I have decided to start a tradition for New Years. TRAVEL. So this year I decided I didn't want to go to someones house party for NYE, I wanted to do something exciting to start my new year. This year my friends Amy, Amanda and I decided to meet in Napa and head down the coast on HWY 1 to Big Sur. BEST IDEA!!!
We met in Napa where I got to take them to some lovely places I discovered during my travel job in Napa for the summer. We went for lunch at BRIX. Brix has a good food selection and the best patio seating. They have a garden out back as well as a view of vineyards. I would recommend going here if in Napa are and definitely request outdoor seating. From there we went to Robert Mondavi to do a tasting. Robert Mondavi is really well known as well as really beautiful to walk around but as far as wine goes it just didn't do it for me. I wouldn't recommend this being top of the list for Napa winery's if you only have a few days try others like Hall or Caymus first. Next stop Monterey!
Monterey is such a cute little town on the coast. We stayed at Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa. It was amazing. We were able to book with points which is why we chose to stay here otherwise I would recommend somewhere cheaper in town because access to the beach is easy around town. If y'all don't use the tripavisor app I would highly recommend adding it to your phone now. We used this to help us choose where to go for meals. I must say we never had a disappointing meal while in Monterey. We had a nice breakfast at Wave Street Cafe food was good and surprisingly the coffee was great. Would have enjoyed sitting outside to see the view but it was too cold. For NYE dinner we chose Lalla Grill on Del Monte Ctr was lovely. We got to sit by the window so we could see the ocean and it was beautiful. I got a steak for dinner and it did not disappoint. Our last day we stopped at Aloha Coffee and Cafe this is a must go to spot. The acai bowl was fantastic and the coffee was perfection. The store owner was very kind and informative. From there we walked across the street and down to the ocean. Totally worth it.
We traveled down HWY 1 to Big Sur on NYE. This drive is honestly the most beautiful drive I've done in a while. Please if you are in the area don't miss the opportunity to at least drive to Julia Pfeiffer State Park (tip don't pay to park, everyone just pulls along the road) there you will find McWay Falls. We got out here and walked around taking pictures of everything and reading the history of the area. Note: these streets are windy drive slowly as you have people stopping to look everywhere they can. Also, the cell service is limited make sure you have your maps pulled up and loaded before you lose wifi as well as knowing all the places you would like to stop. We decided not to eat on the drive so we just took snacks in the car. We stopped in Carmel by the Sea to have a late lunch. Carmel is such a cute little town. We stopped at a mediterranean place literally called Mediterranean Restaurant (haha). We shared some hummus and chicken shawarma, it was really good. After we walked around the little city window shopping. We found a place that sold chocolates and got the game beanboozled. If you don't know what that is or haven't tried it, you must! It was so gross yet so funny. I would love to have been able to spend more time in Carmel by the Sea I would recommend making time for this little city.
Overall starting off the new year with a little adventure was the best thing I could have possibly done. We had such a good time and returned home feeling so refreshed and ready for the new year. Next year don't just wait for someone to throw a party go make new memories. Good thing I'm giving you this amazing idea at the start of the year so you have loads of time to start saving.
Lets fly!
xx Brooke.