This year I decided to splurge for my birthday and we spent the weekend at the amazing Carmel Valley Ranch resort and what a treat it was! It was relaxing, rejuvenating and great for the entire family.
After checking in, and to my kids' delight, we were escorted to our guest room in a golf cart - look at the smiles on those faces!
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| Excited! |
Upon arrival in our room, it was my turn to smile with the complimentary champagne and a birthday card from the hotel.
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| Bubbly! |
Our room was practically a one-bedroom apartment with a living room, large bathroom and comfortable bedroom.
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| Home for the weekend |
We kicked off our shoes, poured some champagne, and exhaled on our balcony while absorbing the beautiful scenery of the Carmel Valley.
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We finished off the evening with a great meal at the hotel's restaurant, followed by all-you-can-eat s'mores by a roaring campfire poolside! The kids were over the moon when they spotted the wagon piled high with marshmallows, whole chocolate bars and graham crackers. Ok, maybe Randy and I were too :)
The next morning we kicked off our day with a visit to the resort's organic garden and chicken coop. One of the farmer's assistants was on hand to teach kids about the different kinds of hens living at the ranch, their eating habits and how to care for them. The boys picked cherry tomatoes off the vine and fed the hungry hens.
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| Up close and personal |
After the "chicken chat" (as it's called at the resort), we walked down to the Clubhouse for breakfast, admiring the beautiful grounds of Carmel Valley Ranch along the way. In addition to the organic garden, the resort also boasts their own lavender fields. Guests can even sign up for classes on making your own lavender products like oils, hand lotions and soaps. We also ran into lots of wild turkeys throughout the resort!
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| Natural beauty |
After a hearty breakfast, we headed on to our next activity - geocaching - a first for all of us! Geocaching is a real-life, hide and seek treasure hunt that happens all over the world. Participants use a GPS device to locate treasures hidden anywhere and everywhere, and log their finds online. The Ranch has their own version that is restricted to their property, and so we went ahead and tried our hands at it. Armed with written clues and a handheld GPS device provided by the Resort, we were off!
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| Cruz the navigator |
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| Found a cache hidden in a pine tree |
The caches are usually hidden and camouflaged. Once you find it, you open up the container, pull out the paper log, enter the date and your initials so you can show that you've been there. Then you can either take the "treasure" (in our case, little trinkets like beads, erasers, tiny toys) or leave something of equal value. Then you re-hide the cache for the next person to find.
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It was a fun activity that the whole family was able to enjoy, and it also allowed us to explore the sprawling acres of the resort. Luckily it was a gorgeous sunny day, which made it even better. To cool down from traipsing all over the resort, we then hit the pool! We spent the remainder of the afternoon there and it was by far the best part of the weekend for me. Aside from swimming with the kiddos, I read a book, enjoyed a glass of wine, napped and sunbathed. It was the ultimate way to de-stress, unplug and just...be.
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| Sweet escape |
That evening, we ventured into town and had dinner at a yummy Korean restaurant. Once we again, we enjoyed a nightcap of s'mores by the fire!
Sunday was my actual birthday, and Randy surprised me with a spa reservation for even more pampering. I indulged in the 80 minute massage and relaxed even more in the spa lounge with some tea, and munched on dried fruit and nuts. Boy was it hard to leave!
Reluctantly we packed up and hit the road for home. As a final celebration of my 36th birthday, our awesome neighbors called us over and treated us to more champagne and freshly baked chocolate cheesecake!
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| Cheers! |
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