Five Fifty-Five Therapy

I'm planning our annual fall trip to Napa Valley. And so I couldn't go for sushi as planned last evening. Read on - it really will make sense.

You'd think after going to the same region year after year that the planning would get easier. But there's always a wrinkle that creates stress. And it's always because I'm trying to save a buck.

This year we are going almost two months early...why? The Ritz at Half Moon Bay is having a deal - free upgrade to the concierge level IF you complete your stay by September 3rd. I know - Half Moon Bay is not Napa Valley. You see, we can't do the EXACT same trip each year - we have to throw a little chaos into the mix and always tack on travel to an area we haven't been, then finish up the trip in Napa. Plus, who can drink wine for seven days straight!?!

So back to my stress.

Not only am I trying to plan my trip around "The Ritz Deal", but I'm also trying to use frequent flyer points to get to CA because I have been warned that they will expire at the end of the year. I don't know about you, but I have never found it easy to use frequent flyer points. Or coupons from the airlines. For example, I have a "companion ticket coupon" from Delta....companion flys for only $99. Sounds good, but when I tried to use it for U.S. travel, not only was it going to cost $250 for my companion to travel thanks to the additional fees for booking etc in the fine print, but I had to actually drive to the airport to book the ticket. That coupon went in the trash! But I digress...back to using frequent flyer miles.

Because none of the dates I wanted to travel qualified for "super saver" status, I needed more points than I had...so I transferred (on-line) points from my husband's account to my account to reach the 50K points needed for one ticket. They actually charge you to transfer points! So my free ticket is now a $100 ticket. Still a cost savings, but not much of a deal.

Anyway, I'm still working out the flight details because as I was working out the whole point transfer thing, the cost of the flight I was looking to take (because I still have to pay for one ticket) skyrocketed - doubled in an hour! So I'll wait to book the tickets in hopes they will drop back down.

So the remainder of my day was spent booking lodging in three different areas - Half Moon Bay, Rutherford and Healdsburg. Lodging booked, I then approached the most important task of all - the restaurant reservations. Napa and Sonoma Valleys have some of the best restaurants in the country. Frustration set in when I realized La Toque was not open Monday and Tuesdays - the two days we were supposed to be in the Napa Valley, that Cyrus was not going to be open on the day we were going to be in Healdsburg, and had to switch the entire trip around. Can you feel my pain and frustration!?!? I know...the sympathy is just pouring in ...the tiny violins are playing around the world.

So anyway,..all this leads me to why we didn't go for sushi last night as planned. After the day I had (!) I needed Five Fifty-Five therapy. For my loyal blog readers, WHO NEVER COMMENT, you know that I love a restaurant in Portland, ME called Five Fifty-Five. The food is creative and extraordinary, the owners, Steve & Michelle Corry are always there and take such good care of their guests and the service is impeccable without being intrusive.

More on my review of Five Fifty-Five in the next blog. Suffice it to say that I left the restaurant relaxed, happy and full, without a care in the world. And after paying $200+ for dinner (well worth EVERY penny) - I will now resume my quest to get a deal on my fall trip. Gotta pay for these dinners somehow!