Carmel-by-the-Sea is so close to Santa Cruz, just a 45 minute drive down the coast. Justin and I typically go to Carmel for either a romantic dinner or an afternoon with the pups, but rarely do we go and stay for the entire weekend. We’ve done a staycation in Monterey before, for my birthday but never in Carmel until recently. We got the opportunity to stay at the Hofsas House Hotel in charming Carmel-by-the-Sea. This hotel is packed with European warmth and charm. Each of their thirty eight rooms is decorated differently and designed to accommodate any type of guest, even the furry four-legged kind. We were so happy to be able to bring Lexie and Jackson for the entire weekend too! We love Carmel-by-the-Sea for how dog friendly of a town it is. Almost all of the shops allow dogs and many of the hotels and restaurants can accommodate your furry family members too. Lexie and Jackson are familiar with Carmel and all the shops, so much so, that as soon as we checked in they were bouncing around the room for joy! We started off our stay with a wonderful welcome package in our room. We had a bottle of wine and delicious cheese to pair with it from The Cheese Shop. Seriously, such a great way to unwind from the week and get ready for some R&R. Carmel has a year round wine walk featuring fourteen tasting rooms. With the wine walk passport, which you can purchase with your stay at the Hofsas House, you get the chance to try a wine flight at nine out of the fourteen tasting rooms. Our first night we went to dinner at The Bench at Pebble Beach. This wasn’t the first time we’ve been there and just like the time before, we were not disappointed! Everything is so tasty there, you really can’t go wrong and the restaurant provides excellent customer service, it also helps to know the Sous-Chef de Cuisine!
The second day we were in Carmel it was so nice to be able to walk outside our room and head just a couple blocks to Ocean Ave. From when we got back to the hotel after dinner the night before to when we checked out of the hotel on Monday we didn’t drive the car which was so nice. Justin and I are both very familiar with Carmel so it was nice to stop in at our favorite spots but also have the time to really check out new places. In the afternoon we took the pups out for a picnic and stopped at the 5th Ave Deli, right around the corner from our hotel, to get sandwiches and everything else we’d need for a yummy casual feast! For dinner on that Sunday night we went to The Grill on Ocean Ave. This restaurant has such a good vibe and the food, well it was absolutely delicious!! For an appetizer I ordered the crab cakes. They were honestly the best crab cakes I’ve ever had! They were served with caramelized onions in a white wine sauce with butter, lemon, and chive oil. If you’re heading to The Grill for dinner I highly recommend that you order them. For my main course I ordered the coconut crusted giant shrimp and scallops, also mouth watering. The dinner was a perfect ending to a wonderful day and it was so fun to try a new restaurant that we’d never been to before.
If you’ve visited Carmel before you know that there are so many gems to find around every corner and down every street. If you’ve never visited Carmel and are considering a trip all I can say is go! The places I mentioned are just a small sampling of what’s available but if you are looking for a unique place to stay that’s full of warmth, charm and a family feel stay at The Hofsas House. They not only provide a wonderful place to stay but can also help you plan your visit as much or as little as you want.
A big thank you to The Hofsas House for their hospitality, 5th Ave. Deli for the lovely picnic, and The Grill on Ocean Ave. for the delicious dinner!
