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I am excited to share some Carmel travel tips for anyone who might be interested in visiting this adorable town! Before I travel someplace, I love doing research on the location. I scour the internet for travel guides, reviews, blogs, and instagram posts so when my husband and I paid a two night visit to Carmel, this trip was no exception.
We have actually now been to Carmel not once, but twice in the past year. The first time we went we were there for a babymoon before our daughter was born. We loved it so much we found ourselves back there a little over a year later – although this time I was not pregnant! I’ll share some highlights from our two visits there. And even though we have been there twice now, there are still a number of things we ran out of time for – but I’m sure we will be back someday!
Lodging
My husband and I loved staying in this adorable cottage suite. It was attached to this beautiful home, with it’s own private entrance. The coolest perk is that the Air BnB hosts had passes we could use for the Monterey Bay Aquarium for free! It was super close to downtown Carmel, although it was not within walking distance so we did have to drive into town whenever we went.
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Green Lantern was a darling little inn that met all of our needs. It was so close to the heart of Carmel downtown area, so it was convenient to explore and never be far from our homebase. I highly recommend staying close to the downtown area so that you can explore on foot and not worry about parking. I found a great deal directly from Green Lantern’s website which I booked by calling the old school way.
Food
Terry’s Lounge at the Cypress Inn
With all the great places to dine in Carmel, if you eat at a place twice you know it must be good. Both of our trips to Carmel were kicked off with Happy Hour at Terry’s. We really loved the fish tacos, hummus, and other yummy bites all for a great happy hour price. We took a box of their famous popcorn to-go and munched on that on a walk down to the beach.
Being the lover of all things English, charming, and tea rooms this place checks all the boxes. We had breakfast here and it was quite tasty. Although for me, the most memorable part is feeling like I was eating in a place straight out of a fairy tale. Adorable little place for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon tea! Side note: they only accept payment in cash and their website prices haven’t been updated for a little bit…
I heard only good things about this place, and I must say we were not disappointed. Probably one of our favorite meals on our trip. We ate here for lunch, and I think if I were to go back I would definitely try and hit up their happy hour. Their drink menu was huge and everything sounded amazing! The patio had a great atmosphere and even though it was a little on the chilly side when we were seated, we scored a table right under a heat lamp.
We grabbed coffee/tea here a couple of times and it was a perfect spot to grab something quick and yummy. I’m also a sucker for a bakery that has so many treats on display. My husband also had a delicious breakfast burrito here!
Things To Do
The Beach! (this one is rather obvious)
Philip and I are kind of obsessed with how pristine the sand is at Carmel beach. Maybe I’m so used to some of the rougher/coarser ocean sand we tend to have in Northern California, but this beach is covered in some of the softest, white sand perhaps in the whole state! It’s a truly beautiful beach!
Carmel Beach wins. 
Hey look it’s us!
Window Shopping & House Admiring
We had fun looking through quite a few of the shops in Carmel. Some favorites were the Jane Austen at Home, Carmel Bay Company, and Thinker Toys. Once you’ve got your fill of the shops, you can stroll through the neighborhoods and just enjoy all the interesting architecture and different houses. You can head towards the ocean and see the multi-million dollar mansions or see some of the fairytale-esque 1920’s cottages.
Jane Austen at Home 
The sweetest cottage!
During our visit (when I was not pregnant) we splurged and spoiled ourselves with a visit here. We each had a massage then enjoyed their Thermal Cycle, and by that I mean a cycle of using both hot and cold pools, a steam room, sauna, and relaxation room. While the massage was nice, the thermal cycle was our favorite. We finished our massage around 8pm so when we started the cycle we pretty much had the place to ourselves, plus we got to enjoy the sunset from the hot pool. A+ . We felt so relaxed by the end of the night. We even got the nerve up to dip in the super cold pool which was no joke!
If this winery was closer to me I am sure I would frequent it as often as I could! The moment we stepped in the door we were handed a glass of champagne and I started doing heart eyes for all of it. Not only is the winery itself stunning, they had beautiful furniture, fresh flowers, and a decent food menu to order from. We loved our cheese board and wine flight and I wish we could have stayed all day! The day we were there was a bit chilly and on the verge of rain, but I can just imagine how lovely it would be to sit out on their patio on a nice day!
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Folk Tale Winery Carmel 
Cheese Board at Folk Tale Winery 
If you enjoyed these Carmel travel tips be sure to check out some of my other trip review blog posts. And if this post helped you plan your own trip, be sure to let me know, that would make my day! 🙂Â
PS: While I am a professional photographer, I did not bring my professional equipment on this get away. All images documented by my trusty iphone!
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