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Two Nights In THE RITZ-CARLTON RANCHO MIRAGE


Palm Springs has a history of luxury. A classic desert playground that became popular with Hollywood’s elite starting in the 1930’s. Recently, we were fortunate to find ourselves at The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, a place that harkens back to the classic luxury Palm Springs is famous for. Perched on a rocky desert mountain overlooking the valley, The Ritz is the perfect weekend getaway for Southern Californians.

After a warm welcome at reception we checked into our room. Rain shower? Check √ Oversized bath tub? Check √ Our own private fire pit and patio? Check and check √ After dropping our bags we went immediately to lunch at State Fare Bar & Kitchen. State Fare operates as the hotels main all meal dining spot. They serve from breakfast to dinner. It should be noted that the burger we had during our lunch at State Fare was hands down the best hotel burger we’ve ever had, and if you know us you know we love a good hotel burger! Smothered in bacon jam and served on a cast iron, this thing blew us away!

We spent most of our time in Rancho Mirage by the pool. The Ritz boasts 2 separate pools, 1 Adult and 1 All ages. Both have jetliner views of the gorgeous Coachella Valley. As is the case with any Ritz-Carlton, the service was impeccable. Poolside drinks and meals are where it's at. Sometimes a hotel of Rancho’s breed can feel too stuffy and too uptight but this is not the case here. The pools at The Ritz offer the perfect balance of classic hotel luxury and modern desert chill out.

As the sun sets on the valley, The Ritz is illuminated by hundreds of fire pits. It's stunning. On our last night we had dinner at The Edge Steakhouse. This meal was absolutely superb. Situated on the edge of the resort (its not just a clever name) encased in glass, the restaurant features sweeping views of the valley. Curated by Chef Bruno Lopez, who’s responsible for all of the food at the resort, the menu features steakhouse classics with options as far as the eye can see. Chef Bruno and his team age steaks on-site to allow their full flavor potential to be reached. Their use of organic produce and their delicious cocktails are also a huge plus. After dinner a digestif cart is wheeled to your table, drinks like Sambuca, Port, Sherry, and Amaro are offered in the most elegant way. We spoke to Chef Bruno about the insanely good burger we had the day before, he was very modest but you could tell he knows he makes a damn good burger. After dinner we strolled the grounds and enjoyed some stargazing with the resident astronomer and his telescope.

On our last day we were able to relax at the beautiful spa on the property. A serene couples massage was the perfect ending to a great weekend. Both the men’s and women's locker rooms offer steam, sauna, jacuzzi, and cold plunge options. We still can't stop talking about the aromatherapy shower heads offering scents like Eucalyptus, Jasmine, Citrus Mango and Lavender. Not a bad way to spend a few hours! We left The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage at once relaxed but bummed it was time to go. We cannot wait to return and we look forward to hearing about our client’s experiences. If a desert getaway is what you're looking for, this is the place!

STAY
Our clients receive excellent rates and amenities at The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, please contact us to book your stay!

Two Nights In CARMEL // AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Admittedly, we’re not big golfers, but this doesn't matter one bit when you're in Carmel for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. A Pro-Am is an event matching professional golfers with amateurs. In this case most of those amateurs are all celebrities. Celebs Bill Murray, Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg and others teamed up with pro golfers like Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth for the weekend tournament.

Carmel is a beautiful destination all year round, the tournament however breathes a life into the city not found during its usually calmer weekends. We spent two nights in Carmel with some dear friends enjoying every minute.

Friday around sunset was spent at Vesuvio for rooftop cocktails. Their Starlight Rooftop Lounge is much hipper than its name implies. Fire pits and couches create the perfect environment to enjoy a classic Italian cocktail like a Negroni (our favorite) or an Aperol Spritz. We then headed to the casual A.W. Shucks for some oysters and seafood. The night was closed out with one last drink at Hog’s Breath Inn. This is definitely the place to be on this particular weekend. You can really see all the colorful out-of-towner's the tournament brings. One of the best parts of a golf tournament has to be the people watching and we don't mean the celebrities. By midnight the Hog’s Breath Inn was overrun by some serious characters.

Saturday we spent the day on the Pebble Beach Golf Links. Carmel is classically Californian, this is a town that once elected Clint Eastwood as mayor, what better way to show off its California chops than with celebrities playing golf on a beach. After a full day of strolling around the course, watching a little bit of golf and a whole lot of beautiful views, it was time to eat. We headed to our reservation at The Bench. This clubhouse restaurant overlooks the 18th hole and has a stunning view down the coast. We ate delicious food, drank great drinks, and even chatted up Bill Murray for a few. It was the perfect way to wrap up a great weekend. We’re sold on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Carmel. We never thought we’d find ourselves thoroughly enjoying a PGA Tour event, who knew? This is definitely going to be a yearly tradition and we totally recommend making the trip.

The countdown is on to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2017 (February 6, 2017 - February 12, 2017)! Stay updated on players, events, and sponsors here

Our recommendations for Carmel during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am:

STAY
There are many great hotels but we know the best ones! Contact us for bookings and recommendations

PLAY
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

WINE and DINE
The Bench
Starlight Rooftop Lounge
Hog's Breath Inn
Il Tegamino

For more ideas and recommendations, visit our Carmel and Monterey Destination Guide

Two Nights In

Hello and welcome! Today February 1st marks the official launch of TwoNightsIn.com and the start of our newest venture. The plan was to start on January 1st but there was much to be done and we wanted to do it right. Please have a look around, we can't wait to share our stories and services with you!

Writing our first blog post about a destination would be too predictable, so we wanted to give you a quick glimpse into our lives instead. 2015 was a big year for us - we got married in Mexico, we honeymooned in Italy and France, and we took our annual California Coast/Big Sur road trip. We also took trips to Chicago, Portland, Cabo and much farther destinations like Thailand and Cambodia.

Here are some of last year's highlights (trust us, we'll get into the finer travel details when we do individual posts about these amazing destinations). Enjoy!

Justyna & Scott