My boyfriend and I recently relocated to SF. I am trying to plan a welcomed "away" weekend for us for his Birthday in Monterey/Carmel area. . I have us booked to skydive at 8am on Saturday March 29 at Skydive Monterey. I would love any advice or tidbits on planning the rest of the weekend. I do not get off work until 7:30p on friday, so we will be arriving quite late on friday evening. Any hotel advice, nice places to eat, sights to see will be welcomed!! I would prefer to stay under 160 a night. Are there any hotels on the beach? I am sorry for the poor planing on my part!

Thank you again kindly,
Tiffany

P.S.

I have been looking at ocean front hotels. Has anyone stayed at Sanctuary Beach Resort?



Kindly,
Tiffany

Hi Tiffany,
You'll find plenty of suggestions on this forum about Monterey, for sure, but here are a few favorites that spring to mind:
-- 17 Mile Drive, a gorgeous route along the coast. You can look for seals; you might even spot some whales. There's a fee for the drive, unless you bike it or have a reservation at a restaurant or hotel on the Drive.

-- The Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's not just for kids! It's outstanding, with a huge multistory kelp forest tank and all sorts of creatures to see.

-- For a splurge, look into the Marinus restaurant, well liked for its seasonal cooking. It's part of a resort called Bernardus Lodge, which is pretty posh all around.

-- Are you at all interested in winetasting? There are some good wineries in easy striking distance, or you can stop by one of the two locations of Taste of Monterey in town, which collect dozens of local vintages. If you decide to drive out of town, you can get to plenty of tasting rooms within a half-hour or so. Chateau Julien gets a thumbs-up for sheer prettiness, but Chalone, near Soledad, has some especially memorable wines.

Have fun!

My son just stayed at the Marina Dunes Resort in Monterey, they had a sky-diving trip all planned this past Sunday with 6 others and it became too windy and they had to re-schedule for later in the week, he said the Dunes was a great place to stay! ***kim***

Thank you Jen and Kim, both so much for your ideas and suggestions!

The drive and wine tour sound perfect for a calmer afternoon following skydiving.

Kim, I am sorry your son wasn't able to skydive, but hopefully he and his group were able to enjoy themselves. The hotel looks amazing!

Cheers,
Tiffany

Does anyone advise a particular pizza parlor? We arrive in Monterey late friday night, and I don't think it is a possibility to make a reservation after traveling.

We just got back a trip to SF and spent 3 days in Carmel. I highly recommend the Arbor Room at the Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove. The room was great and we could see and hear the waves crashing on the cliff from our room [even while bed]. It was more than your $160 for that room, but they have rooms in your range [lowest now is $140] Be sure to ask for 20% off special. The main rooms of the inn and dining room have specatacular views, so even if your room doesn't you are moments from the water and the views. They have free wine tastings each night with an assortment of hors d'ouvres and then have cookies and milk from 7-9 pm and the most amazing breakfasts, all included in the price.

I would honestly pass on 17 Mile Drive [yes, the houses are big and the golf courses are really green but the drive wasn't really inspiring]; go to Point Lobos State Reserve for wonderful walks and views. That was inspiring!

Pictures of our room, it's view etc:

http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/PacificGroveCA2008

Can't help with the pizza. We ate at Passionfish which was excellent.
Deb

I posted my trip report but can recommend the Deer Haven Suites and Inn--fireplaces in the rooms. Why not stop for dinner on the way to Monterey and then "pack it in" for the night when you arrive?

Thank you Deb and TrvlMaven for your advice!

Deb, your photos are beautiful!

Thanks again,
Tiffany

Marina Dunes is now the Sanctuary Resort where they stayed! My sons' group had a wonderful time sky diving this past Fri., they all had videos made which we watched with family yesterday during our Easter gatherings. ***kim***

That is wonderful Kim! I hope you and your family had a lovely easter!

The forecast is calling for rain this weekend.. Lucky me! A bit nervous as a majority of the planned activities are outdoor related. There is a 72 hr hotel cancelation policy... i am praying for blue skies and staying positive!

Fingers crossed!

Yes, we had a lovely Easter, church with our entire family then to my mother-in-laws for brunch, then over to my sons' home where he and his wife fixed us Carne Asada tacos, then over to my brother's house (he lives about 3 minutes away) where we enjoyed time with his family (6 great kids) and my parents. Very full day but so much fun!

I really want to hear about your sky-diving when you return, will you get the video? ***kim***

Yes Kim, I will share my video and pics! I am becoming more leary of the weather as the days go on! I just hope we are still able to!

Your Easter sounded lovely!

Kindly,
Tiffany

My favorite place to eat is at The Fish House in Monterey. It's a local favorite and you'll definitely need reservations to get in -- especially on the weekends. It's not in the more touristy areas of Cannery Row, but it's about a 10 minute drive and the food is excellent.

We have not been to the Fish House but I have heard nothing but great things about it, we may be in the area in May and I have it on my list of places to try.

Tarpey's Roadhouse is another great place for a meal and it is very close to the Sanctuary Resort. ***kim***

Kim you have to go. When we were in Monterey a few years back for the first time we were recommended it by some locals. We didn't have any reservations and ate at the bar. The owners were tremendously nice and I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone who visits Monterey/Carmel. I went back last year and the food was just as I remembered, maybe even better! Just be sure to make reservations. Every time I've been there it's packed!

Thank you all so much for your advice and suggestions!

I will share my weekend with you, as it was absolutely perfect!

Friday night we drove down from San Fran. It was raining and there were heavy doses of traffic. It only ended up being a two and half hour car ride.

We ended up staying at Embassy Suites in Seaside. (Some friends were coming to surprise my boyfriend, and it made all of the coordination much easier)

The hotel overall is nice. 3 stars. Clean and the hotel staff was extremely friendly. This happened to be Spring Break for many, and I really didn't pay attention to this prior to our trip. The pool was overcrowded with families, but polite ones at that!

We were too late by 15 minutes to eat at the Fish house, so we opted for fast food.


We were up and early for the skydiving adventure. We ate the free breakfast at the hotel. Advice: stick with the made to order omelettes and belgian waffles. The home fries were quite tasty. Skydive Monterey is located 10 minutes from our hotel. The weather was foggy and quite chilly due to the storm the night before. We were the first ones to check in. ( Nick my boyfriend was ecstatic once he figured out what it was we were doing. He had thought he figured out the surprise and assumed we were going sailing. The look on his face was priceless. Many times that day matter of factly!)

We were told to arrive at 8. We arrived at 7:45. Greeted by Dail. We filled out a 15 page sign-your-life-away documents and then were told to standby. We went to target, starbucks, borders. Came back and checked in and informed us it would be around a noon jumping time if the weather broke. He appeared sunny at sea, it just had to be clear skies at the airport.

We had lunch at Wild Tyme in Marina. It was tasty!

Arrived back at Skydive Monterey and informed us we were going to jump! It is a first come first serve basis. There were about 60 people there waiting, and we had arrived first, therefore we first on the list to jump. We suited up after our instructional class. My jumpmaster was JR. He was fabulous!

here is the link to our videos:

www.youtube.com/tiffkindred

Nick was the first one to jump and it was awesome to see his facial reactions! I had jumped twice before, so I knew what to expect.

We jumped at 18,000ft. I felt safe at all times with all of the crew. It was such an amazing experience with a breathtaking view!

AFter coming off our adreniline high, we went back to the hotel, napped,and showered.

We dined at Passionfish in Pacific Grove. So delicious!!! I highly recommend the crab salad. The whole evening was perfect following cocktails at Lallapalooza, Crown and anchor, Britannia Arms, and Mucky Duck. couldn't have asked for anything more memorable!

Sunday we slept in and made our way to Monterey Bay Aquarium. Again heavily populated by families. Again everyone was polite!

Lunch at Bubba Gumps. After waiting in one line and waiting again once inside, I would say it was not worth the wait. A bit of a tourist trap. Next time we will opt for a more local seafood restaurant.

Overall it was a fabulous weekend!

Thank you again so much!

Kindly,
Tiffany

Sounds perfect, the video was cool, also. Looks like a lot of fun! ***kim***