In this strange time where we are seeking an escape from reality after months of being at home and indoors, I have re-discovered Carmel, California – a perfect mini getaway vacation for you to escape to – with or without kids. This place is both family-friendly and one of the most romantic places in California. It’s a place that feels like you are visiting another country, yet close enough to go on a short weekend getaway from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Central California or even neighboring states!
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If you had a European vacation planned or wanted a taste of Europe culture without going abroad – head to the California Central Coast where shorelines look like shores of Ireland, explore a small town that has the charm of Italy, stay in a hotel that is full of casual European charm and feels like you are in Germany, sample pastries that taste straight from the ovens of Europe like Italian Biscotti, English scones, dine surrounded by sheep feeling like you are in the fields of Scotland, and explore beaches that with magnificent coastlines like the coast of France.
Tip: Did you also know that Carmel has been voted the most “dog-friendly city” many years in a row- many dog-friendly hotels, bowls of water, dog treat places, dogs allowed on the beach, etc. So if you are needing or wanting to bring your pooch along! This is a place to come!
The beauty of a trip to Carmel is that whether you are popping over from the bay area with a quick 2-hour drive, coming up from LA or Ventura County with a 4-5 hours’ drive, or even popping over from Oregon, Arizona (5 hours from Reno, 8 from Vegas) it is still shorter, cheaper and safer than a flight to Europe right now in the midst of Coronavirus travel lockdowns! The trip itself is part of the journey if you travel up or down Highway 1 exploring the sights of California beautiful Coastline.
If you are coming up or down Californias Highway 1, you will get a peak at the beauty you will be soon arriving to with sweeping vistas of shoreline and mountains and winding roads surrounded by the cliffs on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.
If coming from the South: Take California’s Highway 1 as much as you can. Drive up through Oceano Dunes if you want to take your car on Sand Dunes to drive on the actual beach for a new experience! Stop at the Elephant Seal Rookery in San Simeon (not closed during COVID) and see the Elephant Seals sunning themselves on the beach. The area by Big Sur was blocked for several years due to fires and mudslides and recently reopened so you can once enjoy the beauty in that area.
There are a few great beaches/parks you can stop at on the way north – First is Sand Dollar Beach after San Simeon. It tends to be less crowded than Big Sur and has more parking and is open until sunset. Or continue on past San Dollar Beach to Limekiln State Park before Big Sur to see the unique and historic Limekilns and hike to a waterfall (they have been closing early by 4 pm during COVID so check the website for times.)
*TIP: This could be a pro or con depending on how much you want to be disconnected! There is no cell reception along most of this drive from San Simoen to Big Sur so you won’t be able to use your phone to call for open status or find addresses for GPS. Be sure to plug address in ahead of time to GPS or even better download Google Maps for offline use. Restrooms are sparse too. There are bathrooms at the Ranger Station before Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park or at a few of the gas stations.
So the journey TO Carmel can be just as much of an adventure as your time IN Carmel. Take your time arriving to Carmel and seeing the sights on the way, and when you get there I have a great plan for you to enjoy your time in Carmel!
FIRST: Where to Stay: THE HOFSAS HOUSE
I recommend the Hofsas House especially if you are going and want to experience some European Charm – this place is family friendly, dog friendly, couples friendly, and the Hofsas House exudes Casual European elegance with the warmth of family hospitality. As a smaller family owned inn, they can offer excellent service and make you feel at home and safe during this unique travel time. They just celebrated 70 years of service and have earned their place as one of Carmel’s top places to stay. The inn consists of 37 uniquely decorated, spacious rooms, many with ocean views overlooking the pines in the village of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is the perfect walking distance to the beach and a few blocks from main street of Ocean Avenue where most shops and restaurants are. And they are serving a continental breakfast in the morning – you take it to your room during COVID time but there you can enjoy from your balcony with great views! We had a two-room suite with a mini-kitchen and daybed for the kids and a balcony with beautiful views.
The pool was open too and great WiFI and TV. They also offer other packages such as Wine and Cheese packages to greet you! That can make your arrival even more special. AND they are one of the only hotels in the area to have a large room to be used for reunions and company meetings when COVID is not disrupting such activities!
Tip: They are currently offering a Third Nights a Charm special – one-third off regular rate – To book, call (831) 624-2745 and mention code HHCHARM. Hofsas House will reduce a third night’s booking by a third – clearly proving that a third night is indeed a charm. This special offer is valid through September 30th, 2020, excluding holidays and certain blackout dates.
Now onto the Three Days Itinerary for Carmel on the Central Coast of California – this itinerary is great with or without kids!
Day 1 – Explore Carmel and the beach
Afternoon
Arrive in Carmel and check in to your hotel. Get settled and then start your first night with a picnic at Carmel beach and enjoying the amazing sunset.
Evening
Take a walk to downtown. Remember it often gets chilly here so bring a sweatshirt! If you have time before dinner, walk around town a bit and check out all the cute shops and fantastic art galleries – they have over 100 art galleries! Eat on one of the restaurant patios if you are comfortable with that or pick up food to go and head to Carmel Beach for the sunset. Head up Ocean Avenue all the way to the beach. You can download the Carmel Fun App on your app store for some highlights too!
COVID TIP: About 1/3 of the restaurants were not open for takeout or eat in so check restaurants by going to their website. Dametra Café was open, Little Napoli was not.
Pass locals and tourists walking their dogs, admire the large Monterey cypresses trees all around and dig your feet into the soft smooth sand (Goecachers there is a World Cache nearby!). Running up and down the sandhills is a great way for your kids to burn energy after dinner and you can sit in the soft warm sand watching (or join in a game of tag with them) and wait for the sunset. Great to come in the morning or any time of day too! Water can be rough and cold so not ideal for kids swimming (and no life guard) but if your kids are anything like mine, they just love to be on the beach and play in the sand.
Day 2 – 17 Mile Drive and Pacific Grove/Monterey
Morning
Enjoy a slow leisurely vacation morning eating your free breakfast on your deck breathing the fresh salt air. Grab a cooler bag and head downtown to pick up food to pack a Picnic for lunch as you will be heading out for the day! Head to 5th Avenue Deli and Catering and order a picnic lunch to go or check out The Cheese Shop for delicious cheeses, salami and crackers for your picnic.
Early Afternoon
Time to explore!!
The first full day is a great day to do the 17-Mile Drive – see the map here. You have two options – to actually drive it, or if you are a bit more active and have older kids you can take electric bike on the drive from Mad Dogs & Englishmen Bike shop – they have bikes with sidecars you can rent for kids and dogs! A great way to explore the 17-mile drive. This drive has some of the most picturesque and amazing views you will ever see so be prepared to stop a lot and take lots of pictures.
Tip-Best photos spots – really each spot has it’s own uniqueness but here are a few of my favorite stops!
- Tide Pools at Seal Rock Creek – Check the tide charts to see when low tide is and try to visit during low tide -on one side of the street are tide pools by Ocean and the other side is a boardwalk to colorful Gingerbread house
- Cypress look out point- some of the prettiest ocean waves crashing on rocks – and amazing for sunsets too if you are here later in the day
- The Lone Cypress – one of the top 10 most famous trees in the world – it has been on the side of the granite hill for over 250 years
- Ghost Trees at Pescadero Point – Sun bleached Cypress trees with an eerie look and large surf waves often in the background
Evening
If still out for 17-mile drive or before you head back to hotel, stop in Pacific Grove or Monterey for some different sights and for dinner at Cannery Row – former warehouses that once housed sardine canneries are now turned into gift shops and restaurants (many restaurants are open here for outdoor dining bu check ahead of time). After Dinner check the tide for a walk or Tide pooling on Lovers Point Park or Asilomar State Beach (part of 17 mile drive) by Pacific Grove and Monterey – great tide pools and seashell hunting here!
*If you like Wine tasting there are lots of options for wine tasting here too!
Day 3 – Soak in more of Carmel
Morning
After enjoying the morning views from your patio on Hofsas House Hotel, take a morning walk or jog to the nearby Carmel Mission Trail Nature Reserve Park. The Park is located at the intersection of Carmel Country Road and Carmel Mission Road. With easy parking, this 34-acre park has three miles of hiking trails, cute bridges to cross and a native plant garden. The Preserve’s habitats include a Monterey pine forest, coast live oak woodland, wetland, willow riparian corridor and a coastal prairie. Take the 1.5 mile loop for a peaceful morning rejuvenating walk or jog with or without kids, dogs or spouse! *Another great run if you are active is the Scenic Bluff Path where you can exercise while taking in epic views of Carmel Beach. Start at Ocean Avenue parking lot where it meets the Scenic Road and continue to the foot path on 8th avenue. Turn around when you hit Carmel River State Beach parking lot (3.5 miles out and back total)
Enjoy Breakfast in town at one of the amazing bakeries or eateries. MUST TRY the Carmel Bakery – They’re known for their Italian biscotti, Scottish shortbread, English scones, and the gigantic Bavarian pretzel – I got an Almond Horn and want to go back just to get another one – it was the perfect combo or crunchy and chewy and oh so delicious! Or for sit down try The Cottage or Village Corner. I actually got my treat at Carmel Bakery and then we headed to Village Corner for breakfast.
Afternoon
Next, more exploring the adorable town of Carmel! There is so much to see. Walk around the Village – if you like Audio Tours – download My VoiceApp in your hotel before you leave for a fun walking audio tour choosing what you want to hear about – the history, the fairytale houses (the famous Tuck Box!), secret passageways and more! They are over 40 secret passageways throughout the town (most aren’t overtly secret but still fun to find!) A few favorite stops included the Honey shop, The Think Toys shop and Cottage of Sweets Candy shop (both being careful and requiring masks and limiting # of people in the store). I was so impressed with the Cottage of Sweets as they had the most amazing selection of made in house licorice! I have never seen such a huge licorice selection and they were all so tasty! *Also Geocaches in town for the Geocaching fans!
Evening
Enjoy Dinner at the famous Carmel Mission Ranch – eat outside overlooking a pasture of Sheep with the Pacific Ocean views in the background at the place owned by former Carmel mayor and well-known actor Clint Eastwood. They are also known for their amazing brunch but we came here for dinner and enjoyed the homemade pasta, fresh bread and amazing chocolate mousse pie.
And that concludes Three MAGICAL days in Carmel! This is definitely a bucket list location and I cannot wait to come back after COVID as well to explore more of the area and when everything opens back up I am coming back for POINT LOBOS – Bluefish Cove is one of the prettiest paces in California – and MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM – One of the neatest aquariums in California with jellyfish, sharks, octopuses and everything in between.
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