We have had a vacation home for about 9 years now. We have actually had two -- the first one we had for about 4 years and then we "upgraded" to a different house in the same town but closer to the beach. We love being able to go there whenever we want to (schedules permitting), not having to check in or check out at specific times, being able to invite friends for the weekend if we want to, and knowing that our kids will have memories of this place when they're older. It's about an hour and 40 minutes from home, so manageable for a day trip if necessary. We have all bills related to that house sent to our main address. The house is in a neighborhood with full-time residents who would call us if they noticed anything amiss, and we do have an alarm system for fire/smoke, flooding, power outage, etc., and our home phone gets called if any of those alarms goes off. We also have the house cleaned once a month partly so there is someone in the house at least that often to notice if anything is awry. Unfortunately, over the past 1-2 years we haven't spent as much time there as we'd like, mostly because of our kids' schedules, but we go there almost all summer weekends and we always spend three full weeks there every summer. We used to go about one weekend per month in the off season too, but that's the part that has changed the most because our kids have so much going on. But, eventually when we retire, DH and I plan to spend lots and lots of time there -- not full time, but most of the spring and summer. I was sort of afraid to buy a second home at first, but it's worked out really well for us. PS another thing I love -- keeping some clothes there as well as toiletries, etc., so when we go there for a weekend, we generally only need one small bag for the whole family -- usually just books we're reading, maybe a laptop, etc.

Hello and Welcome One way to coordinate colors between rooms is to ensure that they have a similar or the same undertone, and then make sure that they have the same LRV. I can't tell from my monitor what the undertone of the weekend getaway is, maybe yellow? If so, you can look at colors with a yellow undertone to coordinate with weekend getaway. This is just my take, I'm sure lots of the folks on this forum have other ways of choosing a coordinating color! Some people seem to have a knack for it! It's a beautiful color! Here is a link that might be useful: More info about LRV

I like the double sconce above the nightstand, too. In my bedroom for reading, I have something like this. It's pretty unobtrusive, doesn't take up much room and could be used on the far side of the beds, so when there are couples in one bed, each could have their own light. I have mine on a dimmer cord that I hang on the headboard so I can dim or shut the light off from any sleeping position. All metal finishes are available and they do make some with shades that would be closer to the double sconce style.

I just realized there is a scheduled shuttle from San Jose airport to Monterey, which makes it feasible without a car rental. I really adore the Monterey area. I've been to a number of conferences at Asilomar Conference Grounds in adjacent Pacific Grove. It has a large campus with multiple buildings, a central social hall, and a central dining hall. It is separated from Asilomar State Beach by sand dunes that have a boardwalk. There are always deer and great birdwatching. The beach is not great for swimming, but is popular with surfers and for tidepooling. It's outside Monterey Bay on a promontory, so it is usually a bit cold and windy, so not a great beach for laying out. Lover's Point at the other end of Pacific Grove inside Monterey Bay has a sheltered cove that is better for swimming. Pacific Grove is a cute town with some really great restaurants (Passionfish and Red House are favorites). Monterey has a world-class aquarium, Cannery Row, an a state historic park.