Here's a Valentine's Idea for the gents living in California: take your sweetie to Mendocino!

Mendocino's roughly four hours north of San Francisco on the 101. If you have a bit more time and would rather a more adventurous and scenic drive, take the Pacific Coast Highway instead.

This quaint, romantic village is tucked along the coast and is surrounded by lush forests. The drive will take you through Mendocino County where you'll pass by some of the region's best vineyards.

The famous Fetzer Vineyards is a good choice for wine novices because their friendly staff will make the experience very smooth. It will mean a bit of a detour (it's up on the 175 even though the 128 is what you'd need to take to Mendocino), though you can easily find great vineyards along the 128 as well.

Fetzer has a wide selection for every taste; you can try their tannic Syrah, their smooth Merlot, or their deliciously floral Muscat. There's even a well-stocked deli for you to pack a picnic and eat at the vineyard or along a scenic point on the way to Mendocino.

For a cultural experience, order their salami and cheese platter while you sample their wines. It's a meaty platter that can fill you up, but will compliment the wine well. If you have a sweet tooth, you can opt for the chocolate-covered strawberries instead, if they're in season.

When you get to Mendocino, go for a charming bed & breakfast. Though prices can be on the steep side for a b&b, it's worth it for the wonderful personal attention that the hosts give you.

The Sweetwater Spa and Inn is especially a good choice because it offers free access to their public sauna and hot tub. In the off-seasons, you won't find many people there. But if it's privacy you crave, you can go for a room with a soothing Jacuzzi.

If you want real luxury at any expense, try their Cloud 10 room. Here's a hint: you can haggle the price down a bit if all of the other cheaper rooms are already taken. With a temperature-regulated fireplace, two-person Jacuzzi, and king-sized bed, you'll be able to lavish your sweetie in the utmost comfort. There are even the modern conveniences of cable television and stereo too!

There's a little known secret that a local shared with me about Sweetwater Spa and Inn. Apparently there's a room called the Overnighter that features a Jacuzzi and fireplace as well, for cheaper than any other room in the place. It's generally used as an emergency room and during the daytime, it's open to the public. But if you can catch the hosts before they go to sleep, maybe you can luck out on this fantastic deal.

After you've settled down, go for a stroll along Main Street. With Mendocino Bay on one side and picturesque shops on the other, you'll feel like you've stepped into another century. Of course, all the flashy new BMW's will take you right out of that world, but ignore them as you stroll down the street.

One of the reasons Fetzer Vineyards is so popular here is because they have a tasting room on Main Street. Ask your hosts at Sweetwater Spa & Inn about Fetzer, and they'll give you a card that will guarantee VIP treatment at this tasting room, including a discount on any item in the store.

There are dozens upon dozens of enchanting little shops here that will surely plant a big grin on your sweetie's face. Maybe even yours. The Courtyard is a nice shop that carries simple yet endlessly charming invitational cards (such as "Join me for drinks tonight" and "Let's have coffee and chat"). Use one of these cards for your sweetie one day and you'll charm the socks off of her (possibly literally)!

Take a turn up Lansing and take a look in Sallie Mac, a French-influenced shop with beautifully decorated Art Deco beer glasses and hilarious Lonely Planet phrase books. The gracious shopkeepers will delight in telling you about their latest wares and their cultural significance.

For lunch (or even dinner), Cafe Beaujolais (pronounced sort of like boo-joo-lay, it's a French thing) is a pricey yuppie restaurant that has a buttery-tender Washington sturgeon filet in scrumptious meaty sauce and a crisp salad of delicately pulled duck and pomegranates. Try their Pacific Echo aperitif for an interesting blend of sweet syrup, angora bitters, and champagne. As an alternative to Cafe Beaujolais, locals tell me that Moosse Cafe is another wonderful choice.

If the weather permits, hop back into the car and cruise down to Comptche-Ukiah Road. Here you'll find Stanford Inn by the Sea and their canoe & kayak rentals (and bicycles too!). It's recommended that you call ahead to ask about the river conditions. The staff will gladly give you an honest assessment. If the tides are in your favor, take a gentle canoe ride up Big River's forested canyon. For more points from your sweetie, pack a picnic of sandwiches, wine, and a book of poems.

Is it still a few months from spring? Then you may be near whale season. Take a drive up to Fort Bragg (only twenty minutes away) to find North Coast Fishing Adventures, which offers a range from spectacular whale watching to pictorial coast cruises to exciting fishing trips. A local tells me that he's seen dozens of whales before, and that these gentle mammals give one last triumphant blast of water from their blowhole before diving deep into the ocean to finish the show.

For more adventure, stay in Fort Bragg and take the 1 north until you reach Ricochet Ridge Ranch's Trail Rides on the Beach. There, you'll saddle up with (hopefully) an amiable horse and take an hour and a half ride down to the beach and back. Good even for those who have never been on a horse, this gallant ride can be made even more heroic if you take the 4:00 PM ride. By the time you circle the beach and head back, you'll see a blazing sunset over the horizon.

An alternative to seeing a sunset on horseback is watching it from the beautiful Point Cabrillo Light Station and Preserve. This secluded historic site was once a gathering site for California Gray whales. Between Fort Bragg and Mendocino, it's a great way to end the day. Sit side-by-side with your sweetie huddled up close. The temperature can drop mighty fast once the sun goes down. If you still have some wine left over, have a toast to the glorious fading sun.

An even better way to end the day is a full-body massage back at the Sweetwater Spa & Inn (ask for the Sweetheart Special). A husband and wife team of masseuses will give you a range of styles, from Swedish to reflexology to Shiatsu, all at once! Ask them to give an explanation of their techniques and they'll be thrilled to share with you the magic behind their unique styles.

Back in the Sweetwater Spa & Inn dining room there will be wine, cheese, and crackers. Play a casual game of chess or chat with other guests as you sample the wines from around Mendocino County. It may come as no surprise that they'll probably enchant you with a few bottles of Fetzer wine.

If you're in the mood for something more lively, the Mendocino Art Center on Little Lake Street holds live performances on the weekends. Sometimes there's dancing, other times there's music. This will give you a chance to meet more of the cheerfully welcoming locals who can talk to you about anything from art to wine to how to enjoy a relaxing life, as it should be.

Then come back to your room and, if you are lucky enough to have Cloud 10, blaze up the fireplace, fill up the Jacuzzi, pop in a relaxing CD, and lounge the rest of the night away with some delicious wine (Fetzer, of course).

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Do you have any good Valentine's ideas?