Carmel or Monterey - which should I choose?
 

Which is the better choice for a 2 night (maybe 3 night) stay - Carmel or Monterey?

My schedule is as follows. I am visiting Calif. for about 8 days in late Sept. Arrive in Oakland, to Yosemite for 3 nights, San Simeon for 2 nights, then Monterey or Carmel for 2 or 3 nights, departing out of San Jose.

I've been in Monterey only once before, on a day trip from San Francisco over 20 years ago. I remember little other than the beautiful coastal drive.

Thanks for all replies.

Frankly, I like the ambience of Carmel much more than Monterey. It's much quieter however, but Montery isn't so far that you can't go there if you want to stay up later.

I agree that overall Carmel is more picturesque than Monterey. However, Monterey does have a very nice coastal walk and a light house point which is very pretty.

Whenever I'm up in that area I stay in Monterey because it is usually less expensive. You can be in Carmel from Monterey in fifteen minutes so I never feel like I'm giving anything up.

It is all very close but I've actually enjoyed experiencing the area from Pacific Grove...there are some nice places down by the lighthouse to stay.

Both places are very nice. You can easily do both, very close to one another. Monterey has the wharf and the aquarium, Carmel has the gorgeous beach,shops, restaurants,etc. A bit more upscale. We like the Carmel Highland's area. Tickle Pink and the Highland's Inn are both very nice. We also enjoyed a great stay at La Playa, right by the ocean in Carmel. :)

In Monterey, the Monterey Plaza is very nice and the BW Beach Resort is great if you want a nice stretch of beach. Let us know how it goes! ***kim*** ((#))

woodstockguy, I think you got it right the first time you were there--the coastal drives near Monterey are much more memorable than the town itself.

Carmel, I think, has a special atmosphere and charm which makes it the place to stay for me on the Monterey peninsula. And I'm particularly fond of the charms of Carmel at night or in the early morning, so I do think you lose something by not staying there.

As a second choice, I would pick one of the oceanfront properties in Pacific Grove over anyplace in Monterey.

As I did in recommending the Best Western Cavalier on your other thread, I'd refer you to reviews at Tripadvisor.com. Be sure you have set it up to rank properties in the order of their popularity with user reviewers.

Also be sure to examine both the lodgings under the tab "Hotels" and the tab "B&B's and Inns" -- knowing a little about these places, the logic used to divide them into these two groups isn't clear. There is certainly a wide price rancge in each.

The site indicates the average price of most properties, and you can check rates and availability for the dates of your stay directly from this site for many of the properties.

My personal favorite in Carmel is Vagabond House:

http://www.vagabondshouseinn.com/

Numerous Tripadvisor reviews at:

http://tinyurl.com/bbd4b

CARMEL!!!

Is Carmel warm enough from June to August to be a beach destination? By that , I mean does the temp reach the 80's? Thanks.

Carmel. A little windy and a little foggy some days, so "no", it's not predictably that warm. Warmest month in Carmel is typically Sept. Beaches are accessed all seasons; bring a layer for warmth and another for ocean spray.

http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Carmel.html

It's all about microclimates in the (831). Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Big Sur. Temp variance might be 6-8 degrees F. Average human body can sense a change of 3 degrees.

Here's the good stuff:

http://www.gomonterey.com/special_interest/ current_events/sep.html

http://www.thesunrisetimes.com/West_Coast_US/ Carmel_Cove,_Carmel_Bay,_California_.aspx

http://www.westerncpe.com/conferences/ confDetail.cfm?p_conference_id_key=05CR

http://www.carmel-california.com/calendar.html

For earlier Sept 2005 visitors :

http://www.tomatofest.com/carmel_tomatofest.html

Stay in Pacific Grove and then you will be right in between the two. Nice b& b's there.

At this point, you may have to go where there is room available. September is a pretty busy month. Favorites: La Playa and The Pine Inn if you want to walk Carmel and get a feel for the town. Pacific grove, as another poster mentioned, is wonderful and between the two!

Both are nice but I prefer Carmel. I live in Santa Cruz about 40 minutes north. We spend a few weekends a year in Carmel and we never get sick of it. My favorite thing about Carmel is that you can walk almost everywhere. You can always spend a day in Monterey.
As for the weather the best time of year is Sept. and Oct. Right now we are in middle of the foggiest summer that I can remember. So hopefully we'll get our "Indian Summer" this year.