Friday, April 29, 2011

Carmel birthday, in pictures

I had the BEST weekend in Carmel with J. 

Our hotel room -- a small British-style cottage with a private entrance -- was beyond adorable. When we checked in, a bottle of Sherry and a welcome kit for our dog were already waiting inside, and we didn't have to use our car once all weekend since our room was on the main street near all shops and restaurants. I didn't want to leave! It's been a dream of mine my whole life to own a vacation home in Carmel, so we also browsed real estate in the area (just for fun) and let's just say the prices are a little high: bungalows and cottages start at about $2 million-plus. Nevertheless, I quietly added this dream to my bucket list. ;)

Our front door.
 
Banksy-style art on the outside of our chimney.
Wine tasting (above and below) at Vino Napoli.
Noshing on the Antipasto Misto, a platter of salumi, cheeses and olives.
The Tuck Box English Tea Room.
Watching the sunset during our hotel's wine and cheese social.
Dinner at Porta Bella's. The food and ambiance were amazing.
At the beach.
The Cheese Shop, one of Carmel's must-see places. The shop has over 300 different kinds of cheese from all over the world, and tasting is encouraged. We were given about 15 different cheeses to taste, and told the background on each type. Highly recommend a stop here.
We heard the best Bloody Marys in town were at A.W. Shucks, so we had to give them a whirl. They were divine. So good, in fact, that we ended up ordering five of them, along with plates of fresh oysters (below) on the half shell.
One of the many adorable little alleys lit up at night.

6 comments:

  1. Oh, I LOVE Carmel. :) I lived in Monterey for 5 years for school so that area is pretty much my home now. Did you go to Anthropologie in Carmel? They have an incredible store there!

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  2. Cutest place ever!!!! Your little white poodle is adorable!

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  3. That sounds like a great place to visit! I need to convince my husband that a trip to CA would be great fun.

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  4. I'm green with envy! That looks like the perrrrfect getaway! I'm glad you enjoyed your lil vacation! :)

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  5. Oh I want to visit there ! Looks like such a cute place ! Glad you had a happy birthday !

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  6. OK so now I have another place to add to my vacation wish list. Sounds like your birthday weekend was a blast!

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