benjahman

Thanks Andriyko It was a memorable family vacation. Looking forward to sharing more along the way.

Hi david55 See here: http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...on-expereince/

olafman

Nice report.

I've been meaning to do a staycation at the RC HMB for a while. I need to book something.

I just booked The Highlands Inn in Carmel which is now a Hyatt. More intimate property. Been there several times for our anniversary.

flyer121

Thank you for your informative review . The RITZ CARLETON looks AWFUL! What a PATHETIC place. You will not find a Park Hyatt that looks as awe full as the Ritz in your review.

benjahman

Thanks olafman we actually finished up the trip with two nights at the Highlands Inn and we had a great time there. Will try and finish up review and post pics from there. We had the most amazing dinner at Pacific Edge restaurant at the hotel. It may have been one of my top 5 meals in my life.

flyer121 it was really unfortunate that we had such a bad stay there. I was really looking forward to that part of the trip and am now sort of bummed out about it. Oh well, on to the next adventure

Bretteee

In the early 1990s I used to go often to the Laguna Naguel property for lunch. It was gorgeous then but brand new. It's now nearly 30 years old. The other hotel looks gorgeous. However it's much newer. Never heard of it. My niece told me there is a gorgeous hotel in Palos Verdes now and I heard about the Pelican.

offerendum

Indeed, they did some renovations. Glad you liked it. It´s simply not my hotel with all the golf and the front desk situation.

TravelinWilly

I found this review via a link at OMAAT.

"I thought easier would be me in F and her in J with baby...that only got me dagger eyes and a "don't even f'ing think about that". <--- Thank you for that, it made me laugh.

Nice job on the trip report!

benjahman

We checked out of the RC HMB and packed up the ride for a two hour + drive down to the Hyatt Highlands Inn in Carmel. It was a gorgeous drive down Highway 1 with no traffic, clear skies, and great scenery. We arrived at the Highlands Inn at around 4pm and were offered a choice of rooms. Check in was smooth and champagne was offered. We decided on the one closest to the pool and closer to the main lodge. The hotel is also a residence property and is fairly spread out and quite hilly. They do have golf carts for luggage transportation and the valet and bell staff were wonderful and very helpful. The resort is a bit more rustic than the last two, but it was refreshing, with a very relaxed vibe.







Front Desk








Great views from the bar/lounge area


Enjoyed a lovely 22 oz. Big Sur Golden


More great views from the above the pool area


We were assigned room 523, which is an ocean facing king room on the lower level of the sort of townhouse buildings that the rooms occupy.


Bathroom leaves a little to be desired, but it was functional, so thats always a plus.




View from the room


The next morning we had breakfast at Pacifics Edge restaurant. Great food with amazing scenery




The french toast was tasty


We rested for a bit and then stopped by the Carmel Mission which was beautiful. It's a late 1700s church with fully restored mission buildings.








We continued down Highway 1 and ended up at Rocky Point Restaurant for lunch. Again, great food and service with great views.




Halibut sandwich and half rack of ribs and of course a sippy cup





Continued down to the Bixby Bridge and into Big Sur park, which was absolutely gorgeous.






Great place for a vertical pano


Back to the hotel for a memorable birthday dinner for my wife at Pacifics Edge. The food was AMAZING.














Cheers to a great stay at a lovely little hotel tucked into the coastline. We will definitely be back.



Next step: Monterey Pier for breakfast and jetBlue Mint to JFK

benjahman

Bretteee it's definitely showing it's age these days, however, the location is still prime. HMB was much more our style and pace.

offerendum not really a golf fan myself, but it was fun to see a few groups attempting to maneuver the hazards.

Thanks TravelinWilly luckily out of the doghouse and she may let me take a semi-solo (meeting her brother and father there) trip in November to Taipei and Tokyo via BR J and JL L. Will post if that happens.

benjahman

Sorry it's taken me 10 months to revisit and finish this report. And so it continues:

We left Carmel and drove north to Monterey for breakfast. We stopped at the Monterey Wharf and had breakfast at Loulou's Griddle in the Middle. They seem to be known for their hubcap sized pancake. All in all, a nice stop on the way to SFO.






Breakfast burrito



Continued on to SFO, dropped the rental car off, train to terminal and found our way to the JetBlue Mint check in.










Some plane spotting along the way to the gate









Had access to the Air France/KLM lounge via PriorityPass
Glad I didn't bring the wife and daughter. It was terribly crowded and hot.








Boarding from Gate A12 for our flight to JFK







Nice welcome note from our FAs. We both selected row 2 suites. Thinking that it would be great to close the door while our daughter sleeps, however, she refused to sleep the whole flight and we ended up passing her back and forth across the aisle. Not ideal but we survived.










Great legroom was the only pro of these seats. These Thompson Aero Vantage seats are cushioned by an airbag. Not sure if the airbag was broken but this seat was terribly uncomfortable. I could not find any angle that worked for me and the cushioning was horrible.






Service was excellent. Menu has some great options and the food was by far the best domestic catering available.










Pork adobo was fantastic.






All in all, JetBlue Mint is a nice offering for a transcon route, however, I would not want to spend more than 6 hours on those air cushioned seats. I feel like AA/DL have more comfortable options, albeit I'd be sacrificing catering.

Another great trip with the family in the books. We have a trip to Manila planned for August via DL J, OZ F, EY J, all with our almost 2 year old. This should be fun. Till next time FT.

offerendum

The pancake looks so tiney…. Hope they serve at least 5 of it

work2fly

Loulou's is also known for their abalone sliders, as shown below ^

mordy2000

Great report! I'm lucky enough that my company has a retreat every year at the RC Half Moon Bay. It's a WONDERFUL property and the views there are simply spectacular (as is the Ocean Golf Course which is an absolute dream to play).

offerendum

Not a fan of the RC Half Moon Bay as a hotel but the views are magnificant.

benjahman

offerendum

work2fly WOW! those look great! I did not catch on the breakfast menu, but not surprised as I don't generally crave abalone first thing in the morning.

mordy2000 exactly! it's a gorgeous property. Not much to do other than soak in the atmosphere and relax by the sea, but I could not ask for more.

offerendum when were you last there? I think they have renovated significantly. Our room was nicely updated and felt very new, as did the hallways and really most of the hotel as well. However, the pool was a bit of a letdown, being housed in the club next door and not particularly inviting.