Welcome to the Hotel California

Yesterday I set off to visit the legendary Hotel California in Todos Santos, Mexico.  The Eagles made this song famous in the 70’s|(listen to it here on YouTube as performed at the 2007 Grammys.)  According to the locals - Todos Santos was a town that the Vietnam draft dodgers escaped to in the late 60’s.  When communicating with home they would discreetly say they were staying at ‘The Hotel California’, hence the words of the song:

“We are all just prisoners here
Of our own device……
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave……”

The drive to Todos Santos from my Hotel (on the Los Cabos Beach corridor) is approximately 1 hour, on the two lane Highway 19.  I bravely rented a car for the day and set off on my adventure only to get lost before I left Cabo San Lucas.  It turned to to be an interesting diversion, as I got to see the area of town where the locals live, which I might not have seen otherwise. Back on Highway 19, which is undergoing construction, the speed limit is posted at 60 km per hour or 80 km per hour.  I soon found out that was only a ‘suggested’ speed limit, as I had huge semi transport trucks right on my bumper and passing me on this narrow highway on a solid yellow line.  Once I sped up to the going speed of 110 – 120 kms per hour I fit in nicely.

There were two stops that my Mexican Personal Assistant told me that I had to stop at:  Art & Beer for their famous drinks & decor,  and Miguel’s for authentic Mexican food.  Visiting the Hotel California was the anti-climax of the trip as it was very touristy, but the Pina Colada and appetizers at Art and Beer, and the Chili Reno at Miguel’s were unforgettable.

The bartender at Art and Beer making his famous Clamato drink (above.)  It has 17 ingredients and could constitute a entire meal.  These are the ingredients, if you want to give it a try: Tomato juice, orange juice, worchester sauce, soya sauce, lime juice, hot sauce. wasabi, dijon, horseradish, oyster sauce, small scallops, clams, cracked shrimp, celery, celery salt, Vodka, ice. 

Me with my Pina Colada - it was sooooo good / Appetizers of squid & scallops and clams on the half shell

The Pina Colada was served in a pre-frozen half pineapple, with appetizers of fresh clams on the half shell, and a separate plate of baby squid and the smallest, tenderest scallops – both were topped with Mexican hot sauce.  In Mexico when you order a drink you automatically get something to eat with your drink.  This time I got a full meal with my Pina Colada.  The seafood was fresh caught locally that morning.

Art & Beer on Highway 19 – Todos Santos in distance
      
The seating area at Art & Beer / Umbrellas from drinks along with business cards placed on the posts throughout Art & Beer

      
You can lounge in hammocks while enjoying a Margarita 

   
The view from Art & Beer towards the Sea of Cortez

  
Cactus and Succulent at Art & Beer

Hotel California Todos Santos / Mannequin in lobby of Hotel California 

Me and Miguel in his namesake restaurant – Todos Santos  

My final stop of the day before heading back was at Miguel’s Restaurant in Todos Santos to try one of his acclaimed Chili Reno’s.  Miguel and his wife started their restaurant 9 years ago with two tables and it has grown into a renowned establishment with recent press in the NY Times and LA Times.  The food is authentic Mexican – Miguel’s two sisters and aunt were cooking in the kitchen, and I was lucky to get to see my Chili Rellenos prepared. The decor is traditional with dirt floors and typical thatched roof.

Miguel's Chili Relleno
Fry the green chilies in a fry pan to brown the skins to make them easy to remove. Discard the seeds and pulp inside.  Dip the chilies into boiling water (to remove the hotness).  Stuff with cheese.  Beat up an egg white and dip the chili into and then coat with fine bread crumbs, fry until golden brown and the cheese inside melts.  Serve with rice and brown beans. 

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Simple Patterns Made Into Stunning Style

Patterns play a huge part of our lives and although you may not be a 'pattern person' and prefer plain fabrics for your home, there is something simply stunning about stripes and zigzags which is almost mesmerising.

Blue stripes on a white background give a nautical look which is very on-trend this year. Choosing lightly quilted bedspreads king size of course, provides a sleek and stylish way to give your bed and your bedroom the 'wow' factor.

These colour combinations also provide a crisp, clean look to the room, add the bed canopy with a slightly smaller stripe and the eye is automatically drawn upwards, which is a great way of making ceilings appear higher.

The all important finishing touches need to be kept with the same crisp, clean lines and yet adding a different pattern in such a subtle way is the perfect answer to having a beautifully made made bed and a stunning bedroom to-boot.

If blue is not your preferred colour the same effects can be achieved using just about any other colour teamed with white to get the clean look. Red striped adds a touch of drama and romance which is ideal for bedrooms, just remember that the darker the stripes the more of an impact they will make.

Image: Absolutely Beautiful Things

Sex and the City 2

I don't know what I am more excited about, the fashion or the interiors!  I have seen some images of the movie starting to pop up on the web and I wanted to share them with you.  Whether you are a Carrie, Samantha, Miranda or Charlotte I think we can all appreciate the great fashion.  I myself am a huge Carrie fan and she can do no wrong in my eyes when it comes to her fashion sense.  I wish I

Best laundry room ever....

After a weekend hassling around with our old washer and dryer (which now manage to get unbalanced anytime I try to wash or dry more than a few items at a time), I'm dying for one of the new high-tech versions from Electrolux, which wash and dry a load in as little as 36 minutes (allegedly). While I'm at it, I'd perk up my now very beige and white space with the turquoise models and cover the

Hola from Los Cabos

  

Warning: Depending where you are when you are reading this, you might feel a tinge of envy, but let me preface this post by saying that this vacation is just what I am needing to recharge and ‘smooth my feathers’... I am sitting on a beautiful sunny beach in Los Cabos, Baja Mexico sipping a Margarita and eating a pizza with Mexican hot sauce ....two weeks of bliss….with lots of  time to waste away in Margaritaville.  The resort I am staying at is situated on a magnificent private coral beach with 6 swimming pool, 3 restaurants, and a world famous Wine Therapy Spa with treatments called vinotherapy (more on that in another post.) I arrived late Sunday, and on Monday I did not leave the pool deck. I was totally mesmerized by the warm ocean breeze, the sound of the surf, and the reflections in the infinity pool.

Mexican Pizza with Hot Sauce & a Lime Margarita
The bird in the background was trying to get a bite of my pizza.



 

Wildlife at the pool.

This iguana has a good thing going. He slinks under the deck chairs and waits in prey for any unattended food that he can pilfer. The first time I noticed him (or may it is a ‘her’) he had a slice of tomato in his mouth, bigger than the size of his head, and was scurrying across the pool deck back to the safety of his rock to devour it. It quite shocked me the first time I saw him, but over the course of a few days the more I saw him the more familiar he became.

 

The resort is at the bottom of a high outcropping of rock. Walking back to my room these are some of the view corridors to the ocean. My favourite time of day is in the late afternoon, when the sun is lower in the sky and casts dramatic shadows.

        
Shadows on the trunk of a palm tree

One of the restaurants is situated on the edge of the ocean and is lit entirely by candle light where Chef Gerardo Rivera reigns supreme. The service staff bring flashlights to look at the menu. For my main course I had the most delectable local Sea Bass firewood cooked with tomato chunks, lemon grass and cilantro accompanied by a glass of Chateau Camou, El Gran Divino”, (Late Harvest). For dessert I waited patiently for the 20 minute cooking time for the Chocolate Bomba scented with Cardamom and Bitter Chocolate, which was baked in a wood oven. In Spanish -  Bomba de chocolat amargo y cardomomo.

Chocolate Bomba baked in a wood oven.

One of the paths to the beach / Private deluxe beach cabanas

 
An early morning walk on the beach

The waves washing up on the beach (left) / The waves receding (right)

 
Coral Reef Beach
Wish you were here!!!!

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm  in Vancouver, Canada who blogs about WHAT'S HOT  in the world of Interior Design.
2010 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™