We spent a night in the Estate Guest House here in the early fall. I see that it's very extensively…read more(and favorably) reviewed on Air BnB's site, so this post might be superfluous, but it really is a lovely property. The swimming pool, located in a beautiful building, was great fun. We cooked dinner using the grill on the patio and enjoyed the complimentary bottle of the hosts' own pinot noir. Beau the cat (not allowed in the house) provided companionship outside. The place was clean, warm (with electric heater) and comfortable.

This location is the absolute most perfect, magical place anyone could ever hope to have a wedding!…read moreBetween the gorgeous house, beautiful grounds, impeccable views and lovely vineyard. Judy was so helpful and accomodating! There is literally nothing else to say other than this made for a PERFECT wedding.

We had a fantastic stay on a Sunday in the Lilac Room. Stunning views, our own balcony, clean and…read morecomfortable room. Bed was great, shower had great water pressure and the continental breakfast was top notch and delivered to your room at your requested time. When we checked in the woman was taking care of caterpillars in the office to help breed the monarch population. She showed us what they're doing to help. It was a really cool thing to see! She even put a butterfly on my finger. She took us to the room while explaining the history of the place as well. Very cool spot. Highly recommend!

It's a Bed & Breakfast with its own character. I think it was built in 1887. Based on the…read moreinformation book in the room, Al Capone has stayed here before! It's a historical building so there is no AC but fans are provided. The Inn has a trail to the ocean with has nice views. It is dog friendly which is the main reason we stay here. The property manger is super friendly and helpful. I think she is the reason the Inn has great reviews.

My Husband planned a surprise get away for us for Valentine's Day weekend and it was wonderful. The…read morestaff upon arrival came out and opened the door for me and while my husband checked us in right then , no wait. I enjoyed the lobby fire pit. They let us know about the amenities (pools and hot tubs) , their restaurant and bar and other activities for the weekend. We loved that after a day of hiking their golf cart drivers took us down and back to the private beach for sunset. You can rent a bonfire they tend for you with s'mores. We did not buy one but looked nice. We enjoyed breakfast at their restaurant and also one evening had a cocktail at their bar and there was live music which was very nice. The room had a gorgeous view of the ocean with a fireplace, a large closet, comfortable bed, with stocked and full kitchen. The negative :( Our bathroom , sadly it was very tiny and the shower head was horrible. The connection between shower and toilet was one door that barely fit in the space. Bathroom needs a remodel! Over all 5 stars would LOVE to stay again!

If I could give this hotel negative stars it would get a -10. If you want to eat McDonalds quality…read morefood, then this is your place. The hotel owners- ( who are local, the daughter is a real estate agent ) don't care about the hotel. They NEVER work or eat there. They have just remodeled a perfectly good working pool. Why not invest in the FOOD??!! Many people get sick after eating here. I have stayed at the hotel 5 times over the past year, and it's EMBARRASSING how run down it is. At first I was confused and then I found out it's just two local women taking high paychecks each year, running the Hotel down into the ground, literally into the ground. If you want to stay at this hotel, it's actually not a hotel. It's the largest timeshare in Santa Cruz County.!!!!! Every single hotel room is a timeshare which equals run down hotel rooms, horrible amenities and a resort that is not a resort, but call itself a resort! There is no resort don't be fooled by the name!!!!!!!!!!!

This place is super cool!…read more There are some low impact trails, a dining hall, conference rooms, places to rent with rooms and decent bathrooms/showers located all around. I went here today for a retreat and was pleasantly surprised. The parking is not too crazy and the pavement is not ridiculously uneven. There is a chapel and during our little retreat a wedding was going on. Monte Toyon is also easy to get to and a hop, skip and a jump away from civilization aka Safeway, gas, coffee and restaurants.

I usually am not so fond of too much outdoorsy activities but this place is refreshing and calming…read more Very spacious. Cabins with bunkbeds. Family type dorms. Big dining hall. Great trails. Basketball court. Big grassy areas. Did I mention they have wireless here!! Muahaha..not that I brought my laptop..(didn't know or else I would've!!) SEE PICS!

Shadowbrook was such a beautiful and unique restaurant experience that lived up to the hype! After…read morereading all the reviews and photos, I was expecting a truly magical night and they definitely delivered on all counts. We came here to celebrate the anniversary of my furbaby's passing (not your typical anniversary celebratory dinner, but def still an anniversary!) and I was very satisfied with my choice. Parking was super easy. The entrance was already beautiful enough, and the tram was such a unique highlight experience. We got some great videos! I wasn't sure how our timing would be this night so I didn't make a reservation, but we called ahead and arrived a little before 7pm. We inquired about seating in the dining room area and got a drink at the bar and were thankfully squeezed in for a table (due to a cancellation). All of the staff were extremely courteous and attentive. The restaurant itself is an aesthetic rustic garden experience from beginning to end. So many floors to explore and lovely plants to enjoy. Its also right by the water, so sitting outside is also another experience in itself. Perfect for date nights! The food was excellent and surprisingly just as good as the view. The Ahi Carpaccio was sliced perfectly thin and just melted in my mouth. I wasn't expecting to devour the whole thing but i'm glad this dinner was my first meal of the day. The scallops were also divine, loved the mashed potatoes along with it, and the sauce. Also completely finished my entree. My vegetarian date enjoyed the beet salad and the nightly noodle special, which he also thoroughly enjoyed. The drinks we ordered were quite standard (nothing innovative) but still made well. And the mudpie dessert we ordered was also good. The crust was quite crispy. Since we were celebrating an anniversary (though not ours), our server helped us to take a photo which they printed out for us immediately. This was definitely a great touch and rare to find at a restaurant (especially complimentary). I would love to come back and introduce more people to this lovely restaurant!!

Shadowbrook is absolutely beautiful and completely lived up to the hype! We actually came here…read morewithout reservations for our anniversary dinner and were able to seat ourselves in the Rock room area, which still had a fantastic atmosphere. The food was absolutely delicious, and our server was incredibly attentive throughout the entire night. To top off an already amazing evening, the staff gifted us a framed photo of us taken at the restaurant, complete with the signature Shadowbrook logo. It was such a thoughtful, classy touch for our anniversary. Between the stunning riverside views, the cable car ride, and the top-tier hospitality, it was an unforgettable night. Highly recommend!

Want to have a smooth and fantastic wedding? Work with LJ. It's that easy. She'll make sure you…read morecross your T's and dot your I's. She'll coordinate with the venue to make sure everyone is in sync. She'll make sure you day goes off without a hitch. She'll create gorgeous floral arrangements for your table centerpieces. She'll decorate the venue in ways that will leave you and your guests impressed. She'll even help you pick the right vendors. Here's the thing... your special wedding day will have tons of hiccups. It's normal and every event has them. The magic, though, is that LJ will make sure you never know. She'll solve everything behind the scenes before it ever makes it to you and THAT is what you want on your wedding day. Phoebe and I can't recommend LJ enough. She's worth every penny. Thank you LJ!

One of the best decisions we made around my 5/16/15 wedding was finding LJ of Lux & Jasper as our…read morewedding planner/day-of coordinator. Throughout the year plus of planning, she kept us calm, focused and answered every single frantic email and question we had. We're a bit of an uptight group so there were lots : ) LJ was a HUGE help as we sorted out our vision and what we wanted -- and then followed through flawlessly on bringing that vision to life. She has an incredible eye for design and was instrumental in creating a beautiful setting that matched our vision at both the ceremony and the reception. One of my favorite things about LJ is that she always shared her opinion when asked, and when she disagreed or thought another option may be better than the direction we were headed, she'd respectfully share her point of view and get us back on track -- but I always felt like she respected what we wanted and supported it. All the vendors she recommended were AMAZING. She was straightforward with cost and how vendors stacked up against the competition. Even though she had relationships with many people in the industry, I always felt like she had our best interest in mind and represented us incredibly accurately and well. We paid extra for her to serve as point person for several shuttle buses. This was well worth it in that LJ created and delivered the complicated schedule as well as communicated with the drivers on the big day. What a load off! LJ provided a range of suggestions to make sure we understood our options (for example, for the Groom's Cake she suggested everything from an elaborate cake from a local artisanal bakery to Safeway and everything in between!), but when we just wanted her to handle something and not be weighed down by choices, she executed things flawlessly (such as delivering our welcome bags all over the Monterey Peninsula the day before the wedding!). On the day of, we had nothing to worry about -- everything that was within her control turned out flawlessly. She also navigated tricky situations with our on-site venue contact, who was a bit challenging to work with, and did a great job at managing her to make sure we had the day we envisioned. I was constantly impressed by her positive and calming attitude, grounding presence, creative vision and her ability to manage complex and emotionally charged situations. She was patient and understanding when we had last-minute changes and always snapped into action when we needed her to. I would definitely recommend LJ as a wedding planner/day-of coordinator! We couldn't have done it without her!

Really lovely experience at Bargetto Winery. The outdoor area is dog friendly, so we enjoyed our…read morewine on the patio looking over the redwoods with our pup. Great energy, peaceful and serene. Would for sure return!

Most of the wine has a Santa Cruz Mountains flavor profile; I am not so fond of that style. But…read morethree items stand out: - Raspberry mead: sweet and complex. Sparkly backbone. - Sierra foothills port. Very complex. - 2023 old vine Zinfandel from Lodi: very savory.

We did a baby shower at Corralitos Grange for people coming from the Salinas area and the Central…read moreValley. We anticipated about 80-100 guests dropping by on a Saturday afternoon. We got a early access to the hall at 4 pm on the Friday prior to decorate and help set up tables. The tables and chairs are fold out but we were able to setup on three sections with ample space for kids to run around. There is a side room, ballroom style which can accommodate a DJ. Then there's a back kitchen with a couple stoves and ample space for a bar area. The hall has a stage and plenty of parking for guests. Although parking was not an issue there is a park across Little Corralitos Way for public parking. All in all, great experience, and not a ton of drama with the parking situation. Would recommend the hall for family get togethers and moderately sized events. One thing to keep in mind is cell service may be hit or miss and getting to the hall can be challenging for first time visitors. They can always stop at Corralitos Market and ask for directions.

A beautiful venue and beautiful location! I'm a local so I've been a few times and always had…read moreissues with the neighbors, the last time I was there for a wedding a neighbor threatened people including me stating that he would be bringing his gun. The police were called, it was a real mess. Then all of the sudden it was decided that all of the cars were parked in the wrong direction and every single car had to be moved, a fire code issue they claimed. The worst part is that the flow of traffic was not impeded, people were able to pass through normally etc. It's just neighbors like this Yosemite Sam asshole who believe Corralitos belongs to them and they're going to police people, these generational types living in grandma's house. This venue is a yes but you need to designate someone who can play yard duty otherwise your day will be a never ending cluster fuck.