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An Uncrowded Slice of Paradise

10.26.10

By Greer Wylder

Not to take anything away from the tranquility and beauty of Hawaii, but on a recent trip to the St. Regis, Punta Mita, an exclusive resort destination just 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, I had to wonder why Hawaii is still the No. 1 vacation spot for Orange County travelers seeking romance, beaches, and luxury.

Or maybe that’s a good thing. The crowds have not overtaken Punta Mita. The St. Regis, Punta Mita is a one-stop oceanfront resort that satisfies all types of travelers seeking the finer things in life. You’ll find spectacular grounds, infinity pools, villas with terraces or balconies overlooking the Pacific Ocean complete with private outdoor showers, signature butler service, white sand beaches and three dining choices with world-class executive chefs preparing premium cuisine from fresh regional ingredients and local seafood.

What golfer could resist not one but two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses? The 19-hole Pacifico course with a famous three-par hole on a small island (at low tide, you can even ride a golf cart across the rocks and finish the hole) and the equally beautiful 18-hole Bahia course.

Spa enthusiasts will leave peaceful and serene after experiencing a world-class treatment at the Remède Spa, a 10,000-square-foot spa indoor/outdoor spa with tropical grounds. Relaxing white billowing curtains surrounding lounge chairs will put your mind at ease before or after treatments.

Wildlife and adventurists can enjoy nearby exhilarating diving, scuba, snorkeling, hump-back whale watching, and even fishing. Whether you indulge in homemade banana bread for breakfast, traditional Mexican dishes or California-style cuisine at lunch poolside, or enjoy international cuisine in the evening at Carolina, the fine dining room restaurant, (don’t pass up on the signature Caribbean Lobster). Even the most seasoned gourmand will be impressed with the cuisine served at the St. Regis dining options created by imaginative chefs working with an abundant amount of fresh local seafood, fresh organic produce and top-of-the-line Black Angus beef.

If you’re seeking a nearby excursion: here are some top choices in Punta Mita and Riviera Nyarit.

1. Order up a seafood feast at Tino’s while enjoying captivating views of the Pacific Ocean. Indulge in platters of barbecued shrimp, fresh lobster tail, crab legs, green mussels, grilled sea bass, and much more. Enjoy some fresh tortillas, salsa and a chilled cerveza and relax.

2. Sip on fresh margaritas at the Marina Riviera Nayarit which is destined to be one of the top marinas in Mexico welcoming travelers to the quaint fishing village.

3. Shop in Sayulita. With an abundance of shops, galleries, beach vendors, and local artisans, Sayulita can satisfy your need for furnishings, artwork, souvenirs, and gifts. Beach vendors carry a wide array of silver jewelry, hats and Mexican blankets while smaller stores offer plenty of traditional artwork and replicas.

4. Take an excursion to the Marietas Islands at the northern end of Banderas Bay, which provides a sanctuary for diverse marine and bird life. Whales, dolphins, giant manta ray, tropical fish, and indigenous birds such as blue-footed boobies and red-billed tropic birds form a unique and complex ecosystem in the shelter of these islands.

For toll-free reservations, call (877) 250-8871.

HOW TO WRANGELL ALASKA

10.22.10

By Joanne Tucker

Although Denali National Park is the most visited park in Alaska, don’t pass up the opportunity to visit the incredible Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve and the infamous Ma Johnson Hotel in McCarthy, which is a historic frontier town in the heart of this 13.2 million acre park.

Located in eastern Alaska between Fairbanks and Valdez, the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is America’s newest national park In fact, it is six times larger than Yellowstone National Park and bigger than Switzerland.

Populated by nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States and more than 150 glaciers, Wrangell-St. Elias is home to Alaska’s largest concentration of Dall sheep and the world famous Copper River red salmon.

Wrangell Park is More User Friendly Than Denali
Even though the park’s size may seem daunting, it is really more “user-friendly” for those seeking easy walking tours or extreme mountainous adventures than Denali.

At Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, you can hike to Root Glacier in less than two hours or leisurely stroll around the historic mining town of Kennicott. Ice and mountain climbers as well as day packers, have easy access to the Wrangell Mountains.

The park’s awesome scenery and abundant wildlife is more than impressive, but the highlight of our visit to this vast wilderness is the quirky town of McCarthy, the Ma Johnson Hotel, dining at the McCarthy Lodge and rubbing elbows with the locals in the popular Golden Saloon.

Once a thriving town a la the HBO miniseries Deadwood, McCarthy was revived in the 1950s as an outfitter town for adventure seekers and then in the 1980s became the central town for the newly-opened Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Flying to Wrangell-St. Elias
Has your adventurous curiosity been piqued? If so, all of this is just a flight away!

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve may be about 2,500 miles from the OC, but it’s just a plane ride away from John Wayne OC Airport to Seattle on Alaska Airlines and then onto Fairbanks or Anchorage.

We landed in Fairbanks and drove south to mile 82.5 on the Richardson Highway and another 32 miles east on the Edgerton Highway to the town of Chitina in less than a day. (From Anchorage, Chitina is also less than a scenic day’s drive, and the town can be quickly reached by shuttle and air charter services from Anchorage and Fairbanks.)

After a night’s stay at Gilpatricks Hotel Chitina, we boarded a single engine Cessna, owned and operated by the Wrangell Mountain Air Taxi, for a thrilling flight over thundering rivers, tall peaks and day-glow blue glaciers to the McCarthy gravel airstrip.

Expect the Unexpected in McCarthy
At McCarthy’s tiny air strip, we were whisked away by shuttle to the small town of McCarthy. (Or starting at Chitina, visitors can access McCarthy by car on the sixty-mile-long treacherous dirt road to the end of McCarthy Road.)

All we can say about this historic town is expect the unexpected. McCarthy is comprised of just two dusty streets. As you walk by a citizen’s garden, you may spy a brown bear or two foraging for this season’s tasty vittles. Tourists and dogs roam the streets of this remote wilderness town.

But McCarthy also has McCarthy Lodge (which is a restaurant and bar), Ma Johnson’s Hotel, a post office, a general store, a pizzeria, a snack/espresso bar, several other more rustic lodging accommodations, shuttle services to and from the neighboring town of Kennicott and fly-in charter services for glacier trekking, alpine hiking and river rafting.

McCarthy Lodge resembles a Hollywood movie set from the Old West, so were surprised to hear a James Beard featured chef stirs the pots and tends the fires at McCarthy Lodge’s kitchens. (Read more about this culinary adventure below under Culinary Craftsmanship in McCarthy.)

The Infamous Ma Johnson Hotel
In the mining days, McCarthy drew throngs of copper miners (think HBO series Deadwood) who looked for a hot time in the town’s saloons, gambling parlors and thriving red light district. The wayward McCarthy became empty in the late 1930s when the Kennicott copper mine went bust.

Today, McCarthy still retains that good-old-times vibe where locals hang out at the Golden Saloon and visitors savor good eats and conversation in the dining room of the McCarthy Lodge.

Across the street from McCarthy Lodge is the infamous Ma Johnson Hotel.

This hotel is where the roaring 1900s comes alive in its museum-quality antiques and yin-yang hunting lodge décor, which brilliantly showcases masculine blacks, brilliant reds, spruce greens, subtle roses, golden Victorian low lighting and rich dark woods. One can easily get that luxurious home-off-the-range feeling from the hotel staff’s warm hospitality, the inviting downstairs parlor and cozy guest rooms.

The parlor certainly captures the style that’s reminiscent of the post-Victoria era with ornate Oriental rugs, red-tiled tin ceilings, high-backed red velvet Victorian sofas and matching wing-backed chairs, sexy black lace curtains, floor-to-ceiling bookcases and antiques from McCarthy’s heyday.

Although the parlor’s authenticity may give guests a rare glimpse into the 1900s, this hotel is balanced with modern amenities such as custom bathrobes, handmade soaps, spa slippers and Modal linens. But don’t expect TVs or wireless access in the outback. The only energy systems in the hotel are electric outlets for charging batteries.

However, there’s one particular Ma Johnson Hotel experience that shows guests what it was like to live in the 1900s. Shared bathrooms! That’s right, for every two bedrooms, there is one modern fully-equipped bathroom down the hall.

The first floor has six guest rooms and three bathrooms while the second floor boasts ten guest rooms and three bathrooms. While most rooms have pedestal sinks, guests are always just one door from a bathroom.

Our cozy guest room was located on the second floor. It featured original handmade quilts on single black wrought iron beds (many rooms have full size beds), a pedestal sink, pink-and-green fabric covered walls and fascinating artifacts from the towns of McCarthy and Kennicott.

And after a good night’s sleep, we threw on our fleece-lined boots and soft hotel robes and headed to Ma Johnson’s charming bathroom before venturing over to the McCarthy Lodge for a buffet-style breakfast.

Venturing Into Wrangell Wilderness
Since McCarthy is an excellent jumping off point for exploration of the park, we boarded a van for a quick ride into the ghost town of Kennicott, where we sat on Kennicott Lodge’s front porch and viewed the beautiful Mt. Donohue, a peak which lies like an island between the two vast glaciers—the Kennicott and Root Glaciers.

Later, at the St. Elias Alpine Guides’ office, we began our five-hour jaunt onto the Root Glacier, where we carefully walked with crampons near bubbling streams and waterfalls and looked down into eerie deep canyon-like ravines. This tour includes lunch on the glacier and an excursion into the historic 14-story Kennicott mill building and other abandoned buildings.

Culinary Craftsmanship in McCarthy
Back in McCarthy, we freshened up for our extraordinary wilderness feast: a wine-paired ten-course chef’s table dinner in the old-fashioned dining room of dark woods and old pictures at the restored McCarthy Lodge.

Needless to say, our James Beard award-wining chef, Joshua Slaughter, prepared highly modern starters and entrées such as black cod on top of wild mushroom Asian style-dumplings, pan-seared halibut with tomato and fennel puree, a Copper River red salmon filet served with cabbage and candied apples, pork rib shoulder and loin with onion and apricot purée, rack of lamb and drunken leeks.

For dessert under still sunny night skies, Chef Slaughter offered a homemade mini apple pie and a deconstructed cheesecake with graham cracker crust and peach power. All starters, entrées and desserts were paired with phenomenal wines. Awesome!

A Visit to The Golden Saloon
No visit to McCarthy would be complete without downing a brew or two at the Golden Saloon, which is adjacent to McCarthy Lodge’s sophisticated, yet frontier-like dining room.

Yes, this is where locals and tourists alike gather for good food, free billiards and great music. We ordered Alaskan beers at the saloon’s bar, which still has its original long wooden full back and front bar from the 1900s. Truly, The Golden Saloon has a warm and relaxing vibe for a good-ole-time finish to a superb evening in McCarthy, Alaska.

In the morning, we were ready to board a Cessna for another exciting flight over snow-capped peaks, across rivers of ice and rocky ridges. From our plane, we saw Dall sheep standing on thin ribbon of granite and abandoned fishwheels in the Chitina River.

Getting Back Home
After a successful landing at the Chitina airstrip, we drove to Anchorage for a flight back to the OC.

Even though Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve may be off the beaten path, it’s more than worth a visit to experience the unexpected at the eccentric town of McCarthy.

However, the magnificence of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve can never be described in worldly terms, yet its wild spirit lives on every time we remember the park’s massive snow-covered mountains, walking on the wondrous Root Glacier and the wildlands draped in the fall colors of reds and oranges.

Joanne Tucker is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif.

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