The sun rose without you this morning. Not to worry; you're on the ultimate women's weekend in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Besides, you've heard the sunsets are spectacular. So ease into it. Toss on the sweats you picked up when you pulled into town, grab the girls and wander down to that white stretch of sand known as Carmel Beach for a friendly fitness stroll. It's a good warm-up before your appointment at one of the day spas in town for a rejuvenating morning of massages, facials and maybe even a mani-pedi before lunch, overlooking the gardens at La Playa Hotel.

After a little more shopping at the Aspen-style Carmel Plaza, you wander out onto Carmel's main shopping street, which rolls through the middle of town. Styled in a most Bavarian tradition, with its gingerbread architecture and floral window boxes, cobbled passages and café dining, this is Ocean Ave., a legendary street the locals once resisted paving.

Today, Ocean Ave. is home to many of some 90 art galleries, as well as clothing boutiques, cafés and bistros, specialty and souvenir shops. Locals and visitors alike know that an entire day can be quickly ransomed by shopping one's way down one side of the long, downhill slope and looping around to the other before it reaches the sand and spills into the ocean.

The ocean-bound boulevard invites beachcombers to take a break from the sun and walk uptown for a snack or change of scenery. But don't forget to cover up; a century-old covenant still restricts bikini-clad shoppers from shocking the streets of Carmel.

While Ocean Ave. has much to offer, a myopic shopper would spend all her time on "Main Street," missing out on the labyrinth of side streets and passageways whose offerings are equally rewarding. Such as Dolores St., which bisects Ocean Ave. and has become a haven for art galleries and antique shops of all genres, as well as its own eclectic array of clothing boutiques, bistros and specialty shops. Another "artery" is Sixth Avenue, whose three-block expanse parallels Ocean Ave. to offer yet another vein of interesting art galleries and restaurants.

Along a valley road that wanders some 15 miles through the verdant terrain, you will encounter three 18-hole golf courses, among them Rancho Cañada, Quail Lodge and the Carmel Valley Ranch. Characterized by warm days and cool nights, the climate, coupled with a course, gravely soil that challenges vines but enhances the flavor in the fruit, creates an ideal environment for growing grapes in what has become one of the finest wine regions in the world.

Not everybody knows that.

Renowned for its coastal splendor, the Monterey County landscape is also dedicated to nearly 40,000 acres of wine grapes and some 75 wineries and growers, whose tasting rooms clustered throughout the valley and in Carmel-by-the-Sea provide testament to the quality of the crush.

With great golf, fine wine and a wonderland of extreme sports and outdoor activities, it's also a great getaway for the guys. Maybe next time.