Travel Buzz

Coastal Restoration

Looking for an Indian summer escape? These three popular spots have been around for decades with sounds of the sea to lull you to sleep, and they’ve all

just had a refresh. MIMI TOWLE AND KASIA PAWLOWSKA

BODEGA BAY While there is speculation that Bodega Bay may actually have been Sir Francis Drake’s “Nova Albion” California landing site rather than Drakes Bay (is it too late to switch the names?), there is no denying this Sonoma Coast haven is every bit as gorgeous as its southern neighbor. Greeting visitors since 1972, the 83-room Bodega Bay Lodge is situated just above Doran Beach, with expansive views of the varied human and wildlife activity in the bay. Just one hour north of Marin, the recently renovated property includes a bocce ball court, an infinity-edge hot tub and a large outdoor fire pit ideal for after dinner conversation. The property’s Drakes Sonoma Coast Kitchen has also been upgraded, but the big news is the five new ocean-view suites designed by Sausalito’s Laura Cook, which bring a whole new standard of luxury to the place: each suite has an overstuffed king bed and adjacent queen sofa bed in the spacious living area, state-of-the-art entertainment system, granite fireplace, soaring vaulted ceilings and the pièce de résistance, spa-like bathrooms with deep jetted tubs. Weekend rates start at $429 for rooms and $789 for suites. bodegabaylodge.com MARSHALL In 1913, the Marconi Company, which sent the first transatlantic wireless message, built stations in Bolinas and Marshall trying to repeat the feat — this time across the Pacific. It worked. In fact, the Marshall station was the first in the nation to learn of the attack on Pearl Harbor and transmitted the news across the U.S. In the following years the station itself was relocated to Point Reyes and, in an unusual twist, the Synanon Foundation, later exposed as a malevolent cult, acquired the Marshall property. Now a State Historic Park, the 62-acre Marconi Conference Center houses overnight guests in 40 rooms. Recently redone by interior designer Landes Good, the resort-like setting offers local seasonal cuisine and rooms with natural Coyuchi linens. Historyminded visitors will find not only radio ephemera inside the hotel but also remnants of the original antenna’s concrete anchor still visible up on the hill. And if you needed just one more reason to visit, right across the street, Hog Island Oyster Co. has taken over beloved Tony’s Seafood Restaurant, the family-run eatery on Tomales Bay opened by Croatian fisherman Anton (Tony) Konatich in 1948 — retaining the restaurant’s original name. Rooms start at $250. marconiconferencecenter.org

SANTA CRUZ An hour’s drive south will get you to a place synonymous with surf and summer fun. Dream Inn, possibly the best-named hotel ever, was constructed in 1963, proudly displaying its clever moniker with a room rate of around $20 a night. Through the decades the property changed hands and lost rights to the name, then got it back about a decade ago and reemerged as the main luxe option in Santa Cruz. Fast-forward to this summer, with a renovation that’s brought an Instagramworthy expanded and improved pool and hot tub area, plus beach-chic rooms with private balconies, aquatic art and flat-screen TVs. You’ll find elevated cuisine in the award-winning Aquarius, also home to the Jack O’Neill Lounge, named for the wet suit pioneer who helped put Santa Cruz on the surfing map: he opened the first trademarked Surf Shop in this exact location in 1952, and his boards are on display in the bar. Weekend rates start at $379.dreaminnsantacruz.com

Air to the Thrones

For Game of Thrones fans, the online travel agency CheapOAir is offering these “thronies-friendly” flight and hotel deals throughout season seven. All offers are good with the booking of a fivenight/six-days stay. cheapoair.com M.T.

1 Visit the corner of

Essos in Barcelona from New York for $770 per person at Hotel Mas Salagros EcoResort & Aire Ancient Baths.

2 Visit the Riverlands

and the Vale of Arryn in Reykjavik from New York for $827 per person at Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Natura.

3 Visit Tollymore

Forest Park in Belfast from New York for $863 per person at Titanic Guest.

4 Visit Sunspear, the

capital of Dorne in Seville, from New York for $888 per person at Aguilas5 Sevillasuites.

5 Visit the fortress

city of Mdina in Malta from New York for $947 per person at Dragonara Court.

6 Visit the House

of the Undying in Dubrovnik from New York for $1,064 per person at Apartments Mandy.

Head to Humboldt

Did you know the creator of the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon show studied marine science at Humboldt State University and drew inspiration for the show’s Krusty Krab cafe from working at local eatery Stars Hamburgers? A trip to the area might also involve a stop at One-Log House along Highway 101 south of Garberville; it’s made of a single redwood trunk. Those are just a couple of reasons to visit our northernmost county in California; here are a few more. M.T.

• The world’s tallest tree, in Redwood National Park, is 380 feet high, six stories taller than the Statue of Liberty. And the 20 tallest trees in the world are all redwoods in Humboldt County.

• The second-most viewed amateur film ever is the 1967 PattersonGimlin footage of the Bluff Creek Bigfoot. • The term Bigfoot was coined by a Eureka newspaper after a series of mysterious encounters in 1958 with one such legendary man-ape near Willow Creek.

• Humboldt County has more artists per capita than any other California county.

• The oldest operating passenger ferry in the United States is the Madaket in Humboldt Bay.

• The Samoa Cook- house, the last surviving lumber camp–style eatery in the West, has served hearty meals since 1893.

• Ferndale boasts the world’s tallest living Christmas tree, which, curiously, is not a redwood. • The town of Fortuna hosts the West’s oldest rodeo each July.

• The most photographed Victorian home in the nation is the Carson Mansion in Eureka.

• Eureka was the inspiration for Duckburg, the hometown of Disney characters Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck. • Two-thirds of all oysters consumed in California originate in Humboldt Bay.

• The oldest continuously operating movie theater in the nation is the Minor Theater in Arcata.

• California’s oldest county fair, which takes place each August in Ferndale, began in 1896.

• The longest stretch of undeveloped beachfront in the continental United States is California’s Lost Coast.

• The world’s tallest totem is in the town of McKinleyville and is 160 feet high.

LUXE LAKE LIFE This summer, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe celebrated the opening of a new waterfront lake club featuring a multilevel dining and bar facility, designed by Clare Walton, that blurs the line between indoors and out. Located in Tahoe Vista, the club has an expansive lawn, direct beach access, a private dock and grounds to roam for the little ones; an outdoor spa and fire pit have great appeal for the adults. For snacks and meals, a rotating menu from the grill includes marinated skirt steak, grilled shrimp, grilled salmon, sausages and veggie burgers. Seasonal salads, desserts and morning breakfast items like fruit and granola are also available. Don’t miss the signature Mai Tahoe Tai cocktail. Shuttles run frequently between the club and the mid-mountain resort. ritzcarlton.com M.T.

Bike Big Sur

Mother Nature has played a bigger-than-usual role in Northern California this year. We saw people skiing in July and, to the south, those same storms caused the collapse of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge and a landslide on Highway 1. As a result, a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway is now unreachable by cars and has been dubbed “Big Sur Island.” Until the bridge repairs are completed this fall, visitors have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bike along the cliffs on the road, sans cars. Hotel Carmel and La Playa Carmel, in nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea, have teamed up with Big Sur Adventures, an e-bike rental shop, to offer two-wheeled weekend adventures, available for only a few months. thehotelcarmel.com, bigsuradv.com M.T.