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Bernardus Lodge & Spa Reviews

Bernardus Lodge & Spa

Bernardus Lodge & Spa

Carmel Valley, CA
4.7 out of 5 rating, 24 Reviews
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Reviews

4.7 out of 5 rating
24 Reviews
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100% Recommended by couples

Awards

24
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
  • Katie
    Katie C. Sent on 11/11/2019
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    Exceptional Wedding Location and Team

    Bernardus Lodge was a dream wedding destination! Stacey and the entire Bernardus staff went above and beyond to make our wedding wonderful for our family and friends. Our family and friends are still raving about the food, wine, garden, and staff. Many of our family and friends also stayed at Bernardus and loved it - especially the pool and dining!

    Stacey is so responsive, organized, and kind. She always had an answer to our questions and personalized the entire experience for us. We didn't worry about a thing on our wedding day thanks to Stacey. We highly recommend choosing Bernardus for your wedding! It was perfect!
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    Louise Sent on 08/12/2020
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    Perfect Wedding Venue!

    We knew we wanted to have a wedding experience that included the expansive ocean off Carmel Beach and the beautiful warmth and forested hills of Carmel Valley. After extensive research and visits to at least 4 other potential venues, we were completely taken by Bernardus’s gardens, simple elegance, and wonderful team. The ceremony space was exactly the size and feel we sought, including the winding path through lavender and beehives, through the geometric rose beds and bubbling fountains. The food and wine were also incredible. We opted for an all-vegetarian menu and even our meat-eating guests were effusive about the quality and flavors.

    The hall for dinner and dancing were well-suited to our needs as well and the staff were amazingly kind and professional. In particular, Nicole Cabantac, our main point of contact and coordinator the day of our wedding was an endlessly warm, responsive, and thoughtful guide through a complex and at times overwhelming process. She laid out all the options for us in our first meeting, kindly walked us through a number of questions around details and specific requests and organized everything with patience and finesse.

    The day of she was calming and engaged. She helped to coordinate all the various vendors to ensure we could focus on our guests and enjoying the experience fully. We also enjoyed the discounted night stays before and after the ceremony to give the bride and party a space to get ready in a relaxed way, and for us to enjoy a relaxing couple of days following the wedding to bask in the glow of the warm Carmel Valley sun and Bernardus’s beautiful surroundings.

    We can’t recommend Nicole and Bernardus highly enough!
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    Molly Sent on 11/27/2018
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    Best wedding venue ever

    Our wedding was in October of 2018.

    My family and I have been coming to Carmel for 15+ years and even as a little girl, I always pictured myself getting married at Bernardus. So it was a dream come true when we chose them for our venue! Our coordinator was Stacey Clapp and I have to say, she deserves an award. I probably sent her 100 emails with random questions about every little thing for a year and she was ALWAYS so helpful and sweet. She is definitely meant to be a wedding coordinator. Everything else about our experience with Bernardus was incredible as well. It is, of course, an expensive venue but in my opinion, it was worth it! They did everything to make our wedding day feel magical.

    Our ceremony was in the garden, cocktail hour on the game lawn, dinner on the Lucia patio, and dancing inside the ballroom. Each location was beautiful and perfect but I think the garden ceremony MADE the event. It was amazing. We received so many compliments from guests that it was the best wedding venue they'd ever been to because of the location and backdrop, the hotel design and layout, and the service. I can't wait to go back to Bernardus! Hopefully for our one year anniversary :)
  • illustration stars

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  • Melissa
    Melissa B. Sent on 04/29/2023
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    Heavenly in every way.

    Bernardus Lodge and Spa was an unforgettable and beautiful
    Experience. All our guests loved it. But more importantly, the venue created such an intimate feeling amongst our guests. We were married in the Rose Garden and the beauty of that day will live in our hearts forever. The staff (especially Nicole Cabantes) were outstanding in helping us create a wedding we will continue to love for the rest of our lives. I am writing this five YEARS later and I am filled with gratitude.
  • Matt and Kaela
    Matt A. Sent on 03/31/2018
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    My wedding was in September of 2017.

    Wow. I was honestly stunned at how beautiful the Rose Garden was, and was SO pleased at how well Bernardus handled the details. Even though it was Nillybeth’s first wedding at Bernardus, it was literally flawless. She went out of her way to make things work—like getting the suite early enough for us to take pictures in—and was super responsible and friendly. She was incredibly helpful with all my questions and concerns, and was organized enough to cover my difficulty with that subject. :P Everything went so smoothly, and we were treated incredibly well.

    The Vineyard Villa Suite we stayed in was honestly fairy-tale worthy. It was easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever stayed in. It was gorgeous, I almost can’t even describle how luxe and amazing it was. The awesome outdoor-indoor shower was a big hit!

    The wedding staff handled absolutely everything during the wedding, and it was so seamless and effortless for us. Food and cake was packaged, small decorations around the garden were packed for us, everything. They organized with the vendors so we didn’t have to coordinate, were great when working with those vendors, and it was just an awesome experience.

    Highly recommend. The quality of service and the sheer luxuriousness of the venue were honestly unbeatable for the price.
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    Rebecca Sent on 12/30/2015
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    Bernardus was an absolutely lovely venue to get married at—I cannot say enough great things! Our venue coordinator, Stacey Clapp, was an angel, and probably the best vendor we worked with in this whole process. Always so friendly, cheerful, competent, and able to help us with whatever we needed and answer all our questions. The venue was stunning, and the perfect setting for the romantic garden wedding we envisioned.

    Stacey helped us tailor the menu to exactly what we wanted, communicating with the chef and pastry chef to handle special requests including creating a custom appetizer, and providing a cookies & milk dessert bar. (Also, it was ALL SO TASTY!! We got a ton of compliments on the food and drinks).

    Day of, everything was executed flawlessly, and Stacey easily adjusted our plan to deal with it being chillier than expected, providing blankets and outdoor heaters to make our dinner in the garden cozy and lovely.

    The whole experience—the weekend, leading up to it, handling final details afterwards—everything was handled really well. For example, Stacey made us a last minute reservation at the Lucia restaurant, helped us organize a semi-private family breakfast for our parents and step-parents, and helped arrange for our room to be on the opposite side of the hotel from our parents, so we could have a little privacy!

    During our entire 4-night stay there the staff and service was incredible, from waiters to the room service staff to the doorman, looking after our requests flawlessly and making us feel like it was our special time. That whole weekend felt just like a dream.

    (The only thing I wish was that they had a separate space for the bridal party to get ready in, instead of just our room; this seemed common at other venues we looked at.)
  • User2321555 Sent on 09/17/2015
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    Stacey Clapp, our wedding coordinator was amazing. Not a detail was missed and I couldn't imagine a more perfect romantic place to host a wedding. I highly recommend Bernardus for anyone looking to host a Fete event! Your guests will be stunned at the beauty of the wedding garden & property.
  • User2173878 Sent on 06/10/2015
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    We had an amazing wedding at the Bernardus. The entire staff was wonderful to work with, specifically Katie Rupp who is the wedding coordinator on staff. The whole team was professional, responsive, flexible, and took care of the entire day so seamlessly! The venue is gorgeous and honestly, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding.

    Thank you!
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    Tracy Sent on 01/12/2015
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    The best hotel experience of my life. From the fresh brewed coffee and wine delivered to the room upon arrival to the very necessary umbrellas scattered around the resort for use by all guests, Bernardus provided everything we needed, when we needed it. I would not only recommend this venue to everyone I know as a wedding venue, but this hotel will absolutely be a location for many more vacation for my husband and me.
  • User1220244 Sent on 06/28/2013
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    Bernardus Lodge is beautiful and relatively small and private. It was awesome for our wedding for around 45 people. The venue was able to do all the catering we wanted including our cake (All Amazing!!), though it was our option. And the entire staff was so friendly and awesome! Even the housekeeper who stopped to freshen my room on the wedding morning was excited and wrapped me in a great big hug of congratulations!!
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    Mika Sent on 06/24/2013
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    For the first time my husband I walked into this place, we knew that this is where we are gonna get married. I am SO glad that we chose here!
    What is most important thing about your wedding?
    Flexibility - Bernardus Lodge does only one wedding per day. You get to pick your own time line. Entire stuff at Bernardus Lodge will focus on you and your day only. Scenery - Bernardus Lodge is surrounded by beautiful valley and mountain. 360 degree. They have grapevine, pool, loan, beautiful indoor/outdoor fireplace...on site restaurant, natural flowers and trees everywhere. It's stunningly beautiful. You have ceremony at little garden, cocktail hour at loan, guest can enjoy playing bocce game...and reception inside hall. It's so nice to go one place to another in one event. Food - Hands down, the best wedding food I ever ate. There is no question that food is important. Bernardus Lodge executed this to perfection. Hor devours has great selection, and dinner is served as presidential style! Your guests won't be hungry after at all. They gave you great portion of lobster and steak...even vegetables that comes with it is so delicious you wanna eat them at all. Steaks will melt in your mouth and oh desert. I have guests still calls and talks about how great food was. Stuff - From valet, concierge to room service, people at Bernardus Lodge is commit ed to give you absolute best customer service you ever experience. They are friendly, helpful and great to work with. We had the greatest day/greatest wedding at Bernardus Lodge, I couldn't be any happier at everything. I was so happy the day of wedding and stuff at Bernardus Lodge took great care of us, so I didn't have to worry a thing. Thanks to that, I remember every single moment of my day.
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    Nikki Sent on 09/09/2011
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    My husband and I had our wedding here on 08-27-11.... Perfection, perfection, perfection!!! The staff are truly talented, patient, amazingly helpful, and kind. What a wonderful memory we and all of our guests have of our wedding day (and weekend). Everyone is still talking about it, and a lot of people are saying it is the best wedding they've ever been too...I of course would have to agree :-) The food here is PHENOMENAL!! The Service is Exceptional! The scenery is breathtaking. There is not one thing I regret about having our wedding here. Thank you Bernardus, and a particular thank you to Nicole Cabantac (event coordinator for Bernardus) who helped make our day go as wonderful as it did!!!
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    Candice Sent on 09/03/2010
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    When we first visited Bernardus, the beautiful grounds and scenery, great service, and delicious food made us quite certain that this was the place for us. Working with Nicole and Amy when planning our wedding went very smoothly and all of our questions were answered fairly promptly and thoroughly. Bernardus seemed very open about customizing portions of the ceremony and reception, and it was great to be able to just hand them a box of special ceremony items, and photos and other decorations for the reception, and trust that everything would be set up perfectly just as we discussed. After the ceremony, we were even able to go into the vineyard near the wedding garden for pictures. I lost track of how many guests commented how "perfect" everything was, and my husband and I just can't say enough how awesome Bernardus is.
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    Deja Sent on 02/07/2010
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    From the moment we walked through the door, we knew that this was the place! The staff is very helpful and friendly without being invasive or over the top. Nicole Cabantac was a great coordinator... guided us well and worked within our budget, excellent attention to detail, nothing was missed and everything looked better than I imagined. Beautiful property, very comfortable and beautiful rooms. I had my hair and makeup done at their spa and while they did a good job it took much longer than anticipated. Be sure to leave more than enough time...
    Overall review - excellent!
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    Joan Sent on 10/20/2009
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    Our cocktail hour and wedding reception were absolutely beautiful and perfect and we couldn't be happier! The service was great, and their staff is very accommodating with the odd requests you can come up with for a wedding. They allow only one wedding on a given day, so you will always get the best service they can offer. The food was delicious and Cali-organic, the cake was great, and they produce their own wine which adds to their charm. We did the buffet, so we were not aware of any issues with serving and we did not print menus. We had to jazz up the ballroom a bit, but the rest of their grounds- vineyard, rose garden, croquet green, mountain views- leave a lasting and romantic impression. We had access to the vineyard for pro photos and I went in there myself to snap a few more after the wedding. The prices are high, but they know your expectations will be just as high too. There are more inexpensive places to get married, but this venue is intimate and heavenly and they will take care of you and any worries. We considered risking a foggy wedding in Carmel by the Sea and we are so glad we decided to stay in warmer, blue sky Carmel Valley! We extended our stay here because we couldn't leave, the rooms are very comfortable.
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    Renee Sent on 09/07/2016
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    Bernardus is a beautiful property. The staff went above and beyond to make sure that our day was special. Everything was more than we had hoped for.
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    Brittney Sent on 05/06/2015
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    My husband and I were married at Bernardus Lodge this past April and it was the first event they held at the space since the remodel. We were both a little nervous about whether the space would be completley ready for our event, but the staff at Bernardus worked tirelessly and everything came together to perfectly in the end. The remodel is absolutely stunning and the level of service and professionalism was nothing short of 5 star. My husband and I, plus a number of our guests stayed in the rooms and they were very stylish while also being cozy and inviting. The spa was really spectacular and serene, it was a great place to destress. I really can't speak highly enough about the staff, both over the course of our stay and on the day of the wedding. An event that can be very stressful was made much less so thanks to their hospitality and professionalism. If you are looking in the Carmel/Monterey area, then add Bernardus Lodge to your list. We'll be coming back for years to come to remember our amazing day.
  • User1641534 Sent on 06/01/2014
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    Great venue only issue we had was there was a major ownership change, but that has all settled out and should be great going forward.
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    Shery Sent on 09/01/2013
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    The location: My guests were stunned at the beauty of the wedding garden. We did the ceremony facing the mountains rather than on the wedding terrace. The mountain view was breath taking. The food: 5 stars. I am from NYC area and am a foodie. With that in mind , my standards are pretty high. We had the risotto balls, Blt sandwiches, lobster spring rolls, pizzas, and lamb chops. The guests raved about the risotto balls and lamb chops the most. . The mushroom soup is absolutely to die for. . We had the filet and sea bass for dinner. So many of my guests told me it was the best wedding food , steak, and fish they ever had. A few told me they could have been eating in a fancy steak house and would not know the difference. Bernardus does not use hot plates or food warmers. The food is made, plated and brought to the table.

    The staff: Every one here is so helpful from the minute you get in. The valet is right there to help with cars and bags. Our banquet captain Colin executed the food service to perfection. Finally, my wedding coordinator Kristin was absolutely fantastic. From the beginning of this process she was on top of everything. If I sent her an email asking a question she answered it immediately. She was meticulous in a non obtrusive way about getting all the details correct. On the wedding day she was there to make sure all the hiccups were taken care ie we were very late due to traffic and Kristen took care of all the problems that caused.

    This place will always hold a special place in my heart and I cannot recommend it enough. It's stunning. The staff is kind and competent. The food service excellent. It is pricy but worth every penny.
  • User1545985 Sent on 02/27/2014
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    An absolutely stunning resort, we had our ceremony in the garden, cocktail hour on the croquest lawn, and dinner back in the garden. Bernardus staff is the highest caliber, and made every aspect of our day unforgettable and even beyond our expectations. The food is amazing - chef cal stamenov is a great talent. We maxed it out at about 150 guests, so it is only for smaller events, but the intimacy is what makes it special.
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    Subarna Sent on 08/14/2008
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    Loved the food and the flexibility in menu, location, and decorations. They do a lot of day-of stuff for you. A couple of things did happen: we changed our side dishes with the coordinator, which didn't get forwarded to the kitchen, so we ended up with the wrong side dishes, which no one seemed to notice because everyone loved the food. Some things from the reception also got lost after the wedding, but were found within 24 hours, also no big deal. Overall the guests loved the location and the food, and the service was very accommodating.
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    Sarah Sent on 05/15/2008
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    A truly beautiful place to stay... I wanted to move in after being there a few days!
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    Jill Sent on 02/23/2009
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    The lodge was beautiful and the staff extremly helpful.
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    Trieu Sent on 01/07/2008
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    On the surface, Bernardus is a great place to get married. The staff was incredibly helpful during the planning, though they were slow to respond at times (especially for such a small lodge). They were quite accommodating on all our requests. Yet, on the actual wedding day, not all our requests were met. The wedding cake was not done to my specifications. I asked for fondant and got buttercream instead. I asked for Swiss dots and there were none. The proportions of the tiers was all wrong.
    The menus were not tucked into the napkins and neither were the napkins not folded correctly. The tables were the wrong size and were almost set up incorrectly. Fortunately, my husband checked on them and found the problem before the ceremony had started.
    The coordinator said the winery would be open for us to go in and take pictures after the ceremony but they were tightly locked and we never got pictures in the winery. That was a bit disappointment because I really wanted my wedding to be at a winery and none of my pictures really reflects that due to our lack of access to the winery itself.
    The dinner service was great, in that everyone at the same table was served at the same time. However, the kitchen must not have been running on time because all four courses took much longer to get through than anticipated.
    During the planning process the staff at Bernardus made it seem as if everything we asked for was possible. On the actual day, they did not deliver as promised.
    The good points of the venue include the beauty. The site was made with weddings in mind and can accommodate the smallest weddings to weddings as large as 200. The site is majestic, secluded and wonderfully romantic. The food quality was well beyond any other wedding dinner I've ever had, as well as on par with the most expensive of restaurants. The rooms are luxurious and they do their best to make you feel pampered. However, be prepared to pay out the nose for all these things!
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