Stavrand & Sea to Sky to Raptor Ridge Loop

I had an amazing opportunity to visit The Stavrand, a getaway from the hustle and bustle as part of Yelp giveaways. A night at a hotel plus a dinner was exactly what I needed the week before my move. I arrived at The Stavrand just past their check in time of 3 pm and found someone to check me in. There was still some construction wrapping up as they just renovated the building I was going to stay in.

Main square

I got the keys, and an amazing staff member walked me to my room on the second floor of the Armstrong building. The service was superior! I walked in the room and saw what I have been hoping to find - a jetted tub!

The room was very light and spacious. Neutral color scheme, fresh smell...

Not complimentary, but nice to have nevertheless

A comfortable king size bed with a memory foam mattress

Entryway

Jetted bathtub - one of the few bathtubs I used in a hotel because it was very clean

Bathroom set up

The soundproofing of the room was not the best one, but the fan of the heating pleasantly masked any noise from the outside. There was also a gas fireplace and a nice balcony, but somehow I took pictures of the toilet, not the fireplace...

I walked outside to their garden and later uphill to see the view.

Pathway to the garden

The changing colors of leaves looked amazing!

Pathway to the top of the property

The view at the top

The property itself is rather small, but the town is only 10 minutes away. Dinner was not scheduled until 7.30 PM, so I decided to take a bath. It was incredible, although I must admit I poured way too much soap in the water.

After 20 minutes in the tub, nice and relaxed, I watched Harry Potter on their large TV. It's been a while since I watched TV in such great quality!

I heard some conversations outside, and knowing that most guests would be Yelpers like me, I headed out. I first went back to the top of the property to see what it looked like in the darkness. It was really neat seeing the moon today.

I went back to the building, and the staff member was generously pouring wine. I could not say no. I chatted with a group of people by the gas firepit.

Just before dinner, I went upstairs to freshen up and saw that the night service was done! It's been a while since I stayed in a hotel with a "tuck-in" service.

I headed to dinner where the group of us joined together for dinner. It was such a great group of people, from different backgrounds but yet united for the same reason. We had an amazing time together eating delicious food.

Vegetarian bucatini

One of the best desserts I've had! Miso caramel sauce was a strange combination of sweet and salty.

The dining hall itself was a piece of art. Cozy with multiple fireplaces, beautiful chandeliers and spacious seating.

Food was paired with wine, so by 10 PM I was ready to go to sleep! I glanced one more time at the moon and went to bed.

In the morning, I had a delicious breakfast and drove to hike Sea to Sky trail. I wanted to do another hike next to the ocean before my quick departure out of state.

The fog was almost completely gone, and the views were incredible!

The loop unfortunately was closed, but I was at least able to do the in and out. It was beautiful!

Mount Burdell Open Space via Novato Blvd

Today I just wanted to hike in the greenery. This was my goal, so after so much rain I headed to Marin County again. Mount Burdell Open Space via Novato Blvd trail had very few reviews on Alltrails, but after looking at posted pictures, I decided this was exactly what I was looking for.

I arrived at the parking lot for the dog park right on Novato Blvd (hence, it is in the title) and walked to the trailhead next to the residential district about a quarter a mile away. There is no parking there, so I guess this is the best spot to park if you are hiking the trail. 

This early in the morning, there was not a soul, just fog. It was pretty dense, almost disorienting. 

Resilience of nature - burnt grass giving space to brand new green grass

Spider webs all over the grass with fog exposing them with tiny little droplets

As I continued the hike uphill, the sky started to show through dense fog. While the fog often prevents from seeing the views on hikes like this one, it also exposes something mysterious, the light that is invisible in normal circumstances.

Visibly lone tree

The light can fool you so easily that you might even picture a rainbow above. Who knows what's real...

The trail continued uphill and became pretty steep in some parts. Such a great cardio workout! The view was worth it. While there was no single "top of the mountain" on this trail, the fog beneath the elevation I was at was really beautiful.

I really enjoyed this hike, especially with all green colors surrounding me!