The Seabird Hotel on Mission Avenue in Oceanside, California

From time to time I highlight “places to know” around San Diego County. Maybe you know, and maybe you don’t, there are two new hotels in Oceanside, California next to the beach and a stone’s throw from the Oceanside Pier. One is the Mission Pacific, and the other is The Seabird Resort.

My husband John, and I are a little partial to The Seabird. Our architect and interior designer, Bill Bocken, who mastered our personal home remodel eleven years ago, has along with a design team done the stunning Seabird Resort interior design. The moment we walked into the inviting lobby, we sensed Bocken’s undeniable style.

The Seabird’s Inviting Lobby

While daytime is spectacular, I couldn’t help thinking how enchanting it would be to experience The Shore Room at sunset.

Summer Sunflowers Greet Lobby Guests

The atmosphere at The Seabird Resort is tasteful California casual, light and airy, with lots of blue tones that repeat the adjacent boardwalk setting, spectacular Pacific Ocean, and sky. A smattering of vintage California seaside photos punctuate the vibe and bring a smile to your face.

Both hotels are an asset to the ever evolving town of Oceanside! Check them out if you are in the area, or you have guests that are planning to visit the area!

A Stone’s Throw from the Oceanside Pier

As a side note, Oceanside has a plethora of great independent eateries, breweries, and cafes mainly along the Coast Highway corridor. One of our favorites is the popular Local Tap House (LTH), 308 South Coast Highway, (tel) (760) 547-1469.

Inside Local Tap House, Outside Dining Also Available

Always packed, be prepared to join a waiting list. The American cuisine is marvelous and the menu extensive. Being a Moule & Frites (Mussels & Fries) connoisseur from my Belgian days, I usually order mussels when I see it on the menu. Recently at the LTH, I ordered their Pozole Verde Mussels which came with avocado, crispy hominy, serrano crema, cilantro, garlic, radish, lime, and grilled torta roll. Heaven! Listed under “Snacks” on their menu, it was a delicious feast that got my two thumbs up!

Pozole Verde Mussels at Local Tap House, Oceanside

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

It was about this time last fall, give or take a month or two when my husband, John, and I embarked on our remodel project. Fast forward one year, a zillion decisions, a few surprises, ample changes, some upgrades, and our home remodel project is finished. I should say the construction is finished. There is still window treatments, landscaping, and more fun projects.

If you  recall, we remodeled our 1930's Spanish style 1,600 square foot home pushing out in two directions gingerly hugging around our mammoth Italian Stone Pine tree. We added approximately 1,000 square feet to our original home, with "night and day" improvement in livability, function, beauty, and views to our garden and horizon. Additionally, we built a new construction 20' x 40' two story barn. A simple gravel courtyard connects our home and barn. As seen in the above photo, we have a guest auto court and pedestrian gate to enter our courtyard.

John and I kept our basic Spanish-style home, upgrading materials and transitioning from a brown tile roof and beige stucco home,  to a traditional red tile roof, white stucco beauty. I was looking for a warm brown for an accent color for barn doors, barn shutters, and front gate and ironically stumbled across the color, "Wild Raisin" with a bit of wine color and life to it. Wild Raisin could easily become a name for one of our future wines out of our Domaine de Manion syrah vineyard.

Inside our home, the color theme is white "Cielo Blanco" walls with warm gray trim, accented by flat black lighting, railings, and door handles. Our floors are either hard wood or concrete terra cotta tile.

John and I appreciate immensely, all of the people and their talents who worked on our home remodel project. It was a real team effort, and a coming together of many, many people. We especially want to thank our architect Bill Bocken, William Bocken, Architecture Interior Design, (tel) (619) 260-1162 for his vision, and ability to be "right on" all the time when it comes to design, style, function, and color. We would be remiss if we didn't mention our savvy and energetic contractor, Robert McCarron, Robert McCarron Construction, (tel) (619) 726-6517, who orchestrated this entire project.

Other Key Components: Jim Gibson, Gibson and Gibson Antique Lighting. Custom Lighting. Vintage Timberworks, Vintage Timberworks. Recycled Wood & Flooring. Gary Henschel, Fixtures For Living. Appliances & Plumbing. Vintage Tub & Bath, Vintage Tub & Bath. Sinks. Ay's Designs in Iron, Ay's Designs In Iron. Custom Railing.

Please share if you have recently been through a home remodel. Please comment on your home remodel experience.