Romantic Getaways in Northern California: Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea
36.5552° N, 121.9233° W
Kevin and I celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary on July 21st. We had been contemplating how we should celebrate such a milestone for most of the year……. Should we renew our vows? Should we throw a big party? Should we go on a romantic trip? Then Covid hit and smashed any of those plans. Bummer! Fortunately, we live in one of the most beautiful places in the United States - California! And, as California is opening up a bit we decided to spend time two hours away in Carmel-by-the-Sea. We were very excited to spend time together in this beautiful corner of California, but also were a bit nervous about traveling at this time. I scoured the website of The Hotel Carmel and read over how they are taking precautions and felt confident that they were taking every step to keep guests safe and comfortable. All staff were wearing face masks and at the check-in lobby there was an acrylic divider between the reception and guests. One guest in the lobby at a time. Plastic room keys are new and disposed of after each visit. Rooms are cleaned/sanitized by masked attendants using CDC-approved cleaning products. In addition, Housekeeping will not service room during your stay (fresh towels can be picked up from reception). I also packed our own drinking glasses, pillowcases and a can of Microban Sanitizing Spray for good measure….. spraying down all surfaces in the room (including the bed) before we settled in. Not sure if it was necessary but, it made me feel better!
We had a pleasant stay at Hotel Carmel which is located within walking distance to dining, shopping and Carmel Beach.
Our time in Carmel was very relaxing. We didn’t have an agenda and also didn’t know what to expect with things just opening back up. We started off at the Farmer’s Market on Mission + 6th. There’s a nice assortment of locally sourced fruits + vegetables, baked goods, fish and I was excited to walk away with a jar of Lavender Honey from Lion Springs Lavender Farm. They make honey and caramels from the bees at their organic lavender farm — next time I hope to get a jar of their Carmel Caramels! All vendors and visitors were good about wearing masks and respectful of keeping a distance. And, we found the same for restaurants as we dined later in the evening — we also chose to dine earlier when there were fewer people.
I bought some lavender honey from this nice couple and will be using it in a recipe for honey lavender scones…… look for the recipe in a future post!
We spent the afternoon walking along crescent shaped Carmel City Beach. This one mile stretch of powdery soft white sand is a great place to relax. It’s surrounded by million dollar homes and clusters of cypress trees that seem to stretch out their arms to the ocean. Off in the distance are the greens of Pebble Beach Golf Course. It can be quite foggy and overcast here, especially May through August but, the sun usually breaks through if you are patient. This is also a dog-friendly beach (actually, the city of Carmel is very dog friendly) and you’ll find dogs in every shape and size enjoying the beach as well. Parking is available but, can fill up quickly during the summer months.
Walking Carmel City Beach with views of Pebble Beach in our sights.
We spent our second day driving down the coast to Big Sur. Beautiful ocean views along the way and no interaction with crowds. We suggest you get an early start for the drive along Highway 1. There are lots of opportunities to stop and take in the vistas along the way and if you are sensitive to windy roads (like me), you’ll want to take your time instead of rushing to get down the highway.
One of my favorite stops along the way was at Bixby Bridge. I’d imagine this is probably one of the most Instagrammable photo stops along this stretch of Highway 1 and it’s easy to see why —- the bridge itself is beautiful and the ocean views below, breathtaking! At 260 feet above the canyon floor, bixby Bridge is one of the tallest bridges of its kind in the world. And, looking at the rocky cliffs surrounding it, I can only imagine how dangerous it was to build in 1932 before the advanced heavy machinery we have today.
Bixby Bridge is synonomous with Big Sur and the perfect spot for a photo op!
After our roadtrip to Big Sur, we returned back to Carmel for a glass of champagne on the beach. By afternoon, we found the area at the shore to be a little too crowded for our tastes so, we chose to sit upon the sandy hill away from others —- but not to worry, we could still hear the waves as they rolled in and hear the squeals + laughter of children in the distance. Funny enough, even though we were sitting in our own private corner, a police officer approached us after an hour and kindly told us we needed to leave the beach if we were not actively moving….. California beaches are open but, you may not sit (you must keep moving).
There is so much to see and do up and down this stretch of Highway 1 — and can be done safely with social distancing. This was a short 2-day getaway for us but, if you have the time, you might consider adding these additional sights to your visit:
Fisherman’s Wharf (Monterey) and Cannery Row — Rent a bike and pick-up some takeout from one of the local restaurants for a picnic (and you’ll be helping support a local business)! Or spend the day kayaking.
Point Pinos (Pacific Grove) - Point Pinos Lighthouse is the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the West Coast…. currently closed due to Covid-19 but, still pretty see from the exterior.
Point Lobos (Carmel) - A beautiful setting for hiking.
McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (Big Sur) - the trail to the falls is currently closed but, it can be seen from the roadside as well.
Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey)- Fun place to spend on a date or with the kids — my favorite is watching the mesmerizing jellyfish. Be sure to take a peak at the sea otters outside as well.
Finally, if you’re looking for a breakfast spot, we highly suggest Katy’s Place. This quaint restaurant is a family run business offering tasty American style meals (breakfast and lunch). They have amazingly friendly service and we couldn’t get over how quickly our plates came out! Kevin ordered the waffles and I enjoyed an egg white Denver omelette — both were delicious. They accept cash only. You’ll find them on Mission between 5th and 6th.
Delicious meals served piping hot!
If you visit Carmel-by-the-Sea let us know what you enjoyed most! Until next time, Happy Travels!
