Sunday, September 28, 2025
Inna had one more Birthday surprise for me - a visit to the Refuge Spa at the Carmel Valley Athletic Club.
After an early wake-up at 07:00, we showered and dressed. We walked downstairs to another delicious breakfast at the Stilwell Hotel. There was a wide variety of small prepared items, and I enjoyed some eggs, yogurt, and pastries.
We decided to stroll to the beach before returning to our room, packing, and checking out of the hotel. We then started our drive to the Refuge Spa.
After parking nearby at the Carmel Valley Athletic Club (which had very nice tennis courts), we checked in and changed into swimsuits.
The spa features steam rooms, saunas, and pools with different temperatures (cold, warm, and hot).
We followed the recommended procedure of heating up and then cooling down, starting with a steam room and then cooling off near a fire pit (there were multiple fire pits arranged with chairs). It was quite pleasant to sit and relax.
We tried the sauna, followed by a cold plunge. It was quite refreshing to cool off after sweating for 15 minutes.
We enjoyed our time at the Refuge Spa and would be happy to return again.
Before returning home, we stopped by for a quick lunch at Alta Bakery & Cafe. We ordered the following items to share:
- open-faced sandwich with mushrooms
- soup
- Financier pastry
- 2 x cappuccino
The open-faced sandwich with mushrooms was especially delicious! Our drive home was much faster, due to lower traffic on the road.
Refuge Spa Review
Highlights
- The pools were excellent (with natural-looking rocks, small streams, and waterfalls)
- The property is gorgeous and well-maintained.
Lowlights
- The water in the Refuge Spa's pools is chlorinated (we prefer mineral water)
- Kindles are not allowed (nor any other electronics). I would have enjoyed reading by the fire pit.
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