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ROMANTIC KORAKIA FOR PALM SPRINGS RESTAURANT WEEK!

05.31.11

Review by Sue Facter

Thousands of miles away from Morocco’s Tangiers, Korakia Pensione is the perfect exotic Palm Springs desert retreat for those seeking solace, romance and undeniable beauty. And, Korakia may be the best place to stay during Palm Springs Restaurant Week, which is coming to the desert June 3-12.

So why Korakia Pensione? This glamorous, yet down-to-earth bed and breakfast inn has no TVs, phones, clocks or kids. Located at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains, Korakia was built in 1924 for elitists from the worlds of movies, art and writing, Modeled after a Moroccan villa, Korakia has been a desert hideway for painters (Gordon Counts), heads of government (Sir Winston Churchill) and Hollywood stars (Errol Flynn, Rudolph Valentino).

Historic Property Turned Romantic Boutique Hotel

Rescued from disrepair in 1989, the 1.5-acre Korakia was completely revamped to include both Moroccan- and Mediterranean-style villas, bungalows, guest houses, gardens, fountains, stone waterfalls, outdoor beds, cushioned stone couches, pools, lanterns and fire pits. The courtyard was replanted as a lush citrus grove where guests leisurely relax for breakfast (complimentary each day!) or Moroccan mint tea. Certainly, a walk around Korakia enlivens the senses and relaxes the spirit with its citrus blossoms, olive trees, oleander bushes, date palms and bougainvillea vines.

Guests enter the property through two ornately-carved Moorish wooden double doors. Inside, antiques and handmade furniture compliment every room and create an environment that is romantic, spiritual, magical and relaxing. Speaking of relaxing, Korakia also provides yoga classes, bicycles and a bocce ball court.

Korakia features 16 Mediterranean and 13 Moroccan “villas,” all of which have a unique theme and complementary décor. We happily stayed in the Bedouin Suite. This one-bedroom suite had a huge stone indoor-outdoor tub and private patio for drying in the sun au naturel. Although our ground-floor suite was lovely, we prefer the second-floor suites because they look over the property and give an even better sense of desert beauty, privacy and seclusion.

Palm Springs Restaurant Week

Want to spend your money on a getaway to Korakia and save some money on fabulous food at the same time? Palm Springs Restaurant Week runs June 3-12 and features special three-course menus priced at just $24 or $36 (excludes beverages, tax and gratuity).

Need some restaurant recommendations? We visited the following Palm Springs restaurants and here are our picks:

Joannes Bacher, owner/chef Johannes is known for his Euro-Austrian cuisine. Besides schnitzel and seafood dishes, one of his specialties is a delicious red sangria.

Didier Tsirony, executive chef at Kaiser Grille on Palm Canyon Drive, concocts Modern American dishes such as a cappuccino appetizer with succulent mussels hidden in the mug with goat cheese foam floating atop.

Jakes Palm Springs, which is named after owner Bruce Block’s dog Jake, is a terrific al fresco stop for a watermelon salad and toothsome ribs (with pineapple teriyaki sauce!).

Andrew Manion Copley, owner/chef Copley’s on Palm Canyon wore a traditional chef coat and a pair of madras Bermuda shorts at his happy hour class. We dined al fresco with linens, crystal and silver. He was so informative we felt like we were watching the Cooking Channel with recipes for Thai curry, ginger-scented creamed corn and basil ice cream. Copley uses ingredients from his herb garden, which is located just a few feet away from the dining room.

A festive luncheon was hosted by the Delgado family at Las Casuelas Terraza. Margaritas flowed with authentic Mexican tacos, tamales and tostadas. The restaurant’s “tequila hall of fame” boasts one of the most extensive tequila lists north of Mexico.

Mister Parker’s at the Parker Hotel (where Beyonce and JZ just dined) is low key, sexy and dark. The food is just as sumptuous.

Melvyn’s, which is located inside the Ingleside Inn (a preferred spot for old-time Hollywood) specializes in a tableside-prepared Kahlua flan. If you come here just for this dessert, you can sit in the piano bar where live music plays in the evenings and servers don white tuxes.

Circa 59 is the signature restaurant at the very glamorous Riviera Resort & Spa. Located just off Palm Canyon Drive, this indoor-outdoor dining venue boasts Modern American comfort food fare and is especially known for its lavish desserts such as rice pudding (with rhubarb compote), crème brulee crepes (with fresh peaches) and a bittersweet chocolate tart (with sour crème gelato).

Sue Facter is a luxury travel connoisseur who owns a news agency that contributes to international publications, broadcast and the web. Follow her on Twitter @TheFacter.

WHY THINK ALISO CREEK FOR AN AFFORDABLE BEACH GETAWAY

05.26.11

Review by Sheryll Alexander

If you don’t think you can afford a summer getaway to absolutely gorgeous Laguna Beach, then you have yet to consider the truly affordable Aliso Creek Inn, which costs around $100 a night and is situated just steps from the super posh The Montage Resort and the super scenic Aliso Creek State Beach.

So, the humble Aliso Creek Inn doesn’t have the glitz of The Montage nor the charm of South Laguna’s many smaller boutique hotels.

In fact, it seems this 60-suite “resort” is barely hanging onto the sides of the still teaming Aliso Creek with apartment-like “townhomes” also decaying a bit in this rather wild environment of water, wind, peaks, valleys and wildlife.

Still, Aliso Creek Inn has two very important things going for it: affordability and a prime (and very peaceful!) South Laguna location.

Aliso Creek Inn & Aliso State Beach

For more than three decades, Aliso Creek Inn has been hosting guests in one of the most scenic by-the-sea canyons in California. Aliso Canyon is so tiny, in fact, that only Aliso Creek Inn and its lush golf course can fit while a few stunning Laguna mansions still cling to the valley's scenic cliffsides.

And if the awe-inspiring cliff and valley views aren’t enough, the utterly beautiful Aliso Creek State Beach is a meandering 10-minute walk from your room. Yes, just follow the very natural and always full Aliso Creek down a country lane to busy Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

Next, cross the creek at a beautiful vintage concrete bridge, go down a few steps, walk through a fairly safe under-PCH tunnel and you are right on the sand. A cool kiddie playground is on your left, the creek empties into the pounding Pacific surf on your right and straight ahead is a to-die-for white sand and ocean view.

Unfortunately, the accommodations aren’t exactly what an upscale traveler would expect in this posh South Laguna neighborhood. We were surprised to find our two-story Aliso Creek Inn “townhome” was perfectly suitable to our needs, but the dark 70s architecture with few windows and unimaginative lines was rather hideous. And although the furniture was a bit outdated, our townhome-like accommodations (two rooms upstairs, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining area and a full kitchen) were pretty cool and definitely functional, especially for families.

How did we enjoy a car-less family getaway at Aliso Creek?

We bought provisions at the nearest grocery store (a very nice Vons inside Aliso Creek Shopping Center just a couple of minutes by car) and made a lovely breakfast each morning. Then, we headed out for a walk to Aliso Creek Beach for some play time. For lunch, we walked to the aforementioned shopping center for a quick bite at ZPizza, Ruby’s Diner or Baja Fresh. We returned to the resort’s kid-friendly pool and adult-friendly jacuzzi for some more water fun. We mostly ordered dinner to be delivered at night, watched a movie on the TV and then fell blissfully asleep after a long day of fun in the sun.

Dining In and Around Aliso Creek

For those romantics and foodies, Aliso Creek Inn is the perfect place to stay for a South Laguna food and wine discovery. A leisurely 15-minute walk (up a somewhat steep hill) from your room, The Montage Laguna Beach is perhaps OC’s most famed foodie destination.

The Montage takes food and wine to a high art. Whether you choose to dine in its signature Studio restaurant or at The Loft, The Montage makes every meal memorable with fine ingredients, local organic produce, world-class chefs, excellent service and an always-on-hand sommelier.

If you don’t have lots of money to spend on fine dining, we recommend ordering a cocktail, wine or champagne in the resort’s lovely ocean view lounge living room. While the piano plays, you sit in a lovely Mission-style chair, sip your drink (and eat free savory nuts) and watch the beauty of Treasure Island cove’s golden cliffs, black rocks and pounding surf.

Or, breeze past The Loft’s fourth floor main dining room and sit across from the cheesemonger’s charming “cook” station. Surrounded by more than 100 honeys, compotes, nuts, international cheese and other accoutrements, a highly-educated cheesemonger and chef puts together a fabulous cheese, wine and honey tasting for our table that did not break the bank.

Directly across from The Montage is Aliso Creek Shopping Center. In this upscale strip mall by the sea, you can find just about anything you need for your Aliso Creek kitchen at a for-the-rich Vons Pavilions grocery store as well as takeout food (ZPizza, Baja Fresh), fast casual restaurants (Ruby's dinner cooks up breakfast, lunch and dinner) and one new fine dining gem, Nancy Wilhelm’s Starfish Laguna.

Need to restock your cellar or need emergency supplies? The center also has a CVS Pharmacy, which sells rather decent wines as well as hard liquors and beers. This pharmacy and general store is also a good place to stock up on cheap beach equipment such as chairs, towels, hats, flops, bags, boogie boards and skim boards.

Want to enjoy some night life, but don’t want to worry about driving tipsy? Located just a few miles north of Aliso Creek, Mozambique will send a car for you and drive you back (within five miles of the restaurant). It’s true. This delicious fine dining restaurant and hip upstairs “shebeen” lounge with live music makes your drink-all-you-want dreams come true. After a little too much partying, it only takes about five minutes for Mozambique’s driver to drop you off at the door to your temporary Aliso Creek “townhome."

Golfing at Aliso Creek

Although Aliso Creek’s golf course isn’t the best in Orange County, it still holds a dear place in many a golfer’s heart. You see, this nine-hole, 83-acre course is built around one of the most beautiful little valleys in the region.

The scenery alone makes a round of golf at Aliso Creek a pleasant experience. We visited on a sunny Sunday morning and noticed lots of happy twosomes and foursomes enjoying a relaxing round amongst the spectacular cliffs, abundant foliage, wooden bridges, real creek and bright greens on the valley floor.

We chatted it up with some folks waiting to tee off and they love Aliso Creek’s nine holes for the way it “winds it way up the canyon” and “feels like a real golf experience” in less than two hours. They claim to see deer, bobcats, raccoons and other wildlife (especially birds) along the way.

We breakfasted at the resort’s Ben Brown’s 10^th Hole, which is an indoor-outdoor snack shop at the first hole. Although this place is touted as a “great place for breakfast, snack or lunch,” don’t believe the hype. Sure, you can pick up a bag of chips and a refreshing beverage, but save your money for a meal nearby at Baja Fresh, ZPizza, Ruby’s Diner or better yet the newest South Laguna hot spot -- the Starfish Laguna bar.,

What about a spa day? Don’t miss a day at The Montage Spa. Book a treatment and you can spend all day lounging in the men’s or women’s locker room, which features a decadent indoor-outdoor gender-specific jacuzzi with waterfall and nearby cold plunging pool as well as its own outdoor pool for laps and a luxurious and well-stocked locker room.

Need another reason to consider Aliso Creek Inn? All of the diversions of north, downtown, South Laguna, Dana Point and even San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano are but a short car (or bike) ride away. And yet somehow, you still feel a million miles away from civilization when visiting this resort and the spectacular natural setting of this historic by-the-beach canyon.

Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, California.

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