Outstanding Chowder & Prawn Scampi Inside The Portola Hotel & Spa By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger As I looked up and down the menu, I was continually distracted by the large fireplace quietly flickering inside a wall. People were sitting in front of it, relaxing and chatting while drinking fine wines, cocktails and excellent craft beers … [Read more...]
Monterey
Jack’s Restaurant Monterey Receives Wine Spectator Award Of Excellence
Local Wines Help Portola Hotel & Spa's Lunch & Dinner Spot Take A Coveted Prize The recently remodeled Jack's restaurant in the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, has something more than its new decor to celebrate. It has been awarded the Wine Spectator’s 2017 Award of Excellence for its wine program. "We are very honored to have received the 2017 Wine … [Read more...]
Jacks Monterey Restaurant Features Local Menu & Creative Cocktails In Portola Hotel
Remodeled Fine Dining Spot Now Open In Monterey Bay After an extensive renovation, the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, has opened its new lobby and revamped its lobby-adjacent restaurant. Now called Jacks Monterey, it is located in the back section of the lobby and features food from Monterey, Monterey wines, local craft beers and some pretty creatively-served … [Read more...]
Exploring Moss Landing, A Hidden Gem In California’s Monterey Bay
Restaurants, Whale Watching, Margaritas & Traveling Back In Time Along Busy Highway 1 By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger Along the busy two-lane highway between Monterey and Santa Cruz on the Central California coast, which on one side sits a power plant, is a little gem of a place that's worth pumping the breaks for in order to come to screeching to a … [Read more...]
Monterey County, CA Featured In HBO’s ‘Big Little Lies’
Show Stars Nicole Kidman & Reece Witherspoon; Party Scheduled To Celebrate Debut California's Monterey County is providing the backdrop for the new HBO drama miniseries “Big Little Lies.” “Big Little Lies,” which debuts on Sunday, Feb. 19, stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. It is based on the New York Times best-seller novel of the same name by author Liane … [Read more...]
Top 10 Things To Do In Monterey & Carmel While It’s Raining
Wine Tasting, A Food Tour, The Aquarium, Whale Watching & More Are All-Weather Activities In Monterey Bay A great destination when the sun is out, it does occasionally get wet in Carmel and Monterey, California. And when that happens, there's no need to sit around the hotel room flipping channels on the TV or going through your smart phone trying to find something … [Read more...]
Super Bowl Sunday Party In Monterey CA At Peter B’s Brewpub
Second Annual Pigskin Palooza Includes Craft Beers & An All-You-Can-Eat Buffett Here's something to cheer about on Super Bowl Sunday if you are in the Monterey/Carmel area of California. Peter B's Brewpub, the excellent yet casual food-and-drink bar & restaurant by Monterey Bay, is hosting a Super Bowl party. It's the second annual Pigskin Palooza and the date … [Read more...]
Monterey, CA’s Portola Hotel Remodling Lobby & Conference Center
Interior Enhancements Coming In 2017 And Is To Include A New Bar After updating its rooms, the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, is now renovating its lobby and conference center. Part of it includes a new bar. Currently it has Jack's, a nice lounge adjacent to the lobby which is complemented by a fine-dining restaurant in the hotel. During the renovation, it's … [Read more...]
Carmel & Monterey 2016 Holiday Season Happenings & Events
Boat Parade, A Wine Festival & A Parade Of Lights Along The Central California Coast Beautiful Carmel and Monterey along the Central California coastline doesn't go dormant in the winter. Both places in Monterey Bay have several events for the holidays and here's the top ones along with dates and descriptions. • 22nd Annual Cannery Row Holiday Tree Lighting, … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Dinner 2016 Monterey Restaurants Portola & Peter B’s
Upscale Dining & Casual Options At The Portola Hotel & Spa If you're in Monterey on holiday and are wondering where you can get a good turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, two places are providing the appropriate stuff for so you can stuff yourself. The Portola Hotel and Spa and Peter B's Brewpub at the back of the Portola are each have Thanksgiving dinners. One is a … [Read more...]
Monterey Hotels Portola Spa 2016-17 Winter Package Deals
Bottomless Mimosas Or Craft Beer From Peter B's The Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, has a trio of package deals for the winter of 2016-17. Each package includes drinks, either bottomless mimosas or craft beers. They include the room, the heated pool and Jacuzzi and poolside cabanas and WiFi. The packages are good from October thru Jan. 31. Here are specifics … [Read more...]
How To Experience The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2019 For Free
Classic Cars Are On Diplay In Monterey During This High-End Event The Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, CA – home of the famous golf course along the ocean that's host to the PGA Tour's AT&T Pro-Am – is one of the most prestigious events on the annual automotive calendar. Pristine cars from all over the country roll in for it, which is a series of … [Read more...]
Carmel & Monterey: Top California Destinations For Wine, Food & Relaxing
Enjoying A Pair Of Coastal Travel Paradises By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger When a traveler thinks of California, the palm trees of the Southern California coast, the Hollywood celebrities of Los Angeles and the Golden Gate Bridge and restaurants of San Francisco often come first to mind. Yet California is as diverse as it it big. There are also … [Read more...]
National Craft Beer Week Peter B’s Monterey Daily Specials
Local Brews, Food Pairings & Live Music Scheduled For May 16-22 Naturally, something such as National Craft Beer Week can't go without recognition at one of the top craft beer places in Central California. In fact, Peter B's Brewpub behind the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, has a full week of daily specials to signify this celebration of craft beer across … [Read more...]
Peter B’s Brewpub Craft Beers Monterey Hotel Package
Portola Hotel & Spa Offering Brews & A Bed Monterey (and neighboring Carmel) may be best known for wine when it comes to beverages, but it's also a bit of a brewing mecca when it comes to beers. And the area's leader in craft beers is Peter B's Brewpub, which has won several national awards. Now, in conjunction with its partner and neighbor, the Portola Hotel … [Read more...]
Top 5 Fun Things To Do (Some Free) In Monterey, CA
Wine Tasting, Walking, Biking & Sea Car Tours One of PubClub.com's favorite places to visit is the lovely little city of Monterey, CA. Clinging to the edge of Monterey Bay with its deep blue waters, kelp floating at the surface from the kelp forests below and sea otters laying on their back cracking shells, it's an ideal California coastal getaway … [Read more...]
Portola Hotel Offers Bottomless Mimosas Brunch Winter Rates
Monterey Accommodations With Fine Food At Jack's Restaurant The Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey, CA, is celebrating the arrival of 2016 well beyond New Year's Eve. It is offering a package deal thru the month of January that includes its brunch buffet – which comes with bottomless mimosas - starting at $199/night. The brunch – normally just $19.99 anyway … [Read more...]
Peter B’s Brewpub Great Craft Beers & Food In Monterey
Why Locals Fill This Popular Restaurant & Bar Behind The Portola Hotel You don't even have to walk into Peter B's Brewpub to know this is a popular place among locals in Monterey, CA. It's evident from the people sitting around the outside fire pits, all with craft beers in front of them. And once you get one of those beers – or perhaps some Monterey … [Read more...]
Whaling Station Monterey Review: Great Steaks In A Seafood Town
Top-Notch Cannery Row Restaurant Also Makes 'The World's Best Caesar Salad' Table Side In an area where seafood is the predominant style of restaurants, there is one place where steaks are the king of the menu. It's the Whaling Station Steakhouse in Monterey, CA. Just steps from the famous Aquarium of the Pacific behind Cannery Row - where seafood restaurants are … [Read more...]
Peter B’s Monterey Wins Another Craft Beer Award
World Beer Championships Awards Silver Medal To 'Sum Of Hours' Imperial Red A beer with carmel notes in an oak whiskey barrel wooed the judges at the World Beer Championships and has earned another award for Peter B's Brewpub in Monterey, CA. Peter B's “Sum of Hours” Imperial Red earned 88 of a possible 100 points and won a Silver Medal at the World Beer Championships … [Read more...]
Sea Car Tours Monterey Sightseeing Is Fun, Fun Fun
Reviewing This Tourist Ride Through Cannery Row & Pacific Grove In an area with a lot of activities to keep tourists busy – taking scenic walks, bike rides and wine tasting, just to name three – there's something else in Monterey CA, that's a real kick in the pants. It's Sea Car Tours, a three-wheeled bright yellow (could it be any other color!?) mini convertible … [Read more...]
Haute Enchilada Cafe Moss Landing Food & Cocktails
Restaurant & Bar An Oasis Off Highway 101 In Monterey Bay For many travelers, it's a potential distraction on the way to a destination. A small cluster of restaurants by a seemingly small harbor along busy US 1 between Monterey and Santa Cruz. For others, tho, Moss Landing is a destination. And after spending an evening eating and drinking like a Spanish conqueror at … [Read more...]
Monterey CA Wine Tasting Rooms Locations & Reviews
Cannery Row & Downtown Locations, Hours & Flight Prices By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger One of the biggest drawbacks to wine tasting is either having to find a designated driver (good luck!) or join a tour or hire a driver, both of which can be expensive ($100 and up, per person). But in Monterey, CA, you can go wine tasting while walking. … [Read more...]
Monterey Restaurants Tarpy’s Roadhouse Review – A Great Dining Destination Restaurant
Why This Traditional Spot Is One Of The Area's Top Dining Destinations Great meals, much like wine tastings, are about more than the flavor of the food or beverages. They are about the flavor of the experience. And as any local or long-time visitor to Monterey, CA knows, Tarpy's Roadhouse restaurant excels in both areas. Tarpy's is as much a part of the landscape of … [Read more...]
10 Reasons To Visit The Beach House Pacific Grove (Especially #5)
Great Food & Drink At Lover's Point In Monterey Bay There are a lot of great restaurants in Monterey Bay. You can find them in Cannery Row, clingling like coral on Fisherman's Wharf, all over Carmel and tucked into cute neighborhoods in Pacific Grove in the manner of San Francisco. Some have great food and some have fantastic views. A few have both, and one of the best … [Read more...]
Peter B’s Brewpub Has Monterey’s Best Dinner Bargain
Delicious Buffalo Chili By Fisherman's Wharf If we were to tell you that you could eat dinner in Monterey for $9, you would probably curl up your nose, give us one of those football stiff arms to establish your distance and protest by saying "no I don't want to hear it,"' figuring we're about to send you to some seedy place where a bartender named Moe pours out … [Read more...]
Portola Hotel Teams Up With Sea Car Tours For Monterey Travel Package
A Fun Ride & Accommodations By Fisherman's Wharf There are a lot of fun things to do in Monterey, CA, and the creative folks at the fine and friendly Portola Hotel & Spa seem to have a package for every one of them. The latest involves buzzing around in a tiny convertible of sorts – perhaps the ultimate way to see Monterey Bay. It's the Sea Car Tours Package and it … [Read more...]
Jack’s Monterey Portola Hotel Bar Wines & Happy Hour
Local Wines Are Paired With Napa & Sonoma Selections First of all, congratulations to Jack's Restaurant and Lounge in Monterey (CA)'s Portola Hotel for having won a Wine Spectator award for its wines. Jacks Restaurant & Lounge has undergone a complete overhaul of its wine list within the last two years. The wine program includes a selection of eclectic wines that … [Read more...]
Abalonetti Seafood Monterey Review: An Excellent Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant
A Unique Approach To Calamari Plus House Speciality Cocktails The most difficult decision to make when visiting Monterey Bay, California, is not whether to go to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium (you will), to go wine tasting (a no brainer) or to walk along the water (a given). It's where to eat. And not just at which restaurant, but the location of the … [Read more...]
Monterey, CA’s Restaurant 1833 Has a Happening Nightlife Bar Scene
Hidden Upscale Gem Has a Large Drink Selection, Awesome Cheddar & Bacon Biscuits And Looks Like New Orleans By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger Did I make wrong turn and wind up in New Orleans? Am I walking in downtown Monterey or in the French Quarter? While there's little similarity to Alvarado Street and Bourbon Street, there is a place … [Read more...]