This weekend we drove down to beautiful Monterey County and had a much needed spa day followed by the best Italian dinner. Just the two of us.
We visited Refuge, a thermal-cycle spa nestled in Carmel Valley. The spa involves a series 3-4 rotations of heating your body up through sauna or eucalyptus steam room, then immediately cooling yourself down in 40-50 degree (it’s icy!) cold water. Then, you sit next to a fire in the sun to gradually warm your body up for 15 minutes, or sit in one of the zero-gravity chairs. Next you explore all the pools with water falls on the property that range in temperature from warm to hot before moving through the process over slowly again and again. Everyone walks around in robes like the Big Lebowski. It was very relaxing and rejuvenating. One of the best parts was – there’s no talking! Everyone is silent so the only sounds you hear are the sounds of waterfalls, birds, and the small roar of the outdoor fire pits. I had to sneak a few pics with my Iphone since it’s supposed to be an electronic-free zone too.
After we spent a few hours there, we headed into downtown Monterey for dinner. We always get Italian food when we’re in Monterey. There are a few good spots right near Cannery Row, the main street in town. This time though, we went to il Vecchio after hearing good things. One of my Instagram favorites Ariel Alasko did the interior woodwork for the place and it’s spot-on perfection. Afterwards we headed back north, listening to comedian Hannibal Buress and cracking up the whole way home. It was so nice to get away just the two of us and spend some time relaxing. We’ve spent a lot of time in Monterey county in the past – the photo above is from the Big Sur road trip we went on (best place ever!). One year we rented a little house tucked away in Monterey, other times we’ve come down to explore the Monterey Bay Aquarium and spend the day looking for otters in the bay. The whale-watching and other wildlife here is arguably the best in California. Not to mention the town Carmel-By-The-Sea in Monterey is considered one of the most dog-friendly towns in the US. There’s really no shortage of fun things to do here… I’m thinking a Big Sur camping trip might be next!
This post was sponsored by See Monterey. See Monterey will be giving away a few pairs of tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, just comment below if you’re interested! Thank you for supporting those who support Wildlandia.