To celebrate Galentines’s Day, my girls and I decided to go on a weekend trip to Carmel-By-The-Sea. Although stretching only by a one mile by one mile radius, this small seaside town packs so much charisma. A stroll down Ocean Ave and you’ll quickly recognize that the town preserves a European theme. Rustic cottages with stain glass windows and dutch doors line the street.
The community values the European style of their village-like town and strives to keep it small. To preserve the village ambiance, addresses are omitted and locals are forced to visit the local post office daily to pick up mail. Sounds tedious? The locals don’t think so. The General Manager of Hofsas House (the hotel we stayed at) said, “It helps locals get acquainted with each other.”
Because the town is so small, a lot can be achieved within a weekend. Our vacation started promptly after work Friday evening when we set out on the road towards Carmel. Within 2.5 hours we were checking into our hotel, Hofsas House. Because we were stressed from the long work week, the girls and I wanted to unwind over some good drinks and music. Just two blocks from our hotel, we stumbled across a dive bar called Barmel. It became clear that this was the spot that all the locals went to. The bar was pretty busy! The DJ was surprisingly good. He was mixing current hits with old hip hop and r&b (my favorite!). The drinks weren’t bad either.
TRAVEL TIP: Unfortunately, Carmel is limited when it comes to nightlife. Most bars closes around 10PM-12AM. The only bars that are open until 2AM are the following two bars:
— Barmel – This bar is definitely the busiest and more popular out of the two. There’s a DJ spinning on the weekends and a small dance floor to get your jive on. The signature cocktail list is great and the crowd is lively.
– Sade’s– We took a stroll past this dive bar and it looked pretty vacant compared to Barmel. It is CASH ONLY, so keep that in mind if you want to go to this mellow bar.
ALSO, all restaurants close their doors around 10PM. There is no such thing as “late night eats” in Carmel. Be sure to stock up on snacks and sandwiches prior to checking into your hotel in case you get the late night munchies.
After getting a good night’s rest, we woke up, had a light breakfast, and made our way to the town. We grabbed brunch at Carmel Belleand it did not disappoint. The menu compiles simple American dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. Options includes eggs benedict, breakfast sandwiches, and avocado toast. I ordered the Green Eggs and Ham–poached eggs and prosciutto on top of country toast with pureed arugula drizzled on top. YUM. WARNING–this cafe can be easily missed because it’s located within an indoor shopping center.
Along the way to brunch, we ran into several adorable dogs. My girlfriend Kara, who’s obsessed with dogs, couldn’t help but to stop every 10 seconds to pet or say hello to a precious hound.
TRAVEL TIP: Carmel is VERY dog friendly. So if you’re planning a trip with Fido, Carmel is the destination.
After getting our fill of food, we wanted to check out the wine scene. Carmel is home to 15 wine tasting rooms; all accessible within a short walk. We decided to check out Scheid Vineyards and Blair Wines. Our favorite out of the two was Scheid Vineyards. I favor reds over whites, and their reds was superb. Not only was the wine great, but the customer service was excellent as well. The sommeliers were engaging and very informative. We enjoyed our time at Schied’s wine tasting room.
TRAVEL TIP: Wine tasting in Carmel is a must. With wine rooms so close together, how could you not?! For a full list of wine tasting rooms in Carmel-By-The-Sea, click here.
Carmel also sells a wine passport which allows you to taste $10 flights at 9 different tasting rooms for $65. To purchase one, click here.
After wine tasting, we drove 10 minutes from downtown to check out Mission Carmel. This historic landmark has been in Carmel for over 200 years. Walking through the chapel was transporting back into time. The church is filled with original religious emblems and statues. My favorite part of the mission was the courtyard. There you will find flowers in full bloom, adobe architecture and a tiered water fountain.
TRAVEL TIP: Adult admission fee into the mission is $6.50. Expect to spend around 1.5 hour there.
If you’re in a beach town, it would be a shame not to go to the beach during sunset. To watch the sunset, we headed over to the Carmel’s main beach where plenty of locals, with their dogs, had the same idea. We threw down a towel, took in the ocean breeze and watched the cotton skies change color.
When the sun had set, we headed back to our hotel, changed into more formal attire and drove to Pacific Grove to have dinner at The Beach House. The Beach House is a waterfront restaurant located at Lover’s Point. We chowed down on delicious seafood dishes while enjoying a view of the ocean. Our favorite dish out of the bunch was the Hazelnut-crusted Sand Dabs. The crusted flatfish was cooked to perfection and the side of brussel sprouts and pumpkin gnocchi was insanely delicious.
TRAVEL TIP: If you’re planning to have dinner here:
DO make reservations in advance, especially if you’re trying to get a table with a view of the water. If you can’t get a table in the evening, don’t sweat it. Try grabbing a table during the daytime. The view of the water is best enjoyed during daylight.
DON’T order the Crab Stuff Pesole. We adored every dish that we ordered except for the stuffed pesole. It lacked flavor. Otherwise, definitely try to the firecracker shrimp and the Hazelnut-crusted Sand Dabs.
That evening we went to Barmel. Saturdays seems to be the busiest night among locals because the bar was packed wall to wall. Just like Friday, the DJ was mixing all the right tunes to get the whole bar dancing or at least tapping their foot. Towards the end of the night, we got overwhelmed by the crowd and decided to call it an early night.
The following morning, we grabbed breakfast at The Cottage before heading back to SF. This pint size restaurant gives you all the feels of visiting grandmother’s house for tea. Stain glass windows, pink walls, floral curtains, and an ignited fireplace adorns this Carmel eatery. Although the restaurant was very charming, the meal was average. The banana pancakes were delicious and filling (the cakes were huge–enough to feed two hungry people!), but it was obvious that the sausages were frozen. They ended up being dry as well.
After grabbing our morning fuel, we headed back to the city just in time to catch the Superbowl. Overall, our Galentine’s Weekend was a great success! We drank, we ate, and we laughed. But, most importantly, we bonded. Kindling my friendship with my girls is all I could ask for.
If you’re looking for a romantic getaway, a dog friendly vacation, or a girls’ trip, Carmel-by-the-sea is that destination that is not far, but far enough. This seaside town never seizes to charm me. And I’m sure it will charm you too.
xoxo Justina
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