the honeymoon pt 1
So in lieu of an overly expensive tropical honeymoon in November that, honestly, still sounded pretty nice, we decided to take a road trip up the coast of California. Planning a week long exotic vacation was pretty much the lowest thing on the priority list - the honeymoon road trip fit the bill: little to no advanced planning, no airports, freedom to stop wherever, low odds of actually interacting with any other humans except each other. Perfection.
We camped and drove and stayed in hotels (pretty swanky ones) and ate and drank and slept. It was magical.
The day after our wedding in San Diego, we headed up to my parents' house for a very casual brunch, packed up some remaining items, and drove back home to Long Beach. I remember getting home and having that shell-shocked feeling like "did that just happen?!". And then the next morning we packed up the car with all of our camping stuff and odds & endsWe didn't actually end up leaving until 1pm, which was fine - great even. We magically packed the car in record time (with little to no disagreements) and casually exited Los Angeles. The drive at this point was unremarkable - durr. We stopped for Funyuns, sandwiches, camera batteries, and film in San Luis Obispo and popped over to Sycamore Hot Springs for the night. It was dark once we arrived and I think we only have one photo to show for our one night stay. Our room had a private hot tub with the untreated hot springs water (read: stinky). It was excellent and VERY relaxing. We drank, ate a cheese platter, wore robes, and passed out while watching TV. Pretty perfect if I do say so myself.
Sycamore Mineral Hot Springs Resort We would definitely recommend a stay at this place. Some parts of this place are a little worse for the wear, but having a private tub was pretty great (book the older rooms). We only stayed one night, so how could anything really go wrong!?
MPH rating: 3.5/5
After taking a morning dip in our private spa, we checked out and hopped in the car in search of a worthy breakfast for our drive up the coast. We decided on Custom House in Avila Beach. They boasted a "famous" Eggs Benedict, and you know what, they weren't wrong. We sat outside, people watched, dodged a few seagulls, and then decided we needed to mail in our marriage license to make it official. Thankfully, the local post office was open and willing to take our precious package.
On our way north, we decided to give Nepenthe a shot. I had never been and have heard it's always busy, so I didn't get my hopes up. BUT! We managed to squeak into a tiny parking spot and slid right into a few seats at the bar. It was a gorgeous day with high wispy clouds and just a gentle breeze. We had a few beers and shared a few apps that were quite delicious. I'd say this place is always worth a shot and sitting at the bar is a great option for a small group (meaning two people…).
Our next stop was camping at Costanoa, a lodge and KOA just north of Santa Cruz. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), we had a few pit stops to make before we could arrive at our final destination. Meanwhile, there was a gigantic storm brewing off the coast of Santa Cruz, just waiting for us to arrive at the campsite. So, we stopped in Monterey, spent most of our REI giftcards, grocery shopped, and said a quick hello to Brian's parents. As the sun began to set, a few drops of rain began to fall. But thankfully, the storm held off after we found our campsite and pitched our tent in record time. We had bacon cheeseburgers and rum drinks for dinner and tucked into our tent as fast as we could before getting drenched. Still trying to kick a cold, I took my ritual TheraFlu before bed and knocked out, hard. We awoke refreshed (because of our beloved noisy clouds) to a misty morning and the sun shining through the tent. I mean come. on. We peeled ourselves out of the tent and slowly packed up a few things. Then we made some hot beverages and decided to explore the place at least a little. We had considered this spot for our wedding at one point, but decided on something a bit simpler. But, I could see how it could be really beautiful.
Costanoa Lodge They have a lodge with some really nice rooms along with a very nice camping area that accommodates both tents and RVs. They even have tent cabins that seem like a great option if you don't want to lug all that stuff with you. Their shower area was pretty great as well, equipped with a sauna and an outdoor fireplace. I would definitely come back, probably for more than one night! Seems like it could be a fun place to bring a group of people for a long weekend.
MPH rating: 4/5
