Travel

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!

Designer Destination | The Claremont Hotel Berkeley

Last weekend, the Mr and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary with a little staycation at what I’ve considered one of the most iconic hotels in California, the Claremont hotel. The Claremont has been around since 1915 and it’s like a white beacon on the Oakland/Berkeley border. It’s always inspiring to see its bright, white facade in contrast to the lush green trees and hills it’s nestled in. Growing up I had always wanted to stay there, but until last weekend that dream hadn’t come true. Spending a couple of days there was the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary. And after seeing its amazing architectural details and decor, I knew it was going to be my next Designer Destination. Just check out that pool house and deck done in all white and black, could that be any more perfect?

Copycathcic Designer Destination: The Claremont Hotel San Francisco Bay Area. An historic castle of a hotel outfitted in bright white and glam decor. — This post is in partnership with the **Claremont Hotel**.

Home Trends | Glamping

We love room recreations around here, so how about a tent recreation? If you want to bring the magic of glamping into your own backyard, here are 12 essentials inspired by my stay at Firelight Camps in Ithaca, NY.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link.

1 | CANVAS TENT
I scoured the internet for a glamping-worthy tent and this canvas bell version by Stout Tent is by far my favorite option. Not only does it meet industry standards while still being adorable, it’s also made of the highest quality materials. These tents ship free in in the lower 48 states!

2 | CHAIR
This minimal chair is made of bamboo and washable canvas. It folds for easy transport and storage, but honestly, I would use it inside too!

3 | INDOOR/OUTDOOR RUG
The key to choosing a rug for glamping is finding one that’s meant to be indoor/outdoor. This boho kilim fits the bill and looks good doing it.

4 | LANTERN
I love this lantern because in addition to giving you 80+ hours of a soft glow, it also charges your devices via usb! Who says you have to go tech free to glamp!?

5 | TENT FAN
This fan runs up to 21 hours on batteries and folds flat for easy storage. Perfect for warm summer nights!

6 | AIRBED
Taking your actual bed outdoors is a pretty impractical (bummer), but setting up this raised airbed is an easy alternative. You’ll be 22 inches off the ground and the included battery pump does the work for you!

7 | BEDSPREAD
I love the look of this striped IKEA bedspread. It’s lightweight for summer glamping and at $14.99 you won’t mind using it outside!

8 | COOLER
This stylish bag is durable and water resistant. The zip pull doubles as a bottle opener and the inside holds up to 32 12oz cans. I love that it looks more like a shoulder bag than a cooler.

9 | S’WELL BOTTLE
Ever since buying a S’well bottle in this sale I’ve been obsessed. They keep beverages cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. Perfect for glamping and every day.

10 | ALL-PURPOSE KNIFE
Fork, knife, and spoon that you can toss into a backpack. Makes me hungry for glamp food!

11| ENAMELWARE
I’ve been eying this 16-piece enamelware starter set for a while now. It’s currently on sale so check it out before they sell out! Enamelware is durable enough to use outdoors and is also oven, freezer and dishwasher safe so they’ll transition well to your kitchen afterward.

12 | FOLDING TABLE
This small folding table can be folded into its case for easy carrying. The bamboo and aluminum combo elevates the style high above your typical plastic folding table!

You can see more of our Home Trends series here! Thank you for supporting copycatchic!

36 Hours | Ithaca, New York

Hi folks, Audrey S. here! My husband and I marked 4 years of marriage last week and celebrated with a night of glamping. In case you’re not familiar, glamping is just what it sounds like — glamorous camping! Reaching this decision was just like anything else in marriage — compromise! I’m more of an outdoor adventurer, he’s more of an anything-that-involves-air-conditioning type of guy :D. Cue Firelight Camps in Ithaca, New York, the perfect blend of nature and luxury.

A Day of Design in Chicago

This post is in partnership with Delta® Brand.

A couple of weeks ago I took a little trip to Chicago. Most of you probably followed along on my Instagram. The reason? A Day of Design with Delta and John and Sherry from Young House Love. Such a great concept, right? The plan? An architectural tour around Chicago to gather up inspiration for a design board we were to create using Delta and She She products. I love me some good inspiration AND a good design challenge! Sign me up.

Designer Destination | Little River Inn Mendocino

Designer Destination: The Little River Inn on the Mendocino Coast. Ocean views, beachfront, spa and golf, train rides | travel by copycatchic — This post in partnership with the **Little River Inn**.

A couple of weeks ago we took a little family road trip up the coast to a great Northern California beach town called Mendocino. There’s just something about the NorCal coast that just calls to me. The beaches are so wild and rustic compared to your typical California beach. The rocks, bluffs, trees and plants are so gorgeous up here. We stayed at this great historic hotel called the Little River Inn. In fact, they’ve been in operation since 1939 with the same family! Innkeeper Cally Dym is the fifth generation owner along with her husband, Executive Chef Marc Dym. The inn has a notable guest history as well, from Ronald Reagan to James Dean (while filming East of Eden). It’s situated right off of Highway 1, on the bluff right above the beach. The view is seriously stunning, it doesn’t get any better.

Designer Destination | Coachman Hotel

We took advantage of the holiday last week and decided to get some snow fun in. Arden had ski week (the whole week off) so we packed our bags and headed off to Tahoe. This time we decided instead of hitting up our usual destination, we’d mix it up a bit and stay in South Lake Tahoe. I had heard of a gorgeous (yet reasonably priced!!!) hotel there called the Coachman. After seeing pics of it, I just new I had to stay there.

Designer Destinations | Solage

It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a Designer Destination with you all and I have SUCH a great one to share with you guys today: Solage located in Calistoga. I’ve been an admirer of Solage for awhile now and I’m excited that we got a chance to stay there a few weeks ago. It was just as amazing as I had hoped.

Solage is tucked away in a nice little corner of town, just a hop away from Lincoln Ave. The grounds are gorgeous and the hotel is spread out with rooms in several quaint cottages with a main lobby and restaurant in larger modern farmhouse-style buildings. There are complimentary beach cruisers placed around the property for your leisure, very cool. I managed to take a quick jaunt around the grounds after checking in! The pool is amazing, with palm trees and mountains serving as its backdrop.

What to pack for camping

We’ve had a pretty great fall season over here in Northern California. Lots of good camping to be had and now that we’re in winter-mode, I really feel like I have my camping packing list down. I always used to struggle with what to bring camping, I know I’m not alone! I either didn’t pack enough or I packed way, way too much. So I figured I’d share with you, all of my must-haves when we go glamping/camping, some of which I found out about from my friends, who run a glamping location you can check out at https://whitehouseonwye.co.uk/. We went to Tahoe the week before last and I figured I’d take some fun pictures of my camping set up for you all.

Designer Destination | Sunset Magazine Gardens

I had the pleasure of attending Sunset Magazine‘s newest gardens and outdoor test kitchen opening a few weeks ago at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. It was beautiful and so inspiring! They had some amazing speakers and demos going on. So many fun vendors and activities going on a well. But underneath it all lies the gorgeousness of the gardens themselves. If you’re in the Sonoma area (wine tasting perhaps?) its definitely worth the trip.