A Weekend in Asilomar

As soon as Mike and I scheduled our first vaccine dose, we booked the trip we were most sad to cancel last year: taking Miles to Pacific Grove and staying at the Asilomar Conference & Lodge.

Mike and I had first gone back in 2017 as part of a work trip I had to take. Mike and I grew fond with the location. We had just found out we were pregnant and took advantage of the getaway to celebrate by extending it an extra day to see Monterey, Lover's Pointe and Santa Cruz while we were there. Being able to come back years later with our son felt like such a dream! Being able to come back years later with our son felt like such a dream.

On our first night, we took a walk down the grounds boardwalk and got to see the beach and the waters horizon from afar. It was such a beautiful sunset to witness! (Don't worry if you see Miles playing in the bit of sand along the side. We made sure he didn't disturb the plant life. He really only made a little hole with his hand and filled it back up before we left.) We were extra glad that we were able to out the first night as a misty fog started to roll in half way through Saturday which made the evening cold with no good view of the horizon. We missed out on witnessing the Magic Carpet blooms, but there were still some remnants around the walking path that I was able to check out. We want to go back in the Spring to see it in it's height of bloom.

Asilomar is a historical lodging facility with a rich history and interesting rooms. Because of the history, the lodge does try to avoid replacing anything and stick to its roots. This means you'll notice a lot of very outdated décor and styling inside, but you get past it very quickly the second you step out onto the balcony and soak in the area around you. The facility prides themselves on being distraction free to encourage you to get out and experience the area, but don't worry: they still have WiFi and it's a good connection.

Certain sections of the property even have the original rooms ever designed by architect Julia Morgan, who's most famous for Hearst Castle down in the SLO area. Those rooms even include the original furniture (definitely a must if you're into historical architecture and design). We were lucky to have gotten a full tour of the facility while we were there in 2017 to get a sneak peak of the rooms, conference rooms and historical buildings. Even if you don't manage to snag a historical room, I still recommend walking over and checking out the common room space of one of the buildings because they're really neat to check out.

We had a King Room, which had a fireplace and fridge but no view of the ocean (which we knew we weren't getting). You can book rooms with views, but those are a lot harder to swoop up. Our room came with 4 bags of firewood for the fireplace; and each bag lasts about an hour. We think the people before us must not have checked the door to the chimney and ended up smoking up the room. You can purchase additional firebags from the front desk for $6 each. This was Miles' first time ever seeing a fireplace and he was in LOVE with it! He wanted the fireplace going every time we were in the room!

Our room didn't come with a coffee machine, but the café on site, which is only opened for a few hours in the morning, has a great barista that makes really good coffee. Unlike a lot of other onsite hotel cafés, they're using quality stuff and we loved our Mochas and Lattes. On Saturday night, we ended up going to Starbucks for more coffee (and hot cocoa for Miles) to keep us warm during our mini walk.

I really do wish they would update the rooms even just a little bit with more modernized pieces, but it's not something that's a make or break deal for me. However, I know that this is something that can bother a lot of people for various valid reasons. If that is something you're concerned about, what you can expect to find is very aged laminate countertops, outdated wooden and (what looks like) a wool/felt-like covering on the chairs, lose plugs (so make sure your phones are plugged in ALL the way before walking away from them), duvet quilts sandwiched between 2 sheets, bedside lighting that sits too low and are reminiscent of 80s gold fixtures, dark and oddly patterned carpet and curtains. Like I said, its really just the décor that's outdated. If they were to just update the countertops, room furniture, carpet and curtains to styles and designs, and think it would end up drawing in a LOT more guests to their location. There's ways it can be done where it won't jeopardize the integrity of their message. To a lot of people, though, the lack of interior updates just seems lazy and/or unsanitary. Again, we knew about this after our visit in 2017 and still booked a return visit so it clearly didn't deter us, but I wanted to cover that for anyone looking for detailed information and an unbiased eye on that matter.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Pacific Grove, I really do recommend staying at least 1 night at Asilomar Conference Grounds. The area is beautiful to visit and walk around, which they encourage even if you don't stay there. There looked to be a path that leads to the beach, but it was far too cold for us to try out. During times with less limitations, their Dining Hall provides extensive menus with a large open dining area, and the firepit has been a source for evening activity with lights and music. Monterey is just a few minutes of a drive from Asilomar Conference Grounds, and Santa Cruz is about an hour drive north. I recommend staying at least 2 full nights to really make the most of your visit to the area (3 if you have kids that need naps).

I can't wait to visit again soon! I'll be working on a list of things to do in the area to share with anyone visiting and looking for low-key fun to fill up their relaxing weekend, so be sure to follow me on Instagram (@withlovejoey) and/or subscribe to my month round-up newsletter, where I link to all the posts that came out that month in one convenient spot for you: your inbox!