Welcome to Carmel-by-the-Sea (2016) memories!

We planned this trip to include my big sisters Marty and Terry. Since they had not visited for many years, their "fresh" reactions to Monterey and Carmel gave us renewed inspiration!

This was about our 15th trip to Carmel, and we have a LONG list of recommendations you can download in the next section. However, we always find something new to do, or a new restaurant to enjoy. This trip, we booked adjoining rooms in a suite that had a kitchen. Sister Terry whipped up a mighty nice breakfast one morning. We did historical walks, and enjoyed Carmel Beach. Marty and Terry did a tour of the Tor House, which was built by hand by poet Robinson Jeffers. While having breakfast at Friar Tucks, we met Carmel Mayor Steve Dallas - then we ALL got High Heel permits from City Hall! Had a great 1st night meal at Nico's, and also enjoyed meals at Demetra Cafe and their newest sister restaurant, Portabella. Of course, we drove 17 mile drive, and enjoyed both Pebble Beach (we saw a lady score a birdie on the 18th hole!) and the Inn at Spanish Bay (saw the bagpiper play at sunset). On our Monterey day, we walked Cannery Row and view the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

There are so many types of dinning experiences! You can go low key and inexpensive, or hit the moon if you want. I can say that unlike many "vacation" towns, Carmel-by-the-Sea has plenty of sophistication if you are in the mood. You'll want to download our recommendations page to get a better list.

I love to tell people that in Carmel-by-the-Sea there is "plenty to do, and plenty to NOT do." On this trip, we spent most of our time in Carmel and on the 17 mile drive, and half a day in Monterey. But Carmel Valley and Big Sur are close by, so put those locations on your list!

On our next trip we will pick some of our favorite activities from our list, BUT we will also schedule a nap or two! We also like the "plenty to not do" aspect of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's so peaceful, especially after dark when the "day-trip" tourists have gone home. For us, Carmel is our "Happy Place" and feels like home.

 Here are some  short videos and photoes we took during our stay. IMPORTANT - There are captions for many of  the photos, BUT you need to click on the photo to see the  description!