I participated in a travel California familiarization trip. All opinions are my own. Read more about our time in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA here.
Travel California: Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small, fun, and quirky town with lots of great activities for people of all interests. With a population of just around 4,000 people, it was originally established as a Spanish mission in the late 18th century, and more recently bolstered by artists fleeing San Francisco after the great earthquake of 1906. It has been home to many artists and art galleries ever since.
Originally the town was planned with no street numbers or regular addresses, instead relying on a central P.O. Box system where everyone goes to town to pick up their mail. It’s a tradition they still maintain today, to preserve their sense of community.
Recently many wine tasting rooms have popped up in Carmel, essentially consolidating many of the Monterey peninsula’s best wineries into one location, making wine tasting easy and fun (check out our experience with the Carmel Wine Walk By The Sea). To go with all the great wine, Carmel also boasts over 50 high quality restaurants, many of which are dog friendly on their outdoor dining patios. In fact, Carmel is considered one of the most dog friendly cities in the country and it’s not hard to see why, dogs are allowed in most stores, hotels and inns, and even on Carmel’s sandy beach, where they are allowed off leash!
Travel California: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
[new_royalslider id=”11″]It also boast some amazing natural beauty. During our trip ventured out to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve (this is one place dogs are not allowed – not even in your car) on the recommendation of Carrie Theis, the proprietor of the Hofsas House Hotel. It’s just 3 miles from Carmel and boast some stunning scenery. We were thrilled to find plenty of hiking trails to explore so we set off to enjoy the sights and sounds of the area and along the way we encountered quite a few seals basking on rocks and playing in the water. It was an unexpected and delightful surprise to see them and watch their antics.
We went travelled along the Carmelo Meadow Trail, which was a nice easy meadow and forest walk, and then connected to the Granite Point Trail, which was also a fairly easy hike. There are far more trails than we were able to experience in such a short visit (find complete trail information at the Point Lobos Foundation website). We were pressed for time so we unfortunately couldn’t hike anymore. That’s because there were so many other adventures to partake in and enjoy before we had to head home.
Travel California: Monterey
We left the Point Lobos SNR and made the short trip to Monterey where we visited the world renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium. The aquarium was spectacular, though a little pricey ($21-$34), but you’ll definitely want to budget for it (Montery Bay Aquarium Ticket Information).
Monterey also has their own touristy Fisherman’s Warf which lends itself to some stunning views of the ocean. Many of the restaurants offer chowder samples available as you stroll by and it’s entirely possible to accidentally fill up on the tasty chowders. Thankfully we were able to keep our appetites in check because we had dinner planned at the Fandango Restaurant in nearby Pacific Grove, another small town on the Monterey Peninsula, just north of the town of Monterey.
We headed back to our hotel and settled in for our last night. We both agreed that Carmel-by-the-Sea is an excellent location for experiencing the surrounding areas. It’s an easy drive to many different activities and plenty of fine wine and fabulous dining options.
Learn More
- Carmel Walking Map (downloadable)
- Photo Album
- Lodging – Hofsas House
- Special Events & Weddings – Holman Ranch
- Winery Tour – Holman Ranch Estate Wines
- Fine Dining – Fandango Restaurant (Pacific Grove); mundaka Spanish Style Tapas
- Wine Tasting – Carmel Wine Walk-by-the-Sea
I have never been to Carmel but have been in CA, and the drivers scare me LOL. Maybe some day I’ll get there!
Coastal drivers are much different that LA freeway drivers. 🙂
What a great retreat away from it all! Picturesque and quaint…even the photos have a warm, friendly feel. Love that they are keeping with tradition.
i have always wanted to visit Carmel. being an east coast girl it seems so far away! thank you for sharing your visit with us – it looks totally charming!
Carmel seems to be the perfect picturesque place to visit to make lasting memories. Thank you for all the photos & reviews!
Some day I would love to visit Carmel it looks like such a beautiful. It seems like a great place to unwind and enjoy nature.
I’ve never been to Carmel, but now I really want to. You make it sound so wonderful. I’d just fill up on the chowder samples.
The most wonderful road trip I ever had with my parents was on the 1o1 and we stopped for lunch in Carmel, it was incredibly beautiful. That was four decades ago, so I am way overdue for a return trip! The next exciting stop we had was the Hearst Castle…what an amazing place. Yes, California is full of marvel and exciting destinations galore.
Oh, I’ve always wanted to go to the Hurst Castle! The last time I was in that area was 1980 – I got so car sick on the coast we went to I5 and finished our trip that way. I’m due for a return trip too!
I want to go to Carmel California because it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Such pretty flowers and the Hotel and Fandango restaurant with great food, and the Natural trails that I would love to walk. Someday I want to travel here!
My wife and I got engaged during a trip to Carmel. It is a wonderful place that I hope to visit again soon. we were fortunate enough to stay at a hotel with an oceanfront view. I actually preferred the ocean view of Carmel’s rocky coastline to that of Hawaii’s beaches. Hopefully I will win the lottery and can afford to retire there someday.