A Weekend in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is over 100 years old. Since I grew up locally, I have been traveling to this “village in a forest by the sea” for over half that time, but oddly, in all of those years, I had never stayed in Carmel. I had just come in, found a place to park, walked around for a while, and made my escape. When I was offered a weekend stay at the Hofsas House (the pink hotel) in Carmel, I leaped at the chance.

My impression was that I knew Carmel like a local. I had my favorite restaurants and shops. I know the quick way in the truck route (take the Carpenter exit from Highway 68) to avoid what can be long delays coming in the main drag (Ocean Avenue) in the Summer. But parking the car for a weekend and exploring Carmel on foot turned out to be a very different experience and a pleasant one.

A Village Resistant to Change

Carmel seems to me like a village that hasn’t changed as long as I have been coming here. That is to say, while shops, restaurants, and art galleries have come and gone, the town still appears the same to me. This isn’t by accident. The city has been resistant to change since the beginning.

In 1922, the residents were divided on whether to pave the main street or hang onto the “good old days.” The city still has no mail delivery, addresses, stoplights, or parking meters. My host, Carrie Theis, grew up in Carmel and serves on its city council. She told me that the town tried to put in parking kiosks, and while the system worked well, residents could not get over the sight of the kiosks, so they had to go.

Looking closer, we see that the town has made some changes. It still does not allow big box stores, chain hotels, or Starbucks, but it did recently decide that live music and serving alcohol would be allowed in the same establishment.

There is even now, almost unthinkably, a rooftop bar as Carmel looks to extend its appeal past the “newlywed and nearly dead” that it has been accused of appealing to historically. These days, half the homes in Carmel are second homes, so not all of its residents grew up here as Theis did, whose grandmother built the Hofsas House in 1957.

Carmel Bay Company

Carmel has long been known for its cute shops. The hat I am wearing in my picture on the Amateur Traveler home page was purchased at the Carmel Hat Company. My wife’s anniversary ring was purchased at a local jewelry company. One of our favorites, the Carmel Bay Company, is still a great place to browse or buy.

I remember when iconic shops like the Mediterranean Market and local men’s clothier Dick Bruhn’s lined Ocean Ave. In these days of Amazon.com, retail shops have a harder time making a go of it, even in Carmel. However, a relatively new feature of the Carmel landscape is the wine-tasting rooms, which offer an experience that Amazon can’t offer.

De Tierra Wine Tasting Room

Wine Walk

Jack Galante, the grandson of one of Carmel’s founders, opened the first tasting room for Galante Vineyards in 2004. The idea proved popular, so 15 other vineyards have opened. 

We sampled wines at the Blair and Shale Canyon tasting room, which is shared between the two vineyards (with my wife trying the flight from Sale Canyon and me the flight from the Blair). We also visited the beautiful De Tierra tasting room. Most of the featured wines were grown in Monterey County, in vineyards planted since I grew up there.

Dog Friendly

Both wine-tasting rooms we tried, as well as much of Carmel, were dog-friendly. Carmel shops and restaurants often have water bowls and free doggy treats outside.

Exploring on Foot

It was nice to park the car and not have to worry about when we would need to move it (parking near the downtown is usually limited to 2 hours). We strolled around looking at the menus for several restaurants for dinner before choosing one. We poked our heads into different art galleries with sculptures, photography, or paintings. Carmel even has one gallery dedicated to the art of Dr Seuss.

We looked in the windows of the various real estate offices to see what you can buy with a million or two in the area.

After dinner, we strolled down to the white sands of Carmel Beach in the moonlight (bring a flashlight, as Carmel is not a big believer in street lights either). For a change, I enjoyed seeing the beach’s parking lot empty instead of full.

5th Avenue Deli

Picnic at the Point

We bought the makings of a delicious picnic at the 5th Avenue Deli & Catering Company. The deli has great hot and cold food, sandwiches, desserts, and even half- and quarter-bottles of wine) and headed to the local Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

The locals will tell you that Point Lobos (photos) inspired Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. More than one place claims credit, but Stevenson lived in nearby Monterey for a time and Point Lobos will inspire your exploration.

Get there early if you want to drive into the park. People who don’t show up until after brunch (like us) have to park out on Highway 1 and walk into the park. The park is not huge; we walked from the highway to the far end of the trail system and back and got just over our 10,000 steps for the day.

Drive Highway 1

Point Lobos is rocks and surf, sea air, and pine trees. It is a perfect little getaway only 4 miles south of Carmel. If you are in a driving mood, you can continue from there to Big Sur, one of the world’s prettiest drives down Highway 1. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (trees, hikes, and a waterfall) and Andrew Molera State Park (beach) are great destinations for a day out from Carmel.

Restaurants

There are many restaurants in Carmel, not counting nearby Pacific Grove and Monterey. We enjoyed Italian food at Bistro Giovanni, Mediterranean wraps at the Mediterranean, and brunch at Friar Tucks. We also popped over to Pacific Grove for one dinner at Peppers Mexicali Cafe which is one of our favorite restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula.

Hofsas House

As I mentioned, our home base was the Hofsas House, which is within walking distance from downtown. The half-timbered pink hotel has been a Carmel landmark for as long as I have been going to Carmel, but the rooms have been updated and modern. I still wonder why I would want a Dutch door in a hotel room, but I really appreciated the bathroom heated floor. We had a wood fireplace in our room on the 4^th floor, although most of the floors had gas fireplaces. We did not try out the heated pool or the sauna. To really enjoy your experience, ask Carrie for ideas, as you would be hard-pressed to find a better ambassador for Carmel.

• Book the Hofsas House

Conclusion

Carmel, as I have mentioned, is a city that resists change. Today, it is what it was intended to be 100 years ago when it was founded: a village in a forest by the sea. The village invites you to slow down, breathe the pine-scented sea air, get out of your car, and walk. I am not sure why it took me over 50 years to spend a weekend there, but my wife and I agreed that it wouldn’t take us another 50 to do it again.

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