Carmel-by-the-Sea
Outfit details: L.L. Bean sweater, Loft pants, Ecco shoes
We headed to Carmel-by-the-Sea for our first official trip with Levi! We chose Carmel for a number of reasons, the main one being that it’s not too far from us (about an hour and half drive) so that we could test out how it would go to travel with a baby and still be close enough to home that we could easily come back if it was an absolute disaster. Good news! Not a disaster. Besides that, Carmel-by-the-Sea is also just a cute little town, perfect for a getaway.
What to Pack
Definitely dress in layers! It’s a California beach town, but it’s a northern California beach town. We went in February and lucked out with a lot of sunshine and nice weather. We were only there for two nights and since it was our first trip with Levi, I was more focused on what to bring for him. Plus I knew it would be a relatively relaxed trip as we’d see how he would handled it, so we didn’t have a ton planned. I brought a comfy pair of shoes for walking around in all day, my new favorite jeans, some sweaters, these white pants and a classic quilted coat that could go over everything (the one I brought it old, but here’s a similar one by the same brand).
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Cypress Inn and were very happy with it! It’s a historic landmark which is what originally drew me to it. You can’t beat the location, it’s right in the center of downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea so you can walk out the door and are in walking distance to everything. We wanted to park the car and spend the two days just walking around with the stroller or baby carrier.
Speaking of parking, because it’s right in the middle of everything, one thing to note is that parking is limited and not included. For $25/day you can pay to park in their lot, but reserve it in advance because they only have nine spots. If that doesn’t work out there is another parking garage you can pay for or you can try your luck at street parking.
The rooms are simple and clean. Some come with fireplaces which is nice in the colder months. A small touch I enjoyed were the makeup towels in the bathroom! Breakfast is included and I wasn’t expecting much from it, but thought they did a very nice job with a couple of hot breakfast items like frittata, sausages, potatoes and oatmeal, along with some delicious pastries, bagels and toast.
I didn’t realize that it’s a dog-friendly hotel so there were lots of cute dogs around too. They have treats at the front reception and even have a list of recommended dog sitters!
The restaurant at the hotel is also well known, Terry’s Lounge, which was both convenient and delicious (I noted what we ate in the next section).
Where to Eat
La Bicyclette - This one comes up on all the lists and gets very busy. We ended up doing takeout from here since the wait was too long and we would have missed Levi’s bedtime. We ordered a pizza and the spinach gnocchi as an appetizer and it did not dissapoint!
Terry’s Lounge - Part of Cypress Inn, this was super convenient for us, but I also loved everything we ordered. We ate on the patio surrounded by twinkly lights and a fireplace (they also had heat lamps which made eating outdoors in winter enjoyable!). We got two French 75s to drink and ordered the beet salad, truffle-mushroom ravioli, and chicken rollatini (organic chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese & spinach, sundried tomato pesto cream, risotto, daily vegetables). But the molten chocolate chip cookie may have stollen the show!
The Tuck Box - In a cute fairytale cottage, we enjoyed some classic breakfast food and scones!
What to Do
Shop - There are lots of cute little shops down the main street. I ended up getting what may be the most perfect pair of flats—exactly what I’ve been looking for for years!
Beach - We walked down to the beach, but it was pretty windy and cold for Levi so didn’t stick around, but it’s definitely worth a visit and only a short walk from the hotel.
Eat/Drink - Always my favorite thing to do on any trip, there were plenty of restaurants and coffee shops around. There are also a number of places here and around Carmel Valley to do wine tasting!
Art Galleries - Carmel-by-the-Sea has a big art scene, there are tons of little galleries with local artists work on display.
Wander - We enjoyed walking downtown, but also on some of the residential streets. There are so many cute homes and gardens. We did a small walking tour of the “fairytale cottages”, which are all privately owned homes. I agreed with many reviews that it’s hard to get a good look at many of them because they are private property, but we always enjoy neighborhood walks anyway and even the homes not on the list were often pretty cute. I imagine this would be even better in the Spring or Summer when flowers were more in bloom!
Outfit details: Loft sweater, Madewell jeans, Ecco shoes
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