2009 Valentine Gift Guide for Romantic Road Trips
BY SHERYLL ALEXANDER
To me, road trips are always romantic. There’s just something so sentimental and yet powerful about getting behind the wheel of a new car and driving down the road to a pleasant destination.
On a recent not-so-romantic weekend (we unfortunately had to bring along our super active five-year-old daughter), we drove the 2009 Toyota Venza on a road trip to The Sheraton Carlsbad in scenic North San Diego County.
And while testing out the nearly excellent driving dynamics of the 2009 Toyota Venza, we also brought along some Valentine gift ideas to review for value in price, quality, functionality and innovation. After our road test, we are certain your Valentine will love our top gift picks!
Destination Carlsbad: Like the 2009 Toyota Venza, The Sheraton Carlsbad is a versatile, functional and stylish destination. The 250-room resort sits on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean with the Legoland theme park far below. This North San Diego County resort is reasonably-priced (around $179 per night) and features surprisingly delicious food and beverage, a cool pool area and the über-relaxing Ocean Pearl Spa. The resort also features Sheraton Link, which includes free wireless and free PC work and printing stations in the lobby.
Don’t Forget the Chocolate! Chuao Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolaterie based in Carlsbad, makes my favorite treats. This year, bring along Chuao’s “Love Feast” on your romantic road trip. The feast features aphrodisiac-inspired ingredients in such flavors as parchita (passion fruit and caramel), miel (honey and almond hazelnut praline) and picante (Napa Valley cabernet and Pasilla chile).
She Travels Alot: Just as the Toyota Venza is a passenger car masquerading as a CUV, Tinge is a vibrator disguised as a razor. I’m just not that into vibrators, but I personally tested Tinge and I recommend it for women who love vibrators and for those who are “vibrator curious.” Because Tinge looks like a fancy razor, your Valentine will never be embarrassed again when traveling with her “undercover lover.”
Truffle Popcorn? Yes! We couldn’t get enough of this oily, earthy, crunchy goodness of truffle popcorn, which is made by entrepreneur Susan Rice from our nation’s first truffle farms in North Carolina. This delicacy travels well and is the perfect romantic snack to bring on the road
Queen of the Road: So, you may not be driving a brand new 2009 Toyota Venza, but you can give the gift of reading about a real road trip. “Queen of the Road,” by self-proclaimed Jewish Princess Doreen Orion, is a rather good read, recountiong a year-long bus trip with her husband and all of their hilarious mishaps. www.queenoftheroadbook.com
Makeup Trunk:If your woman takes a ton of makeup on all your road trips, she will swoon when you give her the Caroline Chu cosmetics case. More like a makeup trunk, this gorgeous black case comes with silver accents, a lock and a makeup brush drawer.
Yoga Chicks Love This: Does your yoga-minded partner love road trips, but hates to be away from her studio? Buy her Yoga Paws. These “mini mats” for hands and feet provide padding and support. Plus, they absorb dirt, oils and perspiration from hotel room carpets.
For the Kids: I loaded “Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around The World” into the Venza’s CD player and this award-winning audio book kept my five-year-old daughter calm (and not talking!) for the 90-minute trip to Carlsbad. Check it out at: www.mythsandtales.com. While at the resort, we kept her extremely busy with Hearth Song’s Valentine Kit, which includes construction paper, heart doilies, stickers, glitter and glue
Quady Wines: Romantic road trips aren’t so fun without the wine. So, I packed some post-dinner dessert wines in the Toyota Venza’s vast cargo area for when my daughter finally went to sleep. Quady Wines has been making award-winning dessert wines since the 1970s. We found the more delicate Essencia (made from orange Muscat grapes) goes well with fruits and soft cheeses while the more robust Elysium (made from black Muscat grapes) pairs well with dark chocolate.
Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, California.
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