Rancho Bernardo Inn & Spa, San Diego

Just thirty miles from the sand, surf, theme parks and attractions of San Diego, an oasis for the senses awaits you.Tucked away on the fringes of the Southern California suburbs, Rancho Bernardo Inn first appears more like a stately country club.   But the warm, welcoming lobby with its high, wood-beamed ceilings and ranch style furnishings gives the impression of being nestled in the woods … homey, cozy and inviting. Outside, the 18 hole championship golf course, which holds the distinction of having hosted both PGA and LPGA events, surrounds the property, providing lush slopes of  green at every turn as you meander along the beautifully manicured grounds in a golf cart to your accommodations.The spacious rooms are nestled in clusters over the hilly property, each with patio or balcony overlooking the grounds, and furnished Spanish-style with creamy white-washed walls and shuttered doors. Views of the rolling hills of the course or the lushly landscaped grounds are at every turn.   There’s a hydro spa and outdoor fireplace tucked into a stone patio in several areas, as well as at the three pools of the resort.A short stroll to The Spa at Rancho Bernardo Inn, and your escape begins. The art of relaxation melds with the art of fine cuisine at this gourmet spa, which provides “a fresh organic spa experience” featuring culinary-inspired treatments.   Like a fine restaurant, the spa menu will make your mouth water with fresh seasonal offerings almost good enough to eat.  “Made Fresh Daily” spa packages integrate local ingredients into the treatments, and the menu changes with each season.  Spring “spa courses” include a cherry and lemon scrub followed by a flower blossom wrap with a chamomile scalp treatment, everlasting flower massage and a serving of refreshing cherry lemonade.  Summer specials infuse fresh papaya, lime and coconut accompanied by a tropical beverage.   For a guilt free treat, try “Chocolate Indulgence”, featuring a dark chocolate & orange body scrub paired with a ginger vanilla massage and cinnamon scalp treatment, or “Forbidden Fruit,” a lemongrass & ylang-ylang massage with a forbidden rice & ginger foot scrub (not forbidden on these feet!).   Guests are supplied with spa-at-home recipes and techniques so they can savor their experience a bit longer.At the heart of the Mediterranean style spa is a lush and tranquil garden oasis where I recommend booking a treatment in one of the private casitas lining the patio.  Indulge in privacy while the soothing sound of running water from a stone fountain can be heard as you drift off.There are three heated, plaza style pools at Rancho Bernardo, but the Saline Pool is reserved for spa guests, as well as the sunken hydrotherapy spa, surrounded by private cabanas where you can relax while enjoying seasonal fruits and artisanal teas or local wine offerings.

Once the mind, body and soul have been fed, it’s time for the stomach. Extend your culinary adventure at the award winning El Bizcocho, their signature restaurant, where simple, freshly harvested local ingredients are exquisitely prepared to enjoy with a bottle of wine from their selection of 1600 labels.  To cap the evening, finish the rest of that bottle of fine wine by the fire, feeling full and sated in every sense, from head-to-toe and inside and out.