Solo Trips & Travel

I stayed at Olena House at Point Reyes once and it was a lovely, charming solo retreat for a mom. The gardens were beautiful but would be nicer in the summer maybe. Food in the area was good, along with some really excellent bakeries.  

Monterey sounds perfect for this! Don’t have a specific option but there are a bunch of cute bed and breakfasts there.

When I was pregnant with my first, I did a babymoon in Calistoga. I love hot tubs and missed being able to go in them, so I found a place that had a mineral pool that was set to 90 degrees so that I could float around :-) The town is very cute with lots of good food and the surrounding area is beautiful.

Asilomar (in Pacific Grove, just south of Monterey) may be just what you are looking for. It's a conference center that consists of a campus of buildings, including many lodging buildings, a social hall, a dining hall, and a chapel. It's a naturalistic setting and you will often see deer on the conference grounds. There is a boardwalk that takes you across the dunes to Asilomar State Beach, which lovely. More boardwalk loops through the dunes. Some of the rooms have fireplaces, and some of the lodging buildings have common areas. What they don't have is TVs in the rooms, because it's not that kind of place. The food at the dining hall is good. Tables seat 8, I think, so you'll have opportunities to meet people at meals. There are also great restaurants in the area (Passionfish, Red House, and Crystal Fish are favorites). The social hall has a big fireplace, pool, maybe ping-pong, and open jigsaw puzzles.

Sadly, I think the pool is closed at this time of year. But other than that, I think it fits your asks.

It’s slightly outside the 2 hour window but Asilomar in Pacific Grove meets most of your criteria. Beautiful space right next to the ocean and sand dunes. It’s used as a conference grounds a lot, but they also book rooms like a hotel does. Rooms are NOT fancy and no TV but the lodge is gorgeous and they do have some sort of cafeteria (plus easy access to the yummy food of Monterey). Get a room with a fireplace if you can! Designed by Julia Morgan. They have a pool but you won’t want to use it in winter, if it’s even open this time of year. 

I did a women's writing retreat at the Green Gulch Zen Center for this purpose and had a great experience. Got lots of solo time.

Sonoma Mission Inn?  https://www.fairmont.com/sonoma/
Near Jack London State Park for relatively easy walking.
 

Indian Springs in Calistoga - great hiking in the area, lovely comfy rooms, access to the (famously wonderful) hot springs pool (and it's warm - not so hot that you can't have a float while pregnant). Maybe even get a prenatal massage while you're there. 

I love the area around Pt. Reyes and Inverness, which is about an hour away. In winter it's all lovely and foggy and gray, perfect for sitting in front of a fire and relaxing. There is the ocean, which holds many delights, and there is also Tomales Bay, surrounded by flat woodsy walking trails.  There's an old dairy farm at Pierce Point that's fun to explore, and the little town of Pt. Reyes Station is picturesque and has cute little shops - a great way to while away an afternoon. And there are food options galore, from roadside oysters at Tony's or Hog Farm, to picnic table sandwich places (Side Street Kitchen!)  to nice restaurants (Saltwater Oyster Depot, Olema House, NIck's Cove)  to a very nice little grocery store in Pt. Reyes for fruit, cheese, snacks, etc.

Places to stay ... Close to Pt. Reyes is Olema House. I haven't stayed there but it looks beautiful and it has a restaurant. Over on Tomales Bay there is Nick's Cove - the rooms look cosy and delightful and it has a good restaurant right on the water, plus there are a bunch of oyster places down the road. Try the clam chowder at Tony's - yum!  Across the bay from there, in Inverness, is Tomales Bay Resort which is more like a casual roadside motel, not a resort so much. But last year we stayed in a room there that had a fireplace and a view of the bay - very comfortable and enjoyable. I think they have a restaurant (it was closed when we were there last year.).

If you drive north another 30 minutes there is Bodega Bay, with several lodging options. We stayed at Bodega Bay Lodge a few months ago - it was on the expensive side but it is right on the bay, has beautiful grounds, has a heated outdoor swimming pool and a decent restaurant. There are several other restaurants around Bodega Bay - good food options including wonderful walk-up chowder places down by the marina. There's not a lot to do in Bodega Bay aside from strolling along the bay, which is very nice, but if you really just want to sit and look at beautiful scenery it's a good place for that.

Have fun!!

It's pricey, but check out Boon hotel in Guerneville. You can walk/bike to restaurants and a beautiful redwood grove, and onsite they have a pool, nice outdoor space, breakfast delivered to your room, comfy places to read and lounge, and a spa (though I haven't tried it out). Close by and an easy getaway! The one downside is the cell reception is poor (there is WiFi).

Check out Timber Cove hotel in Jenner! It’s gorgeous and very serene/relaxing. The beds are SO comfortable, too. There are a lot of beaches in the area, and I’m sure plenty of beautiful hikes. The restaurant is good, too. 
I just had my second child a month ago, and love this idea- wish I had done something similar. Good luck! 

I recommend going to Point Reyes, and staying in one of the B&Bs in Inverness.  It's about an hour drive from Oakland, and you have lots of options for hiking and food.  You are also close to the ocean! 

Calistoga is a lovely get away. Congratulations and enjoy!

If it were me, I'd head south to the Monterey Peninsula - Pacific Grove, Carmel, Monterey - all about 2 hours away, by the beautiful Pacific Ocean, good food, lots of B&B's and quaint hotels and good walking, plus there is a real hospital in Monterey should any need arise. Enjoy!

Check out Guerneville, CA! 

It's my happy place: being in Sonoma County means good food and wine, it's near the Russian River, there are hiking trails, and multiple lodging options. 

I got married there and I plan to have my babymoon there next week. Call me obsessed hahahaa

I did this at the Inn at the Presidio and it was very nice. Lots of outdoor space to hike and sit in the sun, and a beautiful view of the bay. But it's just in San Francisco, so maybe not far enough! It was earlier in the pandemic, so I got delivery/takeout for all my meals.