Designer Destination | The Claremont Hotel Berkeley

Last weekend, the Mr and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary with a little staycation at what I’ve considered one of the most iconic hotels in California, the Claremont hotel. The Claremont has been around since 1915 and it’s like a white beacon on the Oakland/Berkeley border. It’s always inspiring to see its bright, white facade in contrast to the lush green trees and hills it’s nestled in. Growing up I had always wanted to stay there, but until last weekend that dream hadn’t come true. Spending a couple of days there was the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary. And after seeing its amazing architectural details and decor, I knew it was going to be my next Designer Destination. Just check out that pool house and deck done in all white and black, could that be any more perfect?

The hotel was originally built in the 1800s as a private residence, can you imagine?! In 2015 the hotel celebrated it’s 100 year birthday by joining the Fairmont family and getting extensive updates. The decor done by KNA Design is impeccable and it’s amazing how they created such a perfect balance of old and new. It’s hard to make a grand space like the main lobby feel cozy and invited, but they succeeded! The interior of the hotel is just as noteworthy as the inside now!

The Mr and I started our visit off with a couples massage at the Claremont spa. I get massages relatively often and I can say that this one was in a whole different league. After the massage I was able to make use of the relaxation suite with eucalyptus steam rooms, saline whirlpool and deluge showers. And when they say “deluge” they really mean deluge, I counted 11 shower heads in my single shower stall! Pretty amazing, right? The relaxation areas are open to all hotel guests too, so you don’t need to pay for a spa treatment to enjoy them. Same goes for the fitness classes and facilities. Yoga anyone?

After the spa visit, we checked into our room and were welcomed with a fruit and cheese platter – the perfect mid afternoon snack! The room itself was amazingly spacious. I’ve always equated older hotels with smaller rooms, but this definitely wasn’t the case here. This was one of the bigger rooms I’ve stayed in recently. The bed was very comfy too!

We really worked up an appetite with all that poolside lounging, so we headed off to Limewood for dinner. And again we were surrounded with impeccable decor! I mean, Hicks pendants? Yessss! And the food, let’s not forget about the food. The dinner was perfection. We started off with oysters on the half shell. They came served with jalapeño-infused vinegar. Yes, that bit of genius is something I’m totally going to have to recreate. So. Good. Next up we had a trio of appetizers and I’m still dreaming of those hushpuppies and eggplant coins. I think those need to be regulars in my life. For the main course the Mr went with a classic: a good steak. I decided on the halibut with pecan mole. Very delicious; in fact everything we had was tasty and just so unique. It’s not often that I can say that a hotel restaurant is one of my faves, but this one definitely makes the cut.

The Claremont is within easy distance to San Francisco and wine country as well as being next door to UC Berkeley. I think it’s pretty well situated, and if you’re ever in the area, you now know where you’re staying 😉 It’s definitely one to put on the checklist!

 

 

Thank you to the Claremont Hotel for providing the experience and thank you for supporting copycatchic and the partners that make this blog possible!