You Asked For It! #1
Answering a few questions and sharing some playlists for the long holiday weekend
Well, hello!
Thank you for proving our experiment to get back on Substack was worth it. It has been so nice to hear from you all again—our first Chat post collected so many responses. This week, we’re taking a few of your questions from that thread and answering them here. We’ll keep a running list and update them as we go. In the meantime, wishing those of you in the US a happy Thanksgiving!
End of year getaway ideas close to San Francisco that have a wellness component?
We definitely have a lot of suggestions within our SF Black Book and our NorCal Road Trip, but I also reached out to my friend Tim Marvin, one of our great contributors from the area, for his latest and greatest suggestions:
My #1 recommendation is Stanly Ranch. It's pricey (it’s an Auberge property), but I’ve gotten to enjoy it on a number of occasions... and their spa is very very nice and they have all the treatments. They also have a bunch of bikes and bike paths, which I love. I think they do a great job with their programming too, whether it’s yoga or an exercise class. If someone really wanted to go for it, I would recommend Stanly. Oh, and all the staff that I have interacted with or worked with have been exceptional and kind, plus their restaurant is delicious.
Indian Springs is still a classic. I don't think their treatments are as extensive as Stanly’s. I dig the restaurant, but it might not be what folks want if they’re looking for a restorative weekend. That said, you are in Calistoga, so just a short drive from a ton of other great restaurants. But the main attraction is obviously the pools. I love that one of the pools is a kid-free zone.
Cavallo Point is a go-to for a lot of my city friends. I've never actually stayed there or done any of the treatments. But it would be perfect if you wanted a short drive from the city. The views of the bridge and SF over the Bay are spectacular.
The Harbor House Inn in Mendocino is not exactly a restorative spa kind of place, but...it is amazing! The two-star restaurant was one of my favorite dining experiences of the past couple of years. And Mendocino, with its beautiful coasts, gorgeous hikes, and amazing wines is healing for the soul. Plus the hotel can certainly recommend outside treatments.
A friend recommended Canyon Ranch in Woodside—she is very into the bougie wellness scene, so I would trust her on this.
A driver and/or guide in Noto?
Our friends from Seven Rooms and Country House Villadorata love Handy Sicily, which they recommend to all of their guests.
The best place to travel with a baby less than 1 year old?
It was interesting to read through all of your comments—several things stood out. You want more travel style, more “Costa Meno” lists (our version of affordable), and family content. I have to say, I’m surprised by how little we do on the family front! After all, my first travel editor job was at Cookie magazine, where I wrote about family travel for five years, and I had a family travel blog called Travels With Clara. I guess it was sometime in Clara’s teen years that I stopped seeing travel through the mom lens. Time to come back to it!
But to answer your question, I would say that with a baby under a year old, you’re really very free to just go wherever you’d have gone pre-baby, since they’re so portable and they sleep a lot. Obviously, each baby and every style of parenting is so different, so the way we traveled with Clara may be outrageous to those whose babies are on a sleep schedule and sleep independently. I remember so fondly our road trips from that period—driving the California coast and around much of New England, listening to lots of Neil Young. We packed the car with whatever we thought we needed—in those early days, we thought we needed everything—and it was so nice not to have to worry about packing it for the plane. I really think that the best part of traveling with your kid at such a young age is that you’re training them—as well as yourself. When we travel, there is so much out of our control, which is probably why we end up adopting such well-worn rituals, uniforms and patterns that help us feel more in control. Throw in a baby, and it can feel like you’re losing your grip. My take was: being in our own universe in a car, and with our stuff, made me feel more in command. I also felt like a superhero when we would be somewhere far from home and I managed to figure out diapers and nap time in a completely different time zone and still have a good time.
You also want to make sure that where you’re staying isn’t a quiet, romantic place where you’re going to feel self-conscious about the disruptions of a baby. For that reason, I always say Italy is a great idea with a baby—they are more open to little ones in restaurants and they love to hold them. In France as well. I remember the first time we went to Paris with Clara and I realized that all the sweetness of the Parisians comes out when you’re with a baby or young child. And if you’re looking now for a warm-weather getaway, we used to love Carlisle Bay in Antigua when Clara was little.
THE PLAYLIST
Maybe you’re sick of yours?! I know I constantly need an infusion of new music ideas. Here’s my latest Yolo Winter, which I keep adding to. I also love the lists of my former colleague and friend, Stephen Orr. And this Cocktail Hour playlist from our new friend Alex (who we met at JFK in the speakeasy bar of the Centurion Lounge!) is 20 hours of goodness. Tell us your favorites!
ICYMI!
Last week was our latest Bric-a-Brac post (our 83rd!). For those who aren’t familiar, it’s our bi-weekly email of stories on a mixed bag of topics. Saturday’s included a regenerative Mexican beach paradise that’s a great price, confessions of a maximalist packer (aka, the designer-founder of Paris-based L/Uniform), and a dispatch from Budapest, which makes a perfect late-fall getaway (thermal baths and goulash!). You can find all stories on our website and subscribe to our free Yolo Intel email here.
We've traveled with our son since he was tiny and moved to Umbria for 4 months when he was 9 months old. We had to be adaptable, but it was great. As parents of a young child, we experienced Italy and Italians in a completely different way. We took our son everywhere and the Italians were so sweet to him and by extension to us, his caretakers. It was common to bring him into a restaurant and to have him whisked away to be shown around while prosecco magically appeared on the table for his parents. My husband was praised by the nonnas for carrying our son in a sling and this led to interesting conversations about child-rearing. Our son even charmed the ladies at the customs office into helping us.;) Baby cots were provided in hotels, no problem. The only downside was the shock of returning to the US where babies are treated as an annoyance.
I loved the confessions of a maximalist packer! I am still laughing about it.