• Aerial view of the white Stonepine Estate mansion and its lawns in the oak-covered hills of Carmel Valley
  • Aerial view of the horse barn and riding arena at Stonepine Estate, Carmel Valley (square crop)
  • The courtyard lounge, string lights and barrel-lined patio of Folktale Winery at dusk, Carmel Valley
  • Guests dining outdoors under shade sails beside the weathered redwood barn at Big Sur Food & Wine
  • Palms and cypress framing the Pacific below Hyatt Carmel Highlands, Carmel
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Custom itinerary

Custom Carmel & Monterey Wine Itinerary

Custom Carmel & Monterey Wine Itinerary

$500.00
$500.00
Sale Sold out

Itinerary design fee, per couple. Credited in full against the trip when you book it with us.

Carmel-by-the-Sea for the town, Carmel Valley for the wine, Big Sur for the drive. Which one gets the most days is the whole question, and it depends on who is coming. We'll build the split around you.

What we'd build it around

  • Stay. L'Auberge Carmel if Aubergine is the point; Hyatt Carmel Highlands for the Big Sur view; Stonepine Estate or MarFarm in the valley; Cypress Inn or Hofsas House for something smaller in town; a Sanctuary or Carmel Retreats cottage for a family.
  • Sip. Holman Ranch, Folktale, Galante, Talbott, Dawn's Dream, Caraccioli for sparkling, Piocho Ranch, the tasting rooms on Dolores Street on foot.
  • Eat. Aubergine for the two stars, Casanova, Cantinetta Luca, Seventh & Dolores, La Bicyclette, Mezzaluna in Pacific Grove, CafĆ© Poppy and Cafe Rustica in the valley, mussels at Pacific's Edge.
  • Days. A Big Sur day with lunch on the cliffs, 17-Mile Drive, the Shadowbrook tram in Capitola, Big Sur Food & Wine in November if the dates fit.

Already like the look of the set trip? Carmel & Monterey, 3 nights from $3,800 per couple is the version we'd take ourselves. The custom one starts from the same book and goes wherever your answers take it.

What the design fee covers

  • A day-by-day itinerary written for you: the hotel, the tastings, the tables, the timings and the driver days, with a line on why each stop made the cut.
  • Every reservation made and held in your name once you book: winery appointments, restaurants, the hotel and the driver.
  • Two rounds of revisions, then a final version you can carry on your phone.
  • A quote for the whole trip, priced per couple like our set trips, with the $500 taken off the balance.
  • A direct line to us while you travel.

How it works

  1. Answer the questions above and add the design fee to your cart. Two minutes.
  2. Within two business days we send a first draft and a quote for the trip.
  3. We revise together, up to two rounds, until it reads like your trip.
  4. A deposit confirms the dates and we make every booking. The balance is due 45 days before you travel, with the $500 credited against it.

The fine print

One design fee covers a party of up to six travelling together; for larger groups, write to us before you buy. The fee is credited in full against a trip booked with Cellar Mouse within twelve months of the first draft. It is not refundable once the first draft has been sent. Flights are never included. Deposits, balances and cancellations for the trip itself follow the same terms as our set trips.

How our trips work

Tell us about the trip

Two minutes. We use this to write the first draft and price it. Anything you're not sure about, leave blank and we'll ask.

What should the wine days be built around? Tick everything that applies.

Your email comes through with the order. We reply within two business days with a first draft of the Carmel & Monterey itinerary and a quote for the trip.
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Custom itineraries in other regions

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