Part of California’s inland farm belt, the fertile Carmel Valley is dotted with plots growing everything from artichokes and tomatoes to berries and basil, with numerous vineyards scattered in-between. In the heart of the valley, the recently expanded Bernardus Lodge & Spa is set on 28 acres that are just as fruitful, boasting lush chardonnay and pinot noir vines, vast chef’s fruit and vegetable orchards, and colorful gardens blooming with over 50 rose varietals.
The resort’s airy, jewel-box spa pays homage to this natural bounty with treatments like the 50-minute Lavender Bliss, where fresh, resort-grown lavender is hand-crushed and blended with salt and oil to create a gentle, deeply moisturizing body scrub. Following a full-body scrub, guests rinse off with a warm shower, then hop back on the massage table for a therapeutic application of McEvoy Ranch’s melty 80 Acres Lavender Body Balm, made with 81 percent olive oil, plus jojoba, beeswax and vitamin E. The result is skin that is beyond soft and hydrated—and that is connected to the very land guests can spy from their terraces. bernarduslodge.com
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