Bernardus Lodge is an upscale winery and boutique hotel located in Carmel Valley, just a few minutes drive east of Monterey, in California’s central coast. How lucky was I to be hosted all expenses paid as part of a trade conference, as the price of staying and dining onsite reflect Bernardus’ commitment to excellence. This 56-room member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World was built in the late 1990’s.

Setting
Situated in Carmel Valley, the property is at the foothills of the mountains, set amidst flat farmland (replete with cows) and vineyards. Upon approaching the drive, you will past vineyards flanking both sides of your vehicle. In their bucolic setting between mountains, Bernardus’ grounds truly are peaceful and beautiful.

Upon arrival, you may pull up the circle drive and have valets immediately rush to assist you with parking and luggage, or you may park in the small free parking lot to the left hand side of the property. A path up a short staircase, broken by a large fountain, then another short staircase, takes you to the entry foyer. You do not check in here, as will be described later on.

Amenities
Bernardus has everything an upscale property should have, and then some. First, there’s the gorgeous setting. Second, there are the onsite vineyards (a twenty minute drive farther into the valley is where the vast majority of their grapes are grown, along with the winery’s production and hospitality centers). Third, there’s a lovely wedding garden replete with hundreds of different varieties of roses, overlooking the vineyards. For your health and entertainment, there’s a bocce ball court onsite; a spa offering the full range of massages, facials, manicures, etc.; an outdoor heated swimming pool with cabanas; an outdoor hot tub off the spa; and a fitness room. Since the purpose of visiting Bernardus would be to indulge in great food and wine, and perhaps have a romantic getaway, I would venture to guess the fitness room is seldom used. During my stay, I never saw a soul in it.

Note that while I hope you are lucky enough to be there on vacation and not business, there is a free computer station with internet access located next to one of the fireplaces in the entry lodge. (Un)fortunately, depending on your perspective, mobile phone signals are not very strong on property. There is cable television in the rooms.

Room
Fifty-six rooms are housed in separate 2-story buildings on the property. Rooms are accessed from outdoors; i.e., there are no interior corridors. There are stairs leading down to the lower floor rooms and up to the upper floor rooms. I’m sure there are a few ADA compliant handicapped accessible rooms, but I didn’t see any in my building. Incidentally, my room was on the backside of the grounds directly facing a fenced off, uphill petting zoo. I was warned to watch out for potbellied pigs and other eyes glowing when returning to my room at night. Sure enough, I saw a deer on my side of the fence late at night.

The room was more like a suite in that it had a foyer, large bathroom, table and chairs, sofa area with gas fireplace, 2 queen beds, and a relatively large balcony. The view of the property with the vineyards and mountains in the background was stunning. The white tiled and marble bathroom was palatial! There was a separately enclosed toilet room, a large walk in shower, a huge spa tub with frosted window, a long marble double vanity, lots of drawers, great amenities such as handmade olive oil and lavender soap, lavender bath salts, etc. Complimentary bottles of the house chardonnay (half bottle), Pinot Gris, and red wine blend in addition to organic Earthbound farms cookies, and salsa and tortilla chips were offered. There was a separate mini-bar with all sorts of wines, liquors, and snacks.

Food
There are two restaurants on site: the Zagat rated Marinus and the more casual option, Wickets. Breakfast and room service come from Wickets. A fabulous wine cellar with private table is available for exclusive dinners. Special event space in the wedding garden, ballroom, and a separately housed facility behind the bocce ball courts is available. As I was attending a function while staying overnight, I ate in all these facilities with the exception of the wine cellar which I merely toured. While my group was generous, the minimum required to have a dinner in the wine cellar was a tad above our budget (it is in the double digits); also note the most expensive bottle of wine there is around $7,500. At all my functions, the service was very prompt, warm, and attentive. Representative foods were: abalone with truffle sauce, mushroom soup, fava bean puree on toast points, salt and pepper grilled shrimp, scallops, Prime/Grade A/Kobe/Dry-aged beef steaks, grilled vegetables, salads, cheeses and fruits, honeysuckle mousse served in hollowed-out egg shells, handmade caramels with sea salt enrobed in chocolate, biscotti, egg strata, house made pastries, etc. Suffice to say, the food was gourmet and fabulous. All these wonderful foods were accompanied by appropriate Bernardus family wines and Illy coffee, as appropriate.

Service
From the moment you arrive, you will notice what sets Bernardus apart is its excellent service. The valets/bellmen bring your bags to your room (which is important due to the spread out layout and all the stairs). Instead of checking in, you are escorted directly to your room by the “front desk clerk sans front desk”, who explains everything about the room to you. Food and wine service is great, as well. Check out was quick and my bill for incidentals was accurate.

Overall Thoughts
Bernardus Lodge knows its clientele and knows how to treat them right. The grounds, the rooms, the food and wine, and the service all come together in a beautiful marriage of a true luxury property.

http://www.bernardus.com/lodge/



Recommended: Yes