Everyone needs a vacation every now and then. Whether desiring to enjoy a new city, or revisit a memorable town from trips in the past, vacations can allow the body to replenish and repair itself while relaxing and having fun. One ideal location for taking a vacation is the beautiful city of Carmel-by-the-Sea located in Monterey County, California. Known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history, Carmel is desired by celebrities, entrepreneurs, animal lovers, and of course, tourists. If you’re looking for a peaceful and relaxing vacation where you can enjoy a breath of fresh air while sipping wine at any time of day, Carmel is the ideal city to visit with Vendange Inn and Suites the perfect location to host your stay.
Nestled beneath the pine trees in a tranquil neighborhood, The Vendange Carmel is an intimate boutique inn located a short walk from downtown. Offering 18 unique guest rooms with 15 of those inspired by a local winery, each suite provides a romantic ambiance of luxuriousness and charm. Vendange prides itself on the emaculate service they provide as well as the touching attention to detail that extends across the entire property from being one of the few inn’s in Carmel to provide parking, to their beautiful garden and grand pergola area where cheese and wine is served complimentary on weekends. Vengange Carmel truly earns the right to pride themselves on their individualized customer service, and stand as one of the most desired inns in not only Carmel, but Northern California as well.
“Vendange is unique to Carmel and other cities in that we worked with local wineries to sponsor rooms, and make each suite on our property a reflection of Monterey County’s flourishing wine industry. It took some time to get our ideas across to local wineries, with Twisted Roots being the first (company) to jump aboard, but once that suite was completed, and the wineries could visually see the ideas we were striving for, the rest took off from there.” owner Jonathan Lee told me.
Together, Jonathan Lee and his brother Brian Lee have remodeled the Vendange Inn, capturing the essence of a winery and bottling it perfectly in their design of the property in a way that’s not only achieved aesthetically, but in being eco-friendly as well. With the inn’s name ‘Vendange’ being French vernacular for a late grape harvest, where the fruit hangs longer on the vines to produce more sugar in the grapes, all eco-friendly remodeling choices were ‘sweetly’ constructed, ranging from the addition of water-saving fixtures, to adding drought-tolerant decorative grapevines, and using recycled jeans for insulation that are not only eco-friendly but the most sound-absorbent insulation they could find as well.
For my stay at Vendange Carmel, I was welcomed to stay in the Twisted Roots suite that has views overlooking the beautiful Carpenter Street and accomplishes a romantic and relaxing feel. With light walls and warm wood tones, our suite had a seasonal theme, showcasing pictures of the Twisted Roots vineyards in spring, summer, winter and fall. There were wine options beautifully shelved on the wall close to the fireplace, where guests could purchase and enjoy an array of options that cannot be found elsewhere except the tasting rooms of the wineries themselves. A sitting area of the suite included a book where guests could record their experiences, and I found myself enjoying taking the time reading about previous visitors ranging from honeymooners to those on a quick vacation from the same city I’m from. Each closet came included with additional blankets, pillows and J.Lohr bathrobes and the bathrooms were beautifully appointed, allowing in a plethora of natural light to enter the space which was useful when getting ready.
The insulation made from the recycled jeans truly eliminated any possible sound that may have been outside, allowing for a comfortable and quiet stay while the beds were made from only the most comfortable of mattresses, that no other hotel during our trip was able to compare with.
Other wineries that sponsor rooms include Joullian, Dawn’s Dream, Tudor and Manzoni that all provide their respective wines in the room at a reasonable price to allow guests to make the most out of the experience and taste their way through the inspiration of the suite. Having visited the actual Twisted Roots tasting room during our vacation, I was pleasantly surprised to see the price that Vendange listed for the wine was the same price as what we would have paid at the tasting room.
Lee told me that a majority of guests who stay at the Vendange take the inn up on their offer to try the wines, and that the prices in the suites are actually set by the wineries and tasting rooms themselves. If I hadn’t already taken home some of Twisted Root’s wine from their tasting room, I probably would have added my name to the majority list as well!
When visiting at Vendange Carmel, guests should definitely make their way to the complimentary daily breakfast available in their refurbished lobby that offers everything from eggs and yogurt, to fresh fruit and over 15 varieties of tea with coffee both regular and decaf as well. I spent around an hour having breakfast in the lobby as I struck up a conversation with one of the member’s of the hotel staff who not only made breakfast throughly enjoyable, but offered tips on where to visit and some history on the town. I love getting to talk with the locals and become better acquainted with whatever city I’m staying in, so it was a very pleasant morning for myself. If mornings are not your thing, the patio and pergola area behind the main lobby has a fire pit that welcomes guests in the evening for live music with wine tastings available on weekends.
Vendange Carmel is not just a boutique inn but an experience that not only exceeded my expectations, but allowed me to enjoy a truly remarkable trip to their city by the sea. Whether you’re wanting a romantic vacation, or simply need a place to stay during one of the many events Carmel hosts throughout the year, Vendange Carmel is a must-visit inn for your stay.
Vendange Carmel provided me with a one night stay to conduct the review, but all opinions remain my own.
For more information on Vendange Carmel, including their location and availability, visit their website at http://www.vendangecarmel.com/
Rosie: The free parking was wonderful! I had no idea how convenient having parking was until we were in other areas of Carmel. Vendange is one of the more affordable yet luxurious locations to stay in the city and I can’t wait to go back!
I love that they provide parking, and everything looks absolutely wonderful!
looks so beautiful- and peaceful. and i see no legos, so sign me up!
i loved my stay in carmel! it was so beautiful :)
When did you go to Carmel? This was my first trip and I absolutely fell in love!