Who gave that woman a jackhammer?

We are in the process of building a new reception area! It's right below the wedding stage. This space is going to hold around 12 tables to host 100 guests. We are currently working on clearing the space and leveling it. We are also building rock walls along the edge- by hand of course!

However, working at Hidden Valley Retreat is never as easy as it sounds. As we were leveling the space, we came across a HUGE boulder! Boulders are common on our property, if you've ever seen the Event Center, you would know; we've got boulders built right into the walls! Now we understand why-- those things are hard to break down! We were able to jackhammer most of it , but couldn't get it all. Now we have a permanent addition to the area: a beautiful, natural, white granite boulder to sit on. It matches the event center!

We will be posting many more photos as we make progress, but until then you can take joy in this photo of Fiona jack-hammering away!

New Webpage for Shabbaton Weekend!

We have launched our new webpage for the Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton!

You can find it HERE.

There you can find more information, register, view the room assignments, view our food menu, and the tentative schedule. This site will be constantly updated with new information as the date gets closer! We will continue to post here as well to keep you informed of new exciting plans!

Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton will be held Chanukah Weekend, December 23-25 at the Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa. It will be a weekend with the Kirtan Rabbi in which you will discover a non-traditional way of Jewish Prayer.

Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton

A few months ago I experienced a wonderful Jewish service at The Hive in downtown San Diego. Rabbi Andrew Hahn known as the Kirtan Rabbi was visiting from New York and he held the most moving service.  I was inspired by his music and chanting of prayers and I had an authentic deep Jewish Experience, I was moved physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Our family has been a member of a congregation here in San Diego for more than 20 years, Congregation Beth El in La Jolla.  We enjoy a unique monthly musical Friday Night service in the style of Carlsbach. The sound and style of the Kirtan Rabbi’s service was so different and compelling.  The chanting and eastern sounding music resonated with me. Honestly, I was moved to tears.  Kirtan Rabbi also held services at other synagogues and homes in San Diego.  He got great reviews and I heard that so many other people loved the feeling of his services. 

After my experience with Kirtan Rabbi, I was elated to find out that he was asked to be the officiant for one of my brides at Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa! I feel like fate had a huge hand in bringing such an influential person back into my life once again.  While discussing plans for the wedding, we began talking about turning his trip into a huge event. What we came up with is a Shabbaton Weekend! We are just thrilled with this idea and we have begun to make arrangements.

We are making plans and organizing meals and are about to open registration for a Spiritual Rejuvenation Shabbaton Weekend with Kirtan Rabbi and Friends.  It is being planned for a wonderful weekend during Hanukkah (on Christmas Eve – forget the Chinese Food), and a very important time in the Jewish year. 

I will soon be updating this blog, Facebook, and a whole new webpage dedicated to the weekend as plans fall into place. Stay tuned for rates, information, meal plans, activities, and speakers!

Daniel and Josh's Wedding

We were happy that Daniel and Josh chose Hidden Valley Retreat as their wedding venue. Dan and Josh chose to extend their Weekend Wedding to a 5 day wedding extravaganza, giving them the maximum amount of time to spend with friends and family. We were happy to offer them private and exclusive use of our property so that they could focus on each other and their loved ones.

So Cute!

Ceremony on the Deck

Dan and Josh were the first couple to have their ceremony on our deck overlooking the valley. We've always recommended this spot for a unique ceremony location, and they were the first to do it. They were able to comfortably seat 90. 

Reception in the Event Center

They held their reception in the Event Center, which was beautifully decorated. Each guest received a crown or tiara to take photobooth style pictures with. (more photos to come)

Family Photo!

We wish Dan and Josh all the best and a lifetime of happy marriage! Congratulations!

Clickery Photography Wedding!

Our good friends and associates, Katie and Zack of Clickery photography were wed on May 10th, 2011. We have had a great relationship with them since we met at our bridal fair, and chose them as our preferred photography vendor. Katie and Zack are an extraordinary couple that own their business, and they photograph as a team. 

You can imagine our joy when K and Z told us they wanted to use us as their wedding venue. Out of all the venues they've shot at, they chose us! We were honored to have them, of course.

All of that excitement was recently revived after we received a disc in the mail of all of their beautiful photos! Unfortunately, the talented team couldn't shoot their own photos, but they sure had an entourage of photographer friends to do it for them! Because Katie and Zack were so familiar with the property already, they knew all of the best locations (even secret spots) to take pictures together. 

Here are a few of our favorite photos, you can view their whole album on our Facebook. 

On the terraces, we love the balloons!

The ceremony was held at Hippocrates Circle.

We love this bench!

K&Z fancied up our fence leading to Hippocrates circle.

Reception in the Event Center.

We LOVE this photo, so funny!

We highly recommend Clickery Photography for any wedding! Because they are a team, it is like getting two for the price of one! While Katie is in the Mountain View Suite capturing every moment of the bride getting beautiful, Zack can be clicking the groomsmen getting ready and goofing around in the Barn House. You get the eyes of not one, but two talented photographers. And now with the experience of getting married at our venue, we can give our full guarantee that your Hidden Valley wedding pictures will be better-than-perfect if you choose to use this dynamic duo.

Clickery Photography can be found here. 

The New Barn House

These last two weeks were dedicated to renovating The Barn House. Our devoted Hidden Valley renovation team conquered this project. We targeted the Ranch Hand Room and the Rawhide room.

New Signs to label the bedrooms

We started by installing fans in all the bedrooms, because we have been having some hot summer days. Now the barn house guests can relax indoors with cool breezes rolling throughout the house!

We painted The Ranch Hand room a beautiful calm blue, and added matching throw pillows. The Rawhide room also received a fresh coat of sage green paint. We found some great original oil paintings and framed them, so each room has its own original piece of art! Each bedroom got new furniture, and all new lamps and light fixtures. All of the windows received a new window treatment, with funky curtains to match each theme. We also framed some great horse photos for the palomino room (we just love themed bedrooms)!

The new and improved Ranch Hand Room

We also added a few new beds, with all new comforters. Now the rooms are soft and cozy with their new bedspreads and fun decor! With our new bed configuration, the Barn House can hold up to 14 people. Each room now has a queen or king bed to hold couples. 

In the Ranch Hand Room, we turned an oil lamp into an electric lamp with a bulb. We will post on how to make your own on our next blog!

The Palomino Room (Left) and Rawhide Room (Right)

The Barn isn't for the animals anymore! It still has all the barn charm with the comforts of home inside.

Secluded Sites Make for Successful Meetings

June's issue of Meetings Focus West is one geared towards eco-friendly meetings and secluded retreats. Companies are looking for retreats and getaways that allow a full focus on their meeting's agenda. They are now meeting at places that offer peaceful powwows without the distraction of other vacationers and professionals that you would typically find at a hotel or convention. This goes to show that larger companies are focusing on their own environmental impacts, and they are finally doing something about it. Whether it is starting a recycling program at the office, or planning office getaways at an environmentally-friendly venue, companies are really making the effort to reduce their carbon footprint. We are very excited about two of Meetings Focus West's feature articles that highlight the importance of green venues and nature-surrounded retreats.


The first article, "Going Wild," emphasizes non-traditional meeting sites. The article states, "Groups can experience green in the truest sense of the word by taking advantage of parks and conservation areas all across the West." 


The second article, "Hideaway Havens," promotes intimacy of a place that allow groups to focus on their meetings rather than be disturbed by outside distractions.

One of our many green meeting spaces

We are happy that green venues are gaining popularity, and we hope that Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa will continue to be recognized as a nature-loving distraction-free venue for any company's needs. Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa commits to carrying on the practices of Dr. Jensen, who owned the property for 60 years and ran it as a world-renowned holistic health ranch.To read about Hidden Valley Retreat and all of our green practices, click here.






Marlene Goldman. "Going Wild." Meetings Focus West.  
Laura Del Rosso. "Hideaway Havens." Meetings Focus West.