Paradise has its price

Sean O'Byrne
Contributing Writer
THERE’S no disputing
it — there is something
very appealing about
driving the Northern
California coastline,

w watching the whales

and sea lions, and stay-
ing in bed-and-break-
fast inns along the way.

There is also no denying
the fact that such romance, at
least for the Canadian in
America, is exclusive to the
affluent.

The truth is that the B &
B craze has caught like wild-
fire in this area, and no won-
der. To the urbanite, the
route followed by the Pacific
Coast Highway seems a step
into instant karma.

The road passes alternately
by a rugged and unforgiving
, coastline (all the more beauti-
* ful for its severity), exquisitely
peaceful agricultural tracts
reminiscent of rural Ireland,
and quaint artist towns right
out of New England
(Summer of 42 and The Birds
were both filmed here).

All this has its price,
though. Bed-and-breakfast
establishments dominate the
accommodations scene along
the coast, and their propri-
etors know exactly what kind
of commodity they possess.
So do their neighbouring
restaurateurs.

Inflated prices combined
with a frail Canadian dollar
scem to conspire to put such
a vacation beyond the reach
of the average income.

But with a few misconcep-
tions put aside and a few
“judicious choices, the budger
traveller can spend a very
pleasant and affordable vaca-
tion along this stretch cf nat-
ural splendour.

The first misconception
the traveller must face con-
cerns the nature of the Bed
and Breakfast Experience. In
Europe, B & B’s provide a
comfortable, intimate, inex-
pensive alternative to hotels.
Depending on the location,
they can be a tremendous
bargain.

In London, for instance, a
comfortable room in a vin-
tage Bloomsbury home can

..be had for half the price of a

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comparabie hotel. Not so in
America, Where vou pay extra
to experience the local ver-
sion vfa European B & B.
nthe quest to feel truly

Zontinental, vou can easily
spend several hundred dolfars
a night and enjoy chocolates
on vour pillow, a bottle of
wine in the minibar, and
antique furnishings in vour
room (none of which would
you find in Europe).

There are exceptions to
this rule, of course, but an
“inexpensive” (starting at
$75 US) B & B in northern
California is little more than
3 motel with breakfast on-
site.

Breakfast is often conti-
nental-style, nicaning coffec,
fruit and bread. Prices climb
for extras like chocolate on
the pillow or 2 full breakfast.
In addition, advance reserva-
tions (six weeks, preferably)
are necessary in summer
months, with a two-night
minimum stay often required.

Location also plays #
tremendous role in the price
you pay. Mendocino, 150
miles north of San Francisco,
is a beautiful logging town
turned artists’ colony.

Its streets are lined with
Victorian buildings, including
an inordinately large number.
of B & B’s. These begin at
$75 US per night for two,
the average price being weil
over $100.

There are no motels in the
town and the only hotel, the
ornate Mendocino Hotel, has
“European-style rooms”
(shared hall bathroom) start-
ing at $85. Rooms with a
bath start at $95.

But a 10-minute drive and
10 cents worth of gas brings
you north to Fort Bragg.

‘This town is often referred to

as Mendocino’s larger, work-
ing-class sister, but it offers
more to see and do at a lower
price. Fort Bragg has its share
of B & B’s and hotels, but it
also contains numerous clean,
quict, and inexpensive
motels, as well as reasonably
priced restaurants. The Fort
Bragg Motel, for instance,
offers double rooms from
$40 in the heart of the
restored historic old town.
Within walking distance,
the North Coast Brewing

- Company gives free daily

tours of their deservedly-pop-
ular microbrewery.

Across the strect, their
full-service brewpub serves,
substantial and tasty meals to
accompany their beers. The

Photo Sean O'Byme

MENDOCINO'’S working-class sister, Fort Bragg, offers more to see and do at a Sower price. A great place for
budget travellers to stay while visiting northern California.

Fort Bragg Grille, on the
main street near the motel
and brewery is a great place
for breakfast, as is s Headlands,
an art-coffechouse with jazz
in the evenings.

Nearby is Glass Beach, so-
named for its glittering array
of caloured glass, braken
bottles washed smocth by the
waves. These charms are not
meant to detract from those
of Mendocino, for it is truly a
town worth seeing for a few
hours. Bur the budget trav-
eller is advised to stay in Fort
Bragg.

Another belief, widely-
held bur not necessarily true,
is that dining out in the U.S.
is cheaper than in Canada.
The current death spiral of
the Canuck buck aside,
testaurant prices in California
are ofien as high, or higher,
than those found here.

When the exchange is fac-
tored in, well, that had better
be damn fine pasta for the
$18-20 you’re paying for it.
There are, again, exceptions.

Mexican restaurants tend
to be more reasonable, and
the taquerias, ubiquitous in
San Francisco, are obscenely
good deals. We ate at La
Cason Taqueria at 3919-Z4th
Street, ordering a single bur-
rito each for about $3 US a
piece. They were very good,
drawing upon various Latin
American cuisines for their
fillings, but so large that nei-
ther of us could finish our
meals. One of these monsters
can easily feed two average
peuple. This brings up several
points:

@ By trying small, unpre-
tentious ethnic restaurants,
you can expand your culinary
horizons without exhausting
your budget. Aram’s, an odd
find in the midst of the

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quaint Victorian town of
Petalumia, serves Armenian
and Mediterranean specialties
like Pomegranate Chicken for
$5-8 US. The food and ser-
vice are excellent and their
Armenian coffee must be
experienced, as description
cannot do it justice.

®& American portions,
even in health-conscious
California, are larger than
Canadian. Often, an appetiz-
er and a single entree will sat-
isfy nwo people.

@ Eating a lat= breakfast
and an early dinner can save
not only the cost of lunch,
but the time spent as well.
When you're on vecation
with limited time, who wants’
to spend half the day in
restaurants?

The time we spent in

Petaluma put paid to another
misconception with which we
had come armed: California
wine, by international stan-
dards, is expensive. Memories
of jugs of cheap California
burgundy were dashed by
restaurant wine lists and win-
ery tastings. Cheaper wines
like Gallo and Almaden are,
of course, still available in
supermarkets, but for vin-
tages you are better off to do
as the Romans do and buy
European. A 1997 Parducci
Cabernet Sauvignen at $17
US compares, for instance, to
a °97 Fortant de France
Cabernet Sauvignon for $10
US. The French is a better
wine at just over half the
price of the Californian. .
Similarly, in wine bars and
restaurants imported wines

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are consistently and consider-
ably cheaper than their
Californian counterparts.
Why this should be is beyond
me. If you really want to save
moncy, don’t buy a bottle in
a restaurant. Enjoy a glass
with dinner, then stop at a
liquor store on your way back
to your room.

Of course, the least expen-
sive way to see the northern
California coastline is to
camp. Whether you sleep in a
tent or an RV, Highway 1 is
dotted with campgrounds,
often in the most spectacular
locations.

Doran Beach, between
‘Tomales and Jenner, is a
stretch of protected wetlands
with camping facilities for

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Cruise Destinations

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