Weekend Getaway to Carmel
Excited to spend a long relaxing weekend in Carmel for our Veteran's Holiday weekend in November 2023!
Weekend Weather!
Where We're Staying
Room Type - The King Fireplace
Check in - Friday Nov 10 at 3pm
Check out - Sunday Nov 12 at 11am
Itinerary
Friday, November 10
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a 2 hour drive from San Francisco.
We'll head out early and visit Monterey, Pebble Beach, and the famous 17-mile-drive.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Tickets are $59.95 an adult and is open from 10am - 5pm. Excited to see a the Kelp Forest, penguins, sea turtles, and SEA OTTERS!
We'll grab lunch here before we head out if we're hungry -- if not, we'll grab lunch in Pebble Beach.
17-Mile Drive & Pebble Beach
Entrance is $11.95 a vehicle, but this entrance fee is waived if you spend $35 or more at any of the restaurants here. This will be our other option to grab lunch.
There are 17 scenic points, but we'll plan on stopping at these most iconic ones:
Point 3: Spanish Bay Beach - beautiful sandy beach
Point 6: China Rock - prior site of a small Chinese fishing village
Point 7: Bird Rock - birds, sea lions, and seals!
Point 12: The Lone Cypress - the most iconic and famous spot here, houses the only Monterey Cypress tree, which is thought to be over 250 years old!
Point 15: Pebble Beach Golf Links - when people say "Pebble Beach", they are referring to this world-famous golf course
That's a wrap for Monterey. Let's head to Carmel!!!
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo
Check in to our cute hotel after 3pm.
Now it's time to stroll through Carmel and enjoy browsing at all the cute shops, boutiques, and art galleries while singing Yellowcard's Ocean Avenue out loud :)
Fairy Tale Cottages of Hugh Comstock
There are 21 houses in Carmel built by Hugh Comstock that are still standing, and these small houses make you feel like you're in a fairy tale!
Wine Tasting Options
Ocean Avenue, Carmel Sunset Beach
We can walk down Ocean Avenue to the Carmel Sunset Beach. We'll enjoy some time at the beach (hopefully it's not too cold!) and then mosey our way back up to the hotel for some rest before dinner.
Happy Hour!
Our hotel has complimentary Social Happy Hour from 2pm - 8pm (maybe 5-6pm based on a TripAdvisor review) which include a curated assortment of regional wines, classic cocktails, beers, and hors d'oeuvres!
7:45pm | Dinner at Chez Noir
Saturday, November 11
Enjoy our hotel's breakfast bites then make it to Stationæry for some real brunch.
11:30am | Brunch at Stationæry
We'll grab our car and head out to explore Point Lobos State Natural Reserve!
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Only a 10 minute drive from our hotel, it's time to do some hiking! We'll pay $10 to park & grab our shoes and jackets to explore. It takes an average of 2.5 hours to complete the entire 6.3 mile loop, or we a break it up into smaller hikes.
Some highlights:
- Whalers Cove Loop: 1.3 mile loop
- Cyprus Grove Trail via South Shore Trail: 1.7 mile loop (~40 min)
- Sea Lion Point Trail: 0.4 miles (~10 min)
- China Cove
- Bird Island
After a long day we'll come back and enjoy some Happy Hour at our hotel before heading out to yummy Italian Dinner.
7:30pm | Dinner at CasaNova
Sunday, November 12
Sunday is Spa Day!
We'll enjoy breakfast at our hotel.
Check-out time is at 11am and then we'll head into Carmel Valley to enjoy our day of massages and pampering at Refuge.
The home for unique & authentic travel
