THE COAST ROAD
Marvel at the beauty of the sea on holidays along the coast
SACRAMENTO
Iwasn’t expecting the drive to be one of my favourite parts of this trip, but it was. Maybe it’s true what they say about the journey being more important than the destination – especially when you’re the only car on the road for miles, and that car is a trusty SUV. Could anything be any more ‘road trip’? We were off to a good start.
Travelling through cities, deserts and mountains for a five-hour stretch shows California in all its beautiful vastness, and we climb through the Sierra Mountains to our first destination of Mammoth Lakes. The town buzzes with activity; families finishing a day of biking or paddle-boarding, and backpackers stopping for supplies on their way along the Pacific Crest Trail. Arriving at our homely log cabin at Tamarack Lodge and Resort, I am desperate to curl up in front of the log-burning fire, but we swap the cosy tartan sofa for a gondola ride to the top of Mammoth Mountain (a dizzying 11,000ft high). We hike through the majestic scenery and cascading waterfalls, feast on fresh lake-caught fish and drink lots of Californian wine.
The next stop is Yosemite Valley via the Tioga Pass – another incredible drive, with breathtaking vistas of soaring granite cliffs and serene golden meadows. My boyfriend and I have never described ourselves as outdoorsy, but having dipped a toe into the hiking scene in Mammoth, we are determined to up our game. The five-mile hike to Glacier Point (with views
of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome, the famous rock formation) is perfect, as is our accommodation, the Groveland Hotel. It is as luxurious as you’d hope after a hard day’s climb, and has an abundance of charm with nods throughout to its past lives (it was a gambling house, a saloon and a ranger station). We love the wraparound porches and chunky wooden furniture.
Time for a change of gear as we leave the mountains and head to the city. The Citizen Hotel, in the heart of downtown Sacramento, is immediately inviting. Its elegant vibe makes a change after feeling relatively off-grid for most of the trip and, as the state capital, the city’s history is everywhere, from the political artwork to walls of leatherbound law books. Beyond the hotel, the city is easy to explore and we find our bearings quickly. We discover Lady Bird hot spots (the indie film was shot here) and the farmto-fork initiative showcasing local food produce and wine tasting at the Old Sugar Mill wineries. But, even in the heart of Sacramento, we still have that sense of calm that came from our days on the open road. Long may it last. GABRIELLA MINCHELLA
SICILY
Nestled near the rolling hills of Santo Stefano di Camastra, lies Il Vignale, a beautiful rustic villa with traditional shuttered windows that open out on to the beautiful Sicilian countryside. It’s a magical sight after a two-hour drive from Catania airport along windy, coastal cliff roads overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea, followed by a dramatically steep, narrow descent to the house (thank god we have a nippy Fiat 500 and nothing bigger!). But you don’t get the peace and tranquillity that this villa offers in abundance without an intrepid journey and, with our enthusiasm still intact, we leap from the car to explore. It sleeps 22 in eight enormous bedrooms, some with four-poster beds, furnished with antique wardrobes and quirky en suite bathrooms – think traditional Sicilian tiled floors and ornate mirrors. The secluded pool is surrounded by beautiful gardens and there are several shady terraces for long lazy dinners alfresco, drinking wine from the owner’s vineyard (he’s very generous).
For days out, the historic seaside town of Cefalù is a 20-minute drive away.
There are romantic, faded pastel buildings tumbling down to the sandy beach, twisty narrow streets lined with cosy little restaurants and shops selling basket bags and espadrilles that would cost you double the price back home (we go a bit crazy!).
Our next stop is Scicli, threeand-a-half hours from Cefalù across country, or 10 exquisitely scenic hours if you take the coast road. The town is ancient and built into two valleys. There are more
narrow streets, this time lined with pale Baroque buildings, and a church at every turn. Here, we stay at Borghetto a Scicli, perched in the idyllic higgledy piggledy old town. It’s a collection of apartments lovingly restored by a family of architects (evastudio.co.uk) – think original, artisan stone walls and lofty ceilings. The four residences sleep 12 in total, but have their own private entrances and outside spaces.
It’s a short, sweet and steep walk into the heart of Scicli, and we start our days with bitter coffee and rich custard brioche, a local treat, at bar Millennium, then mooch around the local boutiques. Boutique Scicli is particularly hard to resist, with one-off pieces by local designers. The town is the perfect spot from which to explore southern Italy. We visit the romantic and crumbling Ortigia, buy pottery in Noto and Ragusa and sun ourselves in Marzamemi. Sicily may be part of Italy, but its elegance and ambience is all its own. Once visited, it’s hard not to fall madly, deeply in love. OONAGH BRENNAN
WEST CORNWALL
Delicious food, fascinating history and an Art Deco lido. There’s a lot to do in Penzance, so it’s here that Maggie, eight, Jago, four and I begin our West Cornwall road trip. A mini-break, solo, with kids might sound crazy, but it’s a treat to plan a few days together at a slow pace – just us three.
Chapel House is home for two days, and it certainly does feel like home. This boutique hotel was once an 18th-century Admiral’s town house, and the sea is everywhere in the atmosphere of the place. The six huge bedrooms are all different, yet all are decorated in the same palette of marine greens, greys and blues. There are views of the water from many of the Georgian windows and even a breakfast dish featuring sizzled cod roe and samphire.
On our first morning we are desperate to swim/launch inflatables in the Jubilee Pool, Penzance’s stylish, recently restored 1930s saltwater lido. The children emerge from the water only briefly for a lunch of local crab rolls (me) and sea salt and rosemary fries with homemade hummus (them) in the Jubilee Pool Cafe. Later, we walk along the promenade to Fraser’s for fish and chips, where the children’s meals come in beach buckets they can take home. For more grown-up dining, book a table at The Shore for a set menu of the best of local produce.
The next morning, we walk across the tidal granite causeway to St Michael’s Mount to explore the fairy-tale castle atop the mount and potter around the gardens. After losing track of time we have a rather rushed wade back over the causeway (thigh-deep for the four year old) but as I tell the kids, this is all part of the adventure.
In dry clothes, we strike out along the coast road via Zennor and are soon in our super-luxe Beach Lodge at Carbis Bay near St Ives. These newly built lodges are part of the same estate as The Carbis Bay Hotel and are on the sand. Each lodge has a hot tub (heaven after a swim) and a roof terrace or garden, kitchen, sitting room and dining space, cocooning bedrooms and marble bathrooms. Breakfasting in the grandeur of the Carbis Bay Hotel before playing on the beach, swimming in the hotel pool and eating seafood in the Beach Club restaurant, there is no need to go anywhere.
On the last evening of the trip, in the golden hour with my giggling twosome, we decide we’d love to come back in the winter, to watch the sea from the hot tub and drink hot chocolates in blankets on the terrace. A mini-break with your children can be just lovely, it seems. LEANNE WARRICK