Our Getaway

Hello there! I just realized that I have not blogged about our wonderful weekend and it's been a week today that we returned. Oh well...better late than never, right? :)

The background information is that almost 9 years ago, James and I spent the first two nights of our honeymoon in Monterey, California. We stayed at The Green Gables Inn, a beautiful bed-and-breakfast-style inn right on the water. It's a place I have literally dreamt of staying in since I was a pre-teen. It seemed (and is!) so romantic and beautiful and the perfect setting for a honeymoon. James and I ended up spending the bulk of our honeymoon at Moraine Lake in Banff National Park up in Canada. But those first two days at The Green Gables Inn were very special!

So when James and I decided to sneak in a weekend away, The Green Gables Inn was a very tempting destination, but it can be very pricey! We were so fortunate that it is "off season" and rates have gone down...plus they were having a special offer starting the day that we arrived....stay one night and get the second night free. So we couldn't resist!

It was the first time we have stayed there since June 10th, 2000, our wedding night! We had planned to return more often but what with 3 pregnancies, 3 breast-fed babies and the usual chaos of a little family, it took nearly 9 years to get back. But it was so worth the wait. Everything about the weekend was perfect.

Here is what we found in our room when we arrived Friday night....just the way we remembered it from 8.5 years ago.Here is the view from our window the first morning....that's Monterey Bay out there! It was an incredibly clear weekend, clearer than I've ever seen it. We could see the entire bay and even make out where Santa Cruz is across the bay!

This is what The Green Gables Inn looks like from the side if you stand on the walking trail beside the water. Right there is also where, on the second night of our honeymoon, a limo picked us up and took us to Pacific's Edge restaurant at Pebble Beach! James surprised me with a new dress (he picked it out!), a beautiful necklace, a huge bouquet of red roses, the limo ride along 17-Mile-Drive and a gourmet dinner. What a wonderful groom, right? :) Such wonderful memories here.

Here we are, 9 years younger, 3 less kids and a lot fewer gray hairs!!! And one more from the old days! This was the dinner James surprised me with back then... Back to 2009...

This is the "parlor" area of the inn. So many gorgeous Victorian details. We found the little guest-journal we wrote in when we first stayed there in June 2000 and read the little entry! So fun. I of course had to write a new entry, as well. Fun to see that people come from all over the world to stay in this beautiful spot and there were so many sweet and romantic stories in those pages.

Here's me writing the original entry in June, 2000!
We went on a really long walk that was just gorgeous. Here's James standing just off the of the walking trail, not quite to Lover's Point. And here's me...

The beautiful Monterey Bay... Another view of the inn... Here I am, standing outside the steps to the "Carriage House," where we stayed, both on our honeymoon and last weekend, just behind the inn. The actual inn has incredible period-style rooms but they also share bathrooms and are less private so we actually prefer staying in the Carriage House. Down comforter, 4-poster bed, fireplace and even a jet-tub!

And the view from our balcony....

I highly recommend staying here! There are incredible breakfasts served each morning, a refrigerator of free sodas (this was one of my husband's favorite parts!), wine and snacks in the afternoon and even sherry and cake at night. So many wonderful, sumptous details. We also enjoyed nearby Carmel during the day Saturday, one of my favorite places. It's so different from Monterey, even though it is literally just a few miles away. The beach is rocky and beautiful and Pebble Beach Golf Course is right there. The town is quaint and full of amazing boutiques, lovely little restaurants and lots of tiny but wonderful art galleries tucked in here and there.

What a wonderful weekend. I still feel refreshed, a week later, and can't wait to go back, hopefully sometime soon! It was the first time James and I have gotten away alone since I was pregnant with Andrew...nearly 3 years ago. It was a much-needed break and completely perfect, restful and romantic.

I'd love knowing where YOU stay when you get away, too. There are several places in the U.S. I would love to visit, but I'm sure there are plenty of locations I would never read about that are not to be missed.

Hope you have a relaxing Sunday!