travel

I recently spent two days at the Monterey Tides Hotel in Monterey, California.  As some of you might know, I grew up in San Jose, California so my family would often drive south to Santa Cruz and Monterey for day trips.  I always remember passing by this hotel on the way to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a kid.  It was a Best Western then and now it is a more upscale Joie de Vivre Group owned hotel.    I fell in love with it’s beachfront location and thought that it would be a fun place to stay, now as an adult I finally got the chance to check it out. My first experience with the Monterey Tides Hotel as an adult was getting breakfast with my family a couple years ago and being pleasantly surprised by the renovations and the good food.  A made a mental note at… Read More

My husband and I spent three days and two nights at the Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina, CA, just north of Monterey, CA.  We had a wonderful time and I would definitely recommend it for people that are looking for a quiet, restful, low-key get-away.   We were there at the end of March, which was during spring break so there were several families on the property, but it was still very quiet and tranquil. One of the nice things about the resort is that it has lots of Adirondack chairs overlooking the ocean so that you can watch the sunset in the evening.  They even do a bonfire every evening which was fun… and to top it off, the room has a s’mores kit with everything you need for the perfect evening around the fire.  The resort does have a pool and hot tub so that you can relax even when… Read More