“We invite guests to leave their worries behind and savor the gracious intimacy of a resort with Epicurean flair,” Sue Dreyer of Bernardus Lodge said.

The package includes a two-night stay in plush rooms, with daily breakfast for two adults and a selection of activities for the couple to enjoy. Guests will receive a champagne welcome reception at the concierge desk of the Carmel Plaza Shopping Center and a coupon book to shop with, as well as a packed lunch for two provided by Monterey’s resort hotel, Bernardus Lodge. Meanwhile, pets are treated to a two-hour doggie massage and bath at the Signature Paws pet spa in Carmel.

The following day, the couple may relax with an in-room, 50-minute massage, followed by afternoon tea with petit fours for the adults and doggie treats for the pet. A departure gift of handcrafted doggie cookies will also be given.

The couple may enjoy a number of amenities from their deluxe guest room and within the resort, as well. The room comes furnished with a fireplace; fresh-cut flowers; a two-person, deep-soak bathtub; iPod-docking stations; a king-size featherbed, dressed in fine Italian linens; and flat-screen televisions.

Guests may also partake in the complimentary wine grotto, a 24-hour fitness room and two VIP tasting passes at the Bernardus Winery tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. Guests will also have access to the resort’s world-class spa, two tennis courts, croquet lawn, bocce court and outdoor heated swimming pool. Pets will be provided with a dog bed, two bowls, additional all-natural treats and a doggie waste-disposal kit.

Other activities the couple may explore include wine tasting, golf, hiking and horseback riding on 4,400 acres of mountain trails, and a drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea, located just minutes from the resort hotel.

The package is available for as low as $1,355, for all days of the week, depending on vacancy (includes pet-cleaning fee).

For more information about the package or Bernardus Lodge, call 888-648-9463, view the hotel on the web or visit 415 Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley.

Take advantage of the “Ultimate All-VIN-clusive Vineyard Getaway” and you’ll be put up in a “villa” overlooking a vineyard or citrus grove. The package also features a bottle of South Coast Winery wine; a welcome gift; a couples’ massage of 50 minutes (South Coast Classic Massage) at the onsite spa; a Vintner’s Breakfast in Bed for two (which can be partaken in the restaurant, if you’re not the sort to lie in); unlimited wine-tasting privileges; and a $50 gift card for the resort and spa. Rates start at $124 per person (pre-tax).

With the wine-tasting privileges, note that each time you come in (and you can come and go as often as you wish), you’ll be offered five tastes. Though tasting of the “reserve selection” is excluded from this special, the winery produces over 50 varietals, so chances are good that you’ll find something that will resonate with your taste buds.

If you want to stay here without all these extras, the “best available rate” for September weekdays starts at $179 per night (pre-tax). That’s $69 less than the pre-tax package rate, but you’d missing out on some extraordinary value. The “extras” themselves have a total value of over $281 for a couple: The per-person value for the wine-tasting is estimated at $12 per visit. The massages are valued at $105 per person, and breakfast is a full meal for two valued at $32 total. The resort’s marketing department was unable to give me a value for the free bottle of wine, but the lowest price of a presently available bottle at the winery is $15.

If calling in your reservation, ask for the “Vineyard Getaway,” or book online. You must have a minimum of two adults in your party.

This package is available for stays Sunday through Thursday, now through Sept. 30, 2009.

Source: Los Angeles Times