Comments on the style saloniste: A Trip to Bountiful

So wonderful to read your travelogue...I was suppo...

2010-09-12T05:04:46.720-07:00

So wonderful to read your travelogue...I was supposed to be touring San Fransisco this week but had to cancel....being born and raised on a vineyard near Bordeaux, i have no excuse for not being familiar with California wine as well.Thank you so much for your brilliant descriptions, photos, itinerary and recommendations....now I just have to plug it into my calendar.

Delightful messages, thank you for your thoughts. ...

2010-09-08T19:17:36.013-07:00

Delightful messages, thank you for your thoughts.

Dear Shiree--You must go up and visit Healdsburg (just for the wine salon alone)...though I think the peaches are in their last weeks. Delicious...peach icecream.

Hello, Champagne--my dear francophile, how lovely to hear from you. Yes...November in Healdsburg, definitely. It's a very chic small town, lots to see and lots of great people. You'll love it.

Square, Greetings to you--I do love my Canadian friends, some of my most faithful readers from the start. Your comments are so apt about hotel decor--and I am a perfectionist in this regard. I care about and notice (right away) the air...is it fresh and clean and pleasant...and the light. Les Mars is very Relais & Chateaux, and so the standard of service and amenities is high. Katie Ciocca takes it over the top. I found it very congenial and low-key.
my very best to you all, DIANE

What a lovely weekend you had. The hotel is utt...

2010-09-08T16:32:50.329-07:00

What a lovely weekend you had.

The hotel is utterly charming, and the design so beautifully suggests Gallic charm without becoming pastiche. I like to study hotel décor and service, because there one gets the best ideas for homes: rooms that are pleasant and bright, easy to maintain, classic, and details such as teapots that don’t drip and unpretentious drinking glasses that aren’t tippy or clumsy.

I’ve also been enjoying peaches the last two weeks, but haven’t made Bellinis for a few years. You’ve reminded me to do so for fall entertaining. Good idea, Diane.

You have such an admirable appreciation of nature, gardens, the harvests of the season, the country, and authentic foods. What a delight to read.

Thank you for another lovely post! Le Mars is exq...

2010-09-08T14:38:21.518-07:00

Thank you for another lovely post! Le Mars is exquisite. Your friend, Helga, did a beautiful job designing the interior.
I'm now rethinking our decision to spend a weekend in Napa for a weekend in Healdsburg this November.
xoxo, B

Hello Diane, Healdsberg is one of my most favorit...

2010-09-08T11:48:58.249-07:00

Hello Diane,

Healdsberg is one of my most favorite places! The wine country and San Francisco make northern California one of the most fabulous places in the world to live and work.

Thank you so much for a wonderful post. As always, your blogs are heads above the rest.

Speaking of peaches, I made the most delicious homemade peach ice cream this Labor Day weekend!

Your blog friend, Shiree Segerstrom

Oh, dear friends--how lovely to hear from you. I w...

2010-09-08T11:31:41.302-07:00

Oh, dear friends--how lovely to hear from you.
I write--and you find--and somehow the magic of the Internet connects us all...you in Belgium or Yountville or Canada or San Francisco or the East Coast or...Hong Kong.

Dear Ann--yes, highly recommend Les Mars, under the direction of Katie Ciocca. She's charming, intuitively hospitable, and adds a great flair to the hotel. I especially like the location: in a quiet corner, leafy, but near the square but not on it.

Good Morning, Greet-Ha...you would love this hotel...and it is precisely what you might encounter in Bordeaux or Orleans or Lyon. Love your blog and always find it inspiring.

Hi Gwen--so wonderful to hear from you. You must come out and visit us soon. Harvest is coming up.

Dear Ginny--well, aren't you lovely and generous. Wow, I am so moved. California Country--I wrote it twenty years ago, and it was my favorite book. I'm so pleased. Thank you.

Hi Janet--Yes, the label is graphic and modern. I saw Jean-Charles last night at the opening night gala of the Symphony here, and he is so excited by the blog feature. I'm a big fan of his energy and spirit, as you can tell.

Cheers to all...just wonderful comments, and so very truly appreciated. DIANE

Diane-Thanks for sharing some of your favorites in...

2010-09-08T11:01:41.730-07:00

Diane-Thanks for sharing some of your favorites in Healdsburg.I was visiting friends in Sonoma and took a daytrip over to H.(labor day weekend) what a beautiful place. Sorry I did not have your suggestions. Next time! you are the best!

Love the JCB wine label!!!

2010-09-08T08:54:17.545-07:00

Love the JCB wine label!!!

One always savors your posts; like the bounty of N...

2010-09-08T07:18:28.770-07:00

One always savors your posts; like the bounty of Napa and Sonoma, they nourish and surprise and leave a wish for more. I grew up in Suisun Valley and rode in my fathers old truck to take the grapes from our ranch to Christian Brothers. After reading of your latest visit to "Bountiful", I was compelled to open "California Country Style" and once again remind myself why I love and collect your work. My best, Ginny Yount

What a fun & wonderful trip! I'm putting ...

2010-09-08T06:32:27.471-07:00

What a fun & wonderful trip! I'm putting it on my list. Hope you have had a great summer. It has gone too fast. Hope you are well.

Diane, The Mars Hotel is of an exquisite beautines...

2010-09-08T02:15:50.143-07:00

Diane,
The Mars Hotel is of an exquisite beautiness! Completely my style! The rooms, that library room!! As you said it feels as you stay in a Loire castle! And I visited the Myra Hoefer website and discovered more of all those beautiful interiurs! You made my day!
xx
Greet

We have fond memories of Healdsburg. Next time, we...

2010-09-07T18:19:47.465-07:00

We have fond memories of Healdsburg. Next time, we'll have to stay at the Les Mars hotel- thanks for the tip!

-Ann
P.S. Thank you for your wonderfully thorough descriptions. We feel like we are there with you.

HI ALBAROSA-Well, you are right. I do invite my lo...

2010-09-07T14:06:38.741-07:00

HI ALBAROSA-Well, you are right. I do invite my lovely members along with me...and I write about it as if you were there. It was a wonderfully full and lovely weekend--and the bounty in my car (fragrance of peaches) kept me uplifted for the rest of the week.

Hi Katie-Thank you so much. I know you are very familiar with Healdsburg--and suddenly there new places, and new excitement...plus the old favorites like DOWNTOWN bakery...Boisset tasting salon is lots of fun and the staff there are polished and knowledgeable and incredibly nice and fun and helpful. You can imagine...guests arrive and linger for yours. The wine selection is fantastic and rare in the CA wine country...Hope to see you soon!

Oh my goodness Diane! This is a weekend from my dr...

2010-09-07T13:05:12.281-07:00

Oh my goodness Diane! This is a weekend from my dreams. Next time we head up that way, I will be looking into Les Mars! Thank you for such a treat!

Another delightful week-end at a very elegant but ...

2010-09-07T11:26:57.040-07:00

Another delightful week-end at a very elegant but under-stated hotel, delicious food, good company, superb wine tasting and going home with aceto, oil, wine, white peaches, my favorites. Oh just a moment, it was not me traveling...but for a few minutes I was there!