Comments (0) Best Weekend Getaway - 2006

Mar Vista Cottages at Anchor Bay

It's not just the immaculately restored 1930s cottages and dramatic coastline that make Mar Vista an idyllic getaway destination. From the moment you pull into the former fishing village about a three-hour drive north of San Francisco, it's obvious that the prattle of everyday life can't touch you. There are no televisions. Wi-Fi? Nope. Cell phone service? Forget it. And while the dishes and the furniture are charmingly mismatched, you're hardly roughing it; the fact that the hosts, Tom and Renata Dorn, are vets of some of the city's finest luxury hotels is evident in the high-thread-count cotton sheets, the down comforters, and the thick terrycloth towels. But the Dorns separate themselves from other schmancy coastal getaways with their broadminded aim of making their little resort wholly sustainable. There's an organic garden in which guests pick their own seasonal produce, and the chickens scurrying around provide fresh eggs for breakfast. It's an ideal spot for lovers, and some of the cottages are big enough for a quiet family vacation, where even the family dog is welcome.