On October 22, 2011 my lovely wife, Deborah, and I were married at the Monarch Cove Inn, a twelve room bed and breakfast located in Capitola, California. Our experience there met and exceeded our highest hopes and expectations so greatly I am compelled to submit this review for the use of anyone searching for a unique and impressive venue to hold an important event, or just for a fantastic vacation spot. We found the setting, management, and service personnel to be top-notch, very pleasant, and accommodating. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and serve as a Monarch butterfly sanctuary. October is prime to experience the butterfly migration and they were fluttering around in abundance to meet our guests
Initially developed in the 1880’s, the Monarch Cove Inn sits ensconced on a hill with a magnificent panoramic view of the Monterey Bay. One of the unique features of the view is the cement ship, scuttled at the end of the pier at Seacliff State Beach and prominently visible to our wedding guests as part of the back drop of our ceremony. From moss-covered trees to green grass and white buildings to the fine decor in our room we found a nice variety of picture opportunities to avail ourselves of as we walked the grounds with our photographer after the ceremony.
Our reception took place on their large canopied deck that allowed in the ocean breeze, but prevented direct sunlight from making us uncomfortably warm. The 2.6 acre property has the illusion of being much larger and beckoned our guests to explore the different areas, including grassy areas, one ideal for bocce ball, a wooded area and the creatively designed gardens.
In the morning we woke to an amazing red-sky sunrise over the bay visible from our bed through the large bay windows in the Ocean Mist Suite, another unique aspect of the Monarch Cove Inn. The shape of the bay and the location of the Inn allow for a view of the sun rising over the ocean, a rare sight for most of us who live on the west coast. As part of the wedding package we had rented all twelve rooms for two nights, each of which was uniquely and assiduously furnished. As a result many of our close friends and family stayed to enjoy the whole weekend with us. After the wedding celebrations subsided many of our party walked down to Capitola Village, a short trek from our mountain getaway to one of the most popular night life spots around. Sunday morning we all convened for and outdoor breakfast, which was served on a deck by the Carriage House rooms.
Perhaps the most salient of reasons we chose to hold our wedding at the Monarch Cove Inn was the fact that we could return to stay there in the future and reminisce our big day. None of the twenty-seven other venues we considered could fulfill that in quite the same way. It was a choice we are both very glad to have made and we know that we will be back.
