Who wouldn’€™t want to golf on bluffs at ocean’€™s edge?

That’€™s probably what the Del Monte Properties Company (run by by a distant cousin of telegraph inventor Samuel F.B. Morse) had in mind when they acquired much the Del Monte Forest back in 1919. They soon opened Pebble Beach Golf Links and The Lodge at Pebble Beach, and they’ve been going golf gangbusters ever since.

Pebble Beach is now one of the West Coast’€™s ritziest private enclaves, with three upscale resorts, four golf courses and cutting-edge residential estates. Easements preserve hundreds of acres of forest and coastline along 17-Mile Drive, which visitors can enter by paying the $10.25 toll. Nature trails — 25 miles of them — let you access many of the same vistas enjoyed by Lodge guests and Pebble Beach zip code owners.

To experience Pebble Beach to the max, stay at one of the lodges and enjoy the spa and golf perks (e.g., desirable tee times). Or dine at one of the tony restaurants or more affordable pubs and show your receipt (minimum $35 purchase) at the exit gate for a 17-Mile Drive toll refund — probably a tiny dent in the total bill, but it might make you feel better.

Pebble Beach also hosts a number of popular annual events: the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, and the glam Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance classic car show.

See and save more places to create your own itinerary or modify a Bindu itinerary.

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  Photo by Simon Davison
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  Photo by Kevin Rushforth
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  Photo by Simon Davison