Has anyone stayed at Best Western Carmel Mission Inn or Best Western Carmel Bay View Inn?
I am going to a wedding in June in Carmel at Bernardus, and since we only live 2 hours from Carmel, we only want to stay one night and the Best Westerns allow that. We figure why spend the money at an expensive resort just to crash for the night. All the other resorts and inns require 2 or 3 night minimums and are charge from $200/night and up. So we would be stuck paying $400-$500 for 2 nights.
We want somewhere comfortable and these two BWs get three diamonds by AAA. So, I imagine they are decent.
One of the BWs quoted me $134 for one night.
Thanks.

baybride,

I was hoping someone who stayed in one of these more recently would chime in, however, until they do, I'll tell you about our experiences at The Bay View Inn...three years ago.

We have stayed at the Carmel BVI twice although, as I mentioned, our most recent stay was almost three years ago. As I’m sure you’re aware, Best Westerns can be either good or bad: in this case it’s a good one. Nestled in the low hills at the back of Carmel the BVI is basically a glorified motel but with some much nicer rooms and a decent continental breakfast. Both of the rooms we stayed in were good-sized and featured fireplaces and balconies with views of Point Lobos and the ocean. The most comfortable California king-sized, pillow-top beds with down comforters adorned both of our rooms (never slept in a more comfortable bed in my life!).

Another reason we like to stay at the BVI is the location. When we travel to that area we spend much time wandering around Carmel and, therefore, prefer to stay right in town.

While we have not stayed at the Mission Inn, we have stayed at other places outside of downtown Carmel. We prefer to stay in town now because, depending on the time of year, it can be hell getting into Carmel and we got tired of fighting the traffic.

By the way, some friends of ours stayed at the BVI about a year ago and said the rooms were being rennovated.

Hope this helps,

AL

If you plan on spending a lot of time in Carmel and wish to be close to shopping, restaurants, etc., then I would opt for the BVI (you don’t have to deal with parking in town if you stay IN town).

AL, thanks so much. At first I though Mission Inn looked better, and then when I looked again at the pictures, the rooms looked nicer at BVI. Now after your post, I feel even better about booking BVI.
We are just there to attend a wedding, but will spend the day on the Sat. hanging out around town. Thanks again.

baybride,

You might wish to check out recent reviews on both of these at tripadvisor.com. Also, I believe the better(and larger) rooms are the ones with the views of Point Lobos, etc. and are definitely more expensive than pool-side, non-view rooms (which we haven't stayed in).

Good luck,

AL

The BW Carmel Mission Inn is fine, it is however not located in Carmel proper. I stayed there for two weeks last year when I was in Monterey County for a trial because it was convenient to 1 and because it was not a "romantic" getaway kind of hotel (romantic is not what you are looking for when you are trapped away from home with a business associate.) I also know friends who have stayed there on a "girls" weekend because it is hard to find rooms with two double beds in Carmel.

OOPS! I hadn't seen this thread when I posted to the other Carmel thread. Sounds like the BVI is much more scenic, but as you say, you are just going to crash for the night. Either choice would probably be fine. Here's a repeat of my comment:

I've stayed at the Best Western Mission Inn and it was fine -- clean, quiet, reasonably priced and easy access to things in Carmel. This is not a scenic place, but don't discredit it for that. It's right next to a tiny shopping village called Barnyard -- very convenient for weary travelers who only had the energy to go that far to eat on Day 1.

Just want to second the BW Bay View Inn....though we also stayed there a couple of years ago. It was for a quick getaway. We also stayed in a room with a bit of a view and recommend that as well. It really is nice to be able to walk to the shops and restaurants. As a side note, we had a moderately priced, and surprisingly good, meal at the Piatti's restaurant nearby on that trip. It is a chain restaurant. Have only driven by the other BW. Looks fine, but I would choose Bay View Inn again without reservation. It was one of our most economical getaways and yet I still think about it, because we just had such a relaxing time. I may need to go there again soon now.