Unique Vacation Spots in Northern California

Traveling to unique places is just a stone's throw away from Granite Bay. Here are three magical vacation spots within driving distance that are perfect for summer.

Calistoga

If you ever wanted to indulge in a mud bath, now's the time to do it. There are several spas in Calistoga that offers this unique cleansing and detoxifying experience. Dr. Wilkenson's is one of them and they also have affordable overnight accommodations for the deeply relaxed. Golden Haven Hot Springs Spa is more middle of the road as far as pricing. Couples enjoy mud baths in private treatment rooms featuring the mud bath, hot springs, Jacuzzi tub soak and blanket wrap. Plus, they offer massages and herbal facials. For something more upscale, try the Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa for the ultimate experience.

Yoga Farm
Connect with your inner-self this season with a yoga and meditation retreat at the Yoga Farm in Grass Valley. They offer a variety of special workshops, from vegetarian cooking and chanting to juice fasting and karma yoga. You'll spend the nights in your own exclusive cabin, and you'll appreciate their spotless facilities. The Yoga Farm even offers programs for the kids. “Om,” anyone?

The rugged Pacific coast beckons. Sunlight filters through the eucalyptus trees and grassy knolls. The sea wind clarifies your thoughts as dreams turn into reality. It's the unspoiled beauty of Mendocino County. There is so much to do there. Visit the Point Arena Lighthouse and the B. Bryant African Hoofed Animals Preserve. It's quite unexpected to see a zebra grace the coastline and antelopes and kudu grazing on the hillside. As far as accommodations, you'll be especially pampered at the luxurious Heritage House in Little River ($600 per night and up). Their suites feature a fully stocked wine cellar along with crystal decanters filled with the finest cognac and brandy. Restaurants? Café Beaujolais and the Phoenix Restaurant both offer primo cuisine for the most discerning of palates. Make sure you hit the boutiques in downtown Mendocino.

You certainly don't have to travel very far from home to enjoy some of the good things in life.

Channel Islands

Information about channel islands.
The Channel Islands is off the shore of California and, consists of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Barbara, and has over 249,000 acres of land including bodies of water. It is home to over two thousand different species of plants and animals.

The key habitats are mainly kelp forests, rocky intertidal and sandy beaches. The Key species are Snow Plovers, Red Abalone, Near shore rock fish, and Northern Elephant Seal. The depth ranges from 0-3200 feet and the waters have high nutrients levels.

A possible food chain is brown algae->kelp crab->sunflower star->California spiny lobster->sea bass->northern elephant seals->killer whales.
Scientists have been studying large extensive beds of sea grass called eel grass, this is extremely important for the habitat.

In 1978 during the warm water years wasting disease destroyed populations of shallow water echinoderms in southern California. It had the most effect on sea stars, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars.

This disease was highly contagious and was caused by a bacterium of the genus Vibrio.

Traveling? Make your experience better by following some basic steps.

Sometimes it can be stressful when traveling. Just thinking about the thought can give you a headache. But really, traveling should be just as easy as taking a vacation. There are some mandatory things that should be done before leaving for your destination, no matter where you are going.

The most important tip before leaving home is to write down all of your information. This includes your phone number, destination name, flight numbers, airport name, and other information that may be of importance. If you happen to run into trouble when abroad, someone will be able to properly contact you. Next make sure you know where you are going, especially in airports.

They can be big. You can find layouts of different airports online. This will help you in being able to find your gate number quickly and efficiently. It is manditory that you also look at the airport travel guide before traveling. Many things have been limited and prohibited from being taken with you.

It is a good idea when taking lots of luggage to properly tag them, just in case they get lost. Also mark your bags with something that you can identify them by, such as with a piece of ribbon or tape. Once you arrive to your destination, it is a good idea to call back home and let everyone know you have made it.

San Francisco City Hotel: AAA Ratings

Planning to visit San Francisco City and stay at one of the many hotels they have, you might want some information on the types and styles of hotels.
Hotels offer new and exciting ventures to attract the guest to their hotels. The one thing everyone needs to remember, you do not need to spend a lot of money in order to receive comfort, clean, and good amenities when selecting a hotel in San Francisco City.

Hotels count on attracting guests with special pricing packaging deals and clean and safe accommodations. For the most part, hotels receive ratings from various sources when the rooms and overall hotels condition from a hotel inspection results. This rating helps to inform the public about the condition and if the hotel should be considered for your accommodations.

The Ratings of Hotels in San Francisco City

The standard hotel rating system rates a room on a scale from one to five with five being the best and one being poor. How the hotel receives a rating, depends on the cleanliness and other conditions. The one type of rating coming from AAA is the diamond rating. The other rating comes from Travelocity in the rating by stars. Of these two ratings, both receive inspections and yearly updates for consideration and inclusion into the rating groups.

The Diamond Rating for San Francisco City Hotels

Five diamonds represents sophistication and luxury with first class accommodations. Services exceed expectation and customer service with a high degree of professionalism. Four diamonds represents upscale facilities with more refined in the style and décor. High levels of customer service any many amenities with good hospitality receives this rating.

Three diamonds means the hotel appeals to the guest with marked upgrades in comfort and amenities along with quality of physical attributes. Two diamond accommodations appeal to a guest who requires more than the standard accommodations as they have moderate pricing with some amenities. The one diamond rating represents budget traveling with the basic needs with no added amenities, yet clean and comfortable on a budget.

Therefore, as you can see the difference in diamond rating and it does not the hotels are bad if they have a one-diamond rating or a five-diamond rating. To summarize the diamond rating gets down to style, luxury, hospitality, customer service and pricing.