We took a short trip down to Carmel by the Sea for our mini moon and some R&R. We found this amazing Airbnb a few months back with a full kitchen and large windows overlooking the ocean. The couple who owned the place was super friendly and accommodating. We fell in love with the place as soon as we saw it. 

We spent one of our afternoons exploring Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. The air was a bit crisp and the lighting was perfect:

Wrapped up in a cozy sweater and chai latte in hand, we explored the cypress tree grove trail:

We found a few pockets throughout to sit for a while and enjoy the ocean view.  The waves were relatively calm, and being a weekday, there were few people on the trails.

We also spent some time exploring the little town of Carmel by the Sea and dropped by the White Rabbit. I still remember watching Alice in Wonderland for the first time with my mom when I was little. If you're a big fan of Alice in Wonderland, this is the store for you! 

There were also several galleries and good restaurants, which came highly recommended by our hosts. We haven't tried them yet, but La Balena for dinner, Demetra's , California Market Restaurant, and Cafe Rustica were on our list.

We took it pretty low key, spending our evenings back at the house and cooking together instead. We watched sunset on the beach from the windows and cozied up with blankets in front of the fire stove with glasses of apple cider. 

We had the most beautiful wood fire stove I've ever seen.  When we get our own place one day, I'd love to have these dutch doors that open separately on top!