Testimonials

“I’m just going to put this out there… This may be the most romantic thing ever.” – My girlfriend after I surprised her with a beach bonfire on Monterey State Beach from Romantic Room Designs.

My girlfriend and I were in Monterey for the Big Sur Half Marathon, and I thought it would be very romantic to watch the sunset from a beach the night before the race.  I found out about this activity through a random Internet search, and boy am I ever happy I did!  The kit includes a setup with a fire, a blanket, ingredients for S’mores, mineral water, and flowers.  This service was worth every penny.

I called Brian (the owner) on Thursday morning and requested a fire for Saturday.  He quickly walked me through the options (feel free to ask him any questions; he knows the local area very well and he tracks the weather conditions carefully).  To summarize, there are two locations to light fires; one in Monterey and one in Carmel.  Since the race packet pickup and our hotel were closer to Monterey, I chose that location.  Many people prefer Carmel because it has a more direct view of the sunset, but the sunset on Monterey State Beach is also very pretty (the sun sets over the hills in Pacific Grove and the city lights start to come on shortly afterwards which makes for a very magical sight).  While we were on the phone, he forwarded me Google Maps with directions and lots of street view pictures and instructions on how to find the setup; it took all of the stress out of planning how to “happen upon” the fire.

Everything went perfectly on Saturday.  We arrived a few minutes before our designated time (which I chose to be 4PM, an hour before sunset), so we had to walk along the beach for a bit and loop around before I surprised her with the fire.  The fire is very close to the beach access point in Monterey, so I suggest you either show up way early and walk a fair distance so a loop looks legitimate or show up on the dot at the designated time.

In a box next to the blanket and fire, you’ll find S’Mores ingredients (a pack of Graham crackers, two bars of chocolate, and a small bag of marshmallows) and skewers, and mineral water and cups (feel free to request still instead of sparkling if you prefer that).  To add a little personal twist, I brought along a saucepan, hot cocoa mix, and UHT milk which doesn’t need to be refrigerated and we made hot chocolate on the fire!  The roses were also lovely…  I would suggest you bring a vase, or if you’d like to be less conspicuous, use a large-mouth water bottle and keep the flowers in the cup holder of your car for the rest of the trip!

There was plenty of extra wood, so we managed to keep the fire going for 1.5 hours (a bit past 5:30PM, just when it started to get a bit nippy).   Cleanup was super easy; we used the little water bottle provided to put out the fire, but I suggest you bring your own larger one just to make sure it’s out.  Then, we just left the skewers and lighter on the blanket and took off to enjoy the rest of our trip.   And don’t worry about wandering in the dark; they’ll give you an awesome LED flashlight which is yours to keep.

My girlfriend was literally floored by the experience.  She had no idea this was coming, and she was laughing and smiling with delight for almost the entire trip afterwards.  She has told me over and over again that she felt like she was the Bachelorette on TV, and all of her female relatives are already atwitter about how wonderful I am (although the male relatives now feel a bit more pressure than they did previously).

The service was top-notch and professional, and the experience was one that we’ll never forget.

Vijay

November, 2012

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A bonfire at sunset was a great way to end our weekend getaway to Monterey Bay. Even though you might think to yourself “I could have done this” let’s be honest now, would you actually have done it? They take care of all the details for you so that your time can be spent on fun stuff during your trip, plus the element of surprise would be damn near impossible if you did it yourself. Unless you’re some kind of ninja. But what kind of ninja would have time to enjoy sunset bonfires in Monterey Bay? Think about it.

Bobby

December, 2011

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It was our first vacation with my boyfriend. He wanted to make it special. He had contacted “Romantic Room Designs” to plan the whole trip for us. The owner of Romantic Room Designs had recommended great hotel, great restaurants and exciting activities (biking along the coast, helicopter ride, private sailing cruise, sunset beach fire) along with the beautiful room setup! I was extremely amazed and almost speechless (but still jumping up & down with big smile on my face!) when my boyfriend showed me all these “surprises”! I felt like the luckiest woman in the world~

When we checked in the hotel, Romantic Room Designs had delivered a gift basket to the hotel room. That was our picnic basket for the bike ride along the coast the next day morning. After the bike ride, my boyfriend took me for a helicopter ride!! One of the most amazing experience in my life, I felt like in the reality TV show! When we came back to the room, the bed was full of rose petals & candles. There were two dozen of roses on the night stand. It is absolutely beautiful & romantic!

Next day, my boyfriend took me for a private sailing cruise. Romantic Room Designs prepared a gift basket for us to enjoy on the boat. In the evening, we went to a beautiful beach in Carmel. When I saw the bonfire on the beach and the “I Adore U” words spelled out with rose petals….. my heart was melted. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset & made s’mores which Romantic Room Designs has prepared for us. I felt so special!

When I thought no more surprise….. Romantic Room Designs had done another gorgeous room setup. There were strawberry covered with chocolate and bottle of champagne. Life can’t be better than this!

Romantic Room Designs had done an incredible job! Absolutely two thumbs up~”Romantic Room Designs” offers many different romantic ideas/services. This is an absolutely amazing experience & wonderful memories for my boyfriend and I!! It is indeed the most romantic vacation ever~ THANK YOU ROMANTIC ROOM DESIGNS!

Cassandra

November, 2011

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Brian,

I have intended to write to you since our bonfire in August and neglected to do so. I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated the bonfire you set up for me and my husband in August. It was absolutely perfect, and I still think about the experience quite often. It was an amazing experience to be able to walk to the beach and see the perfect set up with a lovely view. I initially thought I would be disappointed because the skies were overcast that evening and we wouldn’t be able to see the sun set in the ocean, but I have to admit the fog and the clouds added to the overall ambience. The warmth of the fire made the whole evening feel cozy. One word sums up the whole experience: bliss.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the quality of materials you provided for the bonfire. The blanket was what I expected, but the additional “case” was unexpected and has been quite useful in keeping the blanket contained in my vehicle. The blanket received one small scorched hole from the fire, and I look at that hole fondly because it reminds of this special evening. Also, the roses were more beautiful than some of the ones I’ve received from flower shops. They were fragrant, and I also greatly appreciated the vase that you included so I didn’t have to hunt around for something to store them in.

In short, you gave us an amazing experience and I am so grateful to have found your website. I hope to be in Monterey in the summer, and I’ll likely be looking you up again. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this wonderful and romantic experience!

Gwynn

August, 2011

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We got there and everything went off perfectly. Jewel didn’t even expect it and was surprised that the bonfire was for her. Thanks for a great experience.

Dennis

July, 2011

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Thank you very much for making our anniversary special.  My wife was truely speechless as she was ready to leave the beach after dunking her feet in the cold water of the bay.  I pleasantly told her that we couldn’t as that this fire was set up for us.  All she could talk about to her friends when we returned was how nicely everything was set up.

Steve (June, 2011)

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Thanks, Brian.  We had a great time and we really appreciate the set up.  It was a very nice night for a bonfire and very romantic.  We actually got engaged that night.  : )

Best,

Scott (June, 2011)

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Thank you for helping make our guests so comfortable and our beach bonfire party a success.  I am so glad I discovered your services, and I appreciate your follow-up and your recommendations.

Denise D., May 2011

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My best friend was speechless when we finally got to the bonfire. He tried to read the words written in rose petals and when he was able to figure out that it was meant for him, he was too stunned to say anything. He kept looking at me lovingly, teary-eyed, overwhelmed with the gesture. For about 10 to 15 minutes, he just kept staring at me, shaking his head in shock and awe–and after it kinda wore off, he hugged me and said “Nobody has done anything like this for me! I feel like I’m the most special person on earth right now! And thank you for making me feel like one!”

Long story short, we had the most romantic and wonderful time celebrating his birthday at the beach, watching the sunset together, keeping ourselves warm…..

When we got back to the inn, he could not believe his eyes when he saw the bed with the rose petals, LED flicker lights, and “diamonds”. He was stunned to say the least! He asked me how and where I got these wonderful ideas from. I told him, it was all your ideas and that I wanted to surprise him on his birthday.

Thank you, Brian, for allowing both my best friend and I to experience the most exhilarating and enchanted sunset date ever! We look forward to going back to Carmel….