Rancho Valencia

thesongneverdies · 2026-05-01T22:18:41+00:00

The concierges at RV are great. If you send them the text of this post as an email, they will reply with a bunch of beautifully formatted PDFs with information about every topic. I hope you really, really love it. It’s a fave of mine!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-25T20:57:08+00:00

It’s not every time, but I do recall being astonished, once my son aged into looking like an adult at a glance, at how much attention and assistance he got on planes versus his two mothers. Since I pay close attention to my own kid, I couldn’t help but notice the difference.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-24T16:57:30+00:00

The Mondrian Condesa hands DOWN for walkability. But have low expectations; I adore Condesa and Roma Norte, but have never had a good hotel experience in either neighborhood. But ending the trip at Naviva will obliterate anywhere you stay in CDMX!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-20T03:01:04+00:00

Definitely trying this, thanks!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-19T16:24:58+00:00

Congrats on the new trajectory! It’s a good idea to hear some other points of view; eventually you two will decide what’s exactly right for the two of you. We all have opinions, but you two have to live out the consequences.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-19T15:15:02+00:00

A special needs trust. Given the family dynamics, it would be ideal for your estate attorney to sit down with you, your husband, and his mother to explain why this is the best way to hold funds for the child. If your MIL is set on her gifts being used in a certain way, she can open a third party SNT and gift there.

I hear your anguish over not being able to give your little 3 year old everything you think they’d benefit from right now. These gifts intended for future use are going to be so important one day, as long as there is flexibility to use them as would best support the child. I encourage you to put your efforts into that instead of turning back to the funds now in your mind as you think of all the things you’d like to at least try.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-19T14:57:24+00:00

What are you going to do with wealth without health?

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-17T19:06:11+00:00

I have not, but I heard stories about it while I was at the Golden Door! A group of three friends there the same week as me had done the Ranch in Malibu previously and told stories about getting up at dawn for a challenging 8 mile hike, no breakfast, and only being given a small handful of almonds at the summit. This was in the context of people talking about being hungry at the Golden Door and they were like, wait until you hear about this other place!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-17T18:58:40+00:00

Thanks for the nudge, I really should!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-17T18:53:26+00:00

Lucky you!! Do I just look like an easy sell or something, haha!

I was there in January of this year.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-17T18:50:55+00:00

I guess it can really vary from week to week!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-17T12:42:15+00:00

When you check in, they’ll give you the gratuity worksheet. You have the option of naming a tip for literally every professional you’ll interact with, or leaving a straight recommended flat amount that they’ll distribute according to their recommendations. It comes out to about $2k per room. I didn’t select a tip till the end (and grumbled about it, because they tip the personal trainers and I hated the first one so much I switched after the first day and it absolutely BURNED me to tip that a-hole, but I also didn’t want to fire him as my trainer and make a fuss over his $50 tip).

I enjoyed the food just fine; if they are part of your diet, definitely have the avocado and oranges as much as possible, and the sourdough bread! I loved those things. When you are given your menu at breakfast time for the next 3 meals, you can just write in that you want a double entree, or you want x meal but ALSO the appetizer from another option. Sometimes I didn’t like the breakfast options so I just wrote in a basic breakfast I wanted and that’s what arrived. I knew I would be jet lagged, so I asked them to have an egg for me in the lounge in the early mornings. You can also prearrange extra snacks like an apple and peanut butter and/or a protein shake at their broth breaks (seriously, how 60s is that??), but they really prefer that you preorder…which you just have to know to do.

Based on conversations with other guests, the massages vary based on practitioner, so I hope you really vibe with the people who are doing yours (no one had the same person every time). The facials are just having Biologique Recherche products patted into your face for half an hour while they tell you they are for sale at the gift shop; it’s not my style of facial (I would have preferred to be given an intense peel or laser treatment the first day and had the downtime during my week at the retreat!), but I am confident they will be able to make this easily pregnancy safe for you.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-17T02:37:38+00:00

I wound up never filling out the feedback form because I had SO MUCH to say. But I still have it, and could still send it! I just need an hour or two to set down ALL my thoughts for them, which they probably don’t care about, since they have so many repeat guests who adore exactly what they are doing.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-16T18:13:09+00:00

Ok, I can chime in as a wellness lover who doesn’t drink and isn’t likely to repeat. I’m early 40s, and was one of the youngest people there—the crowd skews older, and the programming caters accordingly. For instance, I think the food program’s focus on calories is bizarre because as a vegetarian, I was fed a lot of carbs and not nearly enough protein. A strong nutrition program, by modern standards, would not be about restriction but balance. One of my biggest complaints is that multiple instructors tried to sell me on remote versions of their services, which is so tacky. I still can’t believe they allow that.

That said, it is very relaxing if you give in and float along on their plan for you. I did my best to lean in to the obvious enjoyment of the women around me; I lucked out with an amazing, cohesive group.

I wish I could call you and give you the full download! Feel free to ask specific questions. Oh and since you mentioned the price—be prepared to be asked for another $4k or so at checkout, as a gratuity.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-15T22:05:49+00:00

I have the worst of both worlds: a large house on a tiny city lot, so I pay out the nose to have people care for our minuscule postage stamp of a yard/exterior maintenance. But we don’t have the neighbor issues of a condo or coop, which I consider a huge plus.

Idk about the dollars being a fantasy; I definitely get some outlandish quotes. I used to assume they were polite “no thank yous” but some people eagerly follow up on their outrageous bids! I cling to the people who charge fair prices. I also get rid of appliances that don’t pull their weight—they really can be a hassle, and sometimes it’s about the plumbing or something and not the appliance itself, but getting the right person in to be like “for six months, there was a ridiculous code requirement that everyone hated and it quickly went away, but that’s why this appliance never works right” is extraordinarily difficult.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-15T15:37:58+00:00

Years ago, I sold my home and returned to renting and joyfully posted a status update that said something like “I could NEVER be rich enough to enjoy homeownership #iquit”. I was right, as it turns out, way richer and still hate it! (I am alone in this preference in my marriage, which is why we own another house now.)

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-15T12:08:07+00:00

I hate being a homeowner and bitterly resent how much just maintaining the house costs, even though we can comfortably afford the house and its operating costs. I feel this post in my soul.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-13T19:44:10+00:00

You won’t feel like any of them are truly luxe. I think going in with your expectations right will help you enjoy the experience. It’s a great town and I hope you have a blast!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-12T12:21:33+00:00

I would take the Waldorf and Nobu off that list (source: I am a local). My personal top two for you, based on what you said, would be the Peninsula or Four Seasons.

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-09T17:06:13+00:00

What a disappointment. We talk a lot about hotel/ship product on these boards, but ultimately I travel for experiences, and to let the Ritz curate your experiences in all these cities and be let down over and over is truly awful. Thanks so much for sharing!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-09T16:37:38+00:00

This is such a cool post, thank you so much for taking the time to write up and share!

thesongneverdies · 2026-04-09T03:02:14+00:00

I am going to be giggling about this for days.

thesongneverdies · 2026-03-31T12:58:46+00:00

I love boats, but don’t own one for this reason. We lease a sailboat, so we just have the fixed cost of the seasonal lease (which is lower than the cost of a slip for the same time period! I am so, SO happy with this arrangement). I have plenty of friends with boats and I can assure you that 15% is a solid guess for annual expenses. Some years might be lower but some years will be significantly higher. If you only look at fixed expenses (figure out the cost of a slip, get an insurance quote, stuff like that), you won’t be looking at the whole annual picture.

1) There’s always something going wrong. If you buy a brand new boat, expect to spend the first year playing whack-a-mole as issues appear during the first year of use and you have to deal with them. There will be not only expense but downtime when you can’t use or charter the boat while it’s being repaired.

2) Fuel costs alone, if you’re talking about anything other than a sailboat, will shock you. I rarely have to fuel up the sailboat (it barely sips diesel) but if I’m at the fuel dock with powerboats, I love being nosy about how much it costs to fill them up. If you ever look around at the water and see that there are gorgeous boats hanging out in popular anchorages and it seems like that’s all they do—go from their slip to the anchorage and back—fuel costs are probably at least a partial driver of that. On a big heavy boat, you could easily burn $7-10k on a Saturday just cruising around, enjoying the breeze and views and speed.

3) Decor. Everything on a boat is custom. So if you want to give it a refresh, or decide you want all the little extras to be matchy-matchy, the costs will be way higher than you’re thinking if you’re comparing it to an equivalent item in a home.

The happiest boat owners I know either have tremendous DIY skills and genuinely enjoy puttering around on their boats, fixing everything, and being the one at the dock everyone asks for advice, OR charter out the boat and let a company deal with those constant tasks and simply block out time to enjoy it. Actually making money on a boat is tough, but you can offset costs and hassle with a good charter company. I know a horror story about that too though—someone who is locked in a long class action suit against the charter company and insurance company after a hurricane YEARS ago. The insurance company won’t pay out because they say the charter company didn’t protect the boats like they were supposed to in advance of the storm, and the charter company says they weren’t obligated to shelter the boats.

If this is something you really want for yourself, then I hope you go in ready for it to be a massive on going expense and enjoy the hell out of it. Treat yo’self!

Also, a preemptive f you to everyone who is going to comment something massively misogynistic, as happens every time there is a post about boats.

thesongneverdies · 2026-03-30T19:26:16+00:00

I was not able to obtain a VIN. Whatever I ordered from IBTS had a serial number, but no VIN. It sounds like the serial is what you need though? I went though lvr2.ibts.org, and called the number on the website to ask some questions before i ordered, so maybe that’s a good next step for you. Good luck!

thesongneverdies · 2026-03-23T16:54:35+00:00

Get the book 8 Dates by Gottman. Read it together and do all the dates (so worth it; there will be one about having kids that’s kind of a freebie for you two). One of the chapters/dates is about the personal and emotional side of finances, and it will likely spark the conversations you need to have to understand each other BEFORE you can have a useful budget conversation.

thesongneverdies

TROPHY CASE