What it is

A 1,700-acre resort with its own winery and vineyard, Craftsman-style rooms and villas, regionally inspired spa, newly renovated outdoor pool and a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed golf course.

What it isn't

Hangry. Two on-site indoor/outdoor restaurants serve Northern California dishes like dungeness crab brandade and local deviled eggs with Kaluga caviar.

What we think

If Hollywood director Nancy Meyers were ever reincarnated as a resort, it would be exactly like this one: a sprawling compound of comfortable California style and cinematic family activities galore. The smallest room choice here, Fairway Rooms, are a whopping 550 square feet, and fitted with pampering touches that include a gas fireplace, expansive California king bed, leafy private terrace, and soaking tub. If you’re traveling with a brood, consider a one bedroom Villa Suite; each one is 1,100-square-feet and equipped with a separate living room and outdoor shower and whirlpool on the al fresco patio (overlooking the 9th hole, natch). While you’re here, be sure to spend at least one evening sipping wine and playing bocce ball on the oyster shell courts.

You're here because

The activities list is seemingly bottomless, and ranges from group archery lessons to pro-led tennis sessions on their four Plexicushion courts.

The Moment

After a private mindfulness and yoga class, your brain is clear—but your skin isn’t. So you treat yourself to an organic 90-minute facial at the spa, and emerge feeling a full decade younger.

Restaurants & Bars

Il Vigneto - offers contemporary California cuisine with Mediterranean influences

Lion’s Peak Grill - offers a pleasant alfresco spot for breakfast, lunch or cocktails

One Iron Bar - offers California cuisine using local ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as specialty drinks, wines and international spirits

Location

A particularly lush plot of rolling hills tucked below Northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, just south of San Jose and north of Salinas.