Monterey & Carmel Trip - Oct. 16-17, 2005

On Sunday morning, Shawnna and I drove to Monterey / Carmel for a couple days of relaxation and rejuvenation. The weather was perfect (high 60s) and our first stop was the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It had been a few years since we were there, so we wanted to check it out. They were housing 19 penguins that were moved from New Orleans, so the exhibit had over 30 penguins; a little crowded, but they all seemed to be having a good time.




We also saw lots of fish, sharks, jellyfish (including a jellyfish art exhibit), sea otters and plenty of other sea creatures. For lunch, we are at the Portola Restaurant in the aquarium where we had a ocean view, window seat. I ate the fish & chips made with halibut and Shawnna had the coriander dusted sea bass.

Next, we drove to Carmel and checked into the Hyatt Highlands Inn. Before we were able to look at our room, we sat through a 90 minute presentation since they were trying to sell the rooms as a timeshare. After that was finished, we went to our room and were completely blown away. The first thing we noticed was the view. We had a balcony with an unobstructed view of the ocean and Point Lobos (Bird Rock in particular).



The room itself had 4 different sections; A full kitchen complete with dishes and a dishwasher, a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a bedroom with a king bed, and a big bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi tub.




After checking out the room and view, it was time for dinner. We made reservations at Pacific's Edge Restaurant which is the award winning, fine dining restaurant on the property. This place was absolutely amazing. Every detail was thought of; from the host greeting us with our name, to the impeccably dressed and knowledgeable wait staff, to the awesome view (we had an ocean view table next to the glass) which was made even better since we got there just before sunset.

Then it was time for the food; we opted for the 3 course meal. Not your typical 3 course meal since each course was an entree dish in an appetizer size. I ordered the seared beef tenderloin, honey glazed duck, and lobster. Shawnna ordered the beef carpaccio, quail with vanilla port wine glaze and lamb with gorgonzola bread pudding. Of course, the names on the menu were fancier than that and they each came with gourmet garnish. The presentation of each plate was something out of a magazine and I didn't want to mess it up, but the visual appeal was only trumped by the taste. After eating at fancy restaurants, I'm usually still hungry and feel uncomfortable being there, but Pacific's Edge was great, comfortable and left me feeling very full. Of course, we also had dessert. I ordered the Chocolate Strawberry Bombe which was like chocolate mousse with a shell of more dense chocolate and Shawnna ordered Chocolate Heaven which was 4 different chocolate desserts (bite sized). After all of that, we rolled out of there and back to the room.

The next morning, we got up and watched the full moon go down into the ocean. We ate breakfast at the other restaurant on site; California Market. I had the Sticky Bun French Toast and Shawnna had scrambled eggs, ham, fingerlings (potatoes) and toast. It was very good, but nothing could compare to the dinner the previous night.

We checked out of the room and drove to Carmel where we walked around some of the shops before walking along Carmel Beach to Pebble Beach and back. The weather was very warm and dogs were out in full force playing in the surf. It was a great end to the perfect weekend. We headed back home reinvigorated and ready to work 2 days until our next vacation :-) Up next, Disneyland...