We checked in at the Intercontinental’s Clement Monterey on Cannery Row at 3pm. Our room had two luxurious beds and a fire place.
I ended up buying a sea otter from the hotel gift shop to bring back to LA with me.
The bathroom was enormous in our room. To the right is a huge section for the stand up shower and toilet.
Cannery Row
View from the boardwalk around Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Sea anemones at Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Jelly fish and sea horses at the aquarium.
The aquarium was a tad expensive ($35) for the experience. Granted I’ve been to Seaworld and the New York Aquarium and Mystic Seaport. So it wasn’t my first time seeing underwater creatures. The experience was pretty horrible because of screaming and semi-crazed children running around and causing general pandemonium.
Honestly, I felt like I was at Chuck-E Cheese on steroids. After an hour, I had to leave. It was that loud and intense.
Cannery Row is uber touristy. So we sought shelter inside our hotel. Hanging out at the C Bar for drinks and having dinner at the C restaurant. Best part of the day for me. Relaxing and fun. We spent a few hours at the bar and lingered over dinner. Terrific view of the water from our booth. If you prefer a quiet meal on Cannery Row, this is the place to go.
The walkway separating our hotel into two buildings. We crossed it to get into the main building.
View from the patio in back of our hotel.
Boardwalk behind our hotel.
View from the hotel onto Cannery Row.
Best happy hour ever. 4 glasses of champagne.
Yummie Caesar salad at hotel restaurant, The C restaurant.
Fried calamari.
Tasty chicken dish at hotel restaurant.
Hearty and delicious breakfast before we checked out for coastal drive.










































47 comments
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September 7, 2012 at 7:04 am
Victoria-writes
I always end up buying teddies in places
Breakfast = yum!
September 7, 2012 at 10:40 am
Kourtney Heintz
My friends laugh that a 30 something year old still loves stuffed animals! I don’t mind they are adorable. It was quite tasty. Some hotels have crappy good, this one was an oasis of yummieness.
September 7, 2012 at 8:32 am
CC MacKenzie
Very nice!
Do you have a thing for bathrooms? LOL!
Great photos, thank you for sharing.
September 7, 2012 at 10:41 am
Kourtney Heintz
I love a spacious decadent bathroom.
glad you liked the pics!
September 7, 2012 at 8:43 am
Louise Behiel
I stayed at the coast plaza and spa? (I think – it was a few years ago). Had a great view – it was right on the bay. wonderful, wonderful wonderful, to wake to the smell of sea water.
thanks for the memories
September 7, 2012 at 10:43 am
Kourtney Heintz
It was a lovely hotel. We could see the bay from the patio and the hotel restaurant. Love the sound of water. How amazing to have a room overlooking the ocean!
September 7, 2012 at 9:18 am
Cat Forsley
Kourtney !!!!!!!!!!! What Fun !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xx
love your descriptive Nature
so glad you have a great time
smiles xoxoxo
C
September 7, 2012 at 10:44 am
Kourtney Heintz
It really was an awesome trip. We did more in 5 days than most people get to in 2 weeks.
September 7, 2012 at 10:47 am
Cat Forsley
!!!!! Fun ……….
i like that feeling
exciting
xx
September 7, 2012 at 7:34 pm
Kourtney Heintz
It’s cool to travel and see stuff. Reminds me how much there is to do in this world!
September 8, 2012 at 9:08 am
Cat Forsley
yes !!!!!!!!!!! agreed
The world is an amazing place
xx
September 7, 2012 at 9:22 am
winsomebella
That is about the same amount of time I will have there when I visit in October. Thanks for the advance tour
September 7, 2012 at 10:46 am
Kourtney Heintz
I like a low key vacation do Cannery Row was a bit too touristy. But the location was great for the aquarium. If you are doing the coastal drive take your time on the 17 mile drive south of Monterey. It’s gorgeous!!!!
September 7, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Carrie Rubin
I loved all the images, but I was especially taken with the ones of the lovely hotel room. Partly because it was so nice, but mostly because after 2 minutes of my boys being in that room, it would not have looked nearly as tidy.
September 7, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Kourtney Heintz
Those pics are 2 minutes after Check in. We got messier.
September 7, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Naomi Baltuck
We will be doing that soon to take Bea to college, and it was fun to get a preview. I love all the photographic details, Kourtney–great post.
September 7, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Kourtney Heintz
That’s awesome! Hard to part with your girl but what a lovely place to visit and for her to go to college!
September 7, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Naomi Baltuck
Bea is going to Stanford, which is an hour or maybe even two hours north in Palo Alto, but we are going to be in Monterey to check out the Monterey Institute of International Studies as a possibility for next year. While he is doing the three hour tour, Bea and I will entertain ourselves in Monterey. It is very very hard to even think about dropping her off, but California is SO much closer than the East Coast.
September 7, 2012 at 11:46 pm
Kourtney Heintz
California may have the best university system in the country. Tons of top tier institutes.
Glad you’ll get some fun time in Monterey before you drop Bea off. I was in DC for undergrad (about 7 hours from family) and we saw each other often.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!
September 7, 2012 at 2:12 pm
4amWriter
Lovely pics. Too bad about the aquarium. I love aquariums, they are so peaceful–but not when school busses start lining up outside…
I still bring my stuffed mickey mouse whenever I travel, so I think your choice of otter is fine by me!
September 7, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Kourtney Heintz
Summer afternoons are usually a clusterf&&&& at museums and aquariums. Kids gotta be kids, I just wish they had a “adult” day or time slot so I could relax and enjoy the sights too.
September 7, 2012 at 3:40 pm
philosophermouseofthehedge
OH, a great place. (Of course you have to have an otter) The aquarium is better when not overrun by kids – although it’s fun to see the enchantment on just a few of those little faces…a few, please.
Really really want to return visit now – (thanks for the restaurant suggestion)
September 7, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Kourtney Heintz
Yeah it’s cute when they are in awe or excited. Meltdowns not so cute. I also prefer a quiet place. Should have gone to a garden.
September 7, 2012 at 7:15 pm
jmmcdowell
Eighteen hours is not enough for Monterey!
Looks like a nice hotel and restaurant. Somehow we caught the Aquarium on a quiet day for our first trip, and it was delightful. The second time? Well, those same school kids (or their older siblings) were there, too. Not so delightful.
And the sound just seems to reverberate and GROW in large buildings like that.
September 7, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Kourtney Heintz
It was so loud in there. I was also getting sick and so not in the mood for crazy noise levels. Neat stuff to see though. The hotel was an oasis of calm. I could have spent the entire time at that hotel.
September 8, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Elliot
I like Monterey, I stayed once for a similar amount of time, and another night as a stop over for a few hours before moving on. A lot of the hotels there seemed to have fireplaces which always struck me as odd, but my wife says is part of the Monterey romance thing. A dinner on the pier is nice also, I was fortunate enough to be by the window where some Sea Lions were “having fun” outside.
September 8, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Kourtney Heintz
We did light the fireplace just for ambiance. LOL. We sat on the back patio and watched sea lions playing and kayakers getting caught in the kelp. the sea lions really know how to enjoy themselves! The kayakers didn’t seem nearly as thrilled. ;P
September 8, 2012 at 1:35 pm
Pete Denton
I love it when there are pictures of food! Luckily I’m about to eat my tea and wishing it was the fried calamari
September 8, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Kourtney Heintz
I love food pics. Especially when it was a good meal. I like to remember it.
LOL. I’m back to eating sensible and no fried calamari for a while.
September 8, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Pete Denton
Booo. There should always been room for fried calamari
September 8, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Kourtney Heintz
There’s always room, if I want to keep growing my waistline.
September 8, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Jane Squires
Whow what an experience. Something I’ll never experience. But enjoy reading about it. Loved the hotel room – would be a castle to me.
September 8, 2012 at 7:42 pm
Kourtney Heintz
It was a really cool hotel room. It was sooo luxurious. We stayed at a nice Best Western Plus in Calistoga to save money and splurged here.
I hope you have your own awesome travel adventures.
September 8, 2012 at 7:55 pm
August McLaughlin
Beautiful photos, Kourtney. Don’t you just love hotel rooms? I usually take photos of ones I stay in.
September 8, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Kourtney Heintz
I am obsessed with photographing them before I muss them up. I have pics of all the places I stay. It’s a great memory and then if I ever need to set a book scene there, the research is handy.
September 8, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Cat Forsley
Hello insight Girl …………….
wow
wisdom
friendship
and awesome responses
so glad we are friends – geesh you are a bright star
love xo
c
September 9, 2012 at 10:00 am
Kourtney Heintz
Aw thanks Catherine! Right back at you!
Hugs,
Kourtney
September 9, 2012 at 10:42 am
Cat Forsley
sent you some twitter luv
lol
xx
Have a wonderfullllllll Sunday xx
September 9, 2012 at 11:03 am
Kourtney Heintz
Aw thanks! Have a terrific Sunday!
September 9, 2012 at 3:09 am
EllaDee
Hotel, esp happy hour & food, aquarium all look lovely. As kid-less people it’s hard to cope with their kid-ness, I agree, me too – I’m glad your hotel provided areas of respite.
September 9, 2012 at 10:00 am
Kourtney Heintz
It was lovely! I should also mention besides being kid-less, I get ferocious migraines that are often triggered by high-pitched noises. So screaming kids are very likely to bring on a horrible migraine. I loved my hotel it was quiet and calm and the perfect place to relax.
September 11, 2012 at 9:08 am
zelmare
Looks like a wonderful place. And the food looks delicious!
September 11, 2012 at 10:11 am
Kourtney Heintz
It’s lovely and the food was scrumptious!
September 25, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Androgoth
This is such an elegant location in which to frequent, a delightful room with beautiful food and Champagne, now what more could one ask for my friend?
Have a very nice rest of evening and an enjoyable Wednesday
Androgoth
September 25, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Kourtney Heintz
Thanks. It was a lovely oasis from the tourists.
September 25, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Androgoth
Yes I can surely believe that my friend
Have a very nice rest of evening and of
course a happy Wednesday also
Androgoth
September 27, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Kourtney Heintz
Thanks Androgoth. Hope you had a lovely week.