Disclosure: I enjoyed a two night stay on behalf of this story. All opinions are my own, and would recommend this inn as a place to stay for all wine lovers.
It is no lie, I am a wine lover so when I heard about Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites, the very first wine themed inn within Monterey County I was intrigued to find out more. Vendange being the perfect name for this inn in that it means “Grape Harvest.” This is my experience below.
Carmel is such a beautiful area within Monterey County. Minutes from the scenic Big Sur drive, minutes from the Monterey Peninsula, and abounds of wineries adorn the area along with boutique hotels and inns throughout, each one offering a little something different, but what makes Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites stand out from the rest is its unique wine themed rooms.
This little inn, host to 18 rooms, has invited the area wineries within Carmel, Carmel Valley and the Monterey area to come inside, choose a room, and have at it with their way of decorating creating a bit of competition amongst the wineries.
Part of the fun is seeing how the rooms began, and the end result. Twisted Roots was the first room to be fully decorated at the Inn, and once other wineries saw the finished results they knew they had to get involved, and soon, it became, “who will come out with the best designed room?” So far, 12 of the 18 rooms have been completely renovated since new owners Brian and Jonathan Lee, a team of brothers, took over in August 2011. A 13th is beginning to be worked on, and a potential winery is coming in. That leaves just 4 more rooms to renovate.
During my stay I was given keys to the McIntyre Room. The McIntyre Room had interesting features that I absolutely loved including a 100 year old Grapevine hanging above the bed, a clock that came from a wine barrel and beautiful winery art that were pictures from the McIntyre Winery.
In each room, wine is available for purchase. In the McIntrye room there was a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir and a Merlot available. Each room has a price list available and the bottles of wine can be added to your bill at room checkout.
And staying in the McIntyre room encouraged me to take a visit to their Wine Tasting Room, located at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey. There, I tried out a flight of wine from McIntyre including a Riesling, Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir Rose and their estate Pinot Noir while I learned about the winery.
Some other features about the Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites include:
Wine and Cheese Reception:
On the weekends, Friday and Saturdays from 5 to 7pm, guests are invited into the hotel lobby for a wine and cheese reception. Stop in for a nice little treat after your 4pm check in on Friday night before hitting the town, or after a day out on Saturday, swing in to try out some wine.
Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am every morning. It is complimentary with your stay at the Vendange. Pastries are fresh daily.
This is a sneak peak of the breakfast I had on Saturday morning during my stay:
Yogurt, Bagels, Fruit and Pastries with Orange Juice. Coffee and Milk are also available.
And, the Vendange also has a beautiful firepit area. Sit in the chairs surrounding the firepit, make s’mores or just enjoy the atmosphere outside after exploring the area throughout the day. During the summer months, this area also has musicians play music. Some may receive a balcony view right from their rooms (J.Lohr and Joullian Rooms.)
The Firepit Area: Day and Night
A peek at one other room at the Vendange:
Dawn’s Dream at the Vendange
For those that are familiar with Dawn’s Dream, and their iconic bathtub, it’s the perfect fixture inside this room. And now I hope you can see the fun of this inn within Carmel, CA. And, as you can see, no one room is alike.
To reserve a room please visit Vendange Carmel Inn and Suites here. I know, for myself, an avid wine lover, this is where I’ll be staying when I visit Carmel in the future.
And with your visit to Carmel, CA you can make it a wine lovers weekend by purchasing a Carmel Wine Walk by the Sea Wine Passport at the Carmel Chamber of Commerce (65 dollars). This passport will allow you to visit 9 wineries within Carmel-By-the-Sea. Each tasting room will provide you with a 10 dollar wine flight, and the passports never expire so if you can’t use it during your first visit, come back for a second.
