Monterey and Big Sur June 2006

We went to Monterey and Big Sur for our Honeymoon June of 2006. It was the perfect place to go on our first vacation together as a married couple. The ocean, the mountains, and vineyards is how we spent our wonderful week in California.
We spent time in Carmel by the Sea, and it is a wonderful little town. If you like art galleries you will love Carmel. There is one every other store. Carmel by the Sea is very dog friendly as well. At the end of the main road is a wonderful beach to watch the sunset.

Our next stop was Monterey. Monterey is an old cannery town and still has that vibe with all the fishing docks, and Fisherman's Wharf. We went to the Monterey Aquarium which is a must see. We walked around Fisherman's Wharf and went on a whale watch tour with our Clam Chowder in tow. Eating fresh Clam chowder while watching or whales was such a great experience. We saw some humpback whales and Pacific dolphins which are very different from bottle nose.

Then we went to the Carmel Valley Wineries. Our favorite was Chateau Julien. The tour guide was very nice and made us feel very welcome. It is a small family winery and they gave us a tasting during various stops of the tour. The tour guide took the tastes as well which made a very fun tour. We also visited Bernardus, Ventana, and Chateau Juliet which had a nice Rose`.

The next day we went to Big Sur and drove down the famous Route 1. It was a very windy drive with mountains on one side and crashing waves on cliffs on the other. It was a once in a lifetime drive. We went to two state parks and had lunch at Rocky Point. It was a really nice restaurant on the cliffs.
Our final full day we relaxed and drove the famous 17 mile Dr in Pebble Beach. We didn't get to play golf, but saw many people enjoying the beachside golf course. I am glad we did the Big Sur drive first. The 17 mile drive was nice, but after Big Sur there is no comparison. We went back to Carmel by the Sea for the afternoon and splurged on some chocolate truffles. Yum.

We enjoyed California so much that on the plane ride back home, we said we will definitely come back for our 5 year Anniversary. Hopefully it will be in our plans to do so.

Our Itinerary

Day 1- Arrive at 12:30
Carmel By the Sea
Dinner- Merlot Bistro

Day 2- Whale watching with Chris
Monterey Aquarium


Day 3- Wineries
1) Château Julien- 831- 624 2600
2) Bernardus- 831-659-1900
3) Talbott- 831-659-3500
4) Ventana 831-372-7415

Dinner-Lattitudes


Day 4- Big Sur
Morning- Drive to Big Sur State Park
Lunch- Rocky Point
Afternoon- Point Lobos State Park
Dinner- Peter B's Brewpub


Day 5- Morning- 17 Mile Dr
Afternoon- Carmel Barnyard
Lunch- Lugano Bistro-
Carmel by the Sea
Dinner- The Mucky Duck


Day 6- Breakfast at Rosines
Leave at 11:30 am
Arrive Orlando 11:30 Pm