Carmel Valley
For The Un-tourist

By Camille Cusumano

Leave the chilling coastal fog and within minutes bask in the Mediterranean sun of Carmel Valley. Peel off the layers as you contemplate which sun-drenched nook along this rural county road to settle into.

Carmel Valley Road (G16) bends lazily about 42 miles, southeasterly from Highway 1 to Arroyo Seco Rd. Somewhere you cross into country time. A pastoral symphony of caramelized hills, ranchland, forested ridges, vineyards, and oak woodlands befits the pace.

The further inland you travel, the more the Valley is blessed by the light of an almost desert sun. You're not blitzed by ready-made tourism in the Village, Carmel Valley's sort-of downtown. The Valley's for the un-tourist who loves the un-rushed, un-beaten track.

Resorts fit nature. Quail Lodge's country villas and 18-hole golf green blend seamlessly with a game preserve. Mallards and cinnamon teals share with golfers the tranquility of lakes, Japanese plum trees, weeping willows, and arched bridges. Carmel Valley Ranch, a gated community with suites of Architectural Digest panache, drapes down wooded knolls; deer munch grass as golfers tee off from the championship course.

Ventana Wilderness and Garland Ranch Regional Park are two approaches to the area's natural beauty. Both are laced with trails for hiking or horseback riding. Ventana has sharp- crested ridges, lush valleys, falls, and streams fiowing over walled canyons. This rugged terrain is for strong hikers only. Access it 10 miles down the unpaved Tassajara Road, at China Camp's Pine Ridge trailhead.

Less rugged, with moderate or steep trails, is Garland Ranch, 8.6 miles east of Hwy 1. Stop by the visitor center for a map. Trails ascend from the willow-lined banks of the Carmel River through cottonwoods, sycamores, oaks, past ponds, falls, mesas, Indian relics. A side canyon of redwoods hides there. Feel strong? Hike to a crest of the Santa Lucias and enjoy a vista to the sea.

Given the nature and seclusion along this road, it's not surprising that most lodgings create a world unto themselves.

Besides golf and tennis, there's a host of activities at the self-contained Quail Lodge, (800) 538-9516, or Carmel Valley Ranch, (800) 422-7635: cycling, jogging, horseback riding, swimming, hiking, Jacuzzi-soaking, croquet, picnicking, and fine dining - the Covey (Quail Lodge) and the Oaks (Ranch) serve the finest of California cuisine.

One modest hideaway, high on a ridge, has a romantic panorama and cozy knotty pine rooms. At Robles del Rio, (800) 833-0843, you can watch sunrise and sunset. Curl up in the fireside room with books or just the priceless view. Enjoy surprisingly exquisite dining at Swiss-trained Chef Andre Lengacher's Ridge restaurant here. The JK Corral, (408) 659-3370, across the way, offers trail rides.

History was made at Los Laureles Country Inn, (800) 533-4404, a former ranchero, when Juana Boronda, mother of 15, made the first Monterey Jack cheese in the 1850s. Today Los Laureles' Vanderbilt House serves WineTaster's dinners; local country or jazz musicians jam in the bar weekends; and from these portals departs every Saturday a popular Monterey winery tour and picnic/feast (for guests or non-guests).

Billed as a "luxurious refuge for the very few," the world of Stonepine, (408) 659-2245, is indeed a splurge. Horse and carriage deliver guests who can afford it to a pale pink stone Chateau Noel in oak-dotted countryside. You're served French haute cuisine on Limoges and Royal Crown Derby. Croquet, archery, polo, dressage anyone?

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (a closed monastery during winter) opens its grounds from May to September 10 to guests who like to pamper soul as well as body. In a canyon within Ventana Wilderness, Tassajara has an elegant bathhouse complex over natural hot springs, a contemplative ambience, and fine gourmet vegetarian cuisine. Accommodations - stone and pine rooms, yurts, or redwood cabins - have no electricity. For more information: Tassajara, Reservation Office, 300 Page St., SF, CA 94102 (415) 431-3771.

Three of the area's premium wineries have tasting rooms - call for hours: Chateau Julien (408) 624-2600; Bernardus (408) 659-4300; Joullian (408) 659-2800.

At Valley Hills, across from Quail Lodge, Baja Grill and Filling Station, (408) 625-BAJA, has live music Sunday, 3-6 p.m. At Valley Hills also: Furnishings West Antiques, Tancredi and Morgen Country Store; Wagon Wheel Espresso Bar & Bakery, a breakfast hotspot. At The Crossroads shopping area try country French fare at Kincaid's Bistro. In the Village, try Thai Bistro, Oak Deli, Plaza Linda (Mexican food), and see Tom Ewen's artistic woodworking at 1 Delfino Place.

Information on visitor services: Monterey Peninsula Visitors & Conventions Bureau, 380 Alvarado St., Monterey, CA 93940 (408) 649-1770. Robles del Rio and Los Laureles have pleasant double rooms.