At Sanctuary Beach Resort, simple pleasures include gathering around a beach bonfire with your nearest and dearest.
Sanctuary is such a fine word, especially now. And although the owners of California’s Sanctuary Beach Resort resort couldn’t have realized it when they dreamed up this enchanting beachside retreat, they created the ideal place for couples to gather with their nearest and dearest after the world regains its footing. With its generous spaces and fresh Pacific breeze, there couldn’t be a more fitting spot to embark on a great new adventure.
Old School Charm
Off Highway 1 in the hamlet of Marina, just north of Monterey, 19 acres command glorious Pacific views and plenty of quiet (cars aren’t allowed on the main property). Part resort, part timeshare, 60 guest rooms and suites are tucked into rustic-chic cottages — which, by the way, would make a fine honeymoon option. Plus they’re pet-friendly, so you can bring the whole household. Sanctuary is part of a new wave of hotels adopting an old school outlook to vacationing, with retro-style beach cruisers, bonfires, nature walks, and star-gazing. Wedding planners will happily help you organize group outings for your guests, whether a hike up the coast or a stunt kite lesson.
The Cannery Room’s thoroughly California take on a reception, with beach house design, simple crockery, and ample sunlight.
The Main Event
The best spots for a wedding ceremony are the outdoor beach-bluff patio or the Lodge Lawn. Count yourself extra-lucky if a migrating whale makes an appearance. For receptions, that same patio at the Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette is the place. People say that just-married couples rarely taste the food at their reception, but that would be a tragedy. The restaurant, which features live fire cooking on a Santa Maria grill, specializes in food that is local, fresh, and seasonal. So local, in fact, that you won’t be able to decide on most of your menu until just three weeks before the wedding, when you’ll receive a list of options featuring what’s growing in the Salinas Valley. One favorite choice available year-round is the “roadside barbecue,” starring tri-tip steak and spicy ginger slaw.
At the Sanctuary Beach Resort, the wooden pathway leads to the most popular wedding spot.
After the reception you could gather around a pair of fire pits for post-reception nightcaps or s’mores. But instead of a day-after brunch, you might decide to sleep in and order a room service breakfast picnic. Then take it out to your patio and start married life to a soundtrack of the Pacific surf.
