When we had originally planned this trip for our anniversary, we were bringing our puppy Gus with us. Unfortunately, by the time it got close to time to go, we figured out he was too big to fit in a bag to put under the seat. We were bummed, but as you will see, we had a great time. We stayed one night at The Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay before heading to Carmel Valley to stay at The Bernardus Lodge and Spa. It was a 5 Star Week for sure.
The Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay was impressive. We had lived in San Francisco for almost 5 years and never made it to Half Moon Bay. The hotel sits right on the cliffs with a golf course and amazing views. If you happen to go, make sure you get a fire pit room (pictures below). If you are there over the weekend, they do a really good brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
The hotel offers quite a few amenities, some we took advantage of and others we didn’t. Away from the main house they have an indoor pool, which looked nice. They have 2 golf courses, one of which is the coastal course, which looked beautiful. We took advantage of the walking trail along the coast, the spa, which featured a co-ed hot tub and also gender specific hot tub, sauna and steam room. It was a very nice facility and the employees were friendly and helpful.
From the Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay, we took off South towards Carmel Valley. It took us a couple of hours to make the drive, but there were some amazing views along the way.
We pulled into The Bernardus Lodge on a busy Saturday afternoon. We were met by friendly faces working the valet. They got everything out of the car while we went inside to get checked in. The front desk staff were quick to offer a glass of wine while we waited our turn to get checked in. Once checked in we were escorted to our room where our bags were already being delivered. I can’t remember the last time that the valet beat me to my room with my bags, so this was a nice surprise. But little did I know, this was how the week would go.
During our six night stay at the lodge, we met several guests that have been returning for many years. The restaurant and bar staff made everyone feel like family. Just a quick shout out to a few of the staff. The bartenders Gabe and Jason, the bar server Tristan and restaurant server Holly, which ill talk more about later. All of these servers were awesome and are either family or have known each other for a long time.
We ate at the lodge a few nights. You can’t go wrong with whatever you get. The burger and fries were tasty, the oysters were some of the best I’ve had. We ordered them most every night. They were so clean and had no grit. I love oysters, but most of the time, they aren’t cleaned that well.
The one thing that I would tell anyone that is staying at Bernardus is to do the Chefs Table. Its a little pricey, they do one a night and not every night, but its totally worth every single penny. We got to our table at 6:30 and was met by Holly. She would be our server for the night. I won’t give the entire night away, because that was the cool part of it for us, we didn’t know what to expect. We did decide to do the wine pairing with our meal and it worked out really well. We had around 8 courses with dessert and every single item was out of this world. Some stuff Chef Cal took from the restaurant menu and cooked it differently for us, other stuff isn’t even on the menu that we got a taste of. The dinner is just part of the experience, the other part is being at a booth in the kitchen and to be able to see a working kitchen. The kitchen at Bernardus is like a well-oiled machine and most of the time you could hear a pin drop.
While we were in Carmel Valley we had to do the 17-mile drive, which ends in Pebble Beach. If you are a golfer or have a significant other that golfs, this is a must. We had lunch outside around a fire pit at The Bench. It was just a warm, sunny day, the wine tasted great and the food was delicious. Our view of the water was obstructed as they were preparing for the US Open, so were constructing all kinds of buildings for that.
The other sunny day we had we took the drive down Highway 1 down the coast from Carmel to Big Sur. As you will see from the pictures below, the views along the coast are just amazing. We pulled off several times, just to take in the views. I had no idea that there was water that color blue on the coast of the US. We drove about an hour past Big Sur before we turned around and headed back. We stopped at a place called Ventana Big Sur for lunch. The drive up can be tight, as its pretty steep and in some places only enough room for one car. Its also a hotel, but they were busy for lunch, as most people just stop because the views at the top from the restaurant are breathtaking. They have a really big outside patio, that in season the outdoor bar is open with plenty of seating. Unfortunately, since we were there in February, it wasn’t open. The food was nice, they had a full bar and the cocktails looked good. The other place that people told us about was Nepenthe.
The views along Highway 1 
View from Ventana patio
One late afternoon we took a Lyft from Bernardus to Carmel-by-the Sea. Be patient and plan ahead, but Lyft and Uber pick up at Bernardus. Most are in Carmel-by-the-Sea, which is about 20 minutes away. We took in a couple of wineries, but our favorite there was Caraccioli. They have really good Rose sparkling wine and also still. We had some of both shipped back home. Then we headed off to dinner. We got a reservation at Seventh & Dolores. They are known for their steak, but had other stuff too. I am very picky about my steakhouses. I like my steak seasoned and most “chefs” think that it only needs a little salt and even less pepper. However, the chef at Seventh & Dolores, got it right. The steak was seasoned perfect and had amazing flavor. Everything there was really good. Cocktails were good (I am a sucker for a proper Manhattan), appetizers and dessert. I took leftover steak and the mushrooms back to the hotel and had them the next day for a little snack. I was quickly reminded how good dinner was the night before.
About 5 minutes from Bernardus is Carmel Valley Village. There are quite a few tasting rooms there, restaurants and art. Our favorite wine from there is I. Brand and Family. The winemaker Ian Brand was named, Winemaker of the Year, by the SF Chronicle. Ian was a little cocky, but his wine was good, so I guess it works.
That about wraps our week in Carmel. We left their and headed north and spent a night in San Francisco before heading home. ill make that a short post on its own. Carmel Valley is definitely worth the trip. Definitely a different vibe from Napa or Sonoma, but still a great vibe.
JD's Passport 