Sonoma Valley ideas for Valentine’s Day

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Need ideas? Yeah, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and like me, you probably haven’t put a shred of thought into it. Take a moment to feel sorry for my wife. Okay, with that done, take a look below at 16 Valentine’s Day ideas all involving travel to the Sonoma Valley. Wine, vineyards, resorts … there’s no need to keep thinking!

Now, you have choices. Resorts, restaurants and hotels are putting together the most interesting ideas they have for the most romantic day of the year. Montecito Heights has a 50-minute rose petal massage on the menu, and Zazu has put together a fantastic meal. The provocatively named Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari, which is for adults only, introduces you to the mating habits of a variety of exotic animals … and sets the scene for you to explore your own!

[Thanks, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, for the list you’ll find after the jump]Winter Romance Getaway at Cypress House in Valley of the Moon
Enjoy time away this winter in the Valley of the Moon. This three-bedroom, two-bath home in Kenwood sleeps six and features a pool, hot tub, beautiful vegetable and cutting gardens, and roomy outdoor area for you to experience true wine-country living. The kitchen is a “foodie” haven, with lots of counter space and an open dining area.
Winter Romance Getaway Special (up to six guests)
$385 per night with two-night minimum
$350 per night for three to five nights
$1,900 special weekly rate (six nights)
Rates inclusive of all tax and fees
Valid through Feb. 28, 2009

20th Annual Wine & Chocolate Fantasy 2009 at Rodney Strong
Rodney Strong Vineyards celebrates its favorite pairings: rich, Sonoma County chocolates with delicious Rodney Strong wines. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7. This year, even more local chocolatiers will offer samples of their delectable confections. Festivities also include music by Earl Thomas. Treat yourself and your Valentine to an afternoon of indulgence!
Tickets are $40 for general public or $35 for Rodney Strong Collector’s Circle members, and include a commemorative logo glass. Make your reservations in advance; no tickets will be available at the door.
Rodney Strong
11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg.

Valentine’s Day Chocolate and Reds at B.R. Cohn
Bittersweet chocolate is rich enough on its own, but pair it with B.R. Cohn’s equally rich 2006 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Port, and it’s a match made in heaven. On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 14 – 15, guests will be treated to a complimentary wine and truffle pairing at the winery tasting room.
B.R. Cohn
15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cupid comes to The Spa at Montecito Heights
The Spa at Monetcito Heights will be giving Cupid a hand this Valentine’s Day. Tell Cupid exactly what you would like by sending a postcard. Simply fill out your gift choice, name and address of your Cupid and let The Spa do the rest. Visit the website for more information.

Inspire love and romance at The Spa this Valentine’s Day with a little something special. Indulge your body and your senses with a day of pleasure. Select from any one of our romance inspired treatments and relax with a glass of sparkling champagne and chocolate truffles: 50-minute Couple’s Rose Petal Massage, 50-minute Chardonnay Massage, 50-minute Rose Petal Facial, 50-minute Sweetheart Manicure or Pedicure, 50-minute Rose Petal Sugar Scrub, or 50-minute Chocolate Sugar Scrub.
The Spa at Monetcito Heights
2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa
(707) 526-0529

Aphrodisiac Dinner at Tolay Restaurant
Enjoy a three- or four-course pre fixe Valentine’s dinner on Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13 and 14. Choose your starter, choose your entree, and choose your dessert from items including Liberty duck two ways, lobster avocado salad, pan-seared foie gras, Hog Island oysters, grilled rack of CK lamb, veal sweetbreads, diver scallops, and more. Dinner per person is $55 for three courses and $65 for four, and includes a complimentary glass of champagne and amuse bouche.
Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma
(707) 283-2900

Valentine’s Romance Package — Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
Your overnight stay will include one night in a traditional room (upgrade to deluxe if available), breakfast for two (room service or in Tolay), champagne and strawberries delivered to your room, and a late checkout of 4 p.m. Rates start at $139.
Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma
(707) 283-2900

Seeing Your Sweetie in a New Light — Driving Tours Offered
You and your Valentine can spend the day exploring Bodega Bay and Sonoma County‘s more than 50 miles of Pacific coast. Until Feb. 16, Sonoma County Tours is offering its Bodega Bay tour audio CD for half price, or $9.99. Enjoy a private tour of Bodega Bay. Take in all the sights while driving at your own pace. Relax as your “tour guide” directs you where to go, how to get there, what to do and see.
Sonoma County Tours
(707) 824-1304
rsvp@sonomacountytours.com

My Sparkling Valentine at Vintners Inn
Your Valentine’s Day will sparkle at the Vintner’s Inn. Offered Feb. 13 – 14, the package includes two nights in a fireplace room overlooking the beautiful winter gardens, a bottle of sparkling wine and six chocolate-covered strawberries.

Indulge your taste buds at the renowned John Ash & Co., by using the included $100 certificate for dinner. Relax and unwind with two 50-minute therapeutic massages. A continental breakfast is offered each morning, homemade cookies are left at turndown and a half bottle of Fume Blanc awaits you upon arrival. The two-night package for two is $800.
Vintners Inn
4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa
(800) 421-2584

Get Hot in the Kitchen — Turn up the Heat at Landmark Vineyards
Get hot in the kitchen with the one you love. Landmark Vineyards is offering an interactive Valentine’s Day experience. Cook with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, then sit down to a romantic meal paired with Landmark’s finest wines. Appetizers and wine will start flowing at 5 p.m. on Satur
day, Feb. 14.

Working with professional chefs from Hands-On-Gourmet, couples will create a gourmet three-course meal. The menu for the evening includes buckwheat blinis with cedar planked trout, steak au poivre with potato puree and heirloom carrots, and milk chocolate pot de crème with burnt orange chantilly. After working up an appetite in the kitchen, couples will be served an elegant dinner in Landmark’s dining room. Each course will be paired with Landmark’s wines. Dinner tickets are $125 per person. Reservations are required; you must reserve your place no later than Feb. 6.
Michael Baughman
(707) 833-0228
michaelb@landmarkwine.com

Romance among the Vines at Landmark Vineyards
What is more romantic than two nights at a vineyard with a romantic dinner for two at the winery? Landmark’s cozy cottage, nestled at the base Sugarloaf Mountain, is offering the perfect romantic weekend get-away in wine country.

On your first night, settle in and explore the surrounding Sonoma Valley. The next day, Landmark will pack a picnic lunch for your docent-led hike in Sugarloaf State Park where waterfalls abound, brooks babble, and the views are divine. After an exhilarating hike return for an in-room, couple’s massage. Later Landmark’s viticulturalist will take you on a private tour of the estate vineyard and teach you about the vines and the art of wine making.

In the evening, you and your companion will sit down to a private romantic candle light dinner in Landmark’s elegantly appointed dining room for the ultimate gastronomic experience that will dazzle your taste buds with perfectly paired wine country cuisines with limited production and library Landmark wines. After dinner, you can retire to your cottage by simply walking around the vineyard to your room.

On your final day at Landmark, Proprietor’s Mike and Mary will schedule appointments for you with some of their favorite local wineries where you will receive the VIP treatment. You and your companion will be chauffeured in a 1950s Cadillac convertible. The cost for one couple for the entire package is $2,500.
Landmark Vineyards
101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood

Be Mine, Be Fresh at Zazu
Zazu dishes it up fresh from the farm with lots of love for this special Valentine’s dinner on Saturday, Feb. 14. Dinner, before beverage, gratuity or tax, is $63 a person for three courses and $73 a person for four courses.

Choose from: Kusshi oysters on the half-shell — three tobikos; ginger mignonette
Hamachi tartar — grains of paradise cracker, coconut, lime, chilies; hearts of romaine – green goddess dressing, avocado, watermelon radishes, boccorones; marinated pig heart – tiny potato salad, mustard seed aioli; Italian wedding soup — black pig sausage meatballs;
Bellwether sheep milk ricotta gnudi – spinach, pomodoro; or seared foie gras — yeasted waffle, passion fruit syrup.

Choose from: bone-in rib eye steak (for two) — backyard marjoram salsa verde, red bliss mashed potatoes; coriander- and fennel-crusted ahi tuna — hot and spicy cappellini puttanesca; ruby beet ravioli — backyard fava leaves and white truffle butter; or breast of guinnea hen — dirty farro, red crimson pear, quince saba.

Choose from: Mexican hot chocolate and “just fried” churros; red velvet cake and rosewater cream-cheese frosting; citrus, citrus, citrus — blood orange sorbetto, lime curd, and lemon cooler cookie; or a good old-fashioned root beer float, bourbon gelato and two straws.

Zazu restaurant + farm
3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa
(707) 523-4814

Extended Valentine’s Day Excursion at Dawn Ranch
Stay two nights and receive the third night free. Have a special dinner in the Roadhouse Restaurant Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13-14, for just $99 for two. Price includes a three-course meal (your choice from four entrees) two glasses of sparkling wine and a beautiful floral arrangement on your table from Nexus Organic for you to take home.
Dawn Ranch Lodge
16467 River Rd., Guerneville

Drive Your Sweetheart Wild in Wine Country — Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari
On Saturday, Feb. 14, indulge your wild side at Safari West’s Valentine’s sex tour and dinner party package, for $150 (tax and gratuity not included). Adults only are invited and reservations are a must. Only 90 adults can be accommodated on the sex tour.

This hot ticket begins at 2:30 p.m., with a wine and chocolate reception followed by a safari in an open-air vehicle among some of the world’s most exotic creatures. You’ll learn intimate details about the mating habits of African mammals and birds including bongo, giraffe, gazelle, zebra, warthog, cheetah and more. Yes, love is in the air!

Then, it’s time to kick up your hooves (or paws) and party into the night with your very own two-footed animal! Can a holiday get any more wildly romantic? An overnight package is available for $450 for two adults. This includes the sex safari, dinner and dancing, and lodging for two adults. (Tax and gratuity not included.)

Private sex safaris are also available during the entire month of February. Costs are $800 for up to 10 guests and include a wine, chocolate and cheese basket.
Safari West Wildlife Preserve and African Tent Camp
3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa
(707) 579-2551; (800) 616-2695

Ah … Romance is in the Air at the Flamingo
Stay at the historic Flamingo Conference Resort and spa for Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. The package includes couple’s spa treatments; a special gift; dinner for two at the Terrace Grille; two cocktails in the lounge or a bottle of sparkling wine in the room; continental breakfast in the Terrace Grille or room service; and passes to the Montecito Heights Health Club. This all-inclusive package is $499 for a deluxe room, $549 for an executive king, or $599 for a suite.
Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa
2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
(707) 545-8530

Will You Be Mine … at the FountainGrove Inn?
Retreat to the newly renovated FountainGrove Inn and Equus Restaurant for a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend. This package includes one night’s accommodation for two in a deluxe king room; complimentary tasting vouchers to local wineries; sparkling wine and chocolates upon arrival; a three-course dinner in Equus Restaurant for two; a full breakfast buffet for two; and late checkout, for $335 for two adults, including tax and gratuities.
Fountaingrove Inn and Equus Restaurant
101 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa
(800) 222-6101

Pure Indulgence in Luxury
Tour the Sonoma Valley town of Glen Ellen in luxury, for a decadent, sumptuous and stress-free experience. On your tour, you will visit three mouthwatering, innovative establishments for tastings in Jack London Village: Figone’s of California Olive Oil, Wine Country Chocolates, and Raymond & Company Cheesemongers. Delight in the lush valley of Glen Ellen surrounded by the hillsides of the Sonoma and Mayacamas Mountains while gratifying your palette. The tour is offered Wednesday through Sunday only. Maximum group
size is 10 guests. Pricing begins at $79 per person for five-hour package, minimum six guests. Add-on options for $95 per person — more wine tasting at Benzinger Family Winery.
Pure Luxury Limousine Service, Inc.
(800) 626-5466

[Thanks, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau]

Love stinks (this year), V-Day spending down

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Don’t expect an expensive gesture this year. Valentine’s Day spending is expected to drop 4.8 percent this year, after suffering to the tune of 6.8 percent a year ago. The good news is that we’re becoming less romantic at a slower rate this year. Nonetheless, don’t plan on a surprise weekend getaway this year.

According research firm IBISWorld, the passionate are only going to commit $28.6 billion to their fellow lovebirds this year. The reason is simple: Valentine’s Day just isn’t Christmas.

According to George Van Horn, a senior analyst at IBISWorld, events like birthdays and Christmas don’t involve a whole lot of choice. You have to commit some cash. “Valentine’s Day is more of a discretionary occasion,” he says, “which means it will be hit particularly hard by the current economic climate.” As we tighten our belts, this non-day off is among the casualties.

IBISWorld believes that couples are going to swap out trips, dinners out and the like for romantic meals at home, walks on the beach or writing a love letter or poem. Yes, this was actually in the press release! I have to admit, a walk on the beach right now, here in New York, would probably be better than a poem.

So, how does 2009 look? Travel is pretty grim. IBISWorld forecasts that close to $3.45 billion will be spent on romantic getaways this year, compared to $3.58 billion last year. It’s a drop of 3.5 percent.

Rub the One You’re With deal from Kimpton

by Annie Scott on

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. If you have a Valentine in mind and you don’t plan ahead, not only will you miss the great deals, but you’re also kind of a jerk.

Kimpton is offering a seriously good getaway package at 29 of their hotels in the United States and Canada. The Rub the One You’re With package includes:

  • Deluxe overnight accommodations (parking included)
  • Welcome bottle of champagne
  • Private one-hour massage instruction class with a personal massage therapist
  • Take-home massage kit featuring Kerstin Florian organic lavender massage oil, lavender & lemon aromatherapy candle and aromatherapy bath salts

That’s right. Whoever you take with you will leave knowing how to massage you. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Reservations can be made at KimptonHotels.com by entering PRLX. Rates start at $249 and vary by city.

Photo of the Day (1-7-09)

by Jamie Rhein on

Haven’t you had a day that has felt like this? ultraclay, who took this shot in Paris as part of a Honeymoon Set, didn’t specify where this statue is located. Regardless, I’m intrigued by contrast between the soft, airy quality of the sky and the despair illustrated by the figure’s stance. This photo is one example how to provide interest by the angle you choose. In this case, the statue looms and my emotions feel stirred.

If you have a shot that has stirred you, stir us and send it our way to the Gadling Flickr Photo Pool. It might be chosen as Photo of the Day.

How safe is that romantic horse-drawn carriage anyway?

by Jamie Rhein on

Last night, as I drove through downtown Cincinnati to take in the lights at Fountain Square, I passed several horse drawn carriages. Admittedly, they looked festive and romantic. I imagine that they are quite the tourist draw. Downtown Columbus has almost nothing going on at night. Cincinnati looks hopping. A horse drawn carriage might pep things up around the State House was my thinking.

Then a few hours later, after I arrived home, I caught a few minutes of a TV show about horse drawn carriages in New York City. They’ve been a fixture around Central Park as long as I can remember. Carriages have been featured in movies and have made it on TV. I’m thinking of that scene where Mr. Big took Carrie to the hospital to help deliver Miranda’s baby in Sex and the City. The horse lopped along transporting its star-crossed lovebirds through traffic. Therein lies the problem.

Everyone featured in the show about the horse-drawn carriages is against the carriages. One emergency medical technician talked about the hazards of trying to get emergency vehicles around them. Others talked about the medical issues horses have as a result of doing their jobs. Disaster stories where horses were hit by cars and died as a result of the accidents peppered the commentary. Also mentioned were the lack of safety features for passengers. There’s nothing holding passengers into the carriages, for example. One quick gallop down a busy avenue and you could be thrown out in no time.

A quick Google Search for info about the issues with horse carriages did turn up articles that address the same concerns covered in the show. As for me, I’m thinking about the cyclo and trishaw drivers in other parts of the world who have similar issues and hazards to their livelihood.

Although, I can see the point of the hazards of the carriages, on the other hand, they employ people and horses (horses need to have some way to get fed). The New York City carriages, according to this article I found, have been around as a business for 137 years. At the time of the article, there were 293 drivers and 220 horses who work in New York City. That’s a lot of carriage rides. I’m wondering about the percentage of accidents and incidents that actually happen. How many people have a lovely ride without any incident vs people who are not so lucky with their I Love New York experience?

If cities didn’t have carriages, I wonder how that would impact the economy of downtowns? Without carriages, downtown Cincinnati at night might look like Columbus. And what would happen to the Hollywood version of romance?