“Wednesday Wanderings” was too long to add in the title of every post, so I’m just using WW for now. This post is long overdue, but I finally sorted through all my photos and uploaded them. March just kind of slipped through my fingers right before my eyes.

I was invited by the Hofsas House to come spend two nights in Carmel, CA and check out the quaint little city by the beach. My DF and I have been to Monterey before, but we have never been to Carmel by the Sea until a couple of weeks ago.

Upon arrival, we immediately noticed just how small this town was. It’s only one square mile! Not only that, but there are no street numbers on any buildings. In order to find a building, the directions are old school: “on San Carlos St., just north of 4th street.” You just have to wing it and keep your eyes open for your destination.

Lucky for us, we found our hotel after a couple of loops on the streets. We checked in and were welcomed with a wine and cheese pairing on the counter from The Cheese Shop and Ventana. You can add this package on from the Hofsas House for your arrival for $30. Not gonna lie, I may or may not have finished the cheese and crackers in ten minutes.

Our room itself was quite large and home-y. Did I mention that the tile floor in the bathroom is heated?! How have I been missing that all my life!

Another surprise that we found in our room was The Hofsas House Sunset Beach package, which cane be added to your stay for $60 (which comes down to $50 after you return the tote bag and blanket). That included:

• Wood and starter for a 3 x 3 foot beach fire
• Comfy oversized beach blankets to relax upon
• All the fixings for s’mores including marshmallows, Hershey bars, graham crackers and long handled roasting sticks (for 10 people)
• Safety Flashlight

We caught the sunset from our door right before leaving to grab dinner. Is this real life?

First, we had to make a pit stop at the Cottage of Sweets. It looks like a cottage from Snow White filled with every kind of candy that your heart desires. As I always say, “Dessert before dinner!” We walked away with some fudge and chocolate covered cookie dough.

We had dinner reserved the first night at Mundaka, a Spanish tapas restaurant.

We had bravas: fried potatoes, brava sauce, aioli.

Bomba: house made sausage, mashed potatoes, mojo rojo// This was my favorite. It’s like a deep fried mashed potato ball stuffed with meat.

Chuleton: 24 oz. ribeye, sidreria style, served rare// Clearly, this was my DF’s favorite.

It came with a little arugula salad. 

Chocolate bread pudding// This, I didn’t really care for. It was dry, a little burnt, and small. The rest of the food was good, though!

Cortado: espresso, splash of steamed milk

We returned back to the hotel with full bellies. The next morning, we went downstairs into the lobby for the continental breakfast. I was surprised with how good the pastries were. These aren’t your normal Costco or Pavillions bakery goods, they’re a notch above that! You can even get a tray to go and take it to your room to enjoy privately, which is exactly what we did.

We then sat down with Carrie, the owner of the Hofsas House, to help plan out the rest of our day. She was very knowledgeable and helped us out quite a bit. Not only that, but she was as hospitable as can be. It was like sitting down with an old friend you haven’t seen in years.

Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to do the 17-mile-drive to check out the views. Carrie gave us some binoculars to use for the day and they definitely came in handy!

Hot pink is my DF’s color, don’t you think? 😉

We really couldn’t have asked for a better couple of days to visit. It was warm and clear with a pleasant breeze.

Did I mention that their beaches have white sand? It’s the good stuff, people.

We pretty much pulled over at every point of interest during our drive. Thank goodness for the map they give you when you cross through the gates! One of the points of interests was Seal Rock (see that rock up top to the right?). It may look like a normal rock, but the loud yelping nosies will tell you otherwise.

Sadly, I only brought my 35 mm lens, so I couldn’t zoom into the rock. I got a little crafty and used the binoculars to take a picture so you guys can see just how many seals there were!

We worked up quite a bit of an appetite after trekking through Pebble Beach, so we went to the Red House Cafe in Pacific Grove.

It has the good ol’ ma and pa shop feeling that we love. No chain restaurants here!

I had the Red House Pizza// Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Basil topped with Mixed Field Greens. Ummm, this blew me out of the water. I thought it was a little weird to have cold mixed field greens on top, but it somehow worked. This was the best meal of the trip, in my opinion.

My DF had the Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Sandwich: Lettuce (he left that part out), Tomato, Caramelized Sweet Balsamic Red Onions with Lemon-Basil Aioli on Ciabatta. It was served with an orzo salad. He was as equally impressed with his sandwich as I was with my pizza.

To satisfy my sweet tooth, we walked over to Pavel’s Backerei. It has 4 1/2 stars on Yelp, but I wasn’t impressed at all with the baked goods I got.

Perhaps I got the wrong things? A chocolate chip cookie and a Persian doughnut cinnamon roll.

We then went over to go see the monarch butterflies. It’s kind of in an odd place, but you have to go! There were so many butterflies flying above. I couldn’t capture them on camera or film (again, fixed lens problems), but they’re there!

We then headed down to the beach to make use of our s’mores kit at sunset.

I don’t think it gets any more romantic than this.

Or more delicious.

Did you know that Carmel is one of the only two beaches in California where you can bring your own firewood, plop down, and make your fire pit where your heart pleases (okay there are some restrictions, but still, how awesome is that)? You just have to put them out by 10PM, which is pretty dang late if you ask me.

For our second dinner of the trip, we had reservations at The Grill.

I am all about this bread– It’s rustic, soft on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.

I ordered the Flat-Grilled Salmon: cherry tomato beurre blanc and asiago polenta.

My DF ate the Center-Cut Filet Mignon: port wine reduction with glace de viande, crispy sweet onions, and yukon potatoes gratinée.

For dessert, we got the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream.

Overall verdict of The Grill? Wonderful ambiance, friendly service, and satisfying food. The food wasn’t mind-blowing, it was average. The dessert was my least favorite (such a shame, too! I’ve been having mediocre desserts all trip).

On day 3, we checked out of the hotel and decided to spend the morning/early afternoon walking around town. I chose to go to Pastries and Petals before lunch. Finally! A good sweet.

I introduce to you the glorious chocolate cream puff. Oh lawwwdy. I can’t even describe how good this was.

Oh, I guess we still have to eat some real food. We walked by Dametra Cafe a couple of times on the days before and it was always PACKED. No matter what time of the day it was, there were people lining up inside and outside. We had to go see what the hoop-la was all about.

Chicken Shawarma Sandwich: Marinated chicken in Lebanese spices, roasted and wrapped in flat bread served with lemon garlic Aioli.

I was surprised when they brought out a dish of their Baklava (Layers of Rich, Sweet Filo Dough, piled with chopped nuts, syrup and honey) when we never looked at a dessert menu. They gave a free dessert on the house to everyone eating lunch! I love that.

Turkish Coffee

I can’t say enough good things about Carmel by the Sea and the Hofsas House. The location was wonderful for walking around; You literally don’t need your car at all while you’re there! It’s a very small and welcoming town with lots to do and eat. It’s a great getaway, even if it’s just for the day.

Thank you so much to Carrie and the Hofsas House for giving my DF and I the most romantic getaway we’ve ever had. It was like having a honeymoon before the wedding!

This is a sponsored post, but the opinions expressed are my own.

My older sister is getting married in Santa Barbara this weekend and one of my next door neighbors, Debra, threw her a bridal shower a couple of weeks ago. If there’s one thing that Debra’s good at, it’s hosting. She sure knows how to throw a party! The theme of her bridal shower was an “Asian-inspired tea party.”

From the moment I walked ion Debra’s front door, my jaw dropped. Her tables were decorated with the most intricate and delicate china that I’ve ever seen! She also had matching umbrellas and lanterns hanging throughout her ceiling to match my sister’s wedding colors.

That’s my momma and the bride-to-be!

Debra collects china as a hobby. I still can’t get over the fact that she owns all of these pieces!

My parents made the food because they don’t believe in a party without some barbecue. Above, we have homemade egg rolls and savory pate chaud (ground pork stuffed in a puff pastry).

My pops spent the morning grilling outside making ribs and chicken.

Thank you Debra (the bottom middle in the picture) for hosting such a wonderful bridal shower and letting us all celebrate in your home!