california travel

Stonepine Estate: The Grand Dame of Carmel Valley

The doors of the famed Stonepine Estate and equestrian center in California's Carmel Valley are now open to the public full-time. The resort has remained open for private weddings and special events but is now again welcoming vacationers. A luxury resort with the feel of an exclusive private home -- which it once was -- has long catered to the rich and famous and clearly has written the textbook on how to serve up the pampered resort experience.

Beautiful grounds of this size -- 330 acres -- ensure guests' privacy and seclusion, which is probably why so many celebrities have been drawn here through the decades. It's a Gatsby-esqe experience with society soirees, picturesque and meandering gardens, waterfalls, immaculately kept grounds, world-class equestrian facilities and a European flair where people still dress for dinner and wouldn't dream of answering their Blackberrys during cocktails.

Stonepine Estate provided the accommodations and some meals to the writer.

Gallery: Stonepine Estates

Tags: california hteols, california travel, carmel, stonepine estates

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La Valencia Hotel, La Jolla: Where Old Meets New

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Not unlike the fine wine it serves, La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla Calif. is one of those things that simply improves with age. One of the hardest balances to strike in the world of luxury hotels is knowing how to retain a property's historic charm and authenticity while providing the most modern of amenities. The Mediterranean-inspired La Valencia is a textbook case of how to do it right.

The charming boutique hotel has been perched atop La Jolla Cove overlooking the Pacific since 1926. The decor, open-air courtyards with hand-painted murals and Spanish mosaic tiles, evoke an old-world luxury, while the rooms come equipped with state-of-the-art steam showers with over-sized rain shower heads, top-of-the-line electronics and free WiFi.

Gallery: La Valencia Hotel, La Jolla