HOTEL GHOSTS: There are many places that tots trick-or-treat nowadays, locations that go well beyond our neighborhood cul de sac. Malls frequently stay open into Halloween evening to hand out the goodies, as do shopping centers, schools, and recreational centers. But hotels? Not so much. Sure, the front desk may put out a bowl of candy for those guests checking in on Oct. 31, but going door-to-door at a hotel, asking for sweets, would probably prove fruitless. Or candyless, rather, since most travelers don't journey to-and-fro with a bag of chocolate bars in their suitcase (the toiletries would probably crush 'em, anyway). The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe is changing that up with Halloween trick-or-treating for the costumed tot set on Friday, Oct. 31. The posh property's cottages'll be dolled-up -- or more likely ghouled-up -- for the occasion, and young guests are invited to walk cottage-to-cottage to seek seasonal treats.
BUT... that's not the only Halloween-y doings afoot at the Inn. A Graveyard Bar shall be set up for the grown-up ghouls in attendance, and the drinks shall be served under the pretty pepper tree near the Morada Bar. That seems autumnal and atmospheric, and the happy hour pricing suits the festive mood of the holiday. As does the fact that the trick-or-treating is free, and the Inn is inviting members of the community to swing by and pick up a few sweets. The hours? Everything gets spooky from 6 to 8 p.m.
IT'S TRUE... that one is more likely to hear of a hotel ghost than hotel trick-or-treating, but the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe may be the first hotel around to invite ghosts onto its property for the night. Figure its a fresh way to approach the time-honored trick-or-treat tradition, without going along a neighborhood street or to the local mall.
