5 Fun Things To Do On Vacation In The Sonoma Wine Country, California

Get ready to discover all the fun, exciting tourist things to do and see in the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country in Northern California has to offer you… and some are totally free.. yes FREE!

1. Wash Away Your Worries with an Enzyme Bath

At Osmosis Spa, you can get a private enzyme bath that purifies your body, moisturizes skin, and soothes your soul. Set in a Japanese tea garden, you start with an organic herbal tea that contains enzymes from 25 organic plants, triggering a metabolic process enhanced by the hot bath.

Then, you soak in the warm water. As your body sweats out the toxins, you can relax, listening to meta-music designed to balance brain activity. This is followed by a 75-minute massage and facial.

2. Bond with Family and Friends at Armstrong Redwoods

Bring a picnic basket, a camera, and your loved ones to Armstrong Redwoods, an 805-meter park filled with ancient tree groves, nature trails, and numerous picnic and recreational facilities. Here you’ll find some of the oldest and tallest redwoods in California—over 300 feet high, and dating back to over 1,400 years.

The park is located about two miles north of Santa Rosa, and is accessible from Highway 101. Just turn left on River Road, then drive down to Guerneville. At the second traffic signal, turn right on Armstrong Road. For more Information, call (707) 869-2015.

3. Feel Like a Pioneer on Pt Reyes’ Hiking Trails

Point Reyes offers about 140 miles of hiking trails— and a view that displays Nature at its most pristine and majestic. Escape from the noise and pollution of the city, and imagine how California looked centuries ago.

Visitors will be given a free trail map, which shows both the hiking and the biking trails (however, those who go on foot will be able to explore the wilderness area, for the complete ‘pioneer’ experience). You can also ride horses.

The terrain is quite diverse, shifting from pasture lands to chaparral rides and forests and meadowlands. Visitors can customize their hike according to personal preference and experience.

4. Celebrate California’s Creative Spirit

California has a thriving artists; community, and some of the best works of today’s most promising creative minds are on display at the Arts Council of Sonoma Country Gallery.

The Gallery is found in Santa Rosa’s Downtown Area, on 529 Fifth Street. It is open on Wednesday to Friday from 12 – 5 pm, and Saturdays from 12 – 4 pm. However, on October 13, 14, 20 and 21, the Gallery extends its hours from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. For more information, call 707-579-ARTS or visit http://www.artrails.org

5. Drink in Golden California

California’s Sonoma and Napa regions are renowned for their fine wine. Take a tour of the most renowned vineyards and discover how your favorite vintage is made—from how the grapes ripen under the golden California sun, to the centuries-old fermenting process.

You can also book a “scenic air tour” at http://www.SonomaCountyAirport.com. It’s an experience of a lifetime which takes your journey to “new heights” through an aerial tour of the region’s vineyards and famous wineries.

The site also helps busy tourists and businessmen with their travel needs—so you start relaxing even when you’re planning your vacation. Now that’s worth a toast!

Guiai Penin to Showcase 288 Tenerife Wines

Tenerife’s Humboldt sweet red wine is renowned as one of Spain’s most astounding wines.

The 2011 edition of the Guiai Penin, the guide to Spanish wine is set to feature 228 selections from the island of Tenerife. Last June the list’s editor and chief contributor Carlos Gonzales travelled to the Island for potential additions to the annual list. Gonzales visited Tenerife to taste wines at Cabildo’s wine centre in El Sauzal. All in all he visited and sampled wine from 5 regions in Tenerife, from which he picked a large number of the selection sampled.

The Guiai Penin is an influential annual publication, which holds much sway within the catering industry who use it as a marker to which wines to select for their menus. It has been, in many cases, the making of a wine selection, even wineries.

It is free fore wineries to offer their produce for consideration, but the value can be invaluable as it is one of the definitive publications for hoteliers and restaurateurs regarding wines from Spain, so the addition of 228 wines is great news for Tenerife.

The conditions for growing grapes have not necessarily been optimum in the island this year. In fact it has been uncharacteristically damp and all too humid.

The councillor for agriculture was therefore delighted to hear that so many wines had been added in spite of the adversity faced by wine growers. “Despite the adverse weather conditions for the last grape harvest, year after year the wines of Tenerife continue to improve in quality. Further proof of this is the reviews and scores obtained in the new Guide.” He said.

As with all Mediterranean countries and islands and some other nations on the continent, wine is a big selling point for potential tourists to Tenerife, a good wine is often associated with that all European notion of the good life.

Councillor Bethencourt was also keen to congratulate those that had had their wine selected for the list, “I encourage you all to carry on working together and keep going up the ladder in the regional, national and international wine scene.” He said.

63 wines from the region of Tacoronte-Ajeno have been selected for the list, among them is the Humboldt sweet red which has been defined in the guide as a ‘world class’ wine. There are 50 more wines from the Abona region which have been defined as exceptional wines. Tenerife is perhaps neglected as a wine holiday destination, with the continent taking most of the attention in regards to oenophile departures, as far as the Spanish faction of wine is concerned, the mainland receives most of the tourism.

Hopefully with these additions to this particular wine list Tenerife can enjoy an insurgency of wine lovers who wish to go  a little off the beaten track. Now with a great selection of world class wines to sample, in such a relatively small space it seems you can’t stray too far without running in to a good vino. For a relaxing break why not book one of the apartments in Tenerife and settle down with a nice glass of red?

More Humboldt Vacation Articles

Suggested Materials For Outdoor Decks

Outdoor decks have so many uses. They make beautiful additions at home. You can choose from many different types of materials.

Many people would prefer to buy a house with extra space to put up an outdoor deck. Others choose the houses that already have an outdoor deck. Why? This is because more people known that outdoor deck is one great place to have special party and entertain guests. They find outdoor decks more relaxing and give them space where they can invite guests. It is a good venue to have a drink, a meal or a party with friends or family. It also gives privacy to houses, as the guests are gathered in the outdoor deck.

An outdoor deck also provides a peaceful environment for students to study, for family to have a conversation or for businessmen to gather for a meeting. During cool nights, this is the perfect place to enjoy a warm drink like milk, coffee or tea. When the weather is hot, this is a nice place to relax and drink icy cold drinks like shake, juices or soda. It is a good place to be alone and collect your thoughts. A barbeque party can also be fun here.

As you can see, there are a lot of uses of an outdoor deck. It comes in so many styles and designs. You can customize it to your own style and design. You can have a pool deck, gazebo deck, spa deck, roofed deck as a few suggestions. There are even decks with small cabins or other items that can further beautify the place and add up to a peaceful atmosphere.

It is important that you plan your deck wisely to make it durable and last longer. The larger you deck is, the fresher it will be. You can enjoy the area much more if there are extra spaces. You must also make sure that your outdoor deck is durable and long lasting.

You should also be able to choose the right materials for your deck. The most common choice for decking material is wood because these are naturally sturdy and strong. They are also easy to install. Because wood are natural elements, they give a good feeling then you step on it bare foot.

However, one of the disadvantages of woods is that it is prone to rotting. It can also splinter and warp. It needs annual cleaning just like any other material that you use for decks. But if you are industrious and diligent in cleaning and re-staining, you do not have anything to worry about. Re-staining should be ideally done every two to three years.

One kind of wood you can use is called pressure treated wood. It is the least expensive material for decking and is made of Southern Yellow pine. This kind of wood easily develops splinters if not maintained well. Some people prefer this though because it is more affordable. It just needs regular maintenance.

Western Red Cedar is another wood material that usually is color light brown, tan or salmon pink. This should be treated well to maintain its color. Otherwise, it will easily turn to silver gray or dark brown. This wood is resistant to decay and is very durable.

Redwood has the color of light red to reddish brown. If you choose this kind of material, choose the clear heart grade because it is more durable.

Mahogany is made of true mahogany tree but not all of these materials are resistant to decay. As a tip, the medium dark red and brown colors are more sturdy and resistant to decays.

Redwood Cabins Wasaga Beach Ontario

Me and My boyfriend are going on a vacation for 1 wk in august. We have been on plenty of weekend retreats together but never for a full week, so this one is kinda special to me. He has always planned everything before but this time it is my turn. So we are down to 2 choices and I want to leave it up to the answers community to decide.
Choice A
A road trip from our home in seattle to yellowstone national park in WY. We would stop off a few places and stay a night or 2. Drive thru ID, MT, WY, and WA. Just the two of us.
Choice B
Take a train from our home in Seattle to a beach town in northern California(would be great if you could suggest 1), rent a lil cottage or stay in a hotel on the beach for a week.

Please tell me if you think we should do choice A or choice B and why you think we should choose that one. If you pick choice B please let me know where a good place in northern Cali is. Thanks for the Help! You will be rewarded for GOOD answers!

Choose Style and Comfort by Staying at a Luxury Hotel in Rotorua

There are some parts of the world that have a magnetic effect. If you check out the international tourism statistics you’ll be able to identify just which towns and cities around the world experience forever increasing visitor numbers. It’s these parts of the world that remain at the top of people’s lists when it comes to travelling.

What makes a town or city internationally famous is generally the uniqueness on offer. Whether it be the scenery, activities or sights and sounds, there is certain appeal that many other parts of the world can’t compete with.

Even the smallest cities in some of the most under populated countries can drive in a huge number of tourists every year. One town that certainly fits into this category is New Zealand’s very own Rotorua. Also known as “Sulphur City”, Rotorua has catered to hoards of visitors for decades. This has placed a lot of pressure on the accommodation industry. Whether it’s a motel, backpackers, bed and breakfast or a luxury hotel in Rotorua, you’ll find no one in the hospitality market twiddling their thumbs.

So why do so many people flock to Rotorua? The answer is attractions and events. Other than the obvious unique attraction of being rich in Maori culture, Rotorua also has some of the biggest and most popular events in the Southern Hemisphere. From sport and fishing to expos and cultural events to fashion and conventions – Rotorua has it all.

If there’s one type of event other than cultural shows that springs to the mind of New Zealanders, it’s mountain biking and cycling. Rotorua is surrounded by forests and hills and it’s amongst these areas of the city that Rotorua often puts on a big show. People from all over the world are booking into a motel or even a luxury hotel in Rotorua when they enter top class, highly competitive mountain bike events. They take part in New Zealand’s highly famous Redwoods Forest Park, which has an array of some of the world’s leading mountain bike tracks.

During August Rotorua plays host to the NDuro Mountain Bike Series, which is New Zealand’s most popular series on one of the world’s finest single tracks. Then there’s the Kiwibikes Singlespeed World Mountain Biking Champs in October. Both of these events attract large numbers, all of whom end up staying at a bed and breakfast, motel or a luxury hotel in Rotorua. Whenever you visit this thriving city, you’re sure to arrive when there is a great event taking place.