Last weekend, my husband and I drove down to Monterey for our second wedding anniversary. After a stressful summer and a long few weeks of being long distance, it was exactly the get away that we needed.
We stayed at the Wave Street Inn in Monterey, which was very simple and so close to the ocean that the seagulls were very comfortable on our balcony. But it was located very close to Cannery Row, and a perfect home base for a weekend of exploring.
View from our hotel
On Friday, we arrived in the early evening. After checking in and unpacking, we walked downtown for dinner at the Crown and Anchor. One of the websites described it as a British pub in a ship, so I had pretty high hopes, but it ended up being just a pub with lots of nautical decorations. But the food was delicious and it was a great way to start the weekend.
On Saturday, we slept in and then started our day with donuts from Red's Donuts that we ate near the water. We then got in the car for a day of driving and adventures.
First was the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. There is a $10.25 fee but there are 20 sites that are well marked and maintained, so I found it to be completely worth the cost. We walked through the woods at Huckleberry Hill, we strolled down the beach at Spanish Bay, and I was able to take photos of the Lone Cypress. Unfortunately there was no parking available at the Ghost Tree, so I need to come back to see it!
After the 17 Mile Drive, we continued south to Carmel. We had lunch at the Carmel Belle, then walked the neighborhood. We purchased some art for our apartment by Jeff Daniel Smith and sampled candies from the Cottage of Sweets.
Once we had explored Carmel, we then went on a hike at Point Lobos Reserve. The views were very similar to the 17-mile drive, but it was great to be in un-interrupted nature for a few hours. On our way back to Monterey, we stopped in Pacific Grove to find the Kissing Rock. The Kissing Rock is two rocks that have worn down over time, and now look like two people kissing. It was challenging to find (it's near Esplanade Park, not Lovers Point Park), but was a cute tourist destination.
Once we got back to Monterey, we were very tired so just had chowder at Fisherman's Wharf and then went for pizza. When we got back to the hotel, my Fitbit recorded that we had walked 11 miles!
On Sunday, we had brunch at Cafe Lumiere, a hipster coffee shop inside of a movie theater with instagram-worthy food.
We then spent the rest of the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was worth the very expensive admission, and then drove home.
