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Travel to Carmel
updated: Jun 02, 2011, 11:38 AM

I am looking for recommendations of hotels/resorts around the Big Sur/Monterey/Carmel area. Recently got married and the husb & I are planning a weekend trip up the coast (never done the drive before!). Interested in romantic and intimate but moderately/reasonably priced hotels. Any ideas fellow edhatters?

Places People Are Talking About:

Deetjens	Seven Gables	Carmel Highlands Resort
Hyatt	Pacific Grove	Post Ranch Inn
Ragged Point Inn	Tickle Pick Inn

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 179063	2011-06-02 12:47 PM
High-end,rustic, middle of the road - what are you looking for and what is the budget per night?
COMMENT 179075P	2011-06-02 01:07 PM
I like big sur lodge - in the state park -
COMMENT 179076	2011-06-02 01:08 PM
I love Deetjens in Big Sur but it's not for everyone's taste. It's very rustic, secluded and romantic but no frills. Definitely not a luxury hotel but very special. It's right on Hwy. 1 amongst redwood trees. A couple of the rooms have thin walls (some sounds carry). The restaurant is good also. I would suggest checking their website (deetjens dotcom) and reviews on the site tripadvisor dotcom. It might be one of those places you'll fondly remember for the rest of your lives.
COMMENT 179077	2011-06-02 01:12 PM
If you're looking for a good value, easy on/off the 1 and close to everything - the Comfort Inn Suites on Del Monte Ave. in Monterey is a good bet. It's a nice place - very clean. The romance and intimacy part...you'll bring that...enjoy your visit.
COMMENT 179078	2011-06-02 01:13 PM
I've never been, but The Seven Gables Inn is right on Lover's Point and always looks so beautiful. There are a few plates to stay around there that are in the perfect location, right between Monterey and Pacific Grove.
COMMENT 179079	2011-06-02 01:14 PM
Is 1 still closed south of big sur? It was for months due to rock slides, I would check before you drive because you may have to go all the way around. If highway 1 is open, make sure to do the drive during the day both ways, it's dangerous and not as pretty at night. (and make sure to see the elephant seals north of cambria on the way) I actually did this exact trip a few months back (a week before the rockslide) for an anniversary on a very small budget. We camped the first night at a tent cabin in Big Sur and then stayed in Carmel the second two. We stayed at Svengaard's Inn in Carmel. It was romantic, there was a hot tub and fireplace in the room. They left us a bottle of wine since it was our anniversary and I liked that all the doors were cute village half doors. It was pretty cheap too. We soon discovered though that there's nothing really to do in Carmel besides eat and go to galleries. The one thing I would suggest there is The Cheese Shop, the sister store to the one that closed on State. Otherwise, consider staying in Monterey for more excitement/options.
COMMENT 179084P	2011-06-02 01:29 PM
Deetjens in Big Sur!
COMMENT 179085	2011-06-02 01:32 PM
We got out of Big Sur just before the south-end slide in March; even if the slide has been taken care of you will still need to pack a lot of patience for the trip, as there is still much roadwork going on. We stayed at Fernwood, but not in the rooms, brought our own trailer; they have live entertainment on the weekends..
COMMENT 179090	2011-06-02 01:40 PM
I have stayed at different places in Monterey and think the Monterey Bay Inn is quite nice but get the water view rooms, Ripplewood in Big Sur is nice for their cabins down by the river itself. If looking for shorter trip the Cambria Pines Lodge is nice the Suites with Forest Views are great rooms. All of the above have decent prices and nice places with locations that were excellent. If you have triple AAA most have discounts for them, if you dont it pays for itself after a trip or so...
COMMENT 179092	2011-06-02 01:43 PM
For an awesome breakfast and view - Nepenthe in Big Sur
COMMENT 179099	2011-06-02 01:58 PM
Yes, ELLIPSES, it is still closed
COMMENT 179102	2011-06-02 02:24 PM
I lived in PG for a few years. Lots of choices. If you want to gallery hop and sip coffee, go to Carmel. Cypress Inn is great, but if you just need a clean motel, try Carmel Village Inn. If you want to bike and hike the dunes, then Asilomar (between PG and Pebble) is better. When we take our dogs, we go to Andril's Lodge: cheap, rustic, but clean and a great basecamp to explore from. Fishwife Restaurant near there is excellent. Monterey hotels cater to conferences so are more corporate, but my mother-in-law loved Monterey Plaza Hotel by the Aquarium. My personal fav (if you have $$ to burn) is Mission Ranch Hotel, on south end of Carmel. If you want a resort with golf, spa, etc. you can do Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble. I've never liked the Victorian style B&Bs like 7 Gables, but lots of people flock to these, so to each his own -- your mileage may vary. On the drive up be sure have lunch or a drink at Nepenthe. A stop there definitely puts you in a NorCal state of mind...
COMMENT 179108	2011-06-02 03:14 PM
My husband and I stayed in the 'Bide-A-Wee' cabins in Pacific Grove and loved the quiet solitude, and fire place .Lots of places to eat great food. Walked to the beach and had a wonderful experience.
COMMENT 179119	2011-06-02 03:52 PM
All those are great suggestions. We like The Inn at 17 Mile Drive in Pacific Grove (a b&b), too.
COMMENT 179134	2011-06-02 04:15 PM
If money is no object...Post Ranch in or Ventana.
COMMENT 179141	2011-06-02 04:48 PM
Post Ranch Inn is awesome but not cheap. Not affordable. But a really nice experience.
COMMENT 179147	2011-06-02 05:05 PM
I love the Ragged Point Inn, and yes, as posted above, definitely Nepenthes for lunch!
COMMENT 179153P	2011-06-02 05:22 PM
Pacific Grove has more reasonably priced options than Carmel or Monterey. The Asilomar state campgrounds has some great rooms, and the location is lovely. (Sometimes, when there's a conference and it isn't full, you can get a low priced funky room in one of their group buildings.) The Deer Haven Inn has suites with kitchenettes, which is a lovely way to reduce the cost by having a few meals in, and a few out. If you type Pacific Grove Hotels into Google, and click on the map, you get to many options with full contact info and pricing quickly. Have a wonderful time!
COMMENT 179184	2011-06-02 08:11 PM
Ditto on Post Ranch Inn ... but if you're going to Deetjen's for breakfast, make sure to get the Deetjen's Dip. Stop by the Big Sur Bakery and look at their gardens and art work too!
COMMENT 179187	2011-06-02 08:33 PM
We stayed at the Tickle Pick Inn for our honeymoon in Carmel a few years back and loved it. You can look online at the rates to see if they are within your budget, SB reasonale room rates are much different compared to other places. We enjoyed driving over to Monterrey to the aquarium and the wharf and doing the 17 mile drive on the way back to the hotel. For our anniversary we stayed at the newly renovated Sheraton that has a golf course in Monterrey and we were very impressed and their restaurants had excellent food. (The room rate was less that half that of inn with our discount) My best advise is just take these suggestions and look for other photos, reviews and rates online. Congrats and enjoy!
COMMENT 179190	2011-06-02 08:55 PM
Deetjens!
COMMENT 179229	2011-06-03 07:19 AM
The best dinner in Big Sur is at the Big Sur Bakery as well as baked items. The best view is Nepenthe.
GRANNYFRANNY	2011-06-03 07:50 AM
We found last weekend while in Cambria (Memorial Day) that the Big Sur is closed from Ragged Point north -- still cleaning up the rockslide, I guess. Given our un-summer weather this year, I'd suggest approaching the Monterey Peninsula from the 101 at Salinas, then heading just south of Monterey/Carmel on Route 1 and turning left into the Carmel Valley. Lovely places to stay in there (with a range of rates), more likelihood of sun and warmth, great restaurants in CV Village -- Google it and learn! You can do day trips out to the coast, for Point Lobos Nature Preserve or the coastal villages on the peninsula.
SEEDLADY	2011-06-03 08:28 AM
Re: road closure, here's the place to get the latest scoop on Big Sur, anytime. This blogger lives high above the south end of Big Sur; she is the place the BS community goes for news. link The most scenic way to get to Monterey Bay right now is north on 101 to Greenfield, just north of King City. Take County Road G16, heading west from the south end of Greenfield, (1st exit NB) out along and over the old steel one-lane Arroyo Seco bridge, turn right onto CV Rd., travel up and over the ridge, down into Carmel Valley. This winding rural road goes along a riparian corridor overhung with sycamores and oaks, through ranch land with few fences and homes, to the upper Carmel Valley. Like going back in time. Count on about 1 hour to make the trip from Greenfield to Carmel Valley Village. Stop near the Safeway center mid-valley for the best coffee at Carmel Valley Coffee Roasters. Farther down the valley is a good cafe open for b'fast & lunch, the Wagon Wheel. Nothing fancy, but well prepared meals in a locals hangout, decorated with old local ranch photos and cowboy gear. Banana Pecan Waffles--um-m-m-m. visit chowhound.com > california for much discussion on all things chowish in the Monterey Bay. just search 'Monterey'. There are several current discussions on Big Sur and MB.
COMMENT 179284	2011-06-03 08:43 AM
Carmel Highlands resort!
COMMENT 179290	2011-06-03 08:49 AM
I really like the Hyatt in Carmel overlooking Big Sur. Every room faces the ocean...it's pretty spectacular.
BILLY BOB	2011-06-03 09:15 AM
Seven Gables in Pacific Grove. Awesome
COMMENT 179321	2011-06-03 09:54 AM
Post Ranch Inn, if you can afford it.
COMMENT 179368	2011-06-03 11:23 AM
Post Ranch Inn is absolutely amazing. If you can splurge you won't be disappointed.
COMMENT 179404	2011-06-03 12:27 PM
Love Big Sur. It is one of my most favorite places in California. In fact I was just up there last week. We stayed in a privately owned cabin that we found through a friend. No people, no traffic, no hassles. We confirmed with CalTrans that the slide was still blocking the southern route. We then took Hwy 101 North, and then cut West through Salinas/Carmel and down to Big Sur. We opted to take the road through the army base home and had a lovely drive.
COMMENT 179511P	2011-06-03 07:54 PM
Avoid Nepenthe in Big Sur, whatever you do. Our family went in there for a nice scenic lunch, and the staff acted as if we were invisible, never came to our table with so much as water or menus. Really weird and bizarre, aloof behaviors on the parts of the "staff." Maybe they didn't like families there. Who knows, but we left, and never ever would go back there. It just felt so wrong/strange around there. I've heard this same thing from others who visited that area.