By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Travels with Journey
We were on a retrievers scented trail driving north to Sacramento having passed multiple signs and advertizements for cozy comfort style lodging but none offered a warm welcome for pets. Thumbs down!
I surfed a few links on the Internet and then waved at Jim signaling for him to pull off highway 101 and exclaimed, “I think I found a dream location.”
Los Gatos is the home and hub destination for travelers connecting with Google and other Silicon Valley based brands. Just thinking about the close proximity to Google brought new meaning to my SEO skills. I will admit I could use some help.
Hotel Los Gatos is a LuxEcoLiving4U Five Paw Destination. Imagine you are a staying in a private villa perched on a hillside somewhere outside of Florence Italy…and your dog is a guest too!
But what makes this an even more desirable destination is that you and your pet get to experience an ultra luxurious stay in a town where people take great pride and love to parade with their pets.
Journey couldn’t wait to get to the room. He knows special treats will be waiting. There it was, the perfect bed for him and a beautiful king sized one for us. And I must admit the room was immaculate.
While he got comfy, I showered while lavishing the assortment of Molton Brown amenities. Only the best!
Jim took Journey outside to our private patio on the terrace and sampled a glass of chilled California white wine. A complimentary gift from the hotel and staff.
Our evening was about to begin. We loaded his hemp travel bag with gluten-free treats, grabbed his collar and leash and prepared to walk through town. It was Friday night and Journey could feel the excitement beneath his feet. He pranced ahead sniffing every tree and grass lined block until we reached the place where all dog owners and their pets meet and greet .
And there she stood in plain sight. Sadie was not just ordinary lab. No, she was a refined English bred white retriever with a tremendous sense for sensibilities. She knew he was much younger and therefore hardly batted her lovely brown eyes. He on the other hand couldn’t get her out of his mind. We literally had to drag him away. In fact, he couldn’t stop dreaming about her.
Sadie was quite the lady
While he savored his puppy crush, our instincts led us to dine at Dio Deka which we later learned is one of the most fabulous Greek restaurants in America having received a # 1 Michelin star rating. In fact, Dio Deka is the only Greek restaurant to have received that honor. Our chef, Jeff Fitzgerald served a spectacular tasting menu beginning with two Orekitikas (Greek for appetizers). The Octopothi Scharas attracts international travelers to Hotel Los Gatos just so they can have this amazing dish. Large, succulent pieces of fish are Mesquite grilled and served in a romesco lemon vinaigrette with grated hazelnuts.
Chef de Cuisine Jeff Fitzgerald
We were told that the Piperies or roasted Jimmy Nardello peppers with smoked tzatzki, Ufra pepper, Greek sea salt and lemon is one of their customers favorites.
Dio Deka’s Piperies served in a copper pan
The third course was my favorite! Melopepino is a raw salad, compressed with pickled melon, burnt manouri, covered in a pistachio vinaigrette infused with chocolate mint. What a serious combination of tastes and flavors.
The Kiria Piata or main courses consisted of two wonderful fish dishes that exceeded our usual expectations because the fish was literally caught less than 12 hours before it was prepared and that makes a tremendous difference. However, I have had Mediterranean branzino many times but nothing can compare to the way Jeff Fitzgerald cooked and served the Lavraki. Mesquite -grilled and sauteed with summer greens and served with herb-crusted lemony potatoes.
The best branzino!
Light and delicious, we still made room for the local halibut. The Ippoglossos was gently cooked in tomato caramelized feta and jimmy nardello peppers.
The desert which followed was compliments of the chef. A selection of homemade sorbets served with a miniature collection of small handcrafted demi sized sweets. One in particular was a creamy peanut butter wafer covered in dark chocolate. Why do you think chocolate and peanut butter is such a great combination of tastes. I think I know. They are both habit forming.
Breakfast was also exceptional. We went to a dog friendly cafe, Southern Kitchen, to find standing room only. People were lined up at the curve waiting to get in. They don’t take reservations and believe me you have to wait as most people inside don’t want to give up there tables.
We were seated quickly at small cafe table outside. The pet friendly magic of Los Gatos seemed to follow us. Our waiter took our order then immediately brought a bowl of fresh water and treats for Journey. He poured us two cups of hot steaming Joe.. great coffee by the way and was back with our mouthwatering selections within minutes. Great service too!
I ordered the Ambrosia Baked French Toast with Apricots and Jim had an omelette with homemade biscuits and farm style gravy. Please don’t ask me to do this again!
It was sinfully delicious.
Our stay at Hotel Los Gatos (some call it Lab Gatos) was terrific. Definitely a 5 paw destination.
Journey checked out and covered all of his incidentals by giving this lovely lady a kiss. She kindly asked for his opinion, “Journey did you have a good stay?” He raised his paw up to the counter and gave her a high sign which meant, “You Petcha! ”
Editor’s Notes:
Hotel Los Gatos is located at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is the Winner Certificate of Excellence 2012
210 East Main Street, Los Gatos, CA, 95030
For reservations please call and tell them LuxEcoLiving’s Travels with Journey sent you:
1-877-651-4244 or 1-408-335-7567
Nancy Chuda is a seasoned broadcast journalist, television writer/producer, talk show host and author. Her career spans over three decades having appeared on both national and cable television.
In 1971 she authored one of America’s first low-calorie cookbooks, How To Gorge George Without Fattening Fanny, published by Hawthorn Books. Appearing as a regular guest on Dinah’s Place, Dinah Shore’s ABC daytime talk show. And later on The Johnny Carson Show, The Today Show with Barbara Walters, Merv Griffin, Phil Donahue, and David Frost. In 1972, Nancy and ABC’s Good Morning America co-produced Michael Krause produced a cable program, The Low- Calorie Gallery, based on her best selling cook book. In 1975, hired by Warner-Amex as part of a creative team, she was responsible for hosting and producing content for Columbus Then and Now, a program, the invention of QUBE, an interactive television system which played a pivotal role in the history of American cable television. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QUBE
In 1978 she developed a series for ABC’s Good Morning America based on an article which appeared in Mother Earth News magazine. The Integral Urban House, a case study project and model for a sound urban habitat sponsored by the Farallones Institute in Berkley California was the first example of green architecture ever to be televised.
In 1979, Nancy co-produced and hosted Sunnyside a Los Angeles based public affairs program viewed on the CBS affiliate station KNXT, From 1980-1984, she appeared on KABC’s Eyewitness News as entertainment reporter and film critic.
Her environmental advocacy began when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer. In 1990 she co-produced an Emmy nominated ABC Variety Special, An Evening With Friends For The Environment to benefit Mothers and Others for a Livable Planet one of the first national children’s environmental health advocacy groups in which she served as a volunteer.
Currently, she is the co-founder and President Emeritus of Healthy Child Healthy World, a non-profit organization established to honor the Chuda’s only child, Colette, who died in 1991 at the age of 5 from Wilm’s tumor a nonhereditary childhood cancer. She is also the co-founder of The Colette Chuda Environmental Fund, a donor-advised fund which supports major epidemiological research on children’s health.
Nancy has won numerous awards for her advocacy. In 1996, the California League of Conservation Voters Environmental Leadership Award, The Healthy Schools Heroes Award, presented to both her and her husband James Chuda by California Governor Gray Davis for their legislative efforts in securing The Healthy Schools Act which was signed into law in September, 2000. In 2003, Parent’s Magazine published an article Mom’s On A Mission and awarded Nancy for her environmental leadership for children’s environmental health.
She serves as an associate of the Director’s Council of Public Representatives of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was appointed by President Clinton’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Donna Shalala, to serve as a member of the National Advisory Council for the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) a position she held for four years.
In 2010, along with her husband James she founded LuxEcoLiving.
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