@LVKris said:
Thanks for that tip. I went to their website and saw this:
You had me at “restaurant right on the river.” DH loves apple pie. I think that settles it!
So just got back from our Monterrey trip. We basically had two and a half days, so only scratched the surface.
Afternoon 1 we went kayaking on Elkhorn Slough. If you are at all fit I highly, highly recommend this. You can get up to within five boat lengths of all the otters and seal and sea lions you could wish for. We also saw the hugest colony of pelicans sharing the beach with the seals. The sit on top kayak are easy to use, no experience necessary. We got them from Monterey Kayaks. I would recommend checking tide tables, in the late afternoon we were fighting both the off shore wind and the incoming tides and it was pretty tiring. We had a late dinner at Fishhopper in Monterey, which is very touristy, but we had excellent fish (seared tuna for dh, halibut for me) with a pinot called Roar, that most of the other restaurants had run out of. It was definitely the nicest of the pinots we had on the trip.
Day 1 we walked along the beach in Carmel starting at Ocean Avenue, going down to the park, admiring a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright houses on the way, then did a quick tour of the Carmel Mission before circling back to the car. We had lunch at Lucia’s the Bernadus Spa. (If I were made of money it looks like a beautiful place to stay.) Visited a few wine tasting rooms and art galleries in Carmel Valley. Good pinots at Parsonage. Heller had the most charming guy pouring and the (organic) wines were tasty too. Dinner was at a place the Montrio Bistro in Monterey. Excellent food and wine list.
Day 2 we walked along the north shore of Point Lobos, saw sea lions and seals from a distance (nothing like kayaking), and amazing colonies of cormorants nesting up near bird island. Lots of other birds too. You could either bring a picnic and make a day of it, or just come back another day. We spent about three hours there, and saw less than half of what there is to see. Even the inland walks were pretty. We went back to Carmel Valley for lunch (Cafe Rustica) good super thin crust pizza. Had wine at Talbots which I was underwhelmed by, and Boekenoogen where everything seemed to be delicious. On the way back to Monterey we stopped by their huge farmer’s market and had ice cream at Revival Ice Cream - they have seriously interesting and delicious flavors. https://www.revivalicecream.com/flavors Dinner was at a restaurant in Pacific Groves called Passionfish. I had halibut again (and it really wasn’t quite as good as day 1’s though I think not being as hungry as we were on day 1 probably had an effect.) DH had a delicious lamb. We sadly had no room for dessert, which all looked really good. The ice cream so late in the day, was a bit of a mistake!
Wow, @mathmom, you guys packed a lot into just two days! Thanks for the trip review.
@mathmom Did the locals say whether it is less crowded than usual because of the road closure?
There was no evidence that things were less crowded. Lots of kayaks were being rented (it was also Father’s Day, so I think lots of people came down for the day.) By the time we left Point Lobos parking lots looked pretty full. Even when we arrived the first three had no spaces. Restaurants were busy. Our B and B was fully booked every night. The tasting rooms were fairly quiet. We also met a handful of retirees who came down from parts north and inland where temps were in the 100s. It was in the mid 70s at most along the coast and the 2nd day, the fog never did burn off along the coast though it was in the 80s in Carmel Valley. Bring layers!
We’ve been here a week now, so I thought I would do a trip review part one.
As originally planned, DH and I were to drive to Colorado Springs in one day and stay in one of our favorite places, the Broadmoor hotel (2 nights). We had massages booked and a reservation in the nice restaurant. Next stop was to be Stein’s Lodge in Deer Valley, UT (2 nights, with similar plans for pampering). We went to Deer Valley for our honeymoon 28 years ago, and stayed for free in DH’s father’s condo. We ate a meal at Stein’s and vowed that someday when we finally had extra money, we would come back and actually stay there. 
Last leg was meant to be in Lake Tahoe for one night. Finally, we would arrive in Carmel on August 1 and take possession of the rental house.
As always when one makes plans, the Fates laugh. Two days before we were to leave, my Dad called and said he had finally learned the whereabouts of my older brother. He has lived in Hawaii for years, loving the islands, but battling substance abuse and all the torture that comes with that. The one constant was that he would always call my Dad every week to 10 days. Dad hadn’t heard from him since March, and all of our family’s attempts to find him met with failure. We finally learned that he has been hospitalized since May with what is a terminal condition. Dad immediately flew out there. With DH’s blessing, I canceled the road trip portion of our vacation and I flew to Hawaii, where I had the opportunity to visit with my brother and say my goodbyes. Dad remains behind, and it sounds like my brother has very little time left. Every time my phone rings, I brace myself for the news.
I flew to California on 8/1 with a heavy heart and met up with DH at the airport. We drove to Carmel (via 17 mile drive, which was not crowded at all) found the little house, and checked in. It is fabulous! You never know with internet photos how they will actually look in person. But this house is one block from the beach, and a 10 minute walk (granted, all uphill) to town, but we are managing it quite well. The ocean views are actually prettier than the photos showed.
Of course we drove right to the grocery store and stocked up, then headed to town to check it out. We walked for quite a while, then walked into a French restaurant called “La Bouche” and had a wonderful meal. The next day we walked and walked and walked- to the beach, all around Scenic drive, oohing and aahing at all the amazing homes, and the scenery in general. We walked over to Mission Ranch Inn for lunch, only to find it closed (only open for dinner). Not to be discouraged, we headed onward to Carmel Mission, which we enjoyed, and finally, exhausted and famished, trudged back into town and ate at another charming restaurant called the Tree House. We grilled chicken on the bbq that night and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on our balcony facing the ocean-of course while enjoying a nice Cabernet.
D2 arrived on day 3. She is a shopper, so we did the town thing again, then got ready for dinner, which was also my birthday. We ate dinner at the Pacific Market Grill, which is the Hyatt Carmel Highlands hotel restaurant. It has the most incredible views, just breathtaking. It is quite pricey, but for a special occasion, DH was willing to splurge. The views from up high-overlooking the ocean on three sides-are indescribable.
Days 4 was spent on the beach, resting, enjoying D2’s company. Day 5, we made the drive towards Big Sur as far as the road will let you go. I had no idea that there is a stretch on that road that has the dreaded steep drop offs with no real protection. I was extremely anxious, my palms were sweaty, and I annoyed DH with my pleas to SLOW DOWN on the curves. It was not a good time. I hate that I’m like that, as that scenery is completely breathtaking-I just could not completely enjoy it. Fortunately that stretch of road isn’t too long.
We got to where Highway 1 is closed and ate lunch at the Big Sur River Inn restaurant and enjoyed sitting by the river with a glass of wine, watching the families play in the freezing cold river. Heading back was fine, as we were hugging the mountain side this time, and I was able to enjoy the views.
Day 6, we took a road trip to Napa! We packed a picnic for lunch and stopped along the way to enjoy. We went to 3 wineries, did three tastings, and just enjoyed driving around soaking up the beauty that is Napa Valley. We headed back via the Golden Gate bridge and Highway 1, which also has spectacular views.
Day 7, DH and D2 headed back to Texas, D2 to start second year law school, and DH to catch up on some business. I have a few days to myself to wait for DH, D1, and her SO (flying in from NC, where she is a 5th Ph.D student) to arrive on Friday. Tomorrow I am doing a long road trip to Hearst Castle and back. I’m really looking forward to it, no matter that it will be a really long day. I don’t mind traveling alone. I once went to France for 7 months by myself, so 3 days is nothing.
Hope that’s not too much detail. I will do another report at some point. Thanks to all who contributed their advice. Point Lobos is next on the list.
Sounds like you’re having fun. Sorry about your brother but glad he was able to see you and re-connect with your dad.
Hugs to you. Finding your long lost brother only to lose him is hard. I can’t even imagine. Glad your daughters can come an spend a few days with you!
If you can get to Paso Robles past Hearst there are some fabulous wineries!
So sorry about your brother. That is rough. I can’t believe you did a day trip to Napa…That is a long haul from Carmel for one day. I hope you shared the driving!
I hope it’s a beautiful day for Point Lobos. I think that is a really spectacular place on a bright sunny day.
Thanks guys. Just spoke to Dad and brother is hanging in there. Dad said he was “glowing.” As an ICU nurse, that tells me something. If you’ve ever lost someone like this, you’ll understand. I just thought to myself that being able to contemplate all this stuff while looking at/hearing the ocean is rather a blessing. I mean, otherwise I’m dealing with this in Dallas heat…
I’m thinking about renting for about 1 month in several nice locations in the future. Were you able to negotiate a month rate? Or, because it is high season, did you have to pay the full weekly rates? I think my goal will be to travel in off season.
@coralbrook, the house we rented was only available for a monthly rate. I think there are all kinds of arrangements out there though. We are paying a high premium for time of year. I went to a hair salon to get my roots done, and the stylist told me that September and October are actually better months in terms of sunshine and temps. I’m not sure about rates at that time. Obviously, if you don’t rent in high season, you can expect rates to be lower. Also, proximity to town and views drive prices as well. Another client was getting her hair done as well and mentioned her rate that was only a fraction of what we are paying, but she is renting for a year.
Beside the Pebble Beach Concours, attending the evening portion of the car auctions, Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca Raceway and Concorso are totally awesome events for the weekend of 8/17-20.
In September, they have “Indian summer”, which is warmer and has less foggy days. It is a widely known fact and I doubt the prices will go down during those months. I hope you don’t have much foggy weather the rest of your stay. Some people stay in Carmel Valley where there is no coastal fog.
It was sunny and warm the first few days we were here. The last several have been cloudy/foggy. I don’t mind-we get plenty of hot sunny weather in Texas. Also, we’ve taken several day trips to sunny places.
I drove the long detour today to Hearst Castle. It was a tough drive home as I was pretty tired. But HC is amazing. It’s an absolutely incredible display of wealth, art, antiquities, etc. Mind boggling, really.
The bus ride from the visitors center up to the property (and back down again) was absolute torture for me. Big buses going up and down a narrow, curvy road with steep drop offs. It felt like the bus was going to flip over and tumble down the mountain. I had to just keep my vision down at my feet the whole way. Many of the kids riding the bus loved it.
Vacation rentals in Carmel-by-the-Sea (zip code 93921) have a one month minimum. Homes in Carmel (zip code 93923), have a one week minimum. Of course, homeowners can set longer minimums for their home if they want.
People try to skirt the rules all the time. Carmel has been trying to crack down on the scofflaws recently.
July (Bach Festival), August (Concours), and February (Pebble Beach Pro Am golf) tend to have pricier rates. September and October are sunnier than summer and rental rates tend to be a bit lower.
IMHO, you can’t go wrong with a visit at any time of year!
@Nrdsb4 - sounds like a great trip so far. We loved the summers we spent in Pebble Beach when they used to have the horse shows there in July. We would rent a big house for 2 weeks with all of D’s barn mates and families. The horse show grounds would be cool and foggy in the mornings which was a great break for our horses from the So Cal heat.
@Nrdsb4 if you’d like a casual breakfast one morning, try Jeffrey’s in Carmel Valley. The food is really good and the restaurant is full of locals - it’s not touristy at all. Going to the valley is a lovely drive, too.
I like the fog within reason. It’s so pretty! It burned off most days.