36 Hours | Monterey California

A little over a month ago we celebrated Conrad and my birthday by taking a quick weekend trip to Monterey, CA. It was the perfect time of year to view the monarch butterflies at their best, not to mention the incomparable Monterey Bay Aquarium. Like all of our travel, I meticulously plan out the best spots to visit combining a great mix of splurge high end dining and thrifty hole-in-the wall mom-and-pop’s to come up with the best itinerary. And like always, my recommendations are always chosen with form and function in mind.

When the team at the newly renovated Monterey Tides invited me to view their property, it was perfect timing. Not only was the hotel designer-friendly…it’s also super reasonably priced. Oh and did I mention, it’s right smack-dab ON. THE. BEACH. As in take a few steps down and your on a gorgeous white sand beach. They even offer a beach bonfire option. Such a great idea. I think we’ll have to make another trip down there soon.

I was also lucky to be able to borrow this gorgeous Lexus RX 350 for the road trip there. Talk about the perfect spoilage for a birthday weekend you guys…Could it get any better? Driving this beauty on 17 Mile Drive pretty much made my weekend. We drove right up to the sand and maybe a touch into it…and the Lexus handled it like a champ. Don’t try that at home folks. As a matter a fact back in October the Mr and I made that mistake with a rental car in Hawaii. Needless to say it didn’t work out so well and a few kind locals helped push us out. Whoops.

Anyways, like I said, the Lexus was a pro at handling the sand. It was also so spacious that we were able to open the back hatch and create an impromptu changing station. Who expects to need a bathing suit for the beach in November, right? My bad 😉 The weather was seriously amazing. You just never know what to expect on the Northern California coastline that’s for sure.

So here’s our weekend itinerary for your viewing pleasure and it was all under $500!

Day One

breakfast | Cafe Lumiere

play | Monterey Bay Aquarium

lunch | tricycle pizza

do | 17 mile drive

coffee | bright coffee

shop | lilify

stay | monterey tides

dinner | vizcaino at monterey tides

Day Two

breakfast | water + leaves

shop | fisherman’s wharf

lunch | poke lab

dessert | revival ice cream

play | monarch butterfly reserve

do | point pinos lighthouse

dinner | passion fish

drink | jeninni wine bar

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Big thanks to the team over at Monterey Tides for the great stay and for Lexus for the nice set of wheels for the trip! To see the whole trip laid on Google Maps click here.