Mayacama Day 2: Rest & Relaxation

Today - I had the luxury of being as introverted as I wanted to, guilt -free, as I was surrounded by beauty and it was raining. I slept in (which to me, means 7:30am) - not hard to do when you're sleeping on this bed....

After a quick breakfast and some morning lounging, I made my way to the gym. I didn't really get into the work out until Bad Company shuffled onto my playlist. It was hard rock from there on out and that felt good! The locker room at this place is amazing, so a massage chair and long shower later, I returned to the villa and basically spent the whole day laying in front of the fireplace, catching up on all of my favorite TV shows. Oh yeah, and got to take a swim in this baby... (I think I need one in my house)

No better way to end the day than to drive back to the city for an evening movie! Silver Linings Playbook - much better than I anticipated, actually laughed through most of it - check it out! And enjoy other random pictures of Mayacama below.

Small portion of their vast wine collection

Back of the Clubhouse looking over the golf course

The Villa

Mayacama Day 1: Body Scrub, Driving Range, Hike

View of the clubhouse from my hike

This place is amazing. I more than needed a get away from the city, and Mayacama, a members-only resort just north of Santa Rosa, has thus far been the perfect way.

I drove up early to start my day with a body scrub and massage. Never have had a scrub, but now I would choose it every other spa visit (I like trying new treatments with each new spa). They used a grape seed scrub and I can't get over how amazing it felt.

Driving Range

Bobcat Footprint
(I'm told it looks like
a handprint... who knows!)

After lunch, I hit the driving range. I am no golfer and needed much instruction to finally have a few decent hits. 9 iron was my best shot ( damn you driver!!) I putted a bit too before changing for my hike!

Tomorrow will bring rain, so I had to fit in hiking the trail before dusk today. It is about 1 hour long, 45 minutes if you are speedy. I completed the hike in 35 minutes due to pure terror. Bobcats and coyotes scatter across the property and I was spooked - so I more or less jogged the entire hike.  Well, when possible - it's very up and down and up and down and necessary to stop to take pictures.

           No better way to end the night than with a glass of Syrah and perfectly cooked Sole next to a warm fire.  Kindle is about to be pulled out. Good night :)

Even if you  can't make a great escape to a private location - taking some time for yourself to go to your local spa, golf course, or hiking hot spots can be relaxing and beneficial to your well-being. And of course, a glass or two of wine has never hurt
anything!

Suppenkuche, Marlena's, Smuggler's Cove

So, technically this blog is supposed to be about new experiences... well at least 1 of the 3 stops tonight counts!

A friend, her visitors, and I started the night off at Suppenkuche. Anything and everything on their menu is delicious and as German as it gets (I think). But - do not miss out on the classic "Das Boot" - as we called it back in Madison, WI while frequenting the Essen Haus (Festbier at this location).  After a great dinner (unfortunately I try to stay away from Gluten, so no beer for this girl and therefore no pictures of Das Boot), we moved on down Hayes Valley to our next stop to show our visitors another piece of San Francisco.

Next stop, we wanted to give the visitors 2 tastes: Fernet and the Gay community. We stopped at Marlena's (sadly, I am told, they are closing soon!). Not to disappoint - a patron, clearly a man, but dressed not so, was sitting at the end of the bar, along with other fitting the reputation of the bar. This is the one location of the night that was actually new to me. Loved the tiaras on the wall - very fitting. Also, not at all an intimidating location. We also ordered out-of-towners a shot of Fernet Branca - a standard San Francisco favorite. Expectedly - it was not finished, as non of us were actually from SF, sorry!

Moving along, we stopped at one of my favorite bars: Smuggler's Cove. Per my recommendation, we ordered a bowl to share - see the picture below for obvious reasons why! This bar is small, unmarked, and always a fun time. Largest rum list you will ever see.

The rest of the gang is still out an about, but sadly, this girl has to work at 7am. Goodnight!