Hotel Los Gatos - Superb!

Just had a wonderful stay at the Hotel Los Gatos!

The rooms are each unique with a fire place and the coziest beds! The beds were so comfortable and just made you want to sink under the covers after a long day of meetings.
There were even little mint chocolates left on your pillow tops. In the bathroom - the soaps smelled divine like we were in a spa with a touch of lemongrass.

We had a conference there fore 3 days, and they served breakfast and lunch...and let's just say - We did NOT go Hungry!! wow the food was delicious! - Breakfast had french toast, bacon, potatoes, bagels, fresh fruit....and lunch was even better!! :)))

Also the restaurant had some awesome SIDECAR - Martinis!

Here are some pics for ya!

Chimney Rock Winery - Silverado Trail, Napa Valley

As I was driving along Silverado Trail, the white building caught my eye and thus I decided to stop in for some wine tasting. It is really beautiful and the buildings were of dutch architecture. The original owner who built the winery was South African :)

I was helped by a very friendly man - Jim - who told me all about their different wines. They had mostly cabernet sauvignon and one white wine, but the one that stole the show was the 2005 Elevage.

Here is a picture of Jim! He was so friendly and helpful. Made my day.


Here is the Wine Enthusiast review of the favourite wine which became my dad's Father's day present:

2005 Chimney Rock "Elevage" Stags Leap District Bordeaux Blend

92 points and a Cellar Selection, Wine Enthusiast: "It has obviously deep and impressive currant and blackberry flavors, but the tannins are significant. Hold until at least 2010." (12/08) According to Wine Spectator: "Elegant, supple and well-focused, with cherry and sage aromas and bright plum and toasty spice flavors that linger toward a layered finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot." (10/08)

Here is a picture of the winery. I asked why it was called Chimney Rock and apparently there is a rock that is rectangular and looks exactly like a chimney. Thus the naming!

Sino at Santana Row - Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Sea Bass!

I recently visited Sino in Santana Row, San Jose and it was a really tasty feast!!

I got the chicken lettuce wraps for a starter which are always delicious! (The chicken lollipops are also really good too!!

See below for the lettuce wraps:




And then for the main course which was MELT IN YOUR MOUTH Good.
I asked the waitress, what the best seafood course is and she said the "sea bass".
I was a little tentative as I had tried the sea bass at Straits on Santana Row before and wasn't that impressed. I love Prawns/Shrimp, but she convinced me to try the sea bass.

Boy - was I ever glad I did!! It was soft tender, with a bit of sweetness. Absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend it!

Beautiful Silverado Trail - Napa Valley

Driving along Silverado Trail was absolutely gorgeous...Take a look for yourself! :) It was only about 5 minute drive from the Westin Verasa.

I took a stop at Chimney rock winery - I will write about that in a separate post

And of course I couldn't help myself when I saw this strawberry stand. Fresh strawberries. SO delicious!

Sweetie Pies in Downtown Napa

Located right along the Napa river, beside the Napa Valley Inn. I had to stop by Sweetie Pies, because of the wonderful mouth watering reviews I had seen!!










Here are some tasty pictures for you:

Downtown Napa - Oxbow Public Market: Hog Island Oyster Co & More!

After lounging around at the poolside, I got hungry and decided to head over to the Oxbow Public Market where I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

About a 5 minute walk from the Westin Verasa (Exit through the lobby and walk to your left). I purposely went there after reading rave reviews about the Island Hog Oyster Co. I love oysters and was dying to try it out.

To the left, you can see a picture of the Oyster bar, where I was served by Rick who was a great host as I sat down to look at the menu!

I decided to get 13 oysters. A dozen of the mixed oysters shown in the menu picture below. And one rockerfeller. (I felt guilty after doing that run, so I limited myself to only ONE rockerfeller!! :)

My favourite oysters from the bar mix were the Hog Island Sweetwater --- hmmnn delicious, not too salty, with a bit of sweetness to it.

My second favourite were the Olde Salts which they told me kind of looked like ears :)



To the left you can see a close up of the Hog Island Sweetwater Oysters!

Below is the Rockerfeller Oyster - Absolutely Divine! :)))

Next, I stopped next at Tillerman's Tea and ordered a cold black Lychee tea. Which was really nice and refreshing. $3.50. I even stopped by the next day to get another ice black lychee tea and bought a bag of tea leaves - 100g for 6.95$ so I could enjoy it when I get home! :)








I then stopped by Annettes Chocolates. See the pictures for yourself, Need I say more? YUM!









Since I had that lovely little kitchenette back at the hotel, I decided to do some grocery shopping at the Oxbow Public Market. First stop was at the Five Dot Ranch where I purchased some ground sirloin beef

I bought fresh organic vegetables at the Oxbow Produce and Grocery. Fresh and wonderful. The strawberries I bought there were some of the sweetest I've ever tasted!

Hmmmmm and then there is Kara's cupcakes.
I didn't actually eat one, because I didn't want to waste the jog I did in the morning...but don't these cupcakes look divine??

Westin Jog around Napa and the Swimming Pool

What a wonderful day! I started off with a 5 mile run which allowed me to get acquainted with a bit of downtown Napa. It was a good thing that I jogged in the morning, because as the day went on the weather become hotter and hotter! :) I ended up running downtown, across main street and then through to the residential area. There were cute streets with bungalow houses, all with very pretty flowers. It was refreshing to go for a morning jog and get hit with a wonderful aroma from the flowers instead of car fumes that you usually get in the city.

Many of the streets were named after trees, or flowers or churches. For example: Pine, Laurel, Seminary, Sycamore :) Beautiful way to start the morning with some exercise. Here is the route:

Next on my list to do, was to enjoy the outdoor heated salt water swimming pool at the Westin Verasa. There were sun-bathing loungers and also very nicely shaded cabanas with padded lounge chairs. I swam a few laps, soaked up some sun, then took a little nap time in the shade in the cabana.

Here is a picture of the poolside. Gorgeous day!!

Napa Valley, California - Westin Verasa

Checked into Napa Valley California at the Westin Verasa Hotel.
If you are driving a car, then you will have to use their Valet Service which is an additional automatic ammenity charge of $20 per night (includes parking and internet)

Very pretty and I was upgraded to a room that had a kitchenette, including two hot plates, a microwave, a dishwasher, a fridge, pots, pans and a coffee maker! Very Nice.

There was a toaster, cutting board, bowls, plates, cutlery, and the knives are really good at cutting!

Of course there is the Westin Heavenly Bed, with Egyptian cotton covers and pillows. There will be some nice sweet dreams tonight! The Westin is also located right across the street from the famous wine train.

Not sure what I will do when I wake up, but there is a either a 3 mile or 5 mile trail that I might decide to run and then take look at the quaint area of downtown Napa Valley.

A new adventure on the horizon! :)