California: Terrific Time at Terranea

I’m a genius, so I booked our flights to Long Beach instead of LAX…because no one goes to LAX on purpose if they don’t have to. The flight from Portland to Long Beach is only 2 hrs & 20 mins, which is just enough time to get situated in your seat, enjoy an inflight cocktail, read through a travel mag and to realize that you’re about to be on vacation. Plus, the Long Beach airport is pretty fabulous. It reminds me a lot of the Santa Barbara airport, which is my all time favorite! Small, very relaxed, orderly and charming.

With only our carry on bags in tow, we were off the plane and across the street to the rental car place in just minutes. I zoomed out of the parking lot and we started our journey toward the Pacific. From airport to the Terranea Resort, it’s only a 34 min drive- according to google. Though I’d like to kindly remind you that you are still in Los Angeles and traffic was basically invented there, so don’t be in a rush, plan to go with the flow. The drive along the ocean is beautiful, it was tempting to stop off and see the views, but the game plan was to arrive for lunch and cross our fingers for an early check in. Since this is a Virtuoso property, this is something that I can assist you with, but it is subject to availability.

With only our carry on bags in tow, we were off the plane and across the street to the rental car place in just minutes. I zoomed out of the parking lot and we started our journey toward the Pacific. From airport to the Terranea Resort, it’s only a 34 min drive- according to google. Though I’d like to kindly remind you that you are still in Los Angeles and traffic was basically invented there, so don’t be in a rush, plan to go with the flow. The drive along the ocean is beautiful, it was tempting to stop off and see the views, but the game plan was to arrive for lunch and cross our fingers for an early check in. Since this is a Virtuoso property, this is something that I can assist you with, but it is subject to availability.

Our slick, red, rental car curved down the driveway of the resort, leading us to the entrance where the valet stood patiently waiting for us. We’re greeted with warm smiles and someone walks us to the front desk, showing us where to check in. Our room weren’t quite ready, but just as I had planned (many moons ago when I booked us the early flight), we left our bags at the front and made our way down to the Catalina Kitchen for lunch.

We opted for a table outside, because when you’re an Oregonian, you don’t waste any drop of sunshine that is available to you. Our server suggested that we start with the burrata, there was no hesitation there and we didn’t even peak to see what other starters they had on the menu. Stefano ordered their signature Kobe Beef Burger, which came with jalapeño candied bacon. Want to know why I remember that so specifically? Because he finished it before I could have a bite. I ordered the flat bread, because…carbs…and vacation and I was so excited to try a chipotle chicken flat bread and not have to share it with anyone.

As we were finishing our lunch, I received a text from the resort that our room was ready for us. We grabbed our luggage, room keys and made our way down the long halls of the resort, in search for our Ocean View Room. I see a LOT of hotels throughout the year and there is something to be said about the feeling of walking into a perfectly made up and wonderfully decorated hotel room. A sense of calm washed over me as I looked from the bed, to the bathroom with separate bathtub set up and then finally turning around saving the best for last- the view from our balcony! I immediately opened up the door that faced the beautiful Pacific and stared out at the waves crashing against the rocks. The curtains in the room were flopping in the ocean breeze behind me, pelicans flew in front of the resort and I stood there, wondering if we could add another night before meeting up with family in Santa Barbara. Sorry mom…

I do what I always do when I have any downtime in my hotel room and changed into the hotel robe. I sat on the chase lounge in the corner and worked for a quick hour, before I had a scheduled site inspection with the resort manager, Ron. This is something that I do and enjoy at every property that I stay at. I walk through to see the different restaurants, the fitness center, the spa, different room categories, visit the concierge desk to hear what they can set up for clients, a quick walk through of the hotel gift shop and all the while Ron tells me the story of the property. Every hotel has a story and Terranea has a fascinating one indeed.

Terranea has only graced these lands for 10 short years, but before this sophisticated property was created, this was the site where you could find Marineland of the Pacific. Which was a seaside animal theme park and it even opened one year before Disneyland! Though for movie fanatics, they will better recognize this area as the backdrop for feature film productions. Such as: Pirates of the Caribbean, This is 40, The Aviator, Charlie’s Angles and more.

This is a fabulous property for families. I can’t wait to show it off to clients that are looking for a resort to escape to that is here in the states. This checks off all of the boxes! Several dining options to chose from, from lounging pool side and ordering something to your own cabana to fine dining at their restaurant Mar’sel. They even have a market place and their own coffee shop. Be sure to check out the desserts, which are all made from their on property pastry chef.

The grounds are stunning as well. You’ll smile when you lay eyes on the hummingbirds that zoom past you on the restaurant patios. The tall palms and beautiful trees that provide shade on the walkways and the bright, blooming bougainvillea that is seen throughout the resort brings a lovely touch of color throughout the place.

Then they also have a wonderful spa (with 27 treatment rooms!), a golf course that weaves through the property and along the coast. A great kids club for children ages 4-12, the concierge can help you and your family book a fun fishing excursion or even a cooking class there on property. I could easily stay for 4 nights and have a busy schedule to try and see and do it all, though I would be tempted to just enjoy the pool time, a day in the spa, a leisurely nature walk that they offer with a guide on the weekends.

Let’s plan more domestic, long weekend getaways for you in 2020.

Reach out to me with your available travel dates and let’s get you to Terranea!

China: Shanghai Surprises

Shanghai, you surprised me. I had walked into the unknown and left craving more. More history, more cultural, more insight to the Chinese traditions, of the past and their present. Most travelers experience Shanghai or Beijing as a layover, just 2-3 nights before they head off to their next destination. I encourage you to give a place that you visit, more time. Less is more, does not apply to travel talk. It does when packing or planning your excursions. However, it does not relate to how much time you spend in a place. You will not get more out of less time and hopping from city to city. You will check off your TripAdvisor list and get your Instagram photos, but you won’t get more of an experience.

In saying all of that, I wish I could always practice what I preach. Yet, this was a business trip for me and Shanghai wasn’t even on my original itinerary, but we were flown into Shanghai when we had a schedule change for our flights. Although this was an extremely last minute change to the trip, I am so glad that I was able to say that I was able to see Shanghai. I can’t even say that I brushed the surface of this city. I left feeling unsatisfied honestly, like there was more and that I missed out. That’s the great thing about travel though, you learn in each destination what you liked, what surprised you, what wasn’t really your cup of tea or what you want more of!

The morning started out at the beautiful Jade Buddha Temple. The joy of traveling during the off season was that we were the only tour group that was in there for the one hour that we walked around. Other tourists that I saw were families with a private guide, other Chinese tourists that visit to pay their respects and to pray and just a couple of other people wandering through taking photos for the gram (yes, selfies). Check out my separate blog post about this quiet quarter in the city that I liked!

Our next stop was the Shanghai Museum, which admittedly I hadn’t read anything about, so I wasn’t thrilled when the guide had announced that’s where we were headed. This grumpy cat was completely wrong to be flustered, because this is exactly the type of museum that I love to explore. I decided to write another blog (I’m an overachiever) about my time at this museum.

Spoiler alert: I wrote the other blog posts because I really want to talk you into adding these two very nice and very worth it tours to your Shanghai itinerary when you visit the city!

Our time was up in the museum and it was lunch time already. I wondered what culinary surprises awaited us. The Chinese love….the out of the ordinary. Which I do realize I’m saying as an American. I mean we put pineapple on our pizza, so who am I to judge? For them, their food it’s the norm and when you’re visiting a foreign country, I beg you to try and be open minded to other cultures and their ways, which also means to their foods! I was 2 days into my trip and I could say that Chinese is not one of my favorites, but what is 10 days out of my life while on a trip, trying new dishes, new flavors and new…animals and sea life! It’s an adventure, but with my guide I felt a bit more confident. I’ll write a blog post about food in China, since there’s so much to speak on and I’ve had a LOT of questions since my trip!

After lunch we hit the streets and my jet lag was happy to feel the fresh air and to be moving. We walked down a busy shopping street called Nanjing Road. It was a Saturday and busy was an understatement! It is after all, one of the world’s busiest shopping streets.

If it were up to me, I would have explored a market, gone to a more traditional neighborhood or even walked into a beautiful tea shop to snag some souvenirs. Shanghai is a very large, very busy city. Lots of people every which way, with shops, large apartment and office buildings. I think my city lover clients would appreciate this at the start of their trip. For a first time visit, I would suggest starting here and then head onto Beijing, which will offer more sight seeing and day trips to enjoy.
Luckily for me, who isn’t a big crowd lover, we didn’t hang out in this area long, we were just walking down to The Bund, which is the riverside.

The city hugs both sides of the Huangpu River, dividing the city into two regions, the east bank “Pudong” and west bank “Puxi.” When you google Shanghai, a famous photo of the city will pop up, some by day and some by night. Everyone comes here to The Bund for the famous photo of Shanghai and by everyone, I mean evvvveryone. So many people around. You had to wait your turn for someone to be done taking their photos to then stand on the rail to get a photo of the river and the skyscrapers.

Our afternoon was spent back at the hotel, which I rushed back to because my late luggage had arrived and I wanted to be sure it was my bag that they delivered since I was flying to our next destination in the morning. In the evening we were treated to another traditional Chinese dinner. Lots and lots of dishes, all being served one right after another, placed carefully on a huge lazy Susan turntable. We toasted to a great start to the trip and sipped on a Chinese beer, which we came to realize was a whopping 3% of alcohol. Let’s just say we all turned in early that night and were excited for our next destination of our trip.

The Shanghai portion of the trip came to a quick end, but it was a nice introduction to the massive and one of the most well known cities of the world. As always, I highly recommend hiring a local guide to show you the ropes, you’ll appreciate it more than trying to do it on your own. Shanghai is a major city and you’ll need their instruction on where to go and what to do in a timely matter. It’s not an easy place to stop and ask for directions- unless you know Chinese of course!

Italy: Ostuni, Cielo Restaurant

I walked up to the stone archway within the hotel of La Sommita, the Relais & Chateaux property that I was staying at for a couple of nights. I was greeted by the front desk agent who smiled and said “Buona sera Mrs. Ebner.” Simultaneously I heard footsteps behind me and it’s the restaurant manager- Tomasso. We had met the night before, when he was delivering my in room dining order. Which was the most wonderful charcuterie plate with salami and formaggi and a basket of freshly baked bread. I could have hugged him, but at the time I was in a robe and I had just stepped out of the shower aka I was sporting the drowned rat look. I don’t know what’s worse, he saw me hanging out in my robe with no make up or that he recognized me all dressed up and I still looked the same to him haha!

I was in the dining room following closely behind Tomasso as he escorted me to my seat- for one. They cleared the spot for the second person and I heard him whisper to the server that I’d be by myself. The dining room was quiet, only one other table was occupied by a group of 4, which sounded to me like Americans. Tomasso reappeared handed me the menu, explaining the different tasting menu options that were available and then left me to consider my options. On the first page you could see “Acqua e Fuoco”, Water and Fire. As I read on I saw that water was focused on different fish plates and fire was all about meat. I’m still an amateur and not so adventurous when it comes to trying different types of fish, so I went right for the Fuoco menu. Tomasso was back to see if I had any questions and then asked if I would like the 10, 12 or 14 courses.

Food lovers, art lovers, creative minds who appreciate a good show- travel to the south of Italy, don’t eat for a day before this meal and entertain yourself and your palate with a night at the Cielo Restaurant. Please read on….

Silly me had not realized that the chef would also send out an introduction to the meal, some light appetizers to begin the night. A teaser of what was to come, if you will. Each bite sized appetizer (a total of 6 different pieces of food), arrived all at once, but each piece was being showcased on something different. For example, one was on a spoon, one was on a short board of wood, one was on a cage like piece of metal, one on a type of spiky branch and another on a coaster looking round cut from a tree. I was distracted and taking in every single detail, wishing I had brought my camera, but also wondering if I would have been brave enough to whip it out to take photos of every course. For those wondering- probably not. I already felt embarrassed taking out my phone to take photos and short videos, but I had to share this! I had to show my foodie friends about this experience.

Food brings out all kinds of feelings and even sometimes brings back memories, but this was something I felt was truly special. The next level when it comes to a dining experience. Absolutely a wonderful night to remember and something that will take some time to find anything in comparison. Have you ever experienced something like that?

I wish I had sat there journaling about each dish, or each wine that I was served. That’s how inspired I felt. The service was top notch and I had quickly forgotten that I was dining alone since I was so captivated by what was happening around me. The wines were spectacular, each selected with care. There wasn’t a thing that I could change about this meal, other than that feeling that I was getting full, but I can’t remember which course that was. There is one thing that I can remember very distinctly and that was that they brought me a piece of bread for EVERY dish. They brought this at the beginning and told me what each one was, because they couldn’t possibly give you the same type of bread with everything, could they?! I was living a carb lovers dream. This was it, game over, what could top the night?

Dessert is something I rarely partake in. I’d much prefer an espresso and an amaro to end a meal. Though this was part of the tasting menu and as full as I was, I couldn’t wait to see what they brought out! Tomasso came out with what looked like a cup of flour that had been dumped onto a plate and a mischievous smile on his face. What fun it must be to work in an environment like this, serving out of the ordinary, spectacular and elevated food. People’s reactions, much like mine must have been, must be so amusing! He set the plate down and then the second server just behind him, handed him a plastic egg carton. Both men look at me and Tomasso explains to me in Italian- I’m sorry, but the chef has left for the night, so you must prepare your dessert on your own. He opens the egg carton and asks me to take out the egg and to crack this over the flour, which I’ll then need to stir together.

Unfortunately it’s not what is pictured above, I don’t have any photos of this genius creation by the chef Andrea Cannalire. Which I later found out was called “Uova e Farina”. A simple description for a dessert that was anything but! Once you crack open the so called egg that you are handed and spill it’s beautiful cream all over the so called flour, you stir and make your very own version of a Crema Catalana. Coming from the girl that still bakes boxed brownies at home: this is why we eat out. This is the purpose that we travel, that we explore new lands, new cultures and restaurants. We stumble upon meals like this, that we can’t wait to tell our loved ones about. That we dream of and hope to one day return to.

So La Sommita, will you please have me for dinner again, because I’d love to be a guest at your hotel and at your restaurant in the very near future. My stay was flawless and a special memory that I cherish. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for having a wonderful staff, a well cared for and historic property turned into a hotel. It’s all there for us to enjoy, in the charming hilltop town of Ostuni, Italy. Grazie di cuore!