Honeymoon Destination: Carmel Valley, California

Carmel Valley is the perfect, romantic getaway nestled in the rolling hills of the Santa Lucia Mountains and only a few miles from the picturesque coastlines of the Monterey Peninsula. This charming destination offers everything you need for the perfect getaway, including cozy accommodations, delicious farm-to-table cuisine, a vibrant viticultural scene and nearby proximity to an abundance of hiking.

Matthew and I decided Carmel Valley was the perfect destination for our honeymoon. It was a huge sigh of relief that we were able to find a domestic location we were both excited about since COVID-19 hampered our ability to travel internationally.

Here is a little insight into our week-long trip to Carmel Valley, including where we stayed, ate, ventured and more.

Where to Stay:

Although we ventured to Big Sur, Carmel-by-the-sea, Monterey and more during our stay out West, we decided to stay the entirety of the week at the Bernardus Lodge. After we arrived, we were thrilled to make this gorgeous lodge our home base. Greeted with chilled glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and picturesque views of the Santa Lucia Mountains, it truly felt like a secluded oasis. If you had told me we were in Europe, I would have believed you!

The Bernardus Lodge, although on the pricer end of accommodations in the area, offered the perfect, intimate retreat for our honeymoon, complete with an adult only Jacuzzi on the east side of the property. It’s nearly impossibly to feel stressed while strolling through the property’s elaborate rose garden, lounging by the resort pool, or enjoying a complimentary Nespresso coffee on your private patio in the morning. However, if you still are seeking to be transported to further relaxation, the resort also has an on-site spa offering everything from a Couples Loving Luxury massage to a Chardonnay Body Polish massage. I was tempted by both the former and the latter, maybe next trip!

Not ready to venture off the premises? Neither were we the first night we arrived thanks to our 3:30am Eastern-time wake up call that morning. After 15+ hours of travel, Matthew and I were exhausted by 5pm and decided to order room service from the Lucia Restaurant & Bar. Truthfully, we were so exhausted that we ordered two burgers and fries, ate, and then slept for 12 hours. We ended up eating at the Lucia three times during our stay, but more on that later!

Our room offered the coziest accommodations I’ve ever experience. All rooms at the Bernardus are equipped with a limestone fireplace, two-person soaking tub, heated bathroom floors, cotton terry spa robes, complimentary wine bar and a Nespresso maker. My inner coffee snob was thrilled to not have to go without my Odacio dark roast coffee.

All in all, we had a wonderful stay at the Bernardus Lodge and would recommend it to anyone venturing to the area.

Other Nearby Accommodations:

Carmel Valley Lodge | Hidden Valley Inn | Carmel Valley Ranch

What to Eat:

In true Matthew and Erica fashion, we spent the majority of our time enjoying the local cuisine and wine scene. Thanks to our ravenous appetites after hiking all morning, we were excited to explore many different restaurants and local favorites.

Kathy’s Little Kitchen | Kathy’s Little Kitchen is a wonderful place to grab a quick lunch or snack in-between wine tastings in Carmel Valley. The restaurant is located along Carmel Valley Road, and a short walk or drive to all the attractions this small, but welcoming, downtown area has to offer. Matthew and I had lunch on our last day prior to driving back to San Jose for our flight home. We enjoyed a selection of chicken rolled tacos, rice and beans, chicken chimichangas and chips and guacamole on the little patio outside of the shop, all absolutely delicious! One thing to note is the shop is very tiny, so plan to eat on the outside patio or take to go.

Cafe Rustica | Matthew and I enjoyed dinner at Cafe Rustica our second night in Carmel Valley. Still not adjusted to the time change, we snagged a table right as they opened at 5pm. By the time we left around 6:30pm however, the restaurant was completely full. The restaurant offers a comfy ambiance, extensive wine list and a wide selection of dinner options, a fan favorite being their wood-fired gourmet pizzas. Matthew and I started with the house-made clam chowder before diving into a Flammekueche pizza and red lead lettuce salad, complete with pears, blue cheese, caramelized pecans and finished with a creamy balsamic dressing.

Corkscrew Cafe | Corkscrew Cafe is another conveniently located dining option. Exhausted from our hike in Pinnacles National Park earlier that day, we decided to order a sausage pizza and a pear & Gorgonzola salad for takeout.

Lucia | As mentioned previously, the Lucia is the restaurant associate with the Bernardus. We ended up eating there three times during our stay: the first was room service our first night, the second for lunch and then finally for our farewell breakfast before heading home. While all meals were delicious, my favorite by far was the garden sandwich filled with avocado, cucumber, tomato, cheese and a basil aioli. It was absolutely delicious and tasted so fresh, alluding to the farm-to-table experience the Lucia promises.

Big Sur Roadhouse | If venturing into Pfiffer National Park, be sure to grab breakfast and nestle up by the fire with a warm coffee at the cozy Big Sur Roadhouse, only a few miles from the park entrance. I enjoyed a breakfast sandwich and coffee while Matthew had huevos rancheros that smelled divine.

Castle Rock Cafe |We stopped at Castle Rock Cafe on our way to Pinnacles National Park to grab a quick breakfast to-go. If you make a similar track from Carmel Valley to Pinnacles, be sure to stop in for a chai latte, quiche, ham and cheese croissant and bear claw.

Schooners Monterey | We ventured to Monterey for our final full day in California and enjoyed breakfast outside along the water at Schooners. The restaurant is part of the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa and welcomed unobstructed views of the Monterey Bay. Matthew enjoyed the Dungeness Crab Benedict. I was less impressed by the food but blown away by the view.

Where to Drink:

Cowgirl Winery | Cowgirl Winery evokes a very different vibe than the other nearby wineries. We did a tasting at this vinery our very last day in Carmel prior to driving back to San Jose, so the low-key atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for. We were seated in the sunny garden and enjoyed our tasting uninterrupted with country music playing in the background.

Parsonage | If you love red wines, then Parsonage will be your little slice of heaven. Parsonage is a smaller winery, sitting on 7 acres and only yielding around 1,000 cases a year. This was Matthew’s and my favorite tasting from our entire trip. The woman doing the tasting was super personable and knowledgable. We ended up shipping a few bottles back home to enjoy!

Folktale Winery & Vineyards | Folktale Winery is situated on 15 acres of sustainable-farmed vineyards. We made our reservation online and enjoyed lunch and flight in the outdoor wine garden. It was super chilly during our visit, but they have heaters scattered throughout the area. Matthew and I were pleasantly surprised by the food and wine. I had butternut squash soup, Matt had a margarita pizza and we both did a tasting of their most popular wines.

Bernardus Winery | We ventured to the Bernardus Winery under the assumption it was affiliated with the Bernardus Lodge. While the Bernardus Lodge website notes a tasting is included in the stay at the hotel, the two properties are actually no longer affiliated. The owner of the hotel sold off the lodge and winery prior to his passing and the new owner only owns the lodge, not the winery. The individual doing our tasting was very knowledgable and made up for the confusion with extremely heavy pours and incredible stories about the original owner of the lodge and winery during our tasting. Matthew has a picture to prove my tipsiness at dinner following our tasting.

Blue Fox Cellars | Blue Fox Cellars was our first wine tasting of the trip that we actually happened upon accidentally the first full day of our trip. Matthew and I were unaware that many of the tasting rooms in Carmel Valley are closed on Tuesdays. Thankfully, Blue Fox Cellars and Parsonage both happened to be open and able to seat us. This family-owned, fairly new winery offers tastings in their expansive courtyard patio. The husband and wife team were both incredibly nice and welcoming. While the wines were admittedly not our favorites of the trip (they were too light for our preference) the atmosphere was divine.

What to Do:

We spent the vast majority of our trip eating, drinking or hiking. California is known for it’s cliff-lined coast and picturesque scenery, so we knew we wanted to tack advantage of it all. Every morning of our trip, we got up early and ventured to a different national park or hiking location.

Pinnacles National Park

Pinnacles National Park offers over 30 miles of hiking trains and is a popular destination for both avid hikers and rock climbers alike. We opted for Balconies Cliffs, an easy, 2.4 mile hike that was like nothing I had ever experience before. Instead of doing the full loop through the caves, we did an out and back. Matthew and I both agree that we’d do a more strenuous hike on our next trip to the area.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park was the first hike of our trip out west. The park welcomes 1,000 acres of pristine and scenic hikes. We opted for the Buzzards Roost Trail, a 2.6 mile loop leading to an overlook with mountain and ocean views. While the view at the top was beautiful, the highlight for us was the redwood-lined base of the trail.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Our last full day in Carmel, we headed to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, a breathtaking ocean-front nature preserve. The park welcomes several walking trails to choose from, all with easy terrain and none requiring hiking boots or advanced skills. We did both the Sea Lion Point Trail and Cypress Grove Trail within an hour timeframe and highly recommend checking out both if your schedule allows.

Travel Tips:

Carmel Valley is a charming, small town. During our stay, we recognized that many of the shops, tasting rooms and restaurants were not open on Tuesday. The town became more lively later in the week on Thursdays through the weekend.
If you get car sick, you’ll definitely want to bring your motion sickness pills. Matthew and I drove down CA-1 to get to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, and while the most stunning drive I’ve ever taken in my life, the roads left me a little car sick.
Dress in layers. Although California welcomes mild weather year round, it does get chilly at night and the closer you get to the coast.