Many visitors comment on how cool it is here on the Monterey Peninsula. Like Mark Twain is reported to have said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” and since San Francisco is close by, the same can be said of our area.
Our weather is cool during the summer for several reasons:
1. Our ocean currents run from the Arctic Circle and (North to South) and our water temperature tends to be around 49 degrees to 55 degrees Farenheit.
In contrast, the Eastern seaboard of the United States experiences water currents flowing North from the Equator (South to North) with an added bonus of the warm water originating from the Gulf of Mexico known as the Gulf Stream.
2. We have a deep underwater canyon that begins in the Monterey Bay (at Moss Landing and Carmel) and there is a lot more water depth than eyes on land can see.
To compare, the Eastern seaboard tends to be shallower and can heat up from the sun more quickly.
3. Water currents and wind churn the water up from the depths to the surface, which causes cooler water to circulate up. This makes for very happy marine life because the upwellings bring food closer to the surface.
Now you know why you don’t see Sea Lions and Otters frolicking on Florida beaches.
4. The water’s cool water temperature and wind from the ocean makes the air cooler and creates a marine layer/low cloud ceiling. When that cooler air blends with the warmer air temperature over land, fog is created. Our marine layer usually evaporates from the sun after noon.
We hope this helps explain why our air is cool and why we rarely need air conditioning. It also explains why you should always keep a jacket or sweater handy when you’re visiting the Monterey Peninsula.
Like this:
Like Loading...
The annual Cherry’s Jubilee, another great car weekend, will be held on the Monterey Peninsula on September 8 – 12, 2010. Venues 
include Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, and the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. The event kicks off on Wednesday, September 8th, at Oldtown in Salinas, at the Passport to Cherry’s. Passport to Cherry’s is a hometown party for the whole family. It is a strolling food tasting event through charming Oldtown Salinas with over a dozen participating restaurants and great entertainment.
On Thursday and Friday, September 9th and 10th, enjoy the Monterey Waterfront. Show N’ Shine will be from 8 am to 11 pm on the wharf waterfront lot and on Alvarado Street, where spectators can come and view cherry cars and trucks. Restaurants and entertainment will just be steps away. Also on Thursday, Otis Auto Sales welcomes all to the Nostalgic Nights Show & Shine Official VIP kick off party for Cherry’s Jubilee from 9am until 9pm on the corner of Figueroa and Del Monte Avenue, with plenty of food and 
vendors, including a DJ spinning those oldies but goodies that will have you singing and dancing in the street (parking lot).
Friday night there will be a cruise through downtown Monterey and the wharf waterfront from 5:00p.m. To 9:00 p.m. The cruise will head out of the wharf parking area, south on Figueroa Street and turn right on Pearl Street; it will go right again onto Alvarado and proceed through the wharf parking lot. Spectators are free. Friday night, September 10th, you may enjoy 
dancing under the stars, as Fiesta Italia presents The Joe Sarino Band, one of the most popular dance bands in Northern California. From 7:00pm to 10:00pm at the Custom House Plaza in downtown Monterey, there is no admission charge. All of your favorite Italian foods and drinks will be sold on the plaza.
Saturday and Sunday, things heat up at Mazda Laguna Seca Recreation and Raceway. Show N’ Shine for all categories will begin each morning at 8am. For a real adrenalin rush, you may want to consider Hot Laps, on the Mazda Raceway corkscrew. For $30, Hot Laps participants are given the thrill of riding in a Porsche driven by a seasoned driver on the famous Laguna Seca track. All of the cars are safety equipped and tested for track driving and the drivers are certified. Hot Laps are Saturday starting at 9:00 a.m. Also at the Raceway will be a food court, manufacturer’s midway, car sale area, sports bar and official Cherry’s Jubilee memorabilia for sale as well.
Cherry’s Jubilee will also be in Pacific Grove for Saturday’s Show and Shine. Cherry’s Jubilee participants will cruise the shoreline and 
charming, cottage-lined streets of this Victorian-era resort town and park their pride and joy on Lighthouse Avenue in downtown PG. Local restaurants and other downtown businesses invite you to enjoy a relaxed, Saturday afternoon experience with your family and friends.
Cannery Row is Cherry’s destination on Saturday night starting at 5pm, Cherry’s cars will be parked on Cannery Row from Drake Street to David Avenue and in the El Torito parking lot. Cannery Row will be closed to all traffic beginning at 3pm. There is plenty of food, fun, music and cars on the evening’s agenda, and “Restaurant Row” has something for every car lover. The pubs and clubs will be rockin’ with live music.
An exciting way to wind up the weekend is with the Cherry’s Jubilee Pancake Breakfast. Pancakes are tossed from a flatbed truck to the hungry crowd. Diners listen to oldies played by a DJ as they gobble up pancakes tossed hot off the griddle by their servers. Eat as many as you can catch or, if you are not the “Frisbee” type, you may serve yourself, buffet style. The pancake breakfast is followed by the awards ceremony.
Monterey Bay Property Management welcomes all Cherry’s Jubilee participants and spectators. If you need an accommodation with a garage for your special vehicle, please ask the reservation agent to insure that the house or condo you book includes that amenity.
Like this:
Like Loading...
The First Tee open returns to the Monterey Peninsula over Labor Day weekend, featuring the nation’s outstanding junior golfers and amateurs competing side-by-side with the PGA Champions Tour players. From a spectator’s point of view, it is one of the most entertaining of all golf events to observe. The skill of the senior players combined with the youthful enthusiasm of the juniors makes for a heart-warming formula, as one generation gently guides another. This enjoyable event will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course September 3rd to 5th. The First Tee is an organization dedicated to impacting the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Monterey Bay Property Management has vacation rental housing available for First Tee Open participants, their families, and spectators.
Like this:
Like Loading...
We have one of the most gorgeous coastlines in the world. Our Monterey Bay is home to spectacular sea life and unsurpassed beauty. However, our rugged coastline can be dangerous to those unfamiliar with the power of the Pacific Ocean, so here are a few tips to keep our visitors safe from rogue waves.
Several people have climbed out onto the rocks of Lover’s Point and have been swept off those rocks by rogue waves. The same can be said for visitors who get too close to the the waterline at Monastery Beach, nicknamed Mortuary Beach due to its dangerous riptides.
To keep yourself safe and away from harm, follow these general guidelines:
1. Never turn your back to the ocean.
2. Make sure you watch the wave patterns before venturing into the water. If the water is calm and there is plenty of flat beach, chances are you can wade in the water without any issues. If, however, the water is rough and/or you see big waves crash ashore, that’s Mother Nature’s signal to stay clear, because she’s far more powerful than you. Also, if no one else is in the water nearby, there’s probably a good reason why.
3. If you are at Monastery Beach, in particular, stay several yards away from the wave break portion of the beach. Most visitors are unaware that they are at the foot of an enormous underwater canyon and when waves crash onshore, there is a steep precipice that can literally sweep you off your feet and out into the deep water. DO NOT go for a swim or get close to shore at Monastery Beach…and if you’re a scuba diver, exercise EXTREME caution.
4. If you are swept out in a riptide, swim along parallel to shore until you feel the current subside, and then swim into shore. Riptides are swift currents running perpendicular away from shore, and if you try to swim into the riptide going back toward shore, you’ll get tired very quickly. So, if you’re swept out, remain calm, swim along side the shore until you feel you are safely out of the rip current, then swim back toward shore. If you get tired, float and rest until you can start swimming again.
5. If you are at the beach and see someone get swept out to sea, dial 911 and alert the rescue teams of your exact location. The Fire Department, Coast Guard, and Parks Service are all trained in water rescue, so act quickly if you see a distressed swimmer.
Water safety is a life skill, and we hope you find these tips useful. These guidelines are not intended to scare you away from enjoying the water. Instead, these guidelines are meant to help keep you safe when visiting our beautiful and powerful Pacific Ocean.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Many who love to celebrate the automobile equally love to attend the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach every year in August.
This year’s event will be held on August 15, 2010. “First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is often said to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Only the most beautiful and rare automobiles are invited to appear on the famed eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links each year, and connoisseurs of art and technology congregate to see them.’
‘The annual affair, which has raised over $12 million for charity, includes a series of related events, such as the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex, Pebble Beach RetroAuto, Pebble Beach Motoring Classic and the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company.” What makes a Concours car? “A concours d’elegance is, quite literally, an automotive contest of elegance.’
‘To contend in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an automobile must be a well preserved or accurately restored vehicle still quite capable of doing what it was meant to do—be driven. It will almost certainly have some historic value—perhaps in its day it served to debut new technology or new styling trends or it has an amazing racing record. And it will be rare—possibly a singular example of a special chassis bearing a respected coachbuilder’s art.’
‘After these criteria have been met, a concours car must be one thing more. Above all, it must be elegant. And elegance is a matter of the eye and the heart.”
Here are some famous quotes regarding the Concours d’Elegance:
“There is no such thing as a score sheet for elegance. It’s largely a matter of taste, recognition of design advantages, and knowledge of the performance and quality of the total architectural concept.”– Strother MacMinn, Renowned Automotive Designer and Former Chief Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach
“From a strictly personal point of view, my definition of an elegant car would be ‘the kind of car I would like to be buried in.’” – Ansel Adams, Photographer and former Honorary Judge at Pebble Beach
We locals love hosting the Concours d’Elegance, and we are delighted to share this event with our visitors. Welcome!
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Jennifer Filzen
The Monterey Peninsula is a distinct wedding destination for many happy couples. If you, or someone you know is planning a wedding, we hope this blog will be helpful.
First, if you’ve not yet seen it, our very own Monterey Rentals website has a wedding page. We have found that many of the same people who are looking for a vacation rental through us are also looking for local wedding vendors. So, we got smart and developed a resource guide for our clients. We hope our wedding page proves useful for you and yours.
Second, if you’re booking a wedding here and you’re doing it during the high season–which is summer–know that room rates at B&Bs, hotels, and motels go up. Believe it or not, the most economical way to stay on the Monterey Peninsula is to stay at one of our lovely vacation rentals. If you rent a house, condo, or duplex and share the cost with others in your group, it makes it more affordable and fun. Your wedding friends and family will likely have a ball at the “party house” that they’re sharing with other guests. If they can have fun and save money at the same time, everyone wins!
Lastly, if you have questions about what to do, where to send your wedding guests, tours, etc., we have crafted our website to provide helpful information for you and yours. If you don’t find what you’re looking for on our site, try visiting the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce site or the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Have fun planning for your big day!
Like this:
Like Loading...
How will you get to the US Open, once you get to the Monterey Peninsula? Here’s the scoop: Complimentary general spectator parking will be provided at California State University Monterey Bay, which is located off Route 1 in Marina, Calif. Complimentary transportation will be provided to and from the main admission gate. This shuttle bus ride should take 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic. For spectators who are staying in Seaside, Marina and Salinas, this is the most convenient way to get to the venue.
For those staying in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, shuttles are available for a small cost from convenient locations. The shuttle from Monterey to the U.S. Open picks up and drops off at Cannery Row and Prescott, next to Steinbeck Plaza. The shuttle will run 6am-8:30pm on Thrusday-Friday, 6am-9pm Saturday and 6am-7pm on Sunday. The shuttle leaves every 20 minutes. Tickets are $20 per person each day, free parking will be available in the Cannery Row garage. See the Cannery Row website for more information.
The Pacific Grove Shuttle to the U.S. Open picks up and drops off in front of the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. The shuttle will run 8am—5:30pm on Monday-Wednesday and 7am—7pm on Thursday-Sunday. The shuttle leaves every 30 minutes and free parking is available a block away on Ocean View Blvd. Tickets are $20 for each day, or $60 for a seven-day pass. Tickets can be purchased at the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce at Central and Forest Avenues. For more information call 831-373-3304.
Shuttles from Carmel-by-the-Sea to the U.S. Open are $20 per day, or $80 for the week, and depart from Carmel Plaza on Ocean between Junipero and Mission every 15 minutes. The shuttle will run 8am—5:30pm Monday through Wednesday, 7am—7pm Thursday and Friday and 7am—5:30pm Saturday and Sunday. Free parking is available at Vista Lobos at 3rd and Junipero. Tickets can be purchased at the Carmel Visitor Center or at the shuttle bus stop. Visit the Carmel Chamber of Commerce website for more information.
All three cities, Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel, have time-limited parking in the immediate vicinity of the shuttle locations. If you find that the local garages and parking lots are full (which is highly likely!), an alternative is to drive into the residential areas and find a place to park on the street. Be sure to park legally and not to block any driveways or other accesses.
It is not recommended that you drive into Pebble Beach without a confirmed parking place. And if you do not yet have tickets, Monterey Bay Property Management has some tickets that are complete with parking inside the Pebble Beach gates.
If you are very brave and don’t mind paying a premium to park, many Pebble Beach residents within walking distance of the golf course open their driveways to parking. The prices will be hefty, though, and you will need to arrive early in the day to secure one of these unofficial parking spaces.
In any case, welcome to the Monterey Peninsula and have a great time!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Where to eat on Friday night after a long workweek? Yeah, even working in the Monterey Bay seems long sometimes! But we are not without dining choices, certainly. We decided on an unlikely spot – the Best Western Beach Resort Monterey hotel on Del Monte Beach. One would not suspect that this would be a place for anything but a tourist-trap type restaurant – not so! The menu is varied, including a couple of vegetarian choices, and the food was fresh and well-prepared.
Because of the large number of people on the Monterey Peninsula for the weekend, we elected to eat early to avoid the crowds. That also turned out to be a good move in that we were seated at a window table, where we enjoyed the spectacular view of the beach and the waves crashing to the shore of the Monterey Bay. While we waited for our entree to arrive, we watched an otter frolicking in the surf, also having his dinner.
The service was good, the food was good and affordable, and the view was wonderful. By the way, don’t be deterred by the gated parking area. Take a ticket and ask the waiter to validate it for you!
Like this:
Like Loading...
The Monterey Cookhouse, on North Fremont Boulevard in Monterey, is a hit with the crew at Monterey Bay Property Management. “Great food at reasonable prices, said Managing Broker, Jan Leasure, about the Monterey Cookhouse experience. The casual dining-type restaurant offers a varied menu and service customized to the diner’s dietary preferences. While the chef routinely prepares the grilled salmon on the rare side, he had no problem accommodating a diner who requested that it be well-done; the well-done salmon arrived moist and delicious. A vegan diner in the party who wanted a pizza was not only accommodated, but delighted with a wonderful vegan pizza creation that clearly demonstrated the chef’s creativity. The Monterey Cookhouse is a restaurant that should not be missed by those visiting the Monterey Peninsula!
Like this:
Like Loading...
With a TV commercial highlighting vacation rentals having aired in Sunday’s Super Bowl, football fans are discovering why renting vacation homes, condos, villas and cabins is a favorite choice for many versus hotels. Beyond the experiences families and friends build by staying in a home away from home on the Monterey Peninsula, there are numerous benefits to choosing vacation rentals – sometimes in ways they’d least expect.
Whether trying vacation rentals for the first time or if you’re one of the nearly nine in 10 travelers who plan to rent again*, here are some
Casa de la Estrella on the Pebble Beach Golf Course
planning tips and insights as a post-game update for visiting the Monterey Bay area:
• KNOW YOUR DESTINATION: Whether you are a first-time traveler to the Monterey Bay or not, it’s recommended that you become familiar with the area’s special events, seasons and offerings.
• LOOK FOR SPECIALS: During certain seasons, vacation rental packages can provide even more value, some with two-bedrooms starting at just $125 per night, with all of the typical amenities and more. Visit www.MontereyRentals.com to become familiar with various vacation rental types, reservation rates as well as travel specials available.
• AVOID AIRLINE BAGGAGE FEES: Most Monterey Bay vacation rentals come equipped with washers and dryers. Travelers may choose to use these perks to pack less clothing, avoiding commercial airlines’ baggage fees and restrictions.
• USE SPACE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE: Monterey Bay vacation homes and condos can be from 500 to more than 5000 square feet, often costing less than a single hotel room by sleeping up to 12 or more guests, versus just a few.
• SAVE ON DINING OUT: With full kitchens and outdoor grills, Monterey Bay vacation rental travelers often make and store meals and snacks for less, including football favorites like homemade nachos during postseason trips. Use local ingredients and recipes for more memorable mealtimes, like fruits and vegetables from the local farmers’ markets and fresh fish from Fisherman’s Wharf. This also provides healthy travel options, cutting the amount of calories typically consumed while on vacation.
• ASK ABOUT AFTER-HOURS SERVICE: When looking into any vacation rental accommodations, check to see if there is an accessible customer service number for emergency needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and for after-hour requests. There is always help available at Monterey Bay Property Management.
• ENTERTAIN FOR FREE: Most of Monterey Bay Property Management’s vacation homes, villa rentals and condos include amenities not found in hotels, some with private swimming pools, whirlpool spas, game rooms, fireplaces, DVD players, Internet access, and game consoles. Many are also in neighborhoods with access to golf courses, tennis courts, fitness centers, hiking trails, parks, and beaches.
• ASK ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS: Beyond the ability to live like a local in the Monterey Bay, vacation rental guests can also take advantage of our relationships with activity providers, shops, restaurants, tour companies and more. Guests can also opt for concierge-type services, including grocery delivery, personal chefs, in-home massages and spa treatments, to name a few.
• REMEMBER BIG EVENTS: Whether it’s for football championships or national Bowl games, concerts, baseball series’, basketball or the US Open at Pebble Beach in June, vacation rentals can save fans from the hassle of finding multiple hotel rooms during big events, and on the cost of multiple reservations.
• TRANSPORTATION: Other relationships to remember are those made between vacation rental managers and transportation providers, whether it’s rental cars, shuttle services, golf carts, bicycles and more. Monterey Bay Property Management can provide assistance with all your transportation needs.
To learn more about available vacation rental options in the spectacular Monterey Bay, visit www.MontereyRentals.com as a comprehensive resource. Also visit www.mpcc.com which lists more ongoing events in the area.
For general answers to frequently asked questions about vacation rentals or for more information, visit http://www.DiscoverVacationHomes.com as an official category resource. Also connect with travelers and experts in the Facebook vacation rental community at http://bit.ly/b4idHA and http://www.facebook.com/DiscoverVacationHomes, and join the conversation on Twitter @GoVacationHomes.
Like this:
Like Loading...
