Cypress Inn = lovely http://www.cypress-inn.com/

Doris Day opened one of the first dog-friendly hotels in the US. Very nice and no problems with noise from the canines.

Another vote for the Cypress Inn. On multiple visits, we've seen several dogs in the common areas but never heard a sound from them.

I really liked the Pine Inn. http://pineinn-px.trvlclick.com/index.cfm The room we had was very large, well furnished and had a large bathroom. We were on a courtyard and had easy access to restaurants, shopping, etc. We were never disturbed by noise (human or canine). I got a good deal through a visitors' service. I will top my trip report for details.

Beautiful place to be! Have fun.

Looks like the bigger rooms at the Pine Inn face the courtyard. So the Cypress inn is great even for people without dogs?

Check out Pacific Grove instead of Carmel. Go to pacificgrove.org. They have B&Bs that face Monterey Bay. Green Gables Inn and Seven Gables Inn come to mind. You can easily walk the trail on the bay or to downtown Pacific Grove. All of PG is about a 10 minute drive to Carmel.

Not close to the downtown area but quaint is Asilomar. Rustic and historic. Also across from the Pacific Ocean side.

The Pine Inn in downtown Carmel also sounds like what you are describing. Check that out also.

One final thought: INvestigate renting a furnished home. There are plenty in the area. Do a google search and they will pop up.

We LOVED Lobos Lodge. We left our car in the lot and walked to restaurants and all around town. A small hotel with large rooms--ours hadplenty of room for a sofa, desk, and table (to enjoy the continental breakfast brought to the room). There was a gas fireplace in the room and a lovely living room off the lobby where we perused menus and talked to other guests. The staff was terrific and welcoming. And the price was terrific.

The one caveat I have for you (since you mentioned "quiet" more than once--we had our windows open for the wonderful breeze. It is right downtown and there is some street noise. It is Carmel, not New York, but if it bothers you, this may not be your place.

I hadn't posted since you were asking about Carmel. But as I now see that Pacific Grove has been brought up, I will say that we loved staying at Seven Gables. Great rooms, as close to the water as possible. Great breakfast. Great restaurants nearby. We will be returning in August for another stay.

Pacific Grove is nice, but it definitely is not Carmel, nor does it have the ambiance of Carmel.

However, there is a chance that the butterflies start returning to the Monarch Grove Sancuary in Pacific Grove. I'd check that out.

But I would stay in Carmel. There are a lot of places that are very nice. Please remember that a lot of Carmel is not flat. The main drag flows down to the Pacific Ocean.

At the beach there is a nice view of the Pebble Beach Golf course and its ending holes.

I think I am looking at Los Lobos due to getting a larger room for less money and it sounds very nice. I don't expect dead silence On our vacation last year, we happened to end up on a street with lots of tapas bars (spain) and it was noisy. But something tells me Carmel would be just a wee bit more sedate than a bustling spanish city/small town

the La Playa is a nice lodge, very quiet and in town. Depending o nyour budget they also have small cottages beside the regular hotel rooms. You won't find a lot of noise in carmel after dark. It is not a "happen place"