You decide: Focus on Health, Relaxation, Rejuvenation or Everything at The Oaks at Ojai!


Disclosure: I was invited out to The Oaks at Ojai to experience myself.  This story is my experience. All opinions are my own.

As we go through life, we often times, get stressed out.  Whether it’s through work, raising children, or stress around money and paying the bills.  But sometimes, we need to get away from it all to find our center.  A place close to home, but far enough away where it feels like a real vacation.
Oaks-at-Ojai

For years, many say, people come to Ojai to reignite that energy within, to get inspired, and get centered in their own lives, and in Ojai, there just happens to be a place that helps get you there.

Let me introduce you to The Oaks at Ojai: a place unlike any other.  A destination spa, right in the heart of Downtown Ojai. This all-inclusive resort includes all meals, fitness classes, a spa sanctuary, pool, and more. The best part? You decide how you want to spend your time: On Your Health, On your Fitness, Relaxation,  Rejuvenation, or a bit of everything.
Cottage-Room-Patio

As you check in to your stay at The Oaks at Ojai, there are guest orientations throughout the day: one in the afternoon, and one in the evening, that gives you a full on tour of the resort, and all of its amenities.  Each day, a full schedule is offered that include fitness classes, morning hikes, meals, and at night evening activities such as Bingo, Movies, or guest speakers.

And of course, the rooms help relax you during your stay especially if you choose to stay in one of the Back Cottages behind the pool area:

Cottage-Rooms-Oaks-at-Ojai

                                      The Living Room Area of a Cottage Room at The Oaks at Ojai

Lets see the Ways in Which You Can Enjoy Your Time At The Oaks at Ojai:

Health:

All the meals they serve at the Oaks at Ojai are healthy meals, beginning with breakfast (7:45 to 9:15am).  Very simple that usually includes fresh fruit, oatmeal, a homemade muffin, and your choice of water, tea, or coffee for beverage.
Breakfast-Oaks-at-Ojai

Lunch is served at Noon daily, and the full menu is shown a day ahead of time.  If you need to make meal accommodations you can choose to do so at the front desk, and if you have allergies, or meal needs, they will take care of you.  They’re very accommodating at the Oaks.

Kale-Salad

Dinner is served during the hours of 6pm to 7pm in the dining room area where you are served.

During the hours of 8am to 11am, the health center is open where you can have a health conversation with a coach, weigh yourself, get your blood pressure check, and more.

They also offer full on weight loss and fitness programs for your personal needs.

Fitness:

Throughout the day various fitness classes are offered at The Oaks at Ojai.  Classes that take place in the water, in the fitness room, to afternoon Yoga and Meditation.
Fitness-Room

You can begin your day with a morning stroll, or a more intense hike throughout the beautiful town of Ojai, then come back for a complete breakfast.  You can continue the day taking various classes to help center yourself, and get yourself back into shape, or even introduce you to classes that you’ve always wanted to try before.

Outdoor-Pool-Oaks-at-Ojai

They are very accommodating in all of the classes making the experience very comfortable.  You can work to your level, and what is needed, no pressure to keep up at all.  And the best part?  All the other guests are right there with you, on their own journeys along the way.

Relaxation:

If you just need a place to getaway, to relax, in a nice quiet environment, The Oaks at Ojai very well caters to those needs too.  A full on Spa Sanctuary is available during the day until 10:30pm at night.  Offering a hot tub, steam room, and sauna to enjoy.  No males are allowed prior to 6pm, but they are able to use the facilities from 6:30 to 10:30pm each evening.

Spa-Sanctuary

There is also a full on Spa with Massage, Facial, Salon Services available for your relaxation needs.

Massage-Table

Rejuvenation:

But, more importantly, no matter if you’re just coming for a weekend, a full week, or even a month, The Oaks at Ojai will help find your center, and make you rejuvenated before heading back to every day life.

For more information about The Oaks at Ojai or to book your own Stay visit their website.

 

 

 

 

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An Adult Fall Drink: Cider Champagne!


A few weeks ago my other half and I headed up to Apple Hill in Northern California.  For those that reside in NorCal, this is the place to go to get your fall apple fix on.  Homemade Apple Cider Donuts, Apple Cider, Caramel Apples and so much more greet you in this area.

apples

The area has over 30+ Apple Orchards within the area that showcases its plethora of fruits.  Some orchards have you pick your own, others have the caramel apples, donuts, and everything else apple waiting for you.  It always makes for a fun weekend during the fall with loved ones.

ciderchampagne

While visiting one of the Orchards, we ran across Cider Champagne! We were hooked instantly and knew we had to recreate the fall beverage right at home:

Cider-Champagne

Ingredients:

Apple Cider/Apple Juice

Champagne (we used Cook’s Dry Brut)

Apples, to garnish

Directions:

Pour 1/2 Cup of Apple Cider/Apple Juice into glass

Pour 1/3 Cup of Champagne (Brut Style) into glass

Stir together then Garnish with Apple Slices.

Then enjoy!  We were pretty amazed on how well Apple Cider tasted with Champagne.  This has easily become one of our new fall favorites.  We’re hoping it will become one of yours too!

If you want to make an non-alcoholic version we recommend mixing together Apple Cider with Sparkling Apple Cider, that combination will make a sweet sparkler with a bit more flavor.

 

 

 

 

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Experience a Progressive Wine Dinner in Livermore Wine Valley!


Disclosure: I was invited out to experience Taste Our Terroir in Livermore!  This is my story and experience. All opinions are my own. 

Every July, the Livermore Wine Valley comes together to offer a fun event (Taste Our Terroir) focused around Food, Wine, and Fun showcasing all the offerings that their Livermore Wine Valley has to offer.  The Main Event, which helps to open up the Weekend Festivities happens on Thursday Evening with their “Grand Tasting.”

Area Chefs/Restaurants come together to offer some of their best bites paired with some of their favorite wines within the region.  Making it a fun night of food and wine, and it pretty much SELLS out every year!

The weekend events continue Friday through Sunday with fun seminars, lunches, and dinners at local wineries in the area.  This past year’s events included: A fun Wine Blending Lunch paired with Pizza, Several Wine Tasting Seminars, and Saturday night held their first annual Progressive Wine Dinner.

Livermore-Wine-Trolley

The Progressive Wine Dinner included 3 stops at local area wineries.  Between each stop, the Livermore Wine Trolley, which has been around for a little over a year, would transport us between each stop.

The night started off at Garre Vineyards and Winery at their new Restaurant location, Cafe Garre, at the top of the winery.  The restaurant is open year round offering fresh California Cuisine with a Mediterranean influence. The best part: Homemade foccacia bread.

Garre-Cafe

Many locals of the area were apart of the Progressive Dinner, and remininsced on when the Cafe use to be down on the grounds of the Vineyards, right next to the house.  The first course at Cafe Garre included an appetizer along with a beautifully made salad:

Peach-Salad

The Second Stop along the journey included a nice family seating dinner at Les Chenes Estate Vineyards. The couple behind this winery, Richard and Candice, are very hospitable and make lovely hosts.  Candice, sharing her homemade Chutney, which is also sold right on the property, along with a lovely dinner amongst the grapevines.  The perfect dinner right in their backyard with Cordon Bleu with their own homemade Chutney spread atop:

Cordon-Bleu

And of course, a favorite part of the evening were the views:

Les-Chenes-vineyards

The Golden Hour at the Les Chenes Estate Vineyards.  Very beautiful especially right after dinner.

The Third Stop of the evening took us to Eagle Ridge Vineyards where we were unloaded the trolleys and stepped inside a Garage.  Yes, a Garage.  The Garage was filled with a variety of antiques.  The owns of Eagle Ridge Vineyards kind of fell into winemaking, but their passion comes in creating Port Wines, which has become pretty popular in the Livermore Valley area.

This was our final destination of the evening, and also, the dessert round.

Lemon-Cheesecake

As Ports are known very well as a dessert wine, it only made sense that this is where we would end.

It was such a fun evening.  As you went to each stop you’d sit by new people, converse, and by the end of the night, possibly walk away with new friends, or a memorable evening.  The wineries really stepped up, and showed us an intimate view of their wines and their world.  I’d highly recommend partaking next July.

Livermore Wine Valley has some fun annual events every year including Taste Our Terroir Every July

The next big event is: Holidays in the Vineyards: December 5 & 6: 12-4:30pm each day.  A great way to shop for the holidays while enjoying the area wineries.

 

 

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