During our one week spring break this month, we drove down to Carmel/Monterey area to stay. It’s only about 1.5 hr. drive from Oakland. We had plenty of beach time, great local finds, good food and shopping! Staycations are great because you can do this as any weekend getaway and feel like you are at a new place, far away from home. We are so thankful for our beautiful California coastlines. Here is some highlights from our 2 nights/3 days trip to Carmel/Monterey, CA.
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| WHITE SAND BEACH AT CARMEL-AT-THE-SEA |
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| CUTE LITTLE STAY FOR US AT LAMP LIGHTER INN (CARMEL, CA) |
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| OYSTERS! OYSTERS! AT FLAHERTY’S SEAFOOD GRILL & OYSTER BAR |
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| COTTAGE OF SWEETS ON OCEAN AVE. (CARMEL, CA) |
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| CARMEL VALLEY COFFEE ROASTING CO. ON OCEAN AVE. (CARMEL, CA) |
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| CANNERY ROW (MONTEREY, CA) |
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| HOTEL PACIFIC (MONTEREY, CA) |
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| LILIFY / BRIGHT COFFEE (MONTEREY, CA) |
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| DENNIS THE MENACE PARK (MONTEREY) |
Coffee+
Carmel Valley Roasting Co. – on ocean ave. with lots of cute shops and boutiques nearby (Carmel)
Bright Coffee – inside Lilify store in (Monterey)
Carmel Bakery – on ocean ave. 100+ years old (Carmel)
Eat / Shop / Do
Flaherty’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar – kid-friendly restaurant where kids can order from kids menu and grown-ups can enjoy variety of oysters! (Carmel)
Sushi Heaven – sushi place near carmel plaza shopping center. another great look-arounds (Carmel)
Loulou’s Griddle in the Middle – cute and yummy brunch spot in (Monterey)
Lilify – must visit when in Monterey. cute home goods boutique with small cafe inside (Monterey)
Carmel Plaza Shopping Center – anthropologie, j.crew, sur la table and more shops (Carmel)
Dennis the Menace Park – great kids playground in (Monterey)
Monterey Bay Aquarium & Cannery Row – wanna play tourist? (Monterey)
Dennis the Menace Park – great kids playground in (Monterey)
Monterey Bay Aquarium & Cannery Row – wanna play tourist? (Monterey)
Stay
Lamp Lighter Inn – cottage b&b on ocean ave. great for family stay. (Carmel)
Hotel Pacific – close to cannery row and monterey bay aquarium. you can buy tickets to the monterey aquarium at the concierge to save time waiting in line at the aquarium. (Monterey)
We also stop by Santa Clara K-town (El Camino Real) on our way back home to have best Korean BBQ (Jang Su Jang) and Korean pastries for dessert (Paris Baquette). Korean in us couldn’t survive without having Korean food for few days. It was a great way to end our short mini vacation. ; )
We also stop by Santa Clara K-town (El Camino Real) on our way back home to have best Korean BBQ (Jang Su Jang) and Korean pastries for dessert (Paris Baquette). Korean in us couldn’t survive without having Korean food for few days. It was a great way to end our short mini vacation. ; )
Any other recommendations? I know for sure we want to go back there soon, like this summer! We fell in love with their beaches…