The best most romantical places in OC, Part 2..

Part two of Certifiably Random’s three most romantical places in OC is an escalation in romanticalness and relationships. This isn’t for the faint of heart in amorous like endeavors, for it entails a much deeper level of co- commit- you know, the big “C” and or interest in being alone with your significant other. Hopefully the latter still applies years down the line after your fiftieth plus anniversary.

My wife and I have always loved getting away for a night or weekend to simply enjoy each other’s company. And to that end, we’ve experienced a vast array of crash pads in varying degrees of quality and status: everything from 2 stars to the highest of accommodations is our fair County and I’d have to say, well, never go below 2 and a half stars although I’d also add it seems pointless to me to go over three. The higher end locations seem not to deliver to the average joe. I’m not saying I am so without class that their amenities are lost on me. I’m saying that their actual room amenities are bare minimal, they spend most of their luxuries on the activities in the hotel itself, whilest your room is left lacking. The beds are always nice and that is a definite plus, but the rooms while a splendid display of decor, have little else to offer. For some, this is ideal, but for my wife and I, we enjoy the details, and we don’t often like to leave our room. *smiles wryly*

That being said, one of the Hotels I’ve always enjoyed is the Holiday Inn Express, seems like a cheap option, and price wise it is, but their suites are extremely nice with all the amenities that make for an amazing stay. Plus, they have more than your continental breakfast fare each morning. We stayed in one of these hotels during our trip to Idaho, in fact the 2.5 star location was the highest rated hotel in the Idaho Falls area, making the choice a little easier on my part, especially with the reasonable rates.

Although, this is about the best most romantical places in OC, otherwise I would be going on about the Downtown Doubletree (a 3 star option) in San Diego or the mecca of all hotels, the Hotel Del Coronado. The latter is the exception to the rule in lavish stays, it’s a costly place but well worth the money. And yet, other than our San Diego oasis, my favorite OC hotel isn’t in Newport Beach or near Disneyland, they sport some fine stop offs for a weekend caper, but no, for me the best most romantical place in OC for lodging purposes is the Ayres Suites at Yorba Linda. It’s a smaller four story Hotel and best described by their website:

Ayres’ first rate, friendly service meets the elegance of a European-style boutique hotel. Ayres Suites at Yorba Linda is everything you could ask for in a home away from home. Enter the French Provencal hotel lobby, the perfect drawing room for guests to meet. The carefully selected antiques, imported art and fresco painted walls exude refinement and good taste. Relax in our plush, floral upholstered furniture. Feel the warmth of our large marble fireplace. And the hospitality of our daily complimentary breakfast.

My wife and I enjoy this place so much that we opted to spend our wedding night there. The rooms, decorated in the style of a European bed and breakfast are spacious and emaculate with extremely comfortable beds. The service is unrivaled and they too have your more than normal continental fare in the morning: a breakfast buffet that is plentiful and yummy. In addition they always put out wine, cheese and delicious cookies in the evening and in room there is everything you might need for a comfortable stay: including those small things you never see in the nicer accommodations of 4 star hotels, like a refrigerator or a microwave. I suppose the rich may find these things trivial, but I love having those type of niceties in my room. And I would be amiss to mention our favorite amenity, the Jetted bathtub.

So, Certifiably Random’s not-so humble recommendation for romanticalness is to actually get away and spend your time together in blissful comfort at the Ayres Suites in Yorba Linda.

Digg it.

That is all.

The best most romantical places in OC, Part 1..

Having just had my one year anniversary, I’ve been thinking about a plethora of favorite places for romantical opportunities and the difficulty of finding a truly great romantical (you may say romantical is not an official word, but you’d be wrong, and besides, I like it) place. So guys (or even gals), I figured I’d give you a break and share Certifiably Random’s three most romantical places on the planet, well, in Orange County. Sorry to all ya folks outside “The OC”, but this is the land of the happiest place on earth and of course: my three most romantical locations. I could probably give a “three most” for places in Europe and Russia and other various locations in the US, although it’s been a long time since I’ve done such traveling and I doubt I could recall the names of those places, so we’ll just stick to what I know and if you ever visit this land of entitlement, then you’ll be in the know and knowing is half the battle (the other half is not picking your nose nor doing anything else that might kill the mood).

So, to cover each location and escalate the romanticalness of your relationship, we’ll go with three parts and three levels of degree. The first part, your normal date night, this level of love can apply to all ages, creeds, level of co- commit- you know, the big c . . . no, not cancer. Anyways, from first dates to popping the question to years down the line after your fiftieth anniversary you’ll always need a place to eat with your beloved. Hence, part one equals the restaurant choice. I’ve been to many a restaurant and there are some amazing places to take your one true love or even the one you’re with while waiting for true love to strike, hey, I’m not judging, I’m just saying.

Now, I could list some great Restaurants: Orange Hill, 1500 Ocean, two of the most exquisite restaurants known to SoCal (one being in San Diego), and other restaurants great for a good time like Johnny Rebs (fried pickles, yummy), and so on and so forth, but I’m only naming the best of the best and that for the romantical purposes. So, the winnar of the best romantical Restaurant in Certifiably Random’s not-so humble opinion is Ristorante Genovese. I’m sure most of you have never heard of this unique family owned Italian restaurant, but I’ve been going there since I was a teenager, and I’ve never found better Italian cuisine and atmosphere in all of OC.

Ristorante Genovese is a quirky little place with forthright character, something you’ll notice from the moment you pull into it’s quaint parking lot and read the various humorous postings to the instant you walk in the door and are greeted with genuine smiles. Most of the time, the owner Al is there (occasionally handing out fake jewelery and glow sticks) and will possibly asking you to join in a song to a loving couple or party there for some type of celebration. The decor is romantically lit and there is a beautiful mural painted on the wall as well as a plethora of knick knacks. Yes, this little green restaurant nestled into Tustin Avenue’s busy boulevard is that one special place I would recommend to take that someone special or again that someone right now and soak up the Italian goodness.

And let’s not forget the food, because even if, ladies, you’re trying not to eat to impress that debonair man (are guys ever impressed by that, I mean don’t just hork it down, but dammit, eat something), you won’t be able to resist this fanfare. My favorite item on the menu has always been the calamari, I don’t know too many places that cook calamari well. And with the real home-style southern Italian cooking here, you’ll feel like mama’s in the kitchen putting every ounce of love she has in every dish you order, and Margie Genovese is there with her staff doing just that. I’ve ordered countless items on their menu and have never been disappointed. Therefore, part one of my trifecta of the best romantical places in OC, in all its cheesy goodness Ristorante Genovese has first vote on best Romantical Restaurant ever to grace the OC.

Ristorante Genovese
214 N. Tustin St, Orange
(714) 633-5654

Hours: Lunch served: 11:30am-2pm Tuesday through Friday; Dinner: 5pm to closing Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Reservations: The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but you can call ahead to inquire if there is a wait.

Mangia! Mangia! (eat! eat!)

Digg it

That is all.