Hey Babes!!
I got back from my long weekend in Northern California last month and I’m still dreaming about it. It was just beautiful! I am so excited to finally be sharing all of my fun adventures with you all, BUT, I’m not sure where to start haha. I guess I’ll start at the beginning which started with planing this trip. I reached out to my fellow blogger and friend Melissa from The Melissa Lifestyle and invited her along when the Hofsas Hotel reached out and invited us for a stay. Well she immediately said “yes let’s go”! Then we went about booking our flights and Melissa arranged for our car rental and then the hardest part of all–planning how many outfits to take lol!!
I could not believe how cute the hotel looked in person. It is a charming Bavarian inspired architecture, which transports you to a European village, but conveniently located in California!
The hotel has the sweetest retro details including the vacancy sign which is just adorable, And yes there is a heated pool for real!
The prettiest painted mural wall leads you down the hill to the parking area in the back. It looks like a typical German village painting.
My luggage is from Delsey. I love the durability and no the white does not stain. Use Magic Eraser to get out any scuffs! My set is a bit older but here is the link for the new version.
Our room was located off the lanai area but next to the gardens full of hydrangeas and wildflowers.
True story…I was obsessed with these tree lined winding roads and thought it would be so cool to take photos in the middle of the road, but Melissa didn’t go for it LOL!!
This simple sundress is a perfect summer staple, very lightweight and the best thing it comes in tons of prints and its only $12!
Our room had this fun Dutch door, which let a cool breeze into the room and through the other side which let out to our private balcony. When Melissa I arrived to check-in the first day, we were met by the owner, Carrie Theis. She spent time telling us about her Grandmother, Donna, who started the Hofsas House back in the 1940s. Carrie knows the seaside town so well and even lives next door to the hotel! It was such a help to have Carrie point all the must see stops on the map of Carmel, such as the wine tasting rooms, restaurants, and shops to visit. Hofsas House is also dog friendly which I love! I was going to take one of my pups but at the last minute decided to keep them together (they get upset when they are separated, awww). Carrie had sweetly set a welcome bed for Whiskey and I was SO sorry that I had left him at home.
Our room had a beautiful view towards the ocean and overlooking the pool area. When we heard that the pool was heated we decided to check it out of course.
The cute swimsuit is from my go to summer retailer and all of their swim is always free shipping and returns. Well because you know that swimwear can be hard to figure out sometimes lol.
We decided to get dressed up and go explore Carmel finally after some relaxing time. I could not believe what a cute and charming town it was. The pictures do not do it justice! Every turn it a new Instagram worthy spot. The streets are lined with beautiful trees, shops and so many art galleries. I loved exploring the secret passageways!
Loved all the pretty seating areas and all the greenery!! Living in Phoenix I miss how green other places can be.
I was in heaven surrounded by all the flowers and pretty spots. I added all my IG Stories to my Highlights real over on my IG profile All The Prettys so you can see more of Carmel By The Sea.
Next we made a stop at Sheid Vineyards where we really had a lot of fun!! We met the nicest gal, Marlee who was super helpful giving us wine tastings according to our likes. She even made suggestions about must visit places in the area, including the Refuge Spa and Folktale Winery.
We were there for a really long time haha, but I left with a new favorite wine, their 2012 Reserve Claret–it was amazing! A big thank to Marlee who spent time with us explaining the different wines and letting us taste a few extras haha. The Hofsas House gifted us a bottle of the Scheid Chardonnay so we were set for the weekend! Jumpsuit and all details have been linked for you! This jumpsuit is now on major sale too.
The next day we ventured about 15 minutes down the road to visit Folktale Winery We decided to have lunch (lots of gluten free choices!) and wine of course. It was such a pretty spot with gardens and even live music.
I’ve linked this sweet wrap dress along with several other items in this exact print for you! I might be planning on ordering more items in this exact print right now lol
The great thing about Carmel is that there are several little towns very close by within a short driving distance, such as Pebble Beach, Big Sur and Monterey. Melissa and chose to check out Monterrey and their wharf area. It is the cutest village like town lined with little shops that felt like I was transported to New England instead. We had seafood at a restaurant near the water and I had chai tea latte on the wharf (FYI it gets kinda of cold at night in California–Phoenix peeps beware)!
Our final morning we decided to have a leisurely breakfast on the private balcony and enjoy the complementary Continental Breakfast that Hofsas House provides each morning.
This cute jammie comes with short sleeves (like Melissa’s) or with spaghetti straps like mine. Melissa’s set was $14 and mine runs about $8!
The view from the balcony was beautiful (again check out my IG stories for the view without fog haha). This day is was foggy, but so cool too!
Finally, we got ready to check out and we loaded our big suitcases in the trunk of our cute rental car. Toyota was good enough to sponsor our car rental for the weekend. We got to drive a fun blue Toyota Camry XSE V6 that was perfect for our big suitcases full of waaaayyy too many outfits lol.
We got to check out the beach thanks to our friends at Toyota in style! #LetsGoPlaces #Camry
So while at the beach, what’s a fashion blogger to do you might ask?! Well a fancy dress photoshoot of course! Sorry (#notsorry) in advance for the photo posting overkill of these next photos. A HUGE thank you to my Friend/Photographer, The Melissa Lifestyle for making this shoot come to liiiifffe.
The sand is the softest white sand I’ve ever seen…not all rough and grainy. It was such a fun time shooting this pretty dress. I know I just posted like a hundred shot but c’mon how do I choose?!
This gorgeous floral print dress was a splurge but so worth it! I’m trying to come up with more reasons to wear it haha.
After our beach time we stopped at the 5th Ave Deli (thank you so much–it was just delicious)and got a picnic lunch to eat on our drive back to the airport. We did make a stop at the cutest little Cherry Hut which sold strawberries, watermelon and of course fresh picked cherries.
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I cannot fully describe how much fun I had during this trip. I even got to relax at a local spa, Refuge (no photos allowed and NO TALKING lol), we listened to great Jazz music at the Cypress Inn courtesy of the talented Debbie Davis, we saw lots of cute doggies everywhere (sorry Whiskey and Cleo next time for sure), and just spent good girlfriend time. Well that is it lovelies, don’t forget to check out Melissa’s post about our trip over on The Melissa Lifestyle . And I am saving up for my next trip to Carmel ASAP.
Hotel: Hofsas Hotel
Car: Toyota Camry or HERE
Outfit links: LIKE TO KNOW.IT All The Prettys
Photography: The Melissa Lifestyle
This post by far the longest one I have ever done. Please leave me a comment on your thoughts below. Much love and thanks!
**** This post was a sponsored influencer trip–all thoughts and opinions are solely mine and mine alone. All content created is my original work.
