carmel vs. monterey california
 

Will be staying in SF for a few days and have a weekend to drive south to the carmel area.

We wanted to know if it would be best to drive to carmel, stay there and do a day trip to monterey or visa versa?

which area has more stuff to see/do?

we want to keep it low key. nice dinners looking at the ocean, stroll the shops/galleries and enjoy the area. we are walkers so we want to be able to go places by foot.

also, any good recommendations for bed and breakfast inns uner 300.00 per night in either area?

Thanks!

Carmel is much more interesting than Monterey - and Pacific Grove is also more interesting than Monterey, IMO. I don't recall any ocean view restaurants in Carmel. There might be some on Cannery Row or the Wharf in Monterey, but I think Cannery Row & the Wharf are pretty tacky (rivals Fisherman's Wharf in SF). Pacific Grove/Spanish Bay has some restaurants with views, I believe.

In the last 45 years, we've spent most of our time in Carmel.

Stu Dudley

They're only 5 miles apart, so it doesn't matter. It's not really a "day trip", just another part of the same area.

I agree that they're so close it can't be considered a day trip. I prefer Carmel as a walking around town. The only restaurant I can think of off hand that has an ocean view is the one at the Mission Ranch.

No, it's not a day trip from one to the other, but Carmel would probably be where I would choose to stay, mainly because it's so walkable.

Ocean view restaurants were discussed n another thread here, and with a few exceptions those don't tend to be the best. I'll find the link and post it.

Here it is:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...afood-view.cfm

Yep, they are the same area, so you can easily stay in one and visit the other. Pacific Grove is my favorite town on the Monterey Peninsula and there are some B&Bs that overlook the ocean.

Carmel is nice, but it is decidedly upscale and uber-quaint, which is not my style, so I don't enjoy it as much as PG and Monterey. If you are interested in shops and galleries though, then it might be a good fit for you.

Monterey has the aquarium.

To tell you how close they are to each other, the aquarium is actually physically in both Monterey and Pacific Grove.

ok everyone, thanks for your replies. all have been v. helpful!

Hope you have a great trip - let us know how it goes. The nice thing about this particular choice is that there really isn't a wrong answer :)

There are actually a number of hotels/motels in Carmel that have ocean views, including the Sea View Inn, the Lamplighter (I've stayed there, and there are sea views from the top floor), and the Horizon Inn (stayed there also).

For really great views, have a look at the Tickle Pink Inn.