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Cafe Aquatica (Jenner) (Sonoma County)

Address: 10439 CA-1 Jenner, Ca. 95450

Cafe Aquatica is a relaxing beach shack situated on a rocky hill just above the Russian River estuary in Jenner, California which offers stunning ocean and river views with fresh local organic ingredients. The small coastal town of Jenner is located on the Pacific Coast and situated close to the mouth of the Russian River. Jenner is also known as Jenner-by-the-sea. The Cafe Aquatica is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from San Francisco via US-101 North and CA-1 ( 84 miles). Cafe Aquatica is open for business 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Our drive to Cafe Aquatica in Jenner was a very fun, scenic, and winding road. The beautiful panoramic view of the ocean during our travel was well worth the challenging drive. We saw a lot of dairy farms, cows, cheese, and local creamery stores on our way to the restaurant. We also drove by at a small, quaint coastal town called Bodega Bay where they filmed the movie by Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. We were lucky enough to find a parking space in front of the Cafe. The interior and exterior design of the Cafe is like a Gypsy sea-hut decor. As of now, the Cafe only has outdoor seatings available due to Covid safety practices. We first had to order our food over the counter and were given a pager to inform us once our food is ready. The server called our names and we had to pick up our food at the counter window. The place wasn’t too busy so we were able to find a table in the covered patio and later moved to a table closest to the water. The Cafe has a very relaxing, cozy, and peaceful ambiance. There was a singer/entertainer that performed live music near the covered patio or deck during our visit.

My wife ordered the healthy Pesto Portabello Sandwich with toasted Foccacia, balsamic roasted mushrooms, tomato greens, pesto aioli, served with side pickles for $12. As for my daughter, she had the famous and delicious Local Dungeness Carb Roll for $15. And lastly, I ordered the Smoked Lox Bagel with a toasted bagel, cream cheese, salmon lox, greens, and seeds for $12. As for our drinks, my wife ordered the Pinot Noir red wine while my daughter and I had the strawberry and orange seltzer water.

Overall, we enjoyed our relaxing and California Dreaming experience at Cafe Aquatica, especially with all the outdoor patio tables and chairs overlooking the beautiful ocean, gorgeous sunset, and the Russian River. Nothing compares to eating outdoors with your family on a nice sunny day with good quality food, relaxing ambiance, live music, stunning ocean and river view.

Tips: No reservations are needed for breakfast and lunch since it’s on a first-come, first-serve basis. Watch out for oncoming cars on both sides of the main road when coming out from the parking lot in front of the Cafe. You can rent kayaks, paddleboards, etc in the Visitor Center close to the Cafe. There’s also a local gas station and kayak rental booth across the Cafe. Live Music is available only on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s also a nice restaurant a few minutes away from the Cafe called River’s End with an amazing panoramic view of the ocean and the river.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Cafe Aquatica after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe.

Click here to find a hotel close to Cafe Aquatica in Jenner.

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Railroad Park Resort and Dining Car Restaurant (Siskiyou County)

Address: 100 Railroad Park Rd, Dunsmuir, CA 96025

The Railroad Park Resort and Dining Car Restaurant was built in 1968 and is located in the town of Dunsmuir, California. Dunsmuir is a union pacific “Train Town” that was a thriving railroad community during the golden era and located in the Shasta Cascade. In 1968, the Park Railroad owner started the Caboose Hotel business in Northern California. The old and authentic caboose or rail cars were collected and preserved during the Rail era. The old, antique rail cars were all converted into a unique, and comfortable units for visitors to stay in.

It took us about 4 hours and 20 minutes (274 miles) to drive from San Francisco to Railroad Park Resort via I-5 North towards Mt. Shasta. The Railroad Park Resort is situated on 50 acres of land and each caboose is separated from the other. The Railroad Park is the only hotel in Dunsmuir that offers 23 cabooses, RV hook-up sites, tent campsites, and vintage cabins. We were surprised to see that they also have a unique, and vintage dining car restaurant on the premise. Some of the Hotel’s amenities are a dining car restaurant, free Wifi, free parking, game room, vending machine, hot tub, outdoor pool (closed during winter), gift shop and campsite.

Upon our arrival, we went directly into the main office and also a gift shop to check in. I already contacted the Hotel a few days earlier and asked them if they can set up something inside our caboose for my daughter’s birthday celebration. A friendly front desk lady greeted us with a smile and walked us towards our reserved caboose which is located across from the main office. Our reserved train caboose was colored bright yellow and had to ask my daughter to open the door. She was surprised, happy, speechless as she opened the door and to see the caboose was filled with colorful balloons, a “Happy Birthday” banner, cupcakes, and free birthday gifts. We stayed at Caboose #1 with one King bed, twin bed, air conditioning, full bath, toiletries room, refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave, clan foot tub, climb up cupola, free Wifi and can accommodate a maximum of 3 people. We even parked our car right on the side of our caboose which was easier for us to carry and load our belongings inside the caboose. The inside of the antique caboose cars were all authentic and original with a rustic feeling but equipped with modern-day comfort. My daughter enjoyed going up and down the cupola which is a small windowed projection on the roof of a caboose with an elevated seat that the crew uses to inspect the train from this perch.

Overall, we enjoyed our short stay at the Railroad Park Resort and a hidden gem in the Dunsmuir area. It was a one-of-a-kind experience for my family to sleep inside a genuine train caboose with modern amenities in a rustic setting. It was fun waking up in the morning with the stunning view of Castle Crags. And we were able to watch the beautiful, and bright stars in the sky at night. It’s a great unique and romantic place to stay with your family while enjoying the great outdoors. It was a fun and memorable experience for us to stay in one of the vintage train cabooses and experience life in the Railroad Era.

Tips: Make sure to eat at the unique, vintage, one-of-a-kind dining Train Themed Restaurant which is an 1893 Wells Fargo Car or Pullman “Club Car”. Take a picture and visit the 1927 Williamette Steam-driven locomotive that is parked inside the property and located close to the train restaurant. The restaurant is a museum itself full of unique and original parts. There are a lot of nice places to visit within the area such as the famous Mossbrae Falls, Hedge Creek Falls, Lake Siskiyou, Castle Lake, Shasta Lake, Castle Crags, Trinity Alps, Dunsmuir Botanical Garden, and many more. There is also a popular restaurant place called “Yak’s on the 5” that serves one of the best BBQs I had ever tasted.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Railroad Park Resort and Dining Car Restaurant after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel/room at Railroad Park Resort or around the area close to the town of Dunsmuir.

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La Costanera Peruvian Restaurant (Half Moon Bay)

Address: 260 Capistrano Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

La Costanera Peruvian Restaurant opened in 2009 and is headed by the famous Chef Carlos Altamirano. It gained the Michelin star in 2012 and 2013, and in 2021 moved the restaurant to Half Moon Bay (Princeton). It’s an Authentic Peruvian Restaurant famous for its savory ceviche (cebiche in Spanish) with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and serves a wide variety of unique, savory Peruvian dishes that culminates the Latin Cuisine. La Costanera highlights two bars, a lounge area, and an outdoor patio with firepits. The Restaurant is situated in a touristy and retail area called Princeton and surrounded by local restaurants and retail stores. The La Costanera Restaurant is about 31 minutes from San Francisco via CA-1 South, ( 25 miles). The restaurant is open Tuesday-Thursday from 4-9 pm, Friday-Sunday from 11 am- 9 pm, and closed on Mondays. There is a lot of free customer parking available in the area.

The parking lot area is adjacent to the La Costanera Restaurant. As we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a friendly hostess and were seated at the relaxing outdoor patio with a firepit that kept us warm in sunny but cooler weather. Our table had a partial view of the Pacific Ocean, Pillar Point Harbor, and a few colorful boats. We were impressed with the festive, South American stylish design or decor of the restaurant. The huge bar that is located in the middle of the lower level is very unique and a good spot to take pictures. They also have a lot of tables available inside the restaurant. There were only a few customers at the restaurant since they just opened up at 11:00 a.m. Our server was very fast, friendly and provided us with complimentary Yucca chips and salsa. Our server even provided us with a brief summary of what dishes are popular at the restaurant. As for starters, we ordered the popular Cebiche Tasting combo (3 cebiches) which is composed of 3 savory samplers of cebiche Pescado with fresh fish of the day, aji rocoto Leche de Tigre. Cebiche Chino Peruano with sushi-grade ahi tuna, rocoto sweet chili Leche de Tigre, roasted nori and wontons. And Cebiche Mixto with fresh fish, calamari, mussels, camarones, aji rocoto Leche de tigre. He even suggested the famous Peruvian Chicken Empanada De La casa which was very delicious with lots of chicken meat inside. My wife ordered the Seafood Paella Peruvian style with bomba rice, seafood medley, saffron-tomato base (cooked in our succulent shrimp broth). While my daughter ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich with Mary’s chicken marinated in lime-chili Amarillo with salsa Criolla, chili rocoto aioli, and french fries. I had the healthier, flavorful Salmon Bandido with fresh pan-seared salmon, purple mashed potatoes, and escabeche. And for dessert, we had the smooth textured, mild, and creamy Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta which is a cooked cream and sugar. Also, all the tables were sanitized and separated to adhere to the Covid-19 safety regulations.

Overall, we enjoyed our fun family lunch experience at La Costanera, especially with the panoramic ocean-view seating surrounded by colorful local boats. Nothing compares to eating lunch with your family on a sunny day with good quality authentic Peruvian food, great service, ambiance, and a stunning ocean view. All the staff members are very friendly, fast and accomodating, especially the Manager (Yuri) on duty who visited our table and ensure that we were taken care of and have a nice first-time experience.

Tips: The second floor is only available during dinner time with a nice view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean and harbor/pier. The Restaurant is very close to Pillar Point Harbor and Oceano Hotel and Spa. There is also a Mexican/Peruvian food truck called “Lamas” across the street with delicious, sweet, fried bananas called “plantanos” for $6. Joanne’s Ice Cream serves a very good carrot cake while Cafe Mezza Luna sells pastries as well as their delicious Gelato Ice Cream. You can walk around and enjoy Pillar Point Harbor and its surrounding areas. The Pier even sells fresh live crabs through the fisherman’s boats that are docked at the Harbor.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about La Costanera Restaurant after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe.

Click here to find a hotel close to La Costanera Peruvian Restaurant.

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San Juan Bautista State Historic Park (San Benito County)

Address: 19 Franklin St, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045

San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is a California State Park and a nationally recognized historic landmark surrounding the historical town of San Juan Bautista in California. Father Fermin Lasuen is the successor to Father Junipero Serra and founded Mission San Juan Bautista in the year 1797. All the old colonial buildings during the Spanish and Mexican periods in the town were well maintained and preserved. The park’s four main historic museums/buildings that were built in the 1800s are the Plaza Hotel, The Zanetta House/Plaza Hall, The Plaza Stables, and the Castro-Breen Adobe. The park also has other additional buildings within the area such as the Blacksmith Shop, Historic Jail, and an Early American Settlers Cabin. The Park hours are from 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. and the admission fee is $3 for adults, free for children ages 17 and under. There is ample street parking available surrounding the Historic Park.

We drove for about 1 hour and 30 minutes (91 miles) from San Francisco to San Juan Bautista State Historic Park via US-280 South, US 101 South, and CA-156 East. On our way, we had to pass through a few farmlands, meadows, water reservoirs, and a Premium Shopping Outlet in the town of Gilroy. And there is also a National Park located within 45 minutes from San Juan Bautista State Historic Park called Pinnacles.

We arrived at the Historic Park at around 10:30 a.m. and parked our car on Washington Street on the side of the Castro-Breen Adobe Building. The San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is small and is about 6 acres of land. Walking around the entire historical park made us feel like we were back in the early 1800s during the Spanish Colonial Era. We paid the admission fee for access to the Park in the Plaza Hotel/Museum Store. The friendly cashier informed us that the admission fee for the San Juan Bautista Mission across the street is a separate fee. All the fees and merchandise purchase proceeds will be used to cover all the costs of maintaining the famous Historical Park.

We were lucky that it was a “Living History Day” event during the time of our visit. We get to meet and witness all the volunteer docents dressed up as the early settlers during the Spanish Colonial times. They were showing all the guests how the early settlers cook outside and lived their daily lives. The docents even showed us how to bake a biscuit in the early days by using a dutch oven. We even saw an actual Horno or Bee-hive oven that is made up of bricks, feed woods as fire and used for cooking meals in the early days. The baked biscuit was soft, moist, and delicious. We even touched a real skin of an otter, beaver which was our first time. The docents showed us all the tools that they used during the early times for cooking and performing daily chores. My wife enjoyed the taste of the block of Chinese tea. The showcasing, gathering, and demonstrations were held in the Castro-Breen Adobe building.

We explored and tour the inside of the Plaza Hotel which is the park’s entrance point and built-in 1814. The early Spanish soldiers used the Plaza as a barrack that protected the Mission. Each section inside the plaza has a placard in front that indicates the name of the room and explains its history or purpose in the early days. The Plaza has two floors and visitors are allowed to take pictures. The fun part was when we were on the second floor’s veranda that is overlooking the beautiful view of the mountain, mission, and the landscape.

The next building that we visited and very interesting is the Plaza Stable/Blacksmith Shop across the Mission. There were a lot of different stagecoach on display that was used in the early days and other transportations such as wagons, carriages, and fire wagons. San Juan Bautista used to be a transportation hub on El Camino Real between Los Angeles and San Francisco. My daughter enjoyed the presentation by one of the volunteer docents on how to heat metal on coal and be able to twist it and create a unique shape.

The most interesting information that we learned is that the town is situated along the famous San Andreas Earthquake fault. Some of the town buildings had sustained severe earthquake damage during the 1800 and 1906 San Andreas earthquakes. We explored the other buildings around the area such as the Historic Jail and the early settler’s cabin. The last place that we visited which is not a part of the park is the San Juan Bautista Mission which is located across the street from the Hotel Plaza.

Overall, it was a very nice, relaxing, full of history and educational experience for us. We would suggest that you get there early and save the entire day for you and your family to enjoy and explore the entire historical town. The weather changed in the afternoon as it got windy and cold but we were prepared and brought our jackets.

Tips: The admission fee for the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park is separate from the San Juan Bautista Mission which you pay inside the Mission’s giftshop. There is a good local authentic Mexican Restaurant called Jardines and an Ice Cream Parlor called Margot’s that are close by. Places of interest that are close to San Juan Bautista are Gilroy Premium Outlet which is about 20 minutes away (great for shopping) and Pinnacles National Park which is about 45 minutes via CA-25 North (37 miles) great for hiking and nature trips. No dogs or pets are allowed except for service animals on a leash. Fourth graders often have field trip tours due to their school curriculum requirements. Customed Docent reenacts life in California during the “Living History Day” on the first Saturday of each month. We saw a few people have a nice picnic along the greenery area of the historic park.

Let me know if you have any questions and what you think about San Juan Bautista State Historic Park after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you

Click here to find a hotel close to San Juan Bautista Historic Park.

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Jardines De San Juan Mexican Restaurant & Gardens (San Juan Bautista, Ca ) (San Benito County)

Address: 115 Third St, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045

Jardines De San Juan Restaurant is a stylish, relaxing eatery with a quaint, colorful interior & a cozy garden patio serving authentic Mexican dishes. It is located in the small town of San Juan Bautista in San Benito County, California. In 1977, Alicia and Manuel Santana opened the restaurant but passed away and are still currently owned by the Santana Family. It’s a rare hidden gem of a restaurant in the historic downtown San Juan Bautista. And in 1797, the town of San Juan Bautista was founded by the Spanish under Fermin de Lasuen. The Jardines De San Juan Restaurant is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from San Francisco via 280 South, US-101 South, and CA-156 East/San Benito County ( 90 miles). Jardines De San Juan is open 7 days a week for lunch, brunch, and dinner from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday, and 11 a.m. -7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant also is vegetarian-friendly and have vegan options available on their menu.

Parking was easy as we parked our car on Washington Street close to the side of the Plaza Hotel and the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. It took us about 3 minutes to walk from the parking area to the Restaurant. As we arrived at the restaurant we were impressed by the cozy ambiance and the Spanish Colonial Era settings of the restaurant. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and were immediately seated at their beautiful outdoor garden patio table surrounded by succulents, a wide variety of plants, and colorful flowers. We were immediately served complimentary tortilla chips and salsa sauce. The friendly and fast server took our orders and provided us with a glass of cold water. As for starters, we ordered the famous, savory Honey-Chipotle Chicken Wings with ten succulent chicken wings, oven-roasted and lightly crisped, smothered in Jardines signature spicy and sweet sauce for $12.99. My wife ordered the People’s Choice Burrito which is the winner of 2015, 2016 & 2017 People’s Choice Awards at the Watsonville Burrito Bash. It’s made up of crispy carnitas, jack cheese, whole beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro, onions, and red salsa for $14.99. As for my daughter, she ordered the Beef Quesadilla with a crispy shredded beef taco, lettuce, Chon’s guacamole, tomato & cheese enchilada, onions, and black olives for $14.99. And lastly, I ordered the delicious, healthy Rock Cod Fillet which is a seasoned fillet, pan-seared, served with lime wedges and tortillas for $17.99. My wife ordered the Calavera Cocktail for $11 while my daughter had a Pineapple Jarritos drink for $3. We all shared the dessert and ordered the Mexican Classic Flan, smooth creamy baked custard in a light golden caramel sauce, served with whipped cream for $5.99.

After our lunch, we walked a few minutes and visited a small local ice cream parlor shop called Margot’s and we all had their Lappert’s Ice Cream. My daughter ordered the Cookie Monster Dough flavor, while I had the Washington Strawberry and my wife ordered the famous Dole Whip Pineapple.

Overall, we enjoyed our fun family authentic outdoor lunch experience at Jardines De San Juan, especially their relaxing outdoor garden patio seatings surrounded by colorful flowers, plants, and succulents. Nothing compares to eating lunch outdoor with your family on a sunny day with good quality food, fast service, and great ambiance. It was a very memorable experience that made us feel like we were back in time during the Spanish Colonial Mission Era.

Tips: There are a lot of street parking spaces available all around the San Juan Bautista town. There is an Ice Cream Parlor store close by called Margot’s that serves Lapperts ice cream. Jardines is the sister restaurant of Manuel’s in Aptos. The restaurant is within walking distance from San Juan Bautista State Historic Park and the San Juan Bautista Mission. Try to bring a jacket just in case the weather gets cold as the town gets the cool breeze coming from the coast. Most of the food items that they serve come in large portions, especially burritos.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Jardines De San Juan Restaurant after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe.

Click here to find a hotel close to Jardines De San Juan Restaurant.