My friend of 5 years that I've only seen twice in the 5 years did just that! Woohoo!!
My friend recently moved from Page, AZ to Red Wood City, CA.
My trip started with a sunset flight into San Francisco....
Saturday started bright and early to hit the road.....well, after we stopped to get gas in the 4Runner.
Next stop, Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. It was turning out to be a nice sunny day.
Sadly for us but great for the hotel, they were at full occupancy so we weren't able to see the inside of any rooms at the Inn. They did however walk us around their beautiful property and talk a bit about the history of the Inn.
This Inn is for sure for those wanting to reconnect with themselves or with each other. (no tv or phones in room)
The Inn opened its door in 1992. The property is huge but it only has 39 rooms and two private houses.
The landscape on the property is so breath taking.
The mountains, the cliffs, the ocean, nature and all
the different types of flowers growing all over.
The uniqueness of this property makes it stand out from all the rest ~ or does it?! And by that I mean, can you see where the room is in the picture to the right? lol
I love that the way the resort and nature blend into the background and is non intrusive. You don't even feel like you're at a hotel when you walk around the property but feels more like being out in the woods.
We didn't want to intrude on the guests staying at the Inn, but our guide was kind enough to show us the Tree house and Peak house that are mountain view rooms, Cliff house and Ocean house that are ocean view rooms.
No matter which accommodation you decide on, I don't think you would be disappointed. The views whether mountain or ocean is just beautiful. Who am I kidding! The property is amazing!
The Inn does have a small spa that has a couple treatment room and two single treatment rooms.
They are looking to expand that in the near future.
There is one restaurant on property ~ the Sierra Mar. They serve a complimentary gourmet buffet breakfast for guest. They do offer non guest and locals to come and enjoy lunch or dinner. I would recommend making reservations in advance. 
The restaurant has plenty of room inside as well as a spacious deck that also has plenty of room with a fire pit. Later in the evening ~weather permitting ~ they offer star gazing with their resident amateur astronomer.
No matter if you decide to sit inside or outside, there is not a bad view in the house ~ ocean as far as the eye can see, along with some scenic landscape.
There are two cliff side hot tub pools and there is one swimming pool. There is also a small fitness center on site if walking around the property doesn't do it for you. :)
Other activities include morning yoga, meditation and guided nature hikes.
Before the tour was over, I asked our guide what the zen garden looking thing was that I saw as we were walking to the lobby.
The Chef uses seasonal, local and garden ingredients and I was told that it was their garden that grows their herbs and some of their produce.
After the tour of the Post Ranch Inn ~ we were hungry! (ok ~ when am I not? lol) My friend said on the drive up he noticed some places just a few miles away but a sign that said "bakery" had caught his eye so he wanted to check it out.
I was game for exploring. We drove back and he saw the sign again. Turns out it's a bakery, restaurant and gas station.
Didn't know what to expect when we walked in but was happy to see that they had some of my favorites!
Quiches, croissants, muffins, scones and pies!! Oh my!! So many choices! How to choose!
The poor girl behind the counter seemed a bit scared of me....lol I was hungry and couldn't make a choice.
Well....since I couldn't decide on which, I got both! And I'm SO glad I did!
The quiche was so light and fluffy it was THE BEST I've had and the ham and cheese croissant ~ yum! And my chai latte, so goooood!
Breakfast was awesome! Now that we refueled ourselves, we were ready to go explore some more.
We drove along the coast on PCH1 from Big Sur to Carmel and stopped along the way to take pictures.
Needless to say or show rather ~ I could post picture after picture but you get the idea. It was stunning!
We had arrived into Carmel, found a place to park the 4Runner and was ready to explore the town.
But first.....tummy was speaking to us. So we started walk around to see what we could find to eat.
First off, the sign intrigued us and then when we got in front of the store and peeked inside the cute barn door.....well, we just had to go in and check it out.
Walking into Salumeria Luca reminded me of walking into a rustic Italian delicatessen in Italy.
Everything from the deli display case, the gelato, wines, cheeses and the olive tasting / sampling station.And the staff is so friendly to answer questions that you may have. ( and I had a few ~lol)
What I loved about Luca's is that you could choose from 4 different panni sandwiches, 4 cold sandwiches or if you just wanted a lighter snack, you could order a salumi plate or if you wanted to pack a picnic they also have a picnic plate that has a variety salumi's, cheeses, mixed olives and crostini's.
(btw- salumi is an umbrella term Italian-style cured meats)
I decided to get the Emilia sandwich and it was YUMMY! It has Prosciutto di Parma, mordadella, greens, tomato and fresh mozzarella. Freshly baked bread...mmmmmm. Loved it.
We did notice that next door to the deli, Luca's also has a sit down restaurant but the day was so nice we wanted to be out side. Perhaps next time.
After Luca's we walked around and popped in and out of shops and art galleries. It was a nice relaxing sunny afternoon. As we were walking down Ocean Ave, my friend saw a sign that caught his eye or maybe it was the huge chocolate drizzled pretzels....not sure which... lol
I was still a bit full from lunch (shocking, right!?)
But he ran in to check it out. The bakery was pretty busy inside with people at tables but the line to get sweets was really long.My friend came out empty handed though I wondered if he ate it on the way out of the shop...hmmm...I'll never know. lol
After that we were done exploring Carmel and decided we wanted to head out and explore other places. So we found the 4Runner (we almost forgot where we parked it. ~lol) and decided our next destination was Monterey. We walked up Cannery Row, stopped and decided it was a bit too crowded and decided to leave.
My friend loves sports as most guys do and he asked me what I thought about going to Pebble Beach to see if we could see the golf courses and walk the beach. I pulled out my iPhone called the resort and handed him the phone. (btw- you really need to get a smart phone! :)- )
He was a happy camper! Woohoo! Pebble Beach here we come! You can go to the resorts and walk around, do the 17 Mile drive and walk the beach. There is a fee of $9.95 to be paid at the gate.
We stopped at The Lodge at Pebble Beach as it has the famous "18th Hole" from the US Open. I'm not a golfer but I did appreciate the beautiful course.
I do hope to one day go to the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival. I hear it's amazing and what foodie wouldn't love that!
We walked along the golf course trail but didn't really see a beach that was accessible from the Lodge.
After walking a bit, we decided to go over to the Inn at Spanish Bay and walk around.
Spanish Bay was nice as we were able to find a spot to park and go walk on the beach. Once we started walking, we noticed a boardwalk trail and decided to walk on that a bit.
At some point during all the walks along the beach, I decided to check out the water temp...needless to say ~ BAD IDEA!! FREEZING! lol... though I think I already knew that in the back of my mind.
My friend disappeared.....well, not really. He went up a different path over the hill to check out the
golf course and to take some pictures. I was enjoying the sunset on the water. I think this is one of my favorite pictures that I took . The sun just hit the water just right and I love how the picture turned out.
After this we finished the 17 Mile drive and were ready to pretty much call it a day. We had been up since 500am and it was leaning towards 630p and of course we were starting to get hungry.
We were staying in Watsonville. So I started looking for restaurants and then it dawned on me that it was Cinco de Mayo ~ well.....that helped narrow down the search for dinner.
We went to Jalisco in Watsonville and the food was yummy! I had the chicken enchilada with red sauce and a side of beans and a strawberry margarita. My friend had the Pechuga de carne asada con mole with a side of rice and bean plus my side of rice. Nothing like having authentic Mexican Cuisine.
We were pretty done for the night and ready to wind down and relax for another exciting day tomorrow!
When we left the restaurant to go to the hotel, I looked up and saw how gorgeous the moon was as it was getting ready for the " Big Moon" the following night. Not sure what it is about the moon that just seems so mysterious but
I loved it.
Good night and see you on day two!
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