Best Western Cavelier Oceanfront Resort in San Simeon

The Devil Dog is on the road, on a ten day trip up the California coast thru Big Sur to the Marin County Coast and the Wine Country of Napa and Sonoma. We are here in San Simeon, just outside of Cambria, in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  We are staying at the greatest seaside bargain of the century...the Best Western Cavalier Oceanside Resort.  This is a typical coastal hotel except for one thing....one wing of rooms RIGHT ON THE BLUFF OVER THE OCEAN.  We have the second floor balcony, room 274, but in reality rooms 273 - 278 are all plum locations. The picture above is the view outside our balcony. Enough said.

Live Blogging - The California Coast

Today starts a new epic in the Devil Dog Travel blog. We begin a nine day trip up the coast of California, through San Simeon and the wonders of Big Sur, on the the coastal hideaways of Marin County, north of San Francisco...and on into the wine country of Sonoma and Napa.

Along the way we will be blogging semi-live, in real time, as we go. The  trip will include the usual array of amazing hotels, exquisite restaurants, and sights and sounds of a wondrous nature in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Join the Devil Dog as we cruise up the California coast over the next 10 days.  First up....San Simeon and Moonstone Beach.

Au Revoir Hotel Du Cap

And so we bid adieu to the south of France, to La Colombe d'Or, to Chateau St.Martin, and Tourrettes sur Loup, and ofcourse, to the magnificent Hotel du Cap Eden Rock.  The Devil Dog never tires of France, and looks forward to his return. Soon.....oh very soon!!!

Les Terraillers

Dinner on our last night in France at the end of an amazing trip was at the spectacular Michelin starred restaurant Les Terraillers, located in a former pottery factory just outside the walls of the medieval town of Biot.  Amongst other charming details, Biot was where Mick Jagger and Bianca had a house during the tumultuous recording of the Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street. But the Devil Dog digresses.
Les Terraillers is a revelation, a spectacular restaurant with style and grace.  A family affair celebrating 31 years of gastronomic perfection, head chef Michael Fulci has taken the reins from his parents, Pierre and Chantal, to prove that the Michelin apple never falls far from the tree. A truffle filled zuchini blossom, as seen above, is flawless, and lobster with a curry bisque is exceptional, but is only a warm up act for the Veal cutlest and broiled sweetbreads.  With just 14 tables, Les Terraillers is a triumph of Haute Cuisine and impeccable surroundings.

Renoirs last house...Cagne Sur Mer

On our last day in the south of France we visited the tiny village of Cagne Sur Mer, and then went to the last home Renoir lived in before he died in 1919.  Renoir was increasingly enfeebled by rhumatoid arthritis, and in the last years of his life had to have the brush planted into his claw like grip. In spite of these challenges, his painting did not suffer, and he remained prolific until the end.  In this house you can see his studio, exactly as it was when he painted in it 90 years ago.  In fact the house and grounds are remarkably intact, a living breathing reminder of a simpler life in the times of an artists we still revere today. The olive trees on the property, as seen below, are hundreds of years old.

Breakfast on the patio at Hotel du Cap

On our second morning at Hotel du Cap we took breakfast on the sweeping patio on the back deck of the grand Chateau, looking down on the rolling lawns leading to the sea. There were fellow guests, as we see in the photo above (can't have EVERY hotel to ourselves) and a remarkable sense of calm and ease as the morning air wafted with indelible freshness between the taste of crisp bacon and yet another cup of coffee on a morning that seemed to be suspended in eternity.

Bacon, the restaurant for Bouillabaisse

The restaurant Bacon is an institution in Cap d'Antibe. Run by the Sordello family for more than 50 years, this Michelin starred restaurant is widely known as the final word in bouilabaisse, the definitive fish soup that is a staple of the Riviera.  

Of course, along with the bouillabaisse comes the giant pink aprons, which are a necesary delight and quite the fashion statement. Bacon is wonderful, upscale, and quite relaxed, with excellent service.  We start with crisply sauteed rd mullets, a cerviche of sar ( a type of sea bream....and then the bouillabaise arrives in all its glory.  The Devil Dog is satiated.