It is said that there are nearly as many elements to California as there are people who live there. While this may be a tad of an overstatement, the fact is that California is a very unique place with something for each person including lovely wine tours of several of the world’s best viticulture regions. The Napa Valley is as close to old Tuscany and Provence as you are liable to come across in the United States. North of this locale is the spectacular northern coast of California, where many say the Pacific Northwest truly begins. This is home to the legendary Redwood forests, where the largest trees on the planet still thrive.
Of course, this is only a sample of the many areas that California bed breakfasts are available, which span from temperate, sandy beach vacations on the state’s southern shore to untouched desert cabin rentals, snowy mountain cabin rental facilities in the High Sierra, and more.
One of the most romantic environments in California is Big Sur, near Monterey. With a speckled terrain that ranges from sea level to more than a mile up (Cone Peak, the highest mountain on the Pacific Coast of North America outside Alaska and British Columbia), Big Sur has a few of the most amazing vistas in the world. One of the most well-known beach vacation rental facilities in Big Sur is the Post Ranch Inn which has actually won a number of awards over the past two years.
One of the best-kept secrets in what is known as California’s “Steinbeck Country” (so-named for the reason that it was the set of novels such as Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men) is a picturesque little community known as Occidental. Formed in 1876 when the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived, it is no “occident” that it evolved into a fashionable destination for romantic getaways early on. Two Italian bistros built in the 1880s are still conducting a flourishing venture, and the two-block long business district is busy with a selection of distinctive stores. The village hosts a weekly Farmer’s Market on Fridays from June until October as well as a distinctive Japanese-style health spa in neighboring Freestone.
Located in Sonoma County, Occidental is not far from California’s most romantic city, San Francisco. Drenched in history and culture, there is not space here to describe everything that the City by the Bay has to present (books have been written on the subject), but a great place to begin is the city’s own certified tourist guide.
Across the hot, dry Central Valley that is nonetheless one of America’s core foodbaskets, there is a greatly different side to California to be discovered in the High Sierra. This is where the excitement of the Gold Rush was played out in the 1850s, and encompasses many of the most dramatic alpine scenery in North America. From condo rentals, one can search out celebrated Yosemite National Park, one of the country’s most priceless natural treasures and home to tremendous backpacking trails with consistent amenities along well-market routes.
When it comes to romantic California getaways, there is a endless supply of experiences awaiting you.