Travel Guide: Carmel + Carmel Valley

We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary this year and to celebrate we decided to venture out to Northern California. We flew into San Francisco, made a quick detour to Napa and Sonoma, then took the scenic drive back across the Golden Gate and through Las Salinas down to the Monterrey Peninsula.

STAY

There are a number of options in Carmel-by-the-Sea, like L’Auberge de Carmel, but we opted for a more rustic retreat inland at the Bernardus Lodge and Spa. Honestly, the images on their website do not do it justice. The grounds are BREATHTAKING! Accommodations are private in small lodge buildings with secluded balconies or patios that look out onto the grounds, gardens and beautiful Las Salinas mountiain vistas.