Planners know they have many group-friendly options to choose from along Northern California’s coast, and narrowing the focus could prove a difficult task. Following are six wonderful waterfront properties, including hotels, resorts and even one bed-and-breakfast, that are sure to impress groups.
Monterey and Carmel
Portola Hotel & Spa
Located on Monterey Bay, the Portola Hotel & Spa has 379 newly renovated guest rooms that include 42-inch flat-screen televisions, views of Monterey Bay and eco-friendly amenities. According to Sunday Spencer, director of sales and marketing, all rooms were completely remodeled in February to include new plush beds, linen, carpeting, wall coverings and furniture.
"The hotel is in the process of getting LEED-certified and focuses on green meetings and events," she says, explaining that Portola will be the only hotel on the Monterey Peninsula with the distinction, which it expects to receive by the end of 2010.
With over 50,000 square feet of meeting space, including the adjacent Monterey Conference Center, the hotel is perfect for small or large meetings. It also boasts a full-service spa, two restaurants and a lounge that features Monterey’s only microbrewery, Peter B’s.
"Both restaurants offer outdoor heated patios for networking and sipping cocktails at the end of the day," Spencer says. "The hotel is a unique meeting alternative for groups looking for a beautiful venue within walking distance of everything uniquely Monterey."
Located in the heart of the city, Portola is just steps from the Monterey Bay and attractions such as Fishermen’s Wharf and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Santa Cruz
Seascape Beach Resort
Just south of Santa Cruz overlooking Monterey Bay is Seascape Beach Resort. With 249 suites and 17,000 square feet of unobstructed indoor conference space that subdivides into 15 conference rooms of varying size, the property welcomes groups both large and small.
According to Tom Blackman, director of sales and marketing, custom furnishings and wireless Internet access for each attendee make for a truly comfortable and unique learning and gathering experience.
"Seascape offers value-packed, per-person meeting packages tailored to meet planners’ specific needs at affordable prices," he says, adding the overall informal surroundings provide an engaging experience for all.
Blackman adds that outdoor space at Seascape is unparalleled, including the property’s ownership of the wide sandy beach that runs the length of the resort.
"This highly fortunate arrangement allows us to offer complete banquet and cocktail service, fireside and on the beach," he says.
San Mateo County
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
The San Francisco area’s only oceanfront resort boasts, for starters, the 16,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa, which is ranked No. 1 in the region by Spa magazine, according to Jay Heidenreich, director of sales and marketing.
Plus, many on-site team-building and group activities are available, including sand castle competitions for up to 120 people, held directly on the beach in front of the resort, and Amazing Race at Half Moon Bay events, with five-person teams competing on bikes as they cruise through the town of Half Moon Bay collecting information and clues.
"We offer everything from themed events like a Gilligan’s Island-inspired "Three-Hour Tour" to wine tastings at nearby wineries, and from golf at two on-site courses to group specialty events, including the just-launched Segway Tours offered along the bluff-side coastal trail," Heidenreich says.
Group activities, also including non-competitive options such as whale watching and horseback riding, plus 261 rooms, more than 17,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and three outdoor meeting spaces accommodating up to 400 people, make The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay an intriguing choice for a group event.
Marin County
Cavallo Point Lodge
Cavallo Point Lodge is a LEED Gold-certified National Park lodge located just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco in Sausalito. An inspiring setting for business meetings, corporate retreats and special events for groups of 10 to 300 people, it offers 25,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space and 142 guest rooms and suites, half in historic, Colonial Revival-style buildings and half in contemporary buildings, according to Director of Sales Zeena Fakoury.
"Spectacular outdoor space provides unparalleled views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco city skyline," Fakoury says, adding that on-site amenities include catering overseen by Michelin-starred Executive Chef Joseph Humphrey, whose cuisine at the on-site Murray Circle Restaurant focuses on the bountiful resources of the Bay Area; an 11,000-square-foot spa; access to miles of hiking trails in the surrounding Golden Gate National Recreational Area; and a demonstration kitchen for group cooking classes.
"Cooking classes can center on an ingredient, a cooking technique or a geographic region," Fakoury says, citing one of the most popular classes, Cooking from the Farmers Market, which teaches participants how to cook recipes based on what’s available and fresh.
Sonoma County
Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa
Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa hosts quite a few groups every year that utilize the beach for their team-building events, according to Brian Larsen, director of sales.
"We’ve had groups building sand castles, flying kites, doing eco-minded scavenger hunts, and even making paella on the beach with a chef," he says. "Whatever the idea, we’re happy to help make the arrangements."
With 83 guest rooms—all having a patio or balcony and most boasting a fireplace—overlooking a bird sanctuary and Doran Beach, Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa is a lovely retreat for smaller groups.
"We are a smaller resort and because of our location, we do a lot of retreats," Larsen says. "We have a loyal clientele that do their annual board retreats here, but we also seem to be ideal for team-building events."
In addition to having a full-service spa on property and being situated adjacent to a championship golf course and a 10-minute walk to the beach, the property has four meeting rooms totaling 2,900 square feet of function space.
"Our two largest rooms are the Waveside Room and Dolphin Room, both of which have beautiful views of Doran Beach and feature vaulted ceilings, large fieldstone fireplaces and patios," Larsen says.
Mendocino and Humboldt
Elk Cove Inn & Spa
Another option for small group retreats or board meetings is the Elk Cove Inn & Spa, a 15-room bed-and-breakfast property just south of Mendocino on a secluded bluff overlooking a sheltered cove.
According to owner Elaine Bryant, booking all 15 rooms allows groups to meet in the 525-square-foot dining room overlooking the Pacific Ocean and sandy beach. Smaller groups of five to eight, Bryant adds, can meet in the 250-square-foot upstairs parlor.
"Every guest receives a champagne brunch every day, and we also provide complimentary wine and ‘make your own cocktails’ each afternoon between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.," Bryant says, adding that other amenities include on-site day spa services, free long-distance calling and many sporting and sightseeing activities in the area.
Among them are ocean kayaking via Force 10 Ocean Kayak Tours; beach and redwood horseback riding tours from Ross Ranch; golfing at nearby Little River Inn’s golf course; and wine tasting at some 30 wineries within a 30-minute drive of the inn, including Husch Vineyards, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards and Handley Cellars.
