Carmel by the Sea

Our California road trip was nearing the end.  We had seen so many things like the famous homes of Hollywood, the jaw-dropping waterfalls of Yosemite, the pristine beauty of the Redwood Forest and the bustling big city offerings of San Franciso.  We were moving non-stop in San Fran, so we needed to unwind at one of the most unique towns in California with one of the most beautiful beaches.  And that was waiting for us two and a half hours away in the charming Carmel-by-the-Sea.

We checked into the Hofsas House Hotel which would make our stay in Carmel even better than we thought.  But more on that in a future post.

As soon as we put our luggage in the room, we all agreed that we wanted to go see one of the most beautiful beaches on the west coast.  So off we went.

My wife found the first photo opportunity at this beautiful tree just off the shore.

Right after that, the kids headed straight to the ocean.  Even though it was only a difference of a few degrees, this was the warmest beach yet.

We all got a little carried away and for good reason.  Carmel Beach was gorgeous!

Liam wanted to race his mom up the hill.

Truett started yelling at us.  And when we looked his way, we saw dolphins.  In all, we saw about 10-12 dolphins.

Truett and Gracie were not too happy with Liam destroying their sand castle.  But isn’t that something you should expect from a little brother?

After a few hours at the beach, we headed back to the hotel to change.  We wanted to go see Carmel before it got dark.

This was a little candy shop in the heart of the town.

Carmel-by-the-Sea is such a unique and beautiful place.  Here are just a few interesting facts.  There are no street lights.  All signs have to be wooden.  Clint Eastwood was mayor and actually lives just outside of town.  It is a very dog-friendly place as well.  There is much more information here if you ever decide to visit.

As the evening came to an end, we found the Carmel Bakery and grabbed some treats.

We stopped by the beach one more time to take in the sunset. 

Normally, I would say we had a lot to do the next day.  But once you’re in Carmel, you just take a chill pill and start to relax.  So our plans for the next day was to go to the beach and enjoy it.

The sun was shining and we knew the beach was going to be beautiful.

The kids got back to building sand castles as soon as they could.

What was better than Carmel Beach?  How about a picnic on Carmel Beach?

We started exploring and found a cool little area called Pescadero Canyon.

After a full day at the beach, it was time to go change and head to dinner.

On our way to dinner, we stopped by the Carmel Mission Basilica.  It was closed, but we took a picture and wished we could have explored more.  There is more info here.

For dinner, we headed to Lugano’s Swiss Bistro.  The ambiance was really nice.  There was a live band playing along with a singer.  We’re always happy when there is food.  So we couldn’t wait to eat.

We all agree that Carmel-by-the-Sea was a perfect end to our vacation.

Have you ever been to Carmel?