We loved everything about this tour…read more Our guide, Sammy, was funny, personable, charming, and well connected with the Carmel food and wine scene. He arrived a little early to our hotel, always a good sign. As we headed to Carmel, Sammy gave us a quick history of Monterey and Carmel that was filled with little tidbits that we didn't know despite coming to the area for decades. Our tour consisted of three restaurants for small plates paired with wine and three tasting rooms for short flights. Everything was amazing. The tour never felt rushed, even though I was trying before the tour to figure out how Sammy was going to fit everything in. This was the first time we'd done a tour like this and it definitely won't be the last. We look forward to touring with Sammy again.

Great from start to finish - responsive, very customer oriented and a wonderful day for all. Thank…read moreyou Sammy and your team - and we'll do e for coping with the terrible weather

Omg had a great tour with Gary! My husband scheduled the Carmel Valley Wine Trolley for my…read morebirthday. We spent the day and evening in Monterey and met Gary at a brewery. 4 stops- Bernardus winery Corral winery and last was the Barrel room for tasting with Plaza Linda for Mexican food for lunch. All of the wines were great and staff were friendly and welcoming . I think my favorite was Bernardus! The tour is wonderful and Gary is knowledgeable . We had a great day!

I scheduled me and my wife on the Carmel Valley Wine Trolley for my wife birthday. When I called to…read moreschedule the wine tour I spoke to Gary. Gary was the owner and the tour guide. Gary was very helpful and nice to schedule our wine tour. We drove up to Monterey and met Gary at Dust Bowl Brewery in Monterey. Gary is a vibrant tour guide. The drive up to Carmel Valley is breathtaking. Our first stop on the wine tour was bernardus winery. The second stop was corral winery and last was the barrel room. All three wineries were spectacular, great tasting wines and spectacular service. In between winery 2 and 3 we had lunch at plaza Linda Mexican restaurant. The wine tour was 5 hours of great wine, conversation and the atmosphere/vibe were great. Carmel valley is a place I will go back to try some more wineries. The tour is wonderful. If you have a chance to visit Monterey please put this on your list of places to visit.

The experience that Cane and Spur provided was exceptional! To start off, the owner Matt was…read moreincredibly accommodating; he worked with me despite having a fully booked tours on the day I wanted to come. I ended up taking the Private Tesla tour and I have to tell you, that is the way to do it! Prior to the tour, they took my wine preferences to make a customized route of tasting rooms. Since we took the private tour, the Tesla arrived at our hotel to pick us up, which was incredibly convenient and saved us an Uber. Our tour guide Jake was absolutely fantastic. He was personable, knowledgeable on wine and so friendly! One by one we visited each tasting room, and each had a different vibe. There is nothing cookie cutter about this tour. We didn't feel ANY pressure to purchase bottles at any location either (even though we left with atleast one from each anyways). During our tastings, Jake booked us a dinner at a restaurant in Carmel, took our bags to and from the car and helped us navigate the rest of our trip in Monterey- it was like having a personal concierge the whole time. After we finished our tastings, we were taken to the beach where we got to watch the sun set and my goodness was it beautiful! To finish off the trip, we were dropped off at our dinner restaurant. I was WOWed from start to finish. I would 100% recommend this tour if you're in the area. Whether it's the private tour or the bus tour, you will not be disappointed!

Took the tour back at the end of January and it was so much fun. We did the Carmel food and wine…read moretour. It was AWESOME! Our tour group ended up just being the two of us with our lovely guide, Jake. At first, we were a little bummed because we assumed it would be a dinner date with a presenter but it couldn't have gone any better. Jake is such a fun character! He's knowledgeable (taught us a lot), personable, stylish and charismatic. He's passionate about life, wine and was a great conversationalist. We went to 4 different restaurants and each place treated us to a lovely meal and drink or two. Each place was different and had its own style, cuisine and atmosphere. 1. Portabello- first up was duo 1/2 cups of soup: the mushroom bisque and the crab & corn bisque. Let me tell you as a crab fanatic that I probably could have ate the whole pot of that crab bisque. It was so rich and decadent 1a. Our second dish was a mushroom risotto. Also delicious and this was a much bigger portion. 1b. This was all paired with a glass of local Pinot Noir which delicious and medium bodied as well as a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which was crisp, refreshing and wonderful fruit notes. I'm not a big white wine fan but I would buy this bottle. The owner came out and introduced himself, made small talk and then let us know that he would see us at the last restaurant since he owns it as well. 2. Flying fish - this place was our second stop and it was packed! I was immediately excited as obviously this was a good sign of things to come. Got greeted by a lovely waiter (sorry forgot his name) and presented us with an Asian ginger salsa and wonton chips as a light starter. It was a nice surprise and the flavor was not overpowering. He then poured us a local Chardonnay which was okay but we both weren't a fan. The waiter then recommended us to pick one of the two house favorites. We decided to go with the Almond Sea Bass. Oh em gee!! This was amazing! The fish was buttery and literally melted away in our mouth with the whipped potato and cabbage. I was sad we only had one to share. 3. Il Grilo - the owner is very innovative and it's reflected in his dishes. We had the liver pate which definitely was a surprise. Not our first choice of things we'd select but when in Rome... it was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. We enjoyed the pork cheek pasta a lot more . This was paired with a red wine (can't remember the name) 4. Dametra Cafe, lies nowhere else. - dessert! Can we have a moment of silence for the baklava and tiramisu!!! The best I have ever had! I'm from New York the melting pot of the U.s and I thought I had the best when I was there but nope I was wrong! The baklava was sooooo flaky, crispy, sweet and sticky. The caramel drizzle and whipped cream on top was heaven! I literally ate 2/3 by myself. And I definitely ate 1/2 of that tiramisu. Light fluffy, rich, chocolatey, coffee and cheesy. Sounds like a lot but it was perfection. I couldn't help myself, I really didn't want to share. Luckily my partner in crime and Jake were kind enough to oblige my selfishness. This was paired with a lovely port / dessert wine. Fabulous! To end the night at the restaurant, we were treated to a lovely surprise... a live performance by the owner and his friend el cantante. It was beautiful and really set a mood of just love, fun, and living life to enjoy these type of moments that are truly once in a lifetime. It's soooooo hard to say which one was my favorite but I will say this, we left the evening satisfied and full but not stuffed (which is a good thing). Why? Because it was a walking food tour as well. So we burned off some of those delicious calories. The only criticism I could come up with is potentially asking future clients what their wine preferences are and if there are any foods they don't like or aren't willing to try. Other than that, this was fantastic and we are so glad we did this tour!

This tour was great for our group of 4, and I would recommend for groups of all sizes…read more Communication was great during the planning stages, pickup from hotel was timely, Dena our guide was friendly and professional, and we thoroughly enjoyed the 2 wineries we experienced. The BBQ lunch exceeded my expectations and included meat bbq'ed fresh in front of us, green salad, potato salad, fruit, and dessert. Overall very satisfied with the experience!

I would say this is one of my favorite wine tours. The price was affordable, the amenities were…read moregreat, we got picked up from our Airbnb, food was delicious, and the wine tours were so fun and beautiful! Dena was our wine tour guide and she was super friendly, educational! Our group just had a blast. There are a lot of wine tours that just offer tasting rooms, but we wanted to also see 3 vineyards and take cute pictures and my expectations were met! Dena would also take us to different pit stop areas, teaching us about how grape were grown and produced. She also took us to a vineyard to where we were able to sample the grapes right from the vine!!! This was an experience I never thought I would get. She is also a grower and a local, so we got a lot of food recommendations. Wine was delicious, views were fantastic! Would highly recommend to everyone!

This is the best wine tour through Monterey & Salinas valley that you will find! It had a great…read morevibe, amazing decor in the bus & always has exceptional vineyards & tastings in the lineup. Amanda was timely, fun and provided yummy bites for all! You will not be disappointed! Try the Groovy Grape Escape. It's a day you won't forget!

Celebrated our friend's 50th birthday in Carmel & after researching several options for wine tours…read moreof Carmel Valley - Monterey area I reached out to Amanda at the Groovy Grape Escape. Amanda was wonderful! We had already decided to have a 70s themed day & the Groovy Grape Escape bus was the perfect transportation option! Not only is it a groovy ride, Amanda was prompt to respond to my emails to schedule the winery tours, and was helpful & just a pleasure to work with! So accommodating & just a great person to plan the event with! It was perfect! Stephanie (the birthday girl) actually cried when she stepped on the bus because she was so surprised by the cool decor! Comfortable ride! Good tour! Just a fabulous way to see the sights! We really enjoyed our day & Amanda was a pleasure to hang out with & guide our tour! Highly recommend!

If you are trying to find a wine tour, look no further!…read more It was easy to book. We signed up for the Grape Escape Wineries Tour. You tell them where you reside and they will find a close pick up spot. Kathi and JR called a few days before as a courtesy reminder and answered any of our questions. They provided a tasty lunch and dessert. Nice and clean van with little snacks. JR was so knowledgeable about the South Bay Area, Los Altos Hills and Cupertino area. Great energy from start to the end. The Grape Escape Winery Tour that we signed up for included three wineries: the Ridge, Vidovich and Picchetti Brothers. It wasn't the best weather, but when it wasn't raining, you can see all of the Bay Area. And as we were traveling in between, JR was just educating us on everything. Grape experience. Grape customer service. Highly recommend!!! Thank you JR and Kathi!!!! Our family had the best time! Oh and JR is a peacock whisperer too lol

My mom and dad who were visiting from India took the tour with John. while they have been on…read moreseveral wine tours before, in their words, this was a completely different and memorable experience that was worth every penny. They had a wonderful time with John who gave them a lot of history and told them what to look for while tasting the different wines, but they were thrilled that everyone at the wineries knew and loved John, and showed them a great time. They continued to speak of the tour for the following two days. I am keen on taking the tour myself in a couple of weeks! Highly recommend !!

Amazing wine at the wineries we were taken. Toby provided insightful facts about Carmel and had…read moregreat recommendations for restaurants and the different businesses. He also provided fascinating facts about the areas where the wines are produced and the processes. Most of all we appreciated his charisma and engaging personality.

Wow, Toby was amazing--what a delightful, fun tour. I have been going to Carmel since 1970 and…read morethought I knew everything about the area. Toby gave us a whole new perspective of Carmel by the Sea. I found a lot of new restaurants and shops I will be visiting on my next visit.

Carmel and the area can be so daunting, It's a huge area with so much to see. So glad they have…read morethis business here to help to educate the tourists about the area. The staff are terrific and they really know the area. Worth every Penney. Just wish they advertised more so people would know about them.

Mike was FANTASTIC!!! He knew so much information and also asked us if we wanted to stop at places…read morevs following a strict schedule. It was like traveling with a friend, a very entertaining and knowledgeable one, with a great sense of humor. The van was very clean and Mike provided snacks and water, and gave a great recommendation for lunch!! I highly recommend this tour company, they were smart enough to hire Mike!!!! Thanks for a memorable day in Monterey and Carmel Mike!!! Cheryl Cannon

ten out of ten experience, from start to finish. very friendly customer service via email, and I…read morewas able to view the bus I wanted before putting down the deposit. Clean busses, professional staff, and incredibly accommodating. Our driver, Buck West, made our night, and was easy to communicate with and get to as needed throughout our night using the bus. He also reached out to ensure that an item found on the bus made it back to us the following day. Thanks to this company and everyone I interacted with in the lead up to my event!

As a wedding planner, I can't recommend Monterey Party Bus enough. Their team was professional, on…read moretime, and incredibly easy to work with. The vehicles were clean, stylish, and exactly as promised, and the drivers handled everything smoothly--even with a few last-minute timeline changes. Reliable, responsive, and seamless from start to finish!

Our experience at Folktale Winery & Vineyards was exceptional. The cuisine and service were both…read moreoutstanding, creating a memorable and welcoming atmosphere. Nick, our server, was particularly impressive--personable, attentive, and highly knowledgeable about the wines. His thoughtful recommendations and warm hospitality made our first visit truly special and inspired us to return. On our second visit, the experience was just as wonderful as the first. The live music added to the ambiance, and watching the sun set over the vineyards provided a spectacular and unforgettable backdrop. It's a beautiful setting paired with excellent service and food--an experience we would gladly repeat

Nick was our server today. He was so kind and knowledgeable in the wine. I have never been wine…read moretasting before and he made such good recommendations. He was nice, funny, and made this experience so nice. I appreciate the service and the ambiance of the winery. I would come back!