Think of wine, and you likely think of the Bay area of San Francisco.  Think a little more, and you probably think of Napa.  But if you stop there, you’d be missing out on a whole lot of great wineries – located on the other side of the bay in Sonoma County.
Wine related travel is a popular part of Sonoma County, with its 13 American Viticultural areas, each with distinctive characteristics.  The Pacific coastline, redwood forests, fertile valleys, and mountains all add to the mix in producing some truly outstanding wines.
Take a day trip from Oakland or San Francisco, …read more

The Oregon wine country is getting ready to open its first luxury resort, with The Allison Inn & Spa.  The 35-acre hillside location is in Newberg, about a 45 minute drive from downtown Portland.  The ground are full of flower and herb gardens, groves of trees, and a working Pinot Noir vineyard.  You can stroll the ground by way of connecting paths.
The resort will have 85 well appointed guest rooms and suites on four levels, and all rooms will feature either a private terrace or balcony. Other special room features include a window seat (I can see myself lounging there, …read more

Jamie, from HomeAway, recently sent me some info about a cool slide show – as you’ve likely guessed the slides are of the top 10 odd vacation rentals. It’s a slick slide show (say that 10 times fast), covering different areas of the world. You’ll really enjoy it.
Example: One of these vacation homes shown in the show is the amazing Redwood Tree House on the Russian River in Healdsburg, CA. One, this is an absolutely beautiful area. I love this part of Californian. Two, what other vacation home has a tree growing through it? Not many I’d wager.
See:

That is so …read more