Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/784242
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 151 rant's 2,500 bottle underground cellar boasts a worldwide selection that specifically spotlights wines from Monterey County and France. In March, the restaurant is an integral part of the prestigious charity fundraising Carmel GourmetFest, an elite food show that includes seminars, cooking demonstrations and inim- itable tastings. Year-round, L'Auberge Carmel also offers personalized picnic baskets, boating, hiking, and culinary or romantic getaway packages. "Being a full-service hotel, we're capable of doing fully customized experiences for our guests," says Marketing Manager Cameron Hill. He encourages guests to review the getaway packages on the website as a starting point. "We make it easy and convenient to put together packages," he says, "and then the front desk at the hotel can also add to any package, from sending wine to a room to anything we can think up." At La Playa Carmel, February marks the launch of a carefully crafted signature dessert experience. A changing selection of four desserts are paired with sparkling wines for a treat to be enjoyed in-room, in the gardens and nooks on hotel grounds, or even taken offsite to the white sands of Carmel Beach, just a few steps away. February's featured desserts celebrate pas- sion fruit and chocolate in honor of Valentine's Day and the traditional connection between chocolate and love, which began even before British chocolate magnate Richard Cadbury first put Cupids and rosebuds on heart-shaped boxes of chocolates in 1861. "It's also a nod to the hotel's roots," says Managing Director Mary Crowe, noting that the pastry chefs use exclusively Ghirardelli chocolate. La Playa was constructed as a private home in 1905 by artist Christian Jorgensen as a gift to his wife Angela, a daughter of San Francisco's The Spa at Pebble Beach offers romantic couple's treatments, such as massages in the tranquil setting near the Lodge. The relaxation rooms are part of the overall experience, along with a juice bar, café and pool. Photo: Scott Campbell The Vista Blue Spa, on the rooftop of the Monterey Plaza Hotel, features spectac- ular views of the Monterey Bay and luxurious hydrotherapy treatments.