Last Thursday, I was invited to attend a wonderful event for a great cause: Wine and chocolate tasting presented by R.A. Rauch & Associates with Eclipse Chocolate at the Pantai Inn in La Jolla, where the proceeds benefitted The Wounded Warrior Project. Prior to the tasting, I was afforded a tour by sales manager Paula Ruthenberg, who showed me around the Bali inspired hotel grounds and in one of the gorgeous luxury villas. I truly felt I was transported to another place because much of the décor, furnishings and carved art were imported directly from Bali. What a lovely backdrop to the decadence of wine paired with chocolate by Eclipse Chocolate. Thank you Kim Whittemore for the invite and everyone at Pantai Inn for a lovely evening!
The stunning views from the hotel were enhanced by soothing flamenco music by Anthony Garcia.
Entrance to the lobby.
The lobby area.
I love the Balinese details throughout the hotel, including Balinese translations of items around the lobby. Clever!
The entrance of “The Gathering Room” with a magnificent mural painted by artist Ed Piffard.
More from “The Gathering Room” where typically a Continental breakfast is served while overlooking the ocean view. Breathtaking!
Ray and Will of Eclipse Chocolate.
My favorite wine & chocolate pairing of the night was the port dessert wine paired with the Chile Burnt Caramel (pictured above). Separately, each had a tad more sweet and heat than I’m used to. Together, they balanced each other out into this smooth taste sensation.
Ray and Will with Robert Rauch of R.A. Rauch & Associates. Robert Rauch with Pantai Inn owner, Larry Jackman.
Moi! (Photo by Fritz Harmon Photography. All other photos in this post were taken by me.)
