The Conservative Soldier

San Diego

The developer of the newly unveiled southern California resort, The Grand Del Mar, apparently has a reputation for rejecting mere opulence as not quite good enough. I am not sure I want to work for the gentleman (Douglas Manchester), but there is no arguing against what that attitude has wrought.

A $300 million-plus project, according to the Los Angeles Times, that opened last fall, The Grand Del Mar conjures many superlatives. Old World. Upscale. Luxurious. And, dare we say, opulent. (Even so, a few areas are in their final stages of completion and some landscaping is not done yet).

I spent New Year’s Eve at The Grand with family members. For a brand new resort, it offered an incredibly seamless experience. The most frustrating aspect was the back-and-forth with the concierge desk by phone and e-mails before our arrival. They wanted to upgrade our group to a larger suite. Nice. Thank you. However, we found it difficult to convey that we were comprised of various family units and required the same number of beds/rooms no matter how sprawling the suite. Finally, we worked it out.

Some might be put off by the property’s location. It is inland, north of downtown San Diego (about 20 minutes from the airport, Lindbergh Field), just east of Interstate 5. Given the area’s dramatic coastline, an inland footprint is likely not going to appeal to everybody. But after snaking through a residential area to the gates of The Grand, the setting offers an instant sense of utter tranquility. There is a sweeping, spacious, circular front drive, where the valets leave the sparkling Benz sedans and Porsche two-seaters on display (less worthy rental vehicles are parked out of sight). The lobby is jaw-dropping, with a traditional common seating area that becomes a cocktail lounge area after dark.

The doormen, bellhops, front desk staffers and concierges are friendly, efficient and confident. (My daughter was shocked when, after only a few hours as guests, we were greeted by name as we strolled past the concierge desk).

Inside, there is a world-class spa. (My father-in-law was delighted by his massage). Flat-screen TVs in the guest rooms are adorned with heavy, traditional frames you might expect to see paired with a priceless oil painting. Outside, three elaborate pool/lounging areas await, not to mention the adjacent Tom Fazio-designed golf course. The golf carts feature faux leather-wrapped steering wheels and contoured, comfortable seats. Before my round, I was handed a state-of-the-art course yardage “gun” that measured distances with precision.

The Grand Golf Club is not new. It opened in 1999 under its former name, Meadows Del Mar. The clubhouse is a mini-castle, occupying 50,000 square feet as it accommodates both resort guests and locals who own memberships. The course features extremes from start to finish. Many tee boxes are severely elevated, confronting players with varying degrees of visual intimidation. Good luck finding a truly flat lie on most of the fairways. The perfectly maintained greens are ultra-fast and devilish to read. (Next time, I will avail myself of one of the club’s tan, surfer dude caddies). As a reminder that this is no average golf experience, the on-course “comfort stations” look like designer showcases inside, complete with marble surfaces and shining fixtures.

If you are more interested in brilliant architecture than golf, the 249-room resort will keep you occupied. Just walking around is pleasurable. The Grand is designed with a nod to the late Addison Mizner, who put south Florida on the map in the 1920s and early 1930s with his Spanish Revival architecture by developing both private estates for an elite group that included J.P. Morgan, among others, and resort hotels. (Mizner also designed The Cloisters Hotel in Sea Island, GA).

My principal complaint, a minor one, is that The Grand is almost too sprawling. It occupies a 235-acre footprint, so there were no restrictions on building size. I became hopelessly lost trying to find the pool where my family members were gathered. (The upside was that I stumbled upon the resort’s corporate meeting rooms which are designed to resemble private wine cellars). Of course, I was saved by a helpful staff member and ended up poolside in no time.

Looking back, there are many worse things that could happen to a person than to be forever sentenced to wandering aimlessly about The Grand Del Mar.

Montalcino, Italy

A week in Tuscany certainly is not enough. A month or two would be optimal. But we tried to make the most of our week in a lovely villa outside of Buonconvento, just a few miles north of Montalcino’s outskirts and famous Sangiovese vineyards. From the villa’s pool area we faced south toward the vastness of 4,300-acre Castiglion del Bosco, one of the area’s oldest estate vineyards and the site of an exciting development project partially underwritten by the design conglomerate of the late Salvatore Ferragamo (and headed by Ferragamo heir Massimo).

A few headlines …

Resort watch: Massimo Ferragamo and American real estate developer Corky Severson are finally doing it — combining a world renowned destination for wine worshippers with a strictly upscale resort property. The Castiglion del Bosco project is progressing briskly toward a 2008 unveiling. There will be a central resort and spa, plus members’ only villas (21 are planned) and a Troon Golf 18-hole private course designed by PGA legend Tom Weiskopf. That’s not all. Plans call for a culinary academy, a sommelier institute and an equestrian facility.

We were given a private tour of the nearby Castiglion del Bosco wine production facility, La Cantinia Nuova, completed just three years ago after new ownership took charge. It is a Taj Mahal containing offices, fermentation, aging and bottling rooms, in addition to a beautifully appointed but casual dining room with state-of-the-art kitchen. The resident chef, Sampath, a former Sri Lankan national soccer team member, was happy to show us around. Fortunately for us, he also did the cooking at our villa several miles away.

A few gems for consideration when planning a visit to Tuscany:

1. Established chef and musician Seamus O’Kelly (below, with me and his lovely new wife Patrizia) will host you in his home and serve a delicious lunch prepared with local ingredients and paired with premium wine from his cellar. O’Kelly does not serve Irish fare. He is a South African in his third decade in Tuscany, recently having sold his restaurant near Siena. (He also owns a property near Lausanne, Switzerland, that is one of the world’s prolific Iris farms). Seamus is an entertaining character and master conversationalist. We are looking forward to seeing him this fall when he travels to the U.S. to host several private dinner events for longtime clients.

2. Casanova di Neri outside of Montalcino. Producer of premium Brunello di Montalcino and Wine Spectator’s 2006 wine of the year, a 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuovo (97 points). By appointment.

3. Ristorante di Poggio Antico. On the grounds of renowned estate vineyards. Casual setting. Friendly service. Try medallions of grilled wild boar with Poggio Antico’s 2001 Brunello ($88).

Avoid: The overhyped Il Canto, an upscale French dining destination in Siena’s Hotel Certosa di Maggiano. At about $136/person less wine, it was a marathon three-hour tasting menu featuring several truly bizarre (dare we say, funky) courses such as a sort of creme brulee of garlic. Service was tedious and the staff was not thrilled by the presence of my 10-year-old daughter. (Everywhere else we dined, children were welcome and accommodated).

For the uninitiated Santa Barbara County is an eye- and mind-opening experience. It opens your eyes to the reality that 100 miles north of Los Angeles might just as well be 1,000 miles. This truly is a get-away destination, whether you’re driving up from Long Beach or flying in from Chicago.

The Santa Barbara area opens your mind to a California “wine country” that is not yet overwhelmed by limousine tours and grandiose gated winery compounds (despite the enormous popularity of Hollywood’s take on wine fanaticism in the Santa Barbara-based film Sideways). Sure, thanks to the movie it is nearly impossible to stroll into The Hitching Post restaurant in the town of Buellton without a reservation, and there are definitely crowded stops worth avoiding on the “Sideways Tours” that came into existence after the film.

But, largely, my mind’s eye now associates Santa Barbara County with beautiful ocean views, rugged terrain, narrow two-lane roads that ribbon their way through vineyards and unspoiled open spaces, and memorable dining. And, of course, Bacara (left).

Lodging: Inside Bacara Resort & Spa

Less than 10 years old, Bacara has the look and feel of a venerable, established resort that might have attracted generations of overworked Hollywood moguls. It is certainly attracting the current mogul generation. The numerous high-end import autos lining the circular entryway are one sure sign. Bentley meets Rolls-Royce meets Porsche. (Our rented Town Car was parked by the valet in the lot out back!)

Bacara’s spa, according to the spouses, is exceptional and expansive, and its rooms are comfortably appointed. Even a non-suite feels reasonably spacious. We were surprised, however, that some of the invigorating bath soaps for sale at the spa were not placed, as a courtesy, by the tub.

Bacara is a series of three-story buildings tiered on a hillside above the Pacific Ocean, 10 minutes from the Santa Barbara airport. You will get plenty of exercise just walking from your room to the expansive lobby, where one evening a white-haired gent attending a conference sat down at a grand piano and performed a killer vocal rendering of Don McLean’s “American Pie”.

If you go during winter, expect to share the tranquility (or impromptu piano concerts) with corporate conferences and couples planning June weddings. The bellman told me the guests in spring and summer tend to be families and kids hanging out by the enormous pool (ringed by 26 private cabanas). There is an adults-only pool adjacent to the spa and the spa cafe.

For wine country explorers, you can begin with Bacara’s 12,000-bottle cellar. But the resort is located ideally for the more adventurous. Just west of Santa Barbara’s city limits, Bacara is within 30 to 60 minutes of the many premium wineries and vineyards in the region, including Bien Nacido, Brewer-Clifton, Dierberg, Fiddlehead, Foxen, Melville, Sanford and Sea Smoke.

Napkin Notes: The favorite dining stop was Bouchon on a side street in downtown Santa Barbara. (There is little reason to go downtown by day as Main Street is now lined by national retail and fast-food chains). Bouchon is casually elegant. The wine list is loaded with local gems. We loved a 2004 Foxen Julia’s Pinot Noir ($90). Try the Rack of Lamb. The fine cheese selection is worth a look, too. Our waiter David was efficient and hilarious. … Another A-list choice is The Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch, where diners are greeted by a lounge decked out in Ralph Lauren furnishings. We devoured delicious pork and veal chop dishes with a juicy ’04 Tantara Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir ($120). The plump “Iowa Pork Chop” is enhanced by a decadent helping of Colcannon mashed potatoes blended Irish style with cabbage and caramelized onions. Authentic. But you won’t regret choosing the braised veal chop atop herbs from the Ranch’s garden, gnocchi and butternut squash tossed in a light cream. … When you are out touring vineyards and tasting wines and lunch beckons, head to Sissy’s Uptown Café in Lompoc, where large sandwiches reign, and Los Olivos Café (Los Olivos) for fresh, fresh salads.