OP mentioned wanting to walk to restaurants and shops.

We used to live in Monterey, which, of course, does not make me an expert on hotels! But given what the OP has said, I would cross off Asilomar (which is beautiful, but secluded; impossible to walk to anything much other than nature) and Carmel Mission Inn (close to a couple of upscale outdoor malls, but otherwise not a scenic location at all).

Thanks for all of the input and ideas!
We've decided that we would rather stay where there is a little more going on and where we can walk to restaurants and shops. So although the Andril Cottages and Asilomar sound charming, they have been crossed off our list this trip.

Deciding between Victorian Inn and Lovers Point. Both have 2 rooms that will work for us. Both include breakfast (Victorian Inn is a full breakfast)

Any other comments to help us decide?

I don't know how Hotel Pacific got off my list….I think I just lost track. So if it should be in the running please speak up on behalf of HP !!!!

Does anybody have thoughts on The Centrella Inn? Just came across it. The customer photos on TripAdvisor look pretty nice and the reviews are mostly very good. I called and prices are cheaper on the phone than online. I looks like it might not be walking distance to restaurants and shops.
Is the quality of Centrella any better than Lovers Point Inn or Victorian Inn?

Can't tell you much about the hotels/motels, I see you've looked at user reviews which are a good guide, but as for location:

Victorian Inn is in a good location if you want to be near Cannery Row and the tourist area. It's kind of in between Fisherman's Wharf and the Aquarium - both walking distance for most people. It's on a busy street however, so look at the reviews to see if folks had problems with noise.

Centrella looks like a standard B&B which prob means smaller rooms. It also is on a main street but with less traffic than VI location and it's in PG which is a pretty sleepy town after hours. You're only a block or two from the water and the town's main street. Main street area has restaurants, movie theater, grocery store, laundromats, and shops but it's a small town and not very extensive.

If you have a car, don't sweat this too much. You can get from Monterey to PG in 6 min. -- PG

Centrella Inn is definitely walking distance to shops and restaurants...was that a typo?

Red House Cafe is one of my favorites and it's open for dinner.

Personally I'd rather stay at Asilomar, have breakfast there and dinner at Fishwife.

I'd also assume that I would be out during the day and lunch would be elsewhere.

Just to shake things up a bit, why don't you look at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley? The large rooms have recently been redone, they have balconies with seating, soaking tubs and nice showers. You'd have room to spread out and not be on top of each other. Breakfast is included in the rates, there is a super Mexican restaurant within walking distance and its not far from the market if you want to get snacks. Beautiful grounds to walk or or golf and putting greens right outside the rooms, if you'd like!

This hotel was our nicest stay in the area to date, much preferred to the small hotel rooms in any of the towns. You give up being within walking distance of a lot of things but if your travel style is to get out in the morning and drive around anyway, this might work for you.

I would not stay at the Centrella Inn with five adults. It s a Victorian bed and breakfast on a major street in a residential area.

The Mexican restaurant by Quail Lodge is Baja Cantina. So fun! We had a rehearsal dinner there and a bridal shower. Margaritas by the pitcher :D

lynni, I'm pretty sure we'd have to get 2 rooms at Centrella. I'll take a look at Quail Lodge but my family would like to be able to walk to restaurants and a few shops.

To shake things up even further, I found a cute cottage near Lovers Point.
http://www.vrbo.com/302326
Anyone familiar with this place or the street/area where it's located?

And further, a good friend who lives is Ca suggested we stay in Santa Cruz/Capitola instead of Monterey peninsula.
Anyone care to discuss?! :)

Gracias!

What is the exact address of the cottage? I think that will end up to be your best bet..I'm guessing its a 10 minute walk either way to the Aquarium area or up to the town of Pacific Grove.

You can also, if you like to walk, walk over to the Inn at Spanish Bay and watch the bagpipers at sunset!!

Nah, I would not stay in Santa Cruz or Capitola for what you are wanting to do.

If the map location is correct, it's practically around the corner from downtown PG.

Portola hotel is downtown Monterey at Fishermans wharf and a 10 min walk to cannery row, lots of shops, restaurants and the aquarium. also down the street, 3 min walk to two great restaurants. one being Francines, wow great food all day and oh those desserts. good traveling. one of the most beautiful spots in the US. make sure and drive the 17 mile drive.

Looks like it is 205 Lobos from my Google Map search.

It looks pretty nice to me and the neighbors' homes look great too as I pan in street view. That's about as perfect a spot as you can get in PG. Close to everything.... but you never know about who may be next door. There are no guarantees. You can only do so much research... I say <Go for It!> -- PG

Oh.... forget about Santa Cruz - you'll be happy in the Monterey area.

Thanks everyone.
We are going to take the cottage. Does anyone know if it is standard procedure to pay in full at time of reservation with VRBO rentals?

We'll stick with Monterey area rather than Santa Cruz. Monterey is closer to Point Lobos (and drive a bit south of PL if we have time)

I've heard differing opinions re Big Basin vs Henry Cowell. Is getting to Big Basin really a pain (winding roads/motion sick) and long? Is Henry Cowell as beautiful as BB? Willing to spend good chunk of a day if we choose Big Basin unless there's a better suggestion.

We just need more time!!!

VRBO rental requirements are based on an individual basis. i use VRBO frequently, and yes, i have paid in full up front. paying in full up front is usually a requirement in the most popular locations/cities.

Any comments re Big Basin or Henry Cowell for a redwood experience?!

Both Henry Cowell and Big Basin are great. Big Basin is up the hill a ways - I like the drive though. Its really beautiful and I like mountain roads, so I don't mind it at all. Some people don't like curvy roads and find it to be a difficult drive. Or they don't want to spend to get up there. The road is not difficult - no super-tight switchbacks or sheer drop-offs or anything. The road follows the San Lorenzo river up through a mountain valley. It's about a 45 minute drive from Santa Cruz, compared with about 15 minutes to Henry Cowell.

If you want beauty and are on the coast you might want to look at Big Sur much closer than big basin etc.
I admit I have not read all the text above...I live near the coast north of where you are planning to stay.
Love Carmel and surrounding areas.

november_moon, thanks for the details. I guess if we leave SF early enough in the day we could stop at either park on our way to Monterey, rather than driving back that way once we are in Monterey. However, since we have limited time in SF we might not leave early enough in the day to make it to Monterey by dark if we stop at BB or HC. Make sense?

janellebc, we will be staying in Monterey area - hopefully a cottage in PG. We will see part of Big Sur. One of our priorities is experiencing redwoods.