merrick, Squire of Bracebridge Hall.

Many of the cast members have been with the production for 20 to 25 years, maintaining a longstanding tradition and consistent mark of theatrical and musical excellence. When not in The Bracebridge Dinner, most perform with major opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout the world.

For more information or to make reservations, visit http://www.yosemitepark.com/bracebridge or call (801) 559-4949.

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