While Carmel is an amazing destination regardless of where you live, I really love that it’s so close to San Fransisco. Although I don’t live in any of these cities (unfortunately), it’s still such an accessible destination due to its proximity (one to two hours by car) to San Jose, Oakland or San Fransisco airport. I’ve found that these major airports are often part of Southwest‘s promo campaigns, so you can usually snag yourself a really cheap roundtrip ticket.
What truly makes a weekend getaway special is being able to feel disconnected from the loud, busy world. That’s what makes Carmel so ideal. Though you’re only a few hours away from the hustle of San Fransisco or L.A., you get the sense that you are worlds away in this charming town. With so much history at every corner and enough five-star restaurants and small shops to keep you fed and entertained for a lifetime—you’ll never want to leave. Oh, and did I mention you’re only a few blocks away from the coast?
La Playa Carmel invited me to stay at their beautiful resort for a weekend in December and let me tell you, it came at the perfect moment. November was a CRAZY busy month for me, and I needed a break before the holidays. Merik and I had visited the Monterey peninsula a few years prior and absolutely fell in love with Carmel. Initially we planned the trip to drive through Big Sur, but had I known Carmel existed, I would’ve planned a completely different trip.
I had a really early flight into San Jose Airport, so the second I checked in I caught up on some work and took a much needed nap. Merik ended up not being able to make it this trip, so my friend Carissa (aka Spam) was going to fly in later in the evening. There was truly nothing more relaxing than working with all of my windows open and listening to the ocean and bustle in the courtyard.
When you book a room at La Playa, you not only get a convenient location to downtown Carmel, but a champagne breakfast buffet, nightly wine tastings, fresh baked cookies (!!) and free shuttle service. Let me tell you…the buffet breakfast is TO DIE FOR. It’s not just cereal in containers and bananas, they have a chef cooking fresh omelets and waffles, fruit, all sorts of juices and coffee, and other gourmet breakfast foods. You bet we tried it all. For all my budget travelers: booking a hotel that provides a hearty breakfast is a must! We ended up not eating out for lunch because we had such large breakfasts.
See this cutie building? The upstairs is where you get to eat breakfast. They have the cutest jazz music playing and you can cozy around a fire pit while looking out over the ocean.
We didn’t have a lot planned for the weekend, but Carissa had never driven down to Big Sur. We had a little rental car and drove about an hour south. Because I had been here before, I didn’t think to bring my camera. We just cruised around and stopped at pretty sights. It really is such a beautiful drive! It was less crowded than when Merik and I came last year in November, which made the drive a little quicker. There are so many cute restaurants and shops to stop at on the way, so don’t be afraid to pull over!
After we drove down south for a bit, we decided to drive the 17 Mile Drive. We couldn’t stop laughing because we felt like little old ladies driving around with a map, but it is worth every penny! Some stops include pretty viewpoints, rocks full of birds, rocks full of seals, and much more. We skimmed past a lot of stops to avoid tourists and had the most fun looking at the massive homes sprinkled throughout the peninsula. We totally fit in with our little Ford rental.
Once done driving around, we parked back at the hotel and walked downtown. There are so many cute shops, galleries, and restaurants. They’re all within a few blocks of each other, so walking isn’t much of a hassle. Bonus: visit in December and you get to see all of the darling Christmas decorations.
We ended the day walking along the beach. It could’ve been romantic if we were with our SO instead of each other, but it’ll do for now. If you get the chance to visit Carmel, share your favorite parts! I can’t wait to go back. 🙂
Places to eat:
- Dametra Cafe – this place is A MUST. The food is fantastic but the workers make it even better. We danced and sang mid-meal, I’ll share a video below.
- Passionfish – the scallops and crab salad. That’s all.
- Cultura Comida y Bebida – Merik and I went here last time and I think I need to order the whole menu.
- La Bicyclette
- Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company
- Mission Ranch – another place Merik and I visited. Spendy but worth every penny!
- Patisserie Boissiere
