SANCTUARY BEACH RESORT MONTEREY BAY

3295 Dunes Road, Marina, CA 93933 | www.TheSanctuaryBeachResort.com | (877) 944-3863

Amenities: all ocean view & beach access, PET-FRIENDLY rooms; free wi-fi, a large outdoor heated pool & spa, breakfast & dinner available from room service, a daily sunset beach bonfire, meeting space, & a day spa. No cars allowed on the main property: golf carts provided.

I stayed at the Sanctuary Beach Resort in Marina mid-week earlier this year and loved it. The views from our second-floor balcony was gorgeous! The wild wind and pounding waves create a memorable backdrop to the visit. Light sleepers might want to bring earplugs*

One unique facet of this property is that no cars are allowed up on the main property. Free parking is provided at the lobby, which is below the dunes and nearer the highway. A bellman helps with your bags and takes you up and over the dune to your room in a golf cart. Each room or suite has it's own golf cart so you can drive around to the restaurant or back down to your car whenever you need to. I thought this was a fun and interesting feature and we definitely had fun trying to rally the cart. I saw "try" because it didn't go much more than 5 mph...

Beach access is just a few steps away and each evening, a bonfire is lit. Walk for miles along the sand, enjoy the scattering of Adirondack chairs, and you can even purchase s'mores making kits. The resort itself is on the Monterey Bay off Highway 1, just a few minutes drive from groceries and shopping in downtown Marina. Golf enthusiasts know the are for Pebble Beach. Santa Cruz is about thirty minutes North, while Downtown Monterey and Carmel By-The-Sea are ten and twenty minutes South. Keep driving past Carmel and you get to the beginnings of the rugged Big Sur coastline that winds down to Southern California.

Kids are crazy!

We were feeling lazy and a bit chilled after watching the sun set, so we ordered room service from the hotel's Kula Ranch Restaurant. We ordered the coconut prawns and pu pu platter, both totally tasty and reasonably priced. Our one-room ocean-view junior suite had a large bed, desk, pull-out couch, two televisions, Keurig coffee & hot chocolate, mini fridge, microwave, two sinks, bathtub and separate shower.

I got some fun night shots in around midnight. I'm such a weenie that the cold wind discouraged me from going outside any further than the balcony, wrapped in a blanket. But the stars and city lights from nearby Monterey just down the coast were worth the cold hands and feet.

In the morning, we enjoyed the breakfast service in bed while watching the moon set through the balcony door. I apologize for not photographing any of the food, I was too hungry to do it properly before devouring it. I wish I'd had a few more days to enjoy the solitude and large hot tub, and look forward to saving up and going back.