Oh this is my favorite trip of the year with my sweet hubby! First I’ll say that If you’ve never been to Carmel in California I highly suggest going if you’re wanting a romantic relaxing getaway! It’s truly one of my favorite places on earth.  

10 years ago Brian and I started this tradition of going to Carmel every December after my wedding season wrapped up. We promised each other that we would continue it even after we had kids and we have done it every year since! We leave the kiddos with our parents (they love it!) for 4 nights and it’s amazing. We eat, sleep, Netflix and chill, walk on the beach and repeat. It’s our sacred time, just us, and it’s so so special. 

I don’t remember where I heard it but someone said it once and it totally stuck with me… it was marriage advice and it was this… “encourage daily, date monthly, travel yearly.” I loved this l so much and we definitely implement it in our marriage.

Some of our faves in Carmel:

Our favorite place to stay is The Candlelight Inn! This year was our 7th year staying here and we will love it. The room we stay in has a big tub and a fireplace too which is one of the best parts. The beds are also heavenly fluffy clouds which is Brian’s favorite part of all.

Ok let’s talk breakfast… we’ve tried alllll the places in the little town of Carmel within walking distance (we walk everywhere aside from going to the theatre one night, another tradition 🥰)  but our FAVORITE breakfast place is Pangea Grill. This trip we actually went there all 4 mornings because the atmosphere and the food are perfection! Highly highly recommend if you ever decide to visit Carmel.

Other restaurants we love are…

Dametra Cafe - the salad here is delicious and the bread and olive oil, omg SO GOOD! Brian loves Mediterranean food and says this is one of the best he has ever had. If you know my husband you know that says a lot!

La Bicyclette - I love this spot and they have the cutest atmosphere. If you make a reservation see if you can reserve the little secluded room, it's out favorite and the food is impeccable!

Grasings - We love Grasings and it's the perfect spot for apps and a drink when you just want something light or a reason to go out when you've already stuffed yourself. The charcuterie plate and a glass of wine is my fav and we also love the steak nachos and the Brussels. It's so so good!

Little Napoli - If you want good pizza this is a great spot. La Bicyclette has really good pizza but if you are looking specifically for Italian, this is the spot!

There are so many great spots but these are our restaurants we go to every single year that we love!