Great view ... from my
hotel room
by Leon Watson
Sun-kissed California wants to show it's not just a place where
film stars and new age hippies hang out.
Adverts shown on British TV starring former state Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger say things like "people think we're all rock
stars and have vineyards...".
Well, there are definitely plenty of celebrities living there
and when I went it seemed we were never far away from a Hollywood
A-lister's back yard.
But the group
of six I travelled with were after something different - a slightly
off-the-beaten-track outdoor adventure packing in as much as
possible in our six-day trip.
And pack it in we did - we saw the stunning landscape of an
American national monument, passed the finishing line of an elite
cycling event, took in a slice of old Americana, went kayaking in
the Pacific and ate film director George Lucas's beef.
Travelling from London, we flew for around 11 hours. That's a
very long time - so pack a few good books and take full advantage
of the airport's toilet facilities before you board.
California is in the Pacific Timezone, meaning it is seven hours
behind UK time.
This means, if you like to get out and about, you can take
advantage waking up early before your body clock adjusts.
However, be warned - jet lag is likely to hit you hard when you
return to the UK.
We flew with United Airlines from
Heathrow to San Francisco, picked up a hire car and crossed the
magnificent Golden Gate bridge to go to our first hotel.
Cavallo Point Lodge is situated
right at the foot of the bridge overlooking San Francisco Bay.
It is a stunning view - the bridge to the right, the infamous
Alcatraz to the left and the city's skyscrapers in between shrouded
in mist across the water.
The bridge ... from
behind Cavallo Point
When I woke up, I opened my hotel apartment's curtains and
that's what greeted me - an incredible sight.
The hotel is set in a converted former army base called Fort
Baker situated in a national park in Sausalito County.
It is a series of buildings built in a horseshoe shape around a
green with a flag pole in the middle facing the bay.
Cavallo offers two types of accommodation - the pristine modern
apartments which I stayed in and the more palatial former officers'
quarters.
Both are of an exceptionally high standard, particularly the
older buildings which have a certain American Civil War era feel to
them (even though they were built after).
Cavallo Point doesn't just have accommodation at the luxury end
of the market though - it's also very proud of its Healing Arts
Center & Spa.
Americana ... seafront at
Santa Cruz
The center is headed up by Dr Bradly Jacobs, who took us on a
tour of what's on offer.
There's everything from yoga in the morning and simple dietary
advice to Shamanic journeys and three or five days retreats with
the good doctor. Apparently retreats are the big thing now in
California...
More details are available on the website - and you can't fail
to be impressed by the facilities.
Our first evening meal on the trip was at the hotel's restaurant
- a top end eatery which serves meat from, among other places, beef
Star Wars director George Lucas's ranch.
Hearing this, I of course, opted for the steak, medium rare, and
washed down some sensational local wines chosen by the host, hotel
boss Mike Freed.
The chefs there - in fact everywhere we went in California -
constantly make the point that they go to great efforts to ensure
that their food is locally sourced and organically-grown.
Cheeky ... rider sticks
his tongue out
George Lucas's ranch, for example, is just five minutes away
from the hotel and sells only a small amount of meat, basically
after George has had his pick.
From Cavallo Point our party took to the road - the famous
Highway 1 - south to our first stop Santa Cruz.
Film fans will immediately recognise the seafront and it took a
starring role in the 80s classic teen horror movie The Lost
Boys.
The laid back Santa Cruz is also known the the "birthplace" of
surfing in mainland America - the first place man took to the waves
on a board outside Hawaii.
And from where we stayed you could easily see why: the
Dream Inn in West Cliff
Drive directly overlooks the Pacific where you can see perfect
surfers' paradise waves crash in from your hotel balcony early in
the morning.
That legacy has of course been immortalised in popular music by
the Beach Boys in Surfin' USA and The Thrills.
But for me, being a big fan of The Lost Boys, I couldn't stop
thinking about the film the whole time we were there (while Surfin'
USA rang in my head).
Flying the flag ...
charity campaigners at the race finish
I didn't realise how much of Santa Cruz was featured in the
movie and there was one thing I had to do - take a ride on the
famous rollercoaster which takes centre stage.
This is the main feature - apart from the fantastic views across
Monterey Bay - on Santa Cruz's boardwalk, which has all the rides
and pier attractions you'd expect at a seaside town.
However, what's different is that it's a slice of old Americana
- much like Margate and Clacton-on-Sea hark back to a bygone age of
British seaside hols.
Although, admittedly the boardwalk at Santa Cruz
is nowhere near as rundown.
It took a lot to tear ourselves away from the relaxed feel of
Santa Cruz - and we did so in a different style entirely.
It just happened that when we were there the Amgen Tour of
California was passing through - so we went along for the
ride.
Amgen is the biggest annual cycling event in the state attracts
some of the world's top bikers before they compete in the Tour de
France.
Spectacular ... the rocky
landscape of Pinnacles
So, swapping the laid back surfer style of Santa Cruz we
arranged a full-throttle ride in VIP cars at the front of the race
as it headed in land to the small town of Paso Robles.
In stage five, the bikers raced 135 miles in searing heat on
roads through a series of one-horse towns and the start of
California's famous wine-growing region.
Most of the way, spectators holding Stars and Stripes flags
lined the route to cheer them on before the big finish in Paso
Robles.
It was an awesome event - impressive if only because of the feat
of endurance achieved the bikers. Make sure you're there to catch
it as the cyclists race through California in mid May.
At Paso Robles we stayed at the
Courtyard by Marriott, which was 15 minutes' walk from the main
downtown area.
Sadly, we didn't stay long in what looked a lively town filled
with bars serving local beer and wine.
California factfile
Hotel prices:
- Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito – prices start from $280 per room per night for a historic king or $330 per room per night for a contemporary King.
- Dream Inn, Santa Cruz – prices start from $207 per room per night for a deluxe king room in June.
- Courtyard by Marriott, Paso Robles – prices start from $139 per room per night for a King room.
- Hotel Pacific, Monterey – prices start from $189 per room per person for a standard junior king suite.
- Hotel Union Square, San Francisco – prices start from $179 per room per night for a deluxe queen room.
Activities:
- AMGEN Ride Along Experience – $2,000 for the VIP car ride
- Pinnacles National Monument - $5 entry to park for parking
- Kayaking in Monterey – Adventures by the Sea – guided 2.5 hour kayaking tour, $50 per person / all day kayak rental $30 per person
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk – All day wristband $29.95. The Giant Dipper costs $4.50 per ride without a day wristband.
Our time however was
long enough to have dinner at the
Il Cortile Ristorante. I
wolfed down a lobster washed down again by wine from local
vineyards.
It's worth noting, this wine wasn't the cheap Californian stuff
you get here in Tesco: it was the good stuff Californians would
never dream of sending to the UK.
And I'm still thinking about that lobster - it was great.
From Paso we headed inland again to the Pinnacles National
Monument - a spectacularly rocky reserve where you can trek through
huge canyons and massive monoliths.
In America, everything is big. And Pinnacles - which is by no
means the biggest or most visited attraction of its kind in
California - didn't disappoint.
We saw very few tourists there - in fact I think when we went
there were no Brits, who I assume usually enticed north to the
Yosemite National Park.
In America's most populous state, we were virtually alone on our
Californian adventure.
Our whistle-stop tour had to continue though - and the next stop
was the former fishing town of Monterey, on the other side of
Monterey Bay.
After checking in at the Hotel Pacific, we had to get in
a typically American burger and fries before the trip drew to an
end.
A recommendation took us to the sports bar-like Cannery Row
Brewing Company where we pigged out on food and beer from the
brewery's enormous selection of lagers, pale ales and stouts.
The meal was big, bad for you but probably the best burger I've
ever had. I'm not sure even George Lucas's cow could do better.
Thankfully, the next morning we had a thoroughly-wholesome day
of action lined up.
Arranged by local outdoor pursuits specialist Adventures by the Sea, we
went kayaking in the incredibly calm waters of Monterey Bay's
marine sanctuary.
The bay was serene and we were taken on a guided tour to see the
huge kelp growing in the ocean and the wildlife there which
included endangered sea otters and dolphins.
If you're lucky - which we weren't - we were told you can even
spot a gray whale in mating season.
After a fresh seafood lunch overlooking where we'd kayaked at
Schooners Bistro, we got
back on Highway 1 to head north to San Francisco on the final leg
of our tour.
San Francisco - as you might expect - was buzzing. But we had
only a few hours to take in a dash round Macy's department store,
take a glimpse of Union Square and grab some food.
The plush but reasonably-priced Hotel Union Square is slap
bang in the middle of town - right in the heart of the action.
And after taking advantage of shops, we headed out to get some
high-end Chinese food at the much talked-about Fang Restaurant.
Eating at Fang, opened by Chef Peter Fang as an off-shoot from
his family's other restaurant, is an experience.
You don't get a choice what to eat - you just eat what Mr Fang
tells you to, and for that matter do what he tells you to.
But make no mistake, he knows his stuff and the dishes he picked
out for us were divine. It was great Chinese food: not what we get
at home, and not a drip of MSG in sight.
Sadly, after that all we had time for was to hit some of San
Francisco's nightspots - including a couple of Irish bars we
somehow found ourselves in - before boarding our plane home.
It was the outdoor adventure Arnold Schwarzenegger said we could
have. So, like Arnie, I'll be back.