Carmel, California

[Sundial]

Anyone have suggestions on places to stay and things to do in Carmel? We are going out to California with some other couples in November. We''ll spend the first few days at The Lodge at Pebble Beach so the guys can play golf there. We have decided to stay over in Carmel or possibly Monterey since we have never visited this part of California. I would appreciate any thoughts from those who are familiar with this area.

 

[mightyred]

As far as where to stay it all depends on your budget....if money is no object I would stay somewhere like Tradewinds in Carmel.
But it all depends on yoru taste and budget. I stayed in a beautiful, tiny B & B there a few years ago and had an equally fabulous stay!

You must try Katy''s for breakfast.

There are some great walking tours of Carmel (lots of hidden courtyards) , plenty of art galleries,antiques , wine tasting and not to mention Big Sur & the redwoods nearby.

I love it there. You will have a fabulous time.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 10/2/2005 9:40:11 AM
Author:Sundial
Anyone have suggestions on places to stay and things to do in Carmel? We are going out to California with some other couples in November. We''ll spend the first few days at The Lodge at Pebble Beach so the guys can play golf there. We have decided to stay over in Carmel or possibly Monterey since we have never visited this part of California. I would appreciate any thoughts from those who are familiar with this area.

I''d definitely choose Carmel over Monterey......Monterey is more commercialized; Carmel is more intimate.

I loved the Vagabond House Inn in Carmel....it was a few blocks'' walk from the center of town. Lovely cobblestone courtyard with flowers and fountains. I found it charming, quiet, and very romantic. http://www.vagabondshouseinn.com/ Ask for one of the rooms with the gas fireplace off the courtyard.

They serve a continental breakfast in the morning, and you can take that in your room or on the chaise lounges in the courtyard.

Things to do: The Carmel mission in right on the edge of town; very interesting architecture and history. That''s good for an hour or two. The town is loaded with little art stores. The original Thomas Kinkade gallery is in Carmel and interesting to see. There are tons of little shops to stroll in and out of.

In the evening, the entire town strolls down to the extremely pristine white-sand beach to watch the setting sun....highly recommend that experience. It''s at the foot of the main street, and it''s just a short walk back up to the main area.

If you drive south on Route 1, you will cross Bixby Bridge (one of the largest single-span bridges of its time) and follow the Big Sur coastline. (http://www.beachcalifornia.com/bixby.html). At Julia Pfeffer Burns State park (37 milles south of Carmel), you can take a 10-minute walk on a trail that leads to one of only two natural waterfalls on the California coast that fall directly into the ocean.

It''s a beautiful area of the country! I''m sure you''ll enjoy it.

 

[Mara]

There''s alot of cute places in Carmel to stay at..any one of them is good..depending on where you want to be with what amenities.

Downtown Carmel is very cute. Lots of dogs, it''s dog-friendly. Definitely visit Fortuane Jewelers, they are a great antique and estate jewelry store and you can spend an hour in there just trying stuff on (while hubby lurks over near watches and then by the door)...

For food we have tried a bunch of different places along the main stretch and loved each one of them. I think one of them is called Portabella in an older shaped house if I recall correctly, that was VERY good with great soups and a cute ambiance. Also something with Ocean in the name of the restaurant was good too, a bit more ''grill'' like.

There are also a few bakeries that are worth trying, with desserts and cookies and the like if you just walk the strip. If you like dogs and cats they have a great set of pet stores that we loved to visit (even when we didn''t have a pet yet).

I also recommend the mission and you can drive up Hwy 1 a bit (as you exit Carmel make a RT on route 1) and go over more near Carmel Valley which is where Bernardus Inn is, where we stayed, we had a FAB time and love it there, the rooms are great...the restaurant is 5 star and has many accolades and they have a lovely spa too. Oh and they are a winery as well. So we typically stay at Bernardus in Carmel Valley (other wineries and little shops along this road as well, I can''t recall what it''s called but you travel along Rte 1 for a while and then make a left at a light somewhere towards Carmel Valley) and then go into Carmel at night for dinner and then on the last day we drive out and into Carmel for some shopping and lunch and then head home (we live about an hour and a half away).

Anyway I highly recommend Carmel over Monterey in more of a boutique kind of way...if you like boutiques instead of large touristy shops..then stick with Carmel. Monterey has tons more people, lots of tourists and more ''large'' things to do, aka aquarium etc. Nice places to stay in Monterey too but for us it''s not as cute.

Have fun!

 

[Sundial]

Thanks guys for the terrific suggestions! I will check them all out. Now I am getting excited about this little golfing trip my jusband cooked up. Sounds like we can find some other interesting things to do.

 

[movie zombie]

for whale watching, drive up to moss landing: http://www.sanctuarycruises.com/

if you like the carmel mission, drive over to san juan bautista and see another mission with interesting grounds, a town that hasn''t changed much in 100 years, and where you''ll recognize some scenes from hitchcock''s VERTIGO. also, get some bread at the bakery [there''s only one]!

monterey has been described as a good place to live if 1-you''re retired or 2-just married. not lots of night life but there is some. the customs house and some other places are interesting if you''re into early california history. one word re carmel: $$$$.

someone already suggested the drive south down highway 1....but equally gorgeous sans the bridge is going north. gets lovely between santa cruz and san francisco. stop at ano nuevo park and see some elephant seals. stop at red, white, and blue beach if you''re a nudist. go on up to pescadero and eat at Duarte''s. also, get bread at the one and only bakery in the little town. lots of nice beaches to get out and walk around. butano park for redwoods.

oh, and if you get to santa cruz, go see the Mystery Spot.......

weather could go either way in november so a nice place with a fireplace to light at night would be nice!

have fun!

peace, movie zombie

 

[movie zombie]

oh, and check out Pacific Grove for some interesting shops and places to eat....more interesting than Monterey proper.

http://www.viamagazine.com/weekenders/pacific_grove01.asp

peace, movie zombie

 

[Mara]

haha MZ i could never find the stupid mystery spot!

oh and re: san juan, we love it!! we go on saturdays for lunch and eat at terrazos casuelas or whatever it is called, they have the BEST albondigas soup and chocolate mousse and allow dogs on the patio. we haven''t been in a long time but i have been wanting to go recently before it gets too chilly to sit outside. the mission there is great and you can see where el camino real (a main road over here) was more than 100 years ago!

 

[movie zombie]

re the Mystery Spot: http://www.mysteryspot.com/

no excuses for you now, Mara!

Sundial, if you''re into americana music with one of the last really DJ run radio stations 24/7 in the whole of the US, check out 107.5 on the dial while you''re in carmel. you''ll hear everything from the rolling stones, to steve earle, to john hiatt, to hendricks, to laura love, and more .... totally eclectic music station with a loyal following not only across the US but around the world as they stream live from the studio. located in FREEDOM, CALIFORNIA! which is right next to...and i do mean right next to like almost surrounded by...watsonville.

and checkout http://www.esalen.com/place/hot_springs.shtml

i don''t know what the rules are now about getting in and using the natural springs there but i gotta tell you, it is the only place i''ve been where i could sit in a natural springs hot tub sitting on a cliff overlooking the pacific ocean watching the sun set. remember to take any silver jewelry off.....i just looked at the website and note that i was last there in march, 1997 so it appears that its been redone! wow, its even better than before!

Sundial, you''ve got so much to do, you may need to extend your trip!

peace, movie zombie

 

[Capitol Bill]

Just a bit south of Carmel, in Big Sur, is a place called the Post Ranch Inn. My wife and I stayed there once and it instantly became one of our very favorite places to stay in the world. While it''s one of the most expensive hotels I''ve ever visited, for those two nights it was pure heaven, 100 percent indulgence, and well worth it.
Bill

 

[Regular Guy]

It''s been a while since I''d been there, but consider checking out Hearst Castle, in San Simeon. It may take an expansive day, but it''s certainly interesting. Think...the home of Citizen Kane in his final years, as I think it was modeled on this.

Sounds like a wonderful vacation...that''s a part of the country I do love, as well.

Regards,

 

[hoorray]

If memory serves me right, Hearst Castle is a pretty healthy trek from Carmel to do in a day. You''d probably want to make it a several day trip to drive there, take the tour and drive back leasurly, enjoying the Big Sur sceanery.

Big Sur is a fun trip. If you do decide to drive south into Big Sur, south of Julia Pfeffer Burns State park, there is a restaurant called Nepenthe, on the west side of the road. check it out here It''s one of my favorite places anywhere. It''s built out on a point on cliffs high above the water with 180 degree views. You can sit inside or outside by the fire, depending on the weather. The staff is all left over from the Joan Baez days, so think 60 year old hippies... It''s a special place.

Carmel has lots of good restaurants and great shops,beautiful beach, etc. I much prefer it to Monterey, but I definitely think the Monterey Aquarium is worth visiting. It is really well done.

 

[Regular Guy]

Thanks for the web-site, lop, yes, Nepenthe''s is famous, and is on my list for the some day I go there again, and several days for those multiple tours they offer (does anyone do more than one?) at Heart Castle works for me.

 

[Mara]

Hearst is a long way from Carmel, closer to San Luis Obispo. We loved visiting Hearst, but after the one lonnnnggggg tour we were like...okay that was fun, let's go eat!

I loved the indoor swimming pool.