I’ve been away for a bit and had a trip down to one of my favorite spots in all of Northern California, Carmel Valley. Sorry blogging took a bit of a backseat last week! After Easter, I felt I just had to get a grip on my house, get it all in order and did a bit of heavy-duty Spring cleaning. You know under couch cushions and all that? So I was so happy to get a little break away from it all.
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| I just bought one of these basic woven totes for Spring and Summer from J Crew and using it a ton for a purse to a pool bag and it’s great. Link here |
My husband’s birthday landed on Easter this year, so thanks to my parents, we got away one night down to Bernardus Lodge, the weekend after. This is the perfect couples resort. It’s quiet, beautiful and once you check in, you need go no where else. Seriously. It is all I would wish for in a resort.
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| Rooms have toile and a provencal feel while still being modern and fresh . |
There are no bad rooms here. All are beautiful with fireplaces, patios and dreamy bedding. You check in and they have your pantry stocked with their fine Bernardus wines, crackers, gourmet cheese, chips, home made blondies, popcorn and sodas. All on the house. Really.
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| The view from the lodge lobby of the surrounding hills. |
The large pool is quiet, lovely and if you encounter a cooler day in this sunny spot you can use the pool at the spa, which you have all day access to and is always 100 degrees and in a lovely walled garden.
They have croquet. They have tennis. They have 2 fabulous restaurants. They have a beautiful spa with a fire to cozy up by and sip your herbal tea and nibble on dried apricots and California almonds.
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| Even the tennis courts were pretty. |
Coming here from the Bay Area, I like taking time to meander our way down the coast. One of my musts is to stop at Curious Books at the Crossroads Shopping Center to browse their amazing selection of books and magazines. They have the latest and greatest in books and it’s a treat. Next door is The Carmel Roasting Company if you want to grab a latte and soak up the pretty flowers here. One more store over is a French and Italian inspired home store I love to browse called Casa Di Campagna. The Crossroads is where Carmel and Carmel Valley meet at highway 1. You could also stop for lunch here. Lots of great spots to grab a bite.
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| Corkscrew Cafe |
However, I do love to eat in Carmel Valley at a charming spot called Corkscrew Cafe. It’s right as you enter the village of Carmel Valley on the left. This place is adorable and I have only had lunch, but I imagine it would be fun at night with all their strings of lights above. It’s cozy inside where they make wood-fired pizzas and their own bread. Or you can sit outside on the gravel patio on provencal cloth covered tables and sip wine. They have the good fortune to be directly connected with Georis Winery next door and you can try a flight or a glass of some terrific wines. Georis also has a huge outdoor area to wine taste.
If you are into more wine tasting you can visit Bernardus Winery just up the road a bit more. Bernardus is my favorite and has the best chardonnays and pinot in this region in my opinion. There is also many wine tasting rooms in Carmel Valley and you can visit many more depending how much time you have. Being in Carmel Valley is a treat with the lush hills, olive trees and warm sunny weather. After spending a day bundled up near Carmel-by-the-Sea, the sun feels almost decadent here. There is always sun here.
Now about Bernardus. There are a lot of other lovely lodges in this area, but if you are on a couples weekend, this is your place. As I mentioned you don’t need to leave once you check in. There are pools, restaurants, and fireplaces outside and inside to linger at and enjoy a glass of the truly fabulous wine they make.
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| Wickets the outdoor restaurant. |
We sat by both pools, had wine on our patio with the lavender and fennel infused Purple Haze Chevre and home made crostinis. Yum. We played tennis. We ate dinner outside and played croquet. Breakfast can be outside overlooking the croquet lawn or inside the pub-like Wickets, their more casual restaurant. Having the NY Sunday Times, with a pot of tea, and French toast I was in heaven.
Just walking the grounds with all the fabulous plants and provencal inspired landscape made me want to go home and rip out my yard and plant all these fragrant bushy herbs.
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| This pool is a great place for a book. |
When I check out all I can think of is, when can we go again?!
If you are thinking of Carmel Valley here a few other resorts to consider that I also recommend:
Carmel Valley Ranch -Gorgeous and family friendly. Modern spacious rooms and a outstanding restaurant, spa, tennis and golf. This is the resort for a family with young kids. They have an adjacent pool club with lots to do for the small guys and s’more roasting by the firepits in the evening.
Quail Lodge– Recently reopened, we have had many trips here when my boys were small. They always enjoyed the bocce ball and a mini golf course here as well as the pool. Lovely grounds and a very fun Mexican restaurant – Baja Cantina, about 20 steps across the road made for a great family getaway here. I’m hoping to visit this newly opened version soon.
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| California Poppies at Bernardus. |
In other news, Brenda was the winner of a custom made piece of art by Bonnie of a PerfectColor Bonnie will be contacting you Brenda to get your specifications and favorite colors. Brenda, we need your email so can you leave a comment or email me (it’s on the profile link here), so we can get that to you asap!
Seems like everyone is off on some kind of Spring break this time of year. The nature this Spring has been so pretty that I’ve been using my Instagram a ton. Yes, I finally got the hang of it after a year…I do love that I you can have your own page now which is a collage of sorts. I love collages. So if your into Northern California and the abundance of nature here you can follow me here if you do Instagram. I think it’s fun and you can’t take a bad picture since all those filters and frames really brighten things up. You probably noticed I used quite a few on this post from my Bernardus trip.
By the way, In all these posts, I am not paid to endorse anything. These are just trips to places I love and that I hope you will get to visit and love too..
Wishing you all a beautiful Springtime!
Kim
All photos property of Northerncalstyle
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