Your Next Course at Pebble Beach

The famous golf destination is attracting visitors of all kinds, especially lovers of food and wine.

Everyone knows golf at Pebble Beach is spectacular. Few know that Pebble Beach offers something for every visitor, even those who don’t know their clubs from their caddie.

Pebble Beach sits on a gorgeous swath of the Monterey Peninsula. Gazing out at the deep blue waters of Carmel Bay from a deliciously cozy hideaway at The Lodge at Pebble Beach is highly recommended, as are the hiking, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, and spa available on-site or nearby. But that’s not all.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine, an upcoming culinary extravaganza to be held March 27–30, is an especially welcome offering for those more interested in Dom Pérignon than a par four hole.

What’s New

The first annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine is a four-day bacchanal packed with chef-celebrities, wine tasting, and gourmet meals. Forty chefs, from Jacques Pépin to Thomas Keller, will be on hand, giving cooking demonstrations and whipping up feasts, and 200 top wineries from around the world will be sampling their wares.

Tastings of world-famous wines such as Châteaux Margaux and Harlan Estate will be capped off with a rare wine auction. The edibles, from multicourse dinners to
a grand finale of tastings, will come from such chefs as Charles Phan of The Slanted Door, David Kinch of Manresa, Tom Colicchio of Gramercy Tavern, and Alain Passard of L’Arpège in Paris.

Clockwise: The Beach and Tennis club overlooks the bay; the grounds at Casa Palmero, which is adjacent to the spa; slices of decadent chocolate tart.

Last year, the Lodge at Pebble Beach got its own new chef and culinary team, so anytime you visit, exquisite meals can be part of your trip. When Diablo visited, the work of executive chef Patrick Mullin and chef de cuisine Ressul Rassallat was in fine form at dinner, from an amuse-bouche of carrot and orange bisque, to a richly addictive appetizer of foie gras two ways, to a fish course of John Dory encased in potato “scales,” to an entrée of beef tenderloin in red wine chocolate jus, to the timelessly elegant ending of a Grand Marnier soufflé.

Love Your Lair

The accommodations at the lodge are practically getaways unto themselves. Beds are firm, linens are soft, and the feather pillows couldn’t be fluffier. A deep bathtub and warming lights equip the bathroom, and an additional sink is conveniently available in the adjacent boudoir.

Each room comes with a small deck, where you can enjoy a view of the grounds over your morning cup of tea or evening cocktail. Most rooms have fireplaces, which are ready to go with sweet-smelling pine wood.

Escape to a Spa Paradise

The Spa at Pebble Beach is located next to Casa Palmero, a Spanish-style inn just a short walk from the lodge. It’s a place that evokes a retro elegance worthy of Marilyn Monroe.

You’ll find terra-cotta patios (sun-drenched if you’re lucky) framed by vines of magenta bougainvillea and punctuated by cool, blue fountains. The spa itself is spread out over 22,000 square feet and includes hot tubs, saunas, and full-body showers.

The array of spa services is comprehensive. It includes everything from an Esselen Indian body purification—a scrub and wrap treatment involving hawk feathers being waved over your body—to a shampoo and blow dry in the hair care center.

Swim and Play by the Bay

If you’re in the mood for a swim or some tennis, look no further than The Beach and Tennis Club. You’ll find a heated outdoor pool filled with saline-treated, rather than chlorinated, water. The club includes a fitness center, a restaurant, tennis courts, and a pro shop.

Hike through the Beautiful Scenery

The Del Monte Forest, with its Monterey pine and cypress trees, wildflowers, and coastal plants, engulfs Pebble Beach. The staff can provide you with trail maps and recommend routes of varying lengths for any level of hiker. Outside the resort, Point Lobos State Reserve is just a 10-minute drive south on Highway 1. There, you’ll find plenty of coastal trails with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. It costs nine dollars to park inside the reserve, but you can also leave your car on the road outside the park. http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us.

Saddle Up

Pebble Beach is home to one of the best equestrian centers on the West Coast. Experts offer private lessons and group trail rides on the 27 miles of paths that wind through the Del Monte Forest.
At the intersection of Portola Road and Alva Lane, Pebble Beach, (831) 624-2756, www.ridepebblebeach.com.

One Word of Caution

Poison oak abounds in the woods of the Monterey Peninsula, so stick to the trails. Also, no dogs are allowed at Point Lobos State Reserve (so you can’t blame your beloved pooch for giving you poison oak).

Visit a Chapel with a View

The Carmelite Monastery, a 1931 salmon-colored stone church on a bluff overlooking the ocean, is home to cloistered nuns, but you can visit the grounds and enter the chapel every day until 4:30 p.m. Some locals even make regular visits and bring the sisters offerings from the outside world, such as pizza, which the sisters accept through a special delivery slat. The site, two and a half miles south of the town of Carmel on Highway 1, is so peaceful and quiet, you may be tempted to join the convent.
27601 Highway 1, Carmel, (831) 624-3043, www.carmelitesistersbythesea.net.

The Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, (800) 654-9300, www.pebblebeach.com Room rates from $645. Pebble Beach Food & Wine, March 27–30, 2008, packages from $995 to $4,750 per person, www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com. 

Photograhy by Tom O'Neal/Courtesy of Pebble Beach Company