I have attempted to contact the pool center for two weeks now. Your call will not be answered so…read moredon't bother calling because the mailbox is full and you will not be able to leave a message. Iv called the swimming director multiple times left messages there. Safe to say it is impossible to reach anyone here. Very frustrating I am reconsidering signing my child up for swimming lessons. How a business can run without communication or contact with the outside world is beyond me.

We were waiting to pick up a headboard to drive back to some friends in SLO, and got to check out…read morethis fun park for kids. A few teenagers skateboarded by while we walked around, obviously enjoying the place. It was a cold drizzly January day, so not too many people here partaking of the air, but several walking around and enjoying the exercise. There is a pool, playground swings and equipment, a community room, and a little park-like area with a big parking lot. The headboard owners showed up and their young son hop, skipped and jumped over to the park to enjoy it, with his Dad in tow. They said that there is going to be a huge pool built soon and the facilities will be updated. Fun place to pause on our way back to SLO.

Amazing camp! My son left camp with an amazing ebook he authored and an even more enthusiastic…read moreattitude toward writing! I highly recommend this camp for any budding writers or for kids that maybe need some extra help with writing. The writing instructor was excellent and I feel like he learned so much from her. They do more than just write, there is music, play, etc. This is our second year at this camp and when the camp was done my son wanted to come home and start writing more books.

My daughter joined this writing camp last summer in 2015 not knowing anyone, but she LOVED LOVED…read moreLOVED IT! Unlike most camps that hire college students to lead the students, AIW (Adventures in Writing) has actual professional instructors and the college students are the assistants. I have become skeptical of most camps promising to "educate" and have fun, but after my daughter joined AIW I'm a believer. There's a music cd and book that will be sent to your child before their camp starts that introduces them to Mr Lemur, his friends and their journey...pulling in your child's interest and curiosity. The songs on the cd are amazing good and educational. I never thought that a camp could be so successful in combining writing and fun, but this camp does it easily and successfully. My daughter came home singing and rapping about WRITING!! She writes in her journal every day now and even has a notebook to write stories! Of all the cool camps I signed her up for last year, AIW is the one she reminded me to sign her up for this summer!! I can't say enough about this camp. I just feel very thankful to all those involved for making writing fun again for kids. ps There's even a summer camp location in Berkeley this year! Woohoo!! Thank you, Thuan Happy mom in Berkeley

Do not pass go, do not collect $200... book this tour now!…read more https://www.montereyherbalist.com/book-online My wife and I did the 'Foraging & Wild Hors D'oeuvres Tasting' with Lianne and it was such a gorgeous way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It started with the foraging tour, learning about edible and medicinal plants, and ended with a delightful hors d'oeuvres tasting of yummy snacks featuring foraged edibles. We are locals, and I would recommend this for locals and tourists alike. We are not experts at wild edibles and/or medicinal plants, but do know a thing or two, and this tour was perfect. Lianne does a great job making everything really accessible, and I feel like we really expanded our knowledge in a way that is both practical and really sparked a desire to learn more about the amazing plants all around us here on the Monterey peninsula. It's so clear how much Lianne cares about the care and stewardship of these natural treasures just as much as introducing folks to them. I was heartened to have her guidance and was reminded of how just being a tiny bit more thoughtful about the plants around us helps stewardship go a long way. Weather/season permitting you will get to nibble on stuff along the tour, but one tiny recommendation would be to make sure you eat a decent meal beforehand (which I forgot to do). It was so exciting working up to the tasting that I had to exercise a little restraint to really savor the experience and not gobble everything up. Thanks for everything, Lianne!

Lots of knowledge. Great delivery. Hidden spots I didn't know about and it's in my backyard.read more

I've been planning events for my company for about 20+ years, and Linda and her team are by far the…read moreBEST I have ever worked with. The team is sooooo good, that we paid extra for them to go from Carmel all the way to Napa for our recent event; and they still met our budget. I was introduced to Linda through one of the venues we had an event at in Carmel. Linda and her team did such a crazy amazing job, that we asked if she would come out to Napa. And there, she just wrapped up a 450-person, 2-day event for us, and we so many compliments. Even my banquet coordinator in Napa said she would keep Linda at the top of her list. What I love most about Linda is that she is super creative. We provide her with a theme, some ideas of what we are visualizing, and she makes it come to life. We don't have to do any of the thinking; she does it all and we just say yay or nay. Linda and her team truly make our jobs as event planners much easier. Looking forward to working with you for many more years to come.

Illusions was the Vendor that transformed our school gym for Carmel High School Sober Grad 2019…read morelast week. It was the most beautiful rain forest we could have imagined. My ask as committee chair in the beginning was for the kids to not feel like they were in a gym and WOW did they succeed. The staff was helpful, solved a couple snafu's I hadn't thought about and when the seniors and parents walked in, everyone expressed their awe! Thank you Illusions for making this the most special night we could have imagined!

We've been coming to this art class 3x now and intend to continue coming for the kid's art class on…read moreWednesday. My daughter truly enjoys the class and intends to turn her room into an art studio. Tami, the owner, is a wonderful art teacher and truly great with kids. She also provides snacks and drinks for them as well. I'm looking forward to trying one of their craft classes. The studio itself is clean and inviting. We just love this place!

Hosted my daughter's 9th birthday party at the studio with Tami. I'm so thankful I did!…read more My daughter and her friends had a great time painting, eating pizza and cupcakes. Tami made the painting of the unicorn easy that every girl enjoyed the event and they were proud of their artwork. I highly recommend planning your next party with Tami. She made the party planning stress feel, and my daughter loved picking out what her friends would paint. The space of the studio was perfect and so cute with twinkle-lights and artwork all over. This place is such a gem for Gilroy! My daughter looks forward to going again to paint just for fun on one of studio's themed painting afternoons.

Amazing job! Very friendly, punctual and fast…read moreWill be using her in the future and referring to all I know

Mollie is fantastic at her craft. Our kids loved the facing painting. My daughter did not want to…read moreremove the paint at the end of the event. Mollie was punctual and had a great personality which fit perfect for the kids. I would hire her for a future event again in a heartbeat and will be referring her to family/friends.

Cheri is truly a star. She is so amazing at what she does. Getting to work with her was one of the…read morebest parts of our wedding. I am from CA but was living in NC so I was planning our wedding long-distance. Even from afar, Cheri made the process so fun and easy on us and was always there to answer my (many many) questions- even at 5am or 11pm. She is so detail oriented and kept me on track with planning. She also has an amazing eye for decor. As a Type A bride, I loved being part of the planning process, but I also felt like I could trust Cheri's judgement 100% and she never led me wrong. She also took care of things before I could even think of them. She is truly so sweet and made all my craziest ideas possible. Now for FLOWERS- not only did Cheri do the planning and rentals, her and her team also did my flowers. I was so blown away- they were exactly what I was dreaming of. Her team captured the inspiration pictures perfectly. Cheri went so far above and beyond in every way, especially the little things. On the morning of the wedding, I woke up with a cold and Cheri brought me a hot tea from Starbucks. One of our guests left their phone on a shuttle, the next day Cheri drove an hour to pick it up. Working with Cheri was a dream and I wish I could do it all over again.

My now-husband and I chose to work with Cheri and Meghan at Coastal Classy Events & Design after…read moreour first wedding coordinator left us feeling worried that things were slipping through the cracks. Upon meeting with Cheri and Meghan in order to get to know them and to discuss our plans for -- and anxiety about -- our wedding, we quickly felt at peace and knew that we would be in great hands with them. In the approximately six months leading up to our wedding, and especially in the final few weeks, Cheri and Meghan frequently went above and beyond to help make our wedding dreams a reality. We selected Coastal Classy's "Color By Number" / "Day-of-Event Management Plus" package. In the months leading up to our wedding Cheri and Meghan helped us to navigate the process of selecting vendors and finalizing contracts; having them look over the fine print and to begin to interface with the vendors on our behalf was very helpful. In addition they listened to our aesthetic requests and helped us to develop and implement decor that met our needs and, for the most part, our budget. Overall our experience with Cheri and Meghan was excellent. They certainly helped to keep us on track in the final weeks leading up to our wedding weekend, and their day-of coordination and assistance was second-to-none. As we're sure always happens, there were some minor, unforeseen hiccups on the day of our wedding, but Cheri, Meghan, and their staff were rockstars, easily smoothing over the bumps in the road (to the point that we were mostly unaware of any of these behind-the-scenes happenings until after the event). We could not have had as gorgeous and successful of a wedding as we did without Cheri and Meghan; they made us feel like princes, and we will always hold a special place in our hearts for them for all the beautiful memories they helped us to create! If you want to have the wedding of your dreams in Monterey, and have fun with two wonderful planners & human beings along the path of planning, we strongly suggest working with Cheri and Meghan and the rest of the Coastal Classy Events & Design team! Sam L. & Timmy F.

Our daughter who will soon be turning twelve years old attended phase 1 this summer on the…read morerecommendation of a friend who attended phase 2 this year. It was her first summer camp and her first time away from home with people she hadn't met before. She had a wonderful experience all around. She mentioned that the meals were great and the camp songs and activities were fun. For her, the week picked up in intensity on Wednesday when they went for an overnight backpacking trip. It was her most challenging experience but also the highlight of her week. She experienced home sickness the first day, but that faded away by the second day. She made good friends with some of the girls and boys in her group. Everybody seemed to be helpful and supportive of each other. As a parent of an Eagle Scout boy, I remember attending his first two summer camps as an adult troop leader. So I felt a little anxious not being able to be there with my daughter at her first summer camp. The weather in this area was in the high 80s in the morning and mid 50s in the evening for the second week of July that my daughter attended. A two person tent and a warm sleeping bag and pad with an inflatable pillow were perfect for her. The campsites were under trees and their shade made for a pleasant stay even during the warmest part of the day. The warmest it got for my daughter was on the backpacking hike up a hill, but she also forgot to wear her hat. Kids were constantly reminded to drink water. They also made frequent stops to rest and hydrate. My daughter showered twice in the six days she was there and that along with some wet wipes she took were enough for her. They were required to wear their swimsuits when they showered. I must say that my daughter has always been a scared-y cat when it comes to bugs (spiders, bees, mosquitoes, ants) and splinters. Nevertheless, none of these seem to have been an issue, or not enough for her to notice. She only used the insect repellent once, and even though she said she got bit by mosquitoes a couple of times, we couldn't find any signs of bites, rashes or scratches when she got home. In all, it was a positive growing experience for her and she is very likely to return next year. On the night she came home, she cried before going to sleep because she missed the friends she made and the songs they sang. The possibility that they might not see each other again made her sad. We told her that is part of growing up. I wrote this review because my daughter wanted me to share her experience so that it may be helpful to others. I agree that every person is different and have different reactions to similar situations. Being away from home or sleeping in a tent for the first time is not for everyone ... you can ask my wife, who is definitely not the outdoor type .... she is the glamping type :) As another reviewer posted, phase one had the largest group of kids, followed by phase two and then phase three. Middle school and high school academics, club and school sports, and online and extracurricular activities give teenagers so much to choose these days. As they grow their interest change and they opt to purse other activities. Still, it is amazing and commendable to see some of them continue to do summer camps and return to mentor the younger children.

Our 13 year old son attended Phase 2 as a first timer this year. It was a fantastic experience all…read morearound; he came back with a new confidence, passion for leadership, and sense of self that we had not seen before. Drop-off was extremely smooth, and kids are whisked away before any anxieties (on either kids' or parents' part) can set in. I understand from our son that the first 48 hours was most challenging in terms of settling into a no-phone routing, not being able to reach out to family and friends and having to adapt to his group, which he took to immediately. By day three he was 110% in, and we hope that some of the friendships made will last for life. As parents, there is always a concern in the back of your mind that the week might have have been miserable, and it was so enthralling to see them march into their graduation ceremony on the pickup morning, cheering singing and laughing together. Safety was paramount; the kids were kept very well fed and hydrated. It sounds as though the worst emergencies were a couple of hornets and some aggressive ants, but the camp and leadership were well prepared. Our son had nothing but good things to say about the other campers, the camp leaders, and the adult leadership; he felt that all were very strong and genuinely cared for him and his fellow campers. All in all, it' was an incredible experience. He can't wait to go back next year and is hoping that he can qualify for staff leadership in the future.

My daughter attended camp here for four years. It was such a magical time for her. As parents, we…read morefelt super secure with the over abundance of positive role models and infrastructure of the camp/school. There are so many things for the girls to do. High on our list is the summer drama program. A+++. My daughter made lifelong friends here. As a matter of fact, we all loved it so much, she applied to and now attends SCS as a resident student in high school.

I've been involved with Summer at Santa Catalina for six years. Watching the young ladies grow up…read morethrough this camp is a remarkable experience. Many of them return year after year due to the friendships they make, the community they love, and the wonderful opportunities to explore their interests. I've worked with many young women over the years and the campers at Summer at Santa Catalina are always at the top of my list. They are kind, considerate, generous, talented, and confident in every endeavor they pursue. Being around these girls make working at summer camp more of a lifestyle than a job.