Ramblings

I noticed that the San Francisco Bay Area made SmarterTravel’s list of “Eight great destinations for dessert”. Notably missing from their countdown of indulgences—ranging from Ghirardelli sundaes to chocolate body scrubs—are the decadent souffles at Café Jacqueline. 

Romantic? Absolument! Cafe Jacqueline is a tiny souffles-only restaurant tucked into the corner of Union St. and Grant Ave. on the fringe of North Beach. Classical music nourishes a relaxed mood while you wait for made-to-order soufflés big enough for two to savor.

For dinner, try salmon and asparagus souffle. For dessert, bittersweet chocolate or fresh strawberry.

I’d forgo the trendiest or "hottest" new place for this little pocket of sensuality (just a dozen tables) any old day.

Posted by Joyce Hadley Copeland at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

John Steinbeck, Dashiell Hammett, Jack London, Jack Kerouac. If you love the world’s great authors, here are two ways to dip into the Bay Area’s extraordinary literary heritage.

On Foot. Two-hour San Francisco Literary Tours walk you through a number of eras and movements, focusing mostly on post-Gold Rush and the Beat Generation. Led by San Francisco author Scott Lettieri, you’ll visit the site of San Francisco's first literary journal, where Mark Twain and Bret Harte cut their teeth, the bohemian cafe where John Steinbeck, Truman Capote and William Saroyan hung out, and the bookstore that changed the course of book publishing in this country. The $25 (per person) tour includes a complimentary "Jack Kerouac Cocktail". Meet Saturday at noon in front of City Lights bookstore on Columbus and Broadway. Call for your reservation: (415) 441-0140

Online.  Literary Traveler is an online magazine featuring articles about writers and creative artists—and the places that they lived and traveled. The brainchild of Linda and Francis McGovern, the e-magazine encourages readers who are passionate about both travel and reading (as they are) to use these articles as inspiration for trip-planning. Or simply enjoy a new perspective on a favorite author.

With a premium subscription ($2.50 a month) comes exclusive access to Literary Traveler articles, news, featured books and exclusive literary tours. What caught my eye was the “Articles-To-Go” service that lets you create your own e-book (PDF file) to read offline.

If you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, take a gander at article about Dashiell Hammett's "Maltese Falcon". If you’re headed to Sonoma County, pair the article about Jack London's beloved home with a visit to Beauty Ranch in Jack London State Historic Park.

Posted by Joyce Hadley Copeland at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pristine beaches, magnificent landmarks, whitewater rivers. “Find Yourself Here” is the slogan of the California Travel & Tourism Commission. But use the state's official web site and/or guidebook to plan your trip and you may find yourself staying at a Howard Johnson motel, an RV park, a B&B....because you didn't know about all the cool vacation homes for rent. That's right, vacation rentals are not even included among the “Accommodation Options”! What’s up with that?

Posted by Joyce Hadley Copeland at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A large occupancy vacation rental home can be a great place to host special event:  a fiftieth anniversary party, a small wedding or a reunion, a corporate or creative retreat. Just a few things to keep in mind.

Ask first. Some owners have shared horror stories with me such as finding empty liquor bottles strewn around the property. For that reason, some owners simply don't allow parties of any kind. If you’re set on a blow-out bridal shower or big band reception, rent a hall.

Clarify the bottom line.  Weddings are allowed at the sprawling River Queen (occupancy 20). But plan to pay an additional rental charge of $1,600 plus an additional cleaning charge of $200. Here’s the official policy: “Guests are strictly limited to 100, including the wedding party and guests staying at the house. Parking is limited to 16 cars and additional guests must be transported by shuttle. All catering, delivery and pickup of rental items and flowers, arrangements for music, trash removal and the like must be coordinated through our event planner. Her fee will depend upon services provided and will be strictly between her and the renter. No live or loud music is permitted after 10 p.m.”

Stick to maximum occupany limits. Not only do vacation homes have noise and parking restrictions, many allow a limited number of extra “day guests”. But you may pay a fee for the privilege. This is for practical reasons (such as septic capacity). So, no slumber parties. If you exceed the maximum occupancy, you’ll pay a per person penalty ($100 per night, and that includes children) or agree to terminate your booking immediately. 

That said, some vacation rental management companies will help you coordinate rentals of homes next door or close by. Russian River Getaways has a handy list (scroll down to find it) of more than a dozen groupings of homes of various sizes within easy walking distance of each other. This arrangement gives your group maximum flexibility. Couples can have privacy; seniors or families with infants a place to retreat. The whole group can gather at a local park or beach.

Here are some more tips:

• Think low-key luxury. While you’re more on your own at a vacation rental home than at a full service resort, you’re not completely on your own. Many vacation rental management companies offer an ala carte list of concierge services and special occasion options. BeautifulPlaces.com will hire a top-drawer chef to prepare a multi-course sit-down dinner for 20 or set you up with a caterer who specializes in barbecue. Concierge services range from private wine-tastings and cooking classes to in-home spa treatments and hot air ballooning adventures. Other services include pre-stocking groceries, arranging limo rides from the airport, scheduling pet sitters -- pretty much you name it.   
  

• If children are in the equation, make sure amenities add up.  Make sure easily bored siblings or bonding cousins have plenty of safe places to let off steam. Some houses are kid palaces. River Queen has a canoe and kayaks, as well as a spacious “rec” room with a pool table and table tennis. There’s also a basketball hoop outside. Many large occupancy homes have river/beach access, a swimming pool, neighboring bike paths and state-of-the-art entertainment systems. Russian River Getaways and BeautifulPlaces can arrange for bonded childcare.

• Make sure you can get down to business. If you’re planning a business retreat, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a vacation rental home that doesn’t offer high-speed wireless Internet access, unlimited long distance and often a fax machine. Many large occupancy homes also have larger common areas (family rooms with stone fireplaces, sprawling decks and lawns) that are perfect for informal meetings.

Posted by Joyce Hadley Copeland at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The sticky part of finding the right vacation rental … or any type of accommodation … for a large group? Sleeping arrangements. How many beds are there? What sizes? Private or shared bathrooms? We all have our particular – sometimes peculiar – preferences when it comes to our space.

When my family rents a home, we don’t mind sharing a bathroom. And in the beach home we rented, my single brother happily slept on the futon which doubled as the sunroom couch during the day. At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve talked to sisters who love traveling together, but refuse to share a bathroom.

I can almost guarantee the configuration issue will make your search for a large occupancy rental home a challenge. Once you have a clear understanding of the preferences of each member of your group, you may need to do a little simple math.

1. Automatically round down maximum occupancy in the rental listing. Owners typically calculate maximum occupancy as every possible sleeping surface occupied -- including fold-out couches, daybeds and dual-purpose futons. I call it the “slumber party syndrome”. Few groups are going to fit that scenario, so don’t get your heart set on a place that clearly won’t work from the get-go. Read the fine print and think logistically.

The River Queen, a historic home on the banks of the Russian River, has seven bedrooms, five and a half baths and sleeps 20. Uh-huh. Who can do the math and show their work? I’m not saying this home wouldn’t be a perfectly viable option for some groups. But don't fall in love with the 47-foot-long deck of the Titanic-style sun porch before you figure out who’s taking the bunk beds.

Here’s another example. The maximum occupancy of Reflections in Russian River town of Guerneville is 11. The master suite has a king-sized bed with its own bathroom – that’s two people. The second bedroom has a queen-sized bed and separate bathroom – that’s four people. The living room has a queen sleeper. Ah. And which two people will sleep in the middle of the common living room to bring the main house occupany to six?

Moving out to the patio, one cottage has a queen-sized bed and separate shower (bringing the total to eight people). The other cottage has two bedrooms—one with twin beds and one with a daybed—that share a bathroom. One person is each bed brings the total to 11. Certainly a workable equation for a group of couples with some single friends or kids. But only you know whether this particular vacation rental provides the right configuration for your group of 11. 

2. Recognize that size DOES matter. Bed size, that is. (Call this the geometry portion of your math exercise.) I know more than a few couples who refuse to sleep in anything smaller than a king-sized bed, period. But it’s safe to assume that your gang of girlfriends would prefer twin – or at least separate – beds. See where I’m going with this?   

3. Resolve the bathroom conundrum. Some of the most charming homes I’ve visited don’t have a separate bathroom for every bedroom. Sometimes it’s just not architecturally feasible to build modern convenience into historic character! However, if “separate bathrooms” is the bottom line (so to speak) for your group, you will find homes that fit the requirements. Typically it’s easy to spot – the number of bathrooms is equal to the number of bedrooms. This information is listed prominently on each listing.

4. Fill in the common-ground variables. The beauty of renting a vacation home is that every member of your group can gather in a comfortable, private common area. But if the maximum occupancy seems stretched to its limit, you may find common area facilities don’t add up either. For example, the indoor dining room in Reflections (occupancy 11) seats eight. If you’re planning to serve Thanksgiving dinner to a full house, you’re going to cart along some TV trays or card tables.

Then again, maybe group dinners aren’t in your plan. In that case, Reflections offers plenty of room—between its main house and patio—for smaller groups to congregate casually. Again, just think it through ahead of time.    

Recommended resource: As you've no doubt guessed by now, I consider Russian River Getaways a good resource for large occupany homes (if you're planning a large gathering in the Russian River area of Northern California, of course). The management company features a dozen vacation rental homes with occupancies of 10-20. I’ve walked through about 10. Stylistically, they are a mixed bag. But Russian River Getaways listings are chock-full of really good photographs and there are detailed and relevant and you can expect the staff to be very helpful.

Again, many vacation rental listings are often written by owners, meaning some information that’s important to you may be left out. And some owners can be hard to reach or downright unresponsive. If you’re planning a gathering of particularly fussy people, I recommend listing everyone’s personal preferences down on paper and don’t reserve a home until every single one of your questions is answered to your (that is, everyone’s) satisfaction. Only then do you have a workable equation. 

Rather than try to cram a group of 10 or 20 into a block of peculiarly smelly (am I right?) hotel rooms, think mansion. Think private compound, even chateau. Because, those are just some of your choices when you choose to rent a vacation home instead.

Here's how to begin looking for a vacation home that will turn your reunion, retreat or celebration into a truly once-in-a-lifetime event.

Expert advice:  It's always easier to have someone else (hopefully knowledgeable and objective) do the leg work for you.

• Fine Living. An article in my latest issue of “Inside Fine Living,” (e-mailed by the Fine Living TV Network) proves my point.  It highlights half a dozen “family-friendly" vacation rental homes featured on the FineLiving Channel’s, “Around the World in 80 Homes”. These homes have occupancies ranging from 8 to 14 and represent a limited -- though interesting -- spectrum of styles, from a Victorian-style house with wraparound decks and porches on the Jersey Shore to a log cabin 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. (The 17,000 sq. ft. Cabo San Lucas villa that sleeps 19 at the top of the article is no longer available.)

• The Travel Channel. Samantha Brown of the Travel Channel also showcases some distinctive rentals. (But note: not all are large occupancy rentals).

• Renting Paradise. And while the vacation rentals reviewed in my own e-guidebook series, Renting Paradise, covers a range of occupancies, I can recommend Tzabaco Lodge (Renting Paradise: Sonoma County). This rambling hilltop estate has three romantic suites circling a patio with a pool, waterfall and sweeping views of the Alexander Valley wine country, plus two downstairs rooms. One is made for kids – with twin beds and a ladder to a ladder to a small loft with a trapdoor. Kid heaven. Plus a 900-square foot great room.     

Regional Focus. Obviously, I can't make a comprehensive recommendation of regional sites here.(See "Tips for Re-searching" below.) However, while in Sonoma County on a recent research trip, I did poke my head into about a dozen or so large occupancy homes along the Russian River. Here are some sure bets.

• Reflections looked like a smallish cottage from the driveway. But stepping through the main house to the back patio, I found two additional cottages set around a small in-ground pool and spa. In a third "cottage," I found a complete office set-up with high-speed Internet access, making this a perfect spot for small retreats. This is one of the sweetest set-ups I’ve seen. A B&B feel with lots of room for gathering, yet plenty of privacy. The outdoor kitchen has a gas grill and there’s a large outdoor dining area.  The indoor kitchen is no slouch either. And one cottage has its own kitchenette. Total occupancy: 11 people, plus the family dogs if you want to bring ‘em. Most rooms tend toward the romantic. (One cottage has a wood-burning firpelace!). However, one cottage has two bedrooms—one with twins and one with a single daybed. (More about bedroom configuration in Part 2.).
  

• Artisan House and Sundancing River Lodge equal Reflections in style. Others, like Grandma’s House is in a noisy neighborhood and has more of a frat house-feel to me.
  

• Beachhouse.com lists a number rambling beach homes. Searcgh by clicking first on "Vacation Rentals" (left) and then on the up or down arrow to the right of "Sleeps" under Sort Criteria.
  
• Simply Chateau. If you’re planning a special occasion in Europe -- known for its wealth of “self-catering” homes, apartments and villas -- take a gander at this site. Nothing "simple" about these digs. The site represents the widest selection of self-catered chateaux available anywhere, covering the whole of France. It’s easy to search by region and group size of your group. If you group is not so big, you may be able to rent a self-contained private wing or smaller apartments within a chateau.

Quantity Worldwide:  If you've had no luck with any of the above resources, VRBO should be the answer. (Scroll down to the Large Occupancy listings -- ranging from 14 to 30+) on the home page.) I found numerous "villas," "country homes," "estates," "mansions," (large, I assume) "cottages," "chalets," "bunkhouses"—you name it. If you have the time, dive in and enjoy the tour. But remember, the descriptions are penned by the owners. One man’s “castle” may be another’s much less sexy home. The questions you need to ask are coming up in future posts. 

Tips for re-searching. If you don’t find what you’re looking for using these resources, I’d do a search using “large occupancy vacation rentals” + the name(s) of city, state and/or region you want to visit  + the type of accommodation you prefer as your search criteria. What turns up is liable to be a mixed bag, leaving you with a lengthy search and sort process.

Posted by Joyce Hadley Copeland at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The weekend after our wedding my husband and I gathered our families and closest friends together for a lovely weekend in Pacific Grove, near Carmel. By planning a year in advance, we got everybody reservations at a 22-room bed & breakfast inn.  It was lovely. But if I had a do-over, I’d definitely rent a “large occupancy” vacation home.

First of all, it would have been cheaper. I estimated that the nightly total for our 11 rooms was $1,540. Scouting around on VRBO, I found an entire ranch renting for $1,335. An entire ranch!

Large occupancy rentals come in all shapes and sizes—from majestic villas to dressed-up frat houses. Some, like the ranch I found, are a cluster of private houses or cabins.

Large occupancy homes can be ideal places for easily-bored kids. Some have pools, trampolines, well stocked game rooms, and even river access with kayaks. I’ll tell you where you’re apt to find the real gems.

But, of course, every opportunity brings its own pitfalls. Renting a large occupancy home requires a sharper eye and extra attention to detail.

For one thing, there’s the issue of actual occupancy. You’ll notice in some listings that the ratio of bedrooms to people doesn’t seem to match up. “Six bedrooms, sleeps 30” is a pretty clear indication you’re looking at a bunkhouse. Which may be your dream weekend if you're a  20-something snowboarder. Anything-but for a gathering of multiple generations.

Something else to consider: configuration. Your guests may be friendly—even close family—but that doesn’t mean they’re anxious to snuggle up together in a queen-sized bed. So you can’t always take the total number guests and divide by two. More to come on that.

There’s a lot to consider, but it’s so worth the process. In fact, it would be my delight to help you sort it all out.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts – starting with RENTING LARGE OCCUPANY VACATION HOMES: PART 1-- for caveats, good questions to ask upfront and some of my own personal vacation rental recommendations.

Posted by Joyce Hadley Copeland at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)