Long weekend in Carmel-by-the-Sea

A little slice of the California coast

Last weekend, we headed back to NorCal for the wedding of one of my oldest friends. I loved catching up with my friend’s parents (who have known me since I was the tiniest of tots), filling in the blanks of the last 20 years with David who sat behind me in Saturday Chinese school, and reminiscing with my college roommates about all the shenanigans we got into in Tijuana. Few things ground you like being with the people who saw you through braces, the drama of junior prom, and a nightly brownie a la mode ritual at the dining hall.

After the wedding, we tacked on a few lovely days in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Sharing some highlights from the most charming coastal town below…

• Stay at Villa Mara Carmel. My favorite part of our Carmel visit was the hotel. Villa Mara is a recently opened, elevated bed-and-breakfast-inspired property with only 16 rooms. It’s tucked away in a residential neighborhood a few minutes’ drive from downtown Carmel. Upon checking in, they poured us two huge glasses of Burgundy, which immediately won me over. Major heart eyes! The cozy hotel features Le Labo bath products, multiple gas fireplaces, heated floors, Toto toilets, complimentary cake served at the bar nightly… I mean, if you know me, these are all my buzz words lol.

  

• E-biking the 17-Mile Drive. The 17-Mile Drive is a scenic road that winds through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove with stunning ocean views throughout. Rent your bikes from Mad Dogs & Englishmen in town, where they’ll set you up with helmets, a phone holder, and even an espresso shot in their upstairs coffee shop. I wore my trusty phone strap, obviously.

  

• Brunch at Stationaery. We had a bright and sunny Sunday brunch at Stationaery, which was clearly the most popular brunch spot in town. I had the huevos rancheros and Mike had a really good burger. Pricey for brunch, but I guess that’s Carmel.

• Lunch at the Bench. On a sunny day, lunch at the Bench, the American restaurant at the Lodge overlooking Pebble Beach, can’t be beat. The BLT salad is fresh and crisp while being hearty and delish. For my birthday, the waiter brought us a roasted strawberry dessert with cheesecake ice cream that was absolutely divine. (The $11.25 17-Mile Drive entry fee is waived if you’re dining at one of the Pebble Beach restaurants.)

  

• Dinner at Bicyclette. This Euro-inspired spot is cozy and carby — we had the seafood pasta and mushroom pizza for an early bird 5 p.m. seating. T-Swift dined here recently, which meant a last minute reservation was difficult to score. Rumor has it she’s buying a place in town.

  

• Wine tasting in Carmel Valley. We didn’t set out to go wine tasting in Carmel, but a rainy day derailed any outdoorsy plans. Instead of visiting the tasting rooms in downtown Carmel, we decided to drive into wine country for warmer weather and valley views. Several tasting rooms are located on the same stretch of road in Carmel Valley — they’re mostly low-key, family-owned type of places and don’t require reservations, making for an easy afternoon of hopping around. A few to check out: Parsonage, Joyce, Scratch.

• Golf at the Hay. A par 3 course designed by Tiger Woods, the Hay is a Pebble Beach course very intentionally sculpted for it to be easy enough for kids and beginners but challenging enough for more advanced players to still have fun. We didn’t grab food there, but my Uber driver insisted that the Mexican restaurant on-site is very solid.

  

• Chez Noir for dinner. Multiple people recommended the Michelin-starred Chez Noir to me, but they had a guest chef the night we were available. Bookmarked for next time!

• Bud’s at La Playa for cocktails. After our round at the Hay, a couple of locals recommended that we stop into old-school hotel bar Bud’s for drinks. We were totally tuckered out, but I’ve had a few friends get married at La Playa, so hoping to check it out next time.

• Bringing our dogs: Carmel might be one of the most dog-friendly places I’ve been! Not only did you spot furry friends wandering through town, they were welcome on all the patios, on some of the golf courses, and inside at most hotels.

• Big Sur. We had originally wanted to stay at the dreamy looking Alila Ventana Big Sur, but there was no points availability during our planned dates. We opted to save Big Sur altogether for a future Cali trip.

P.S. Happy birth month to my Scorpio sisters!

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