Monterey or Carmel???
 

Any differnce in staying in Carmel versus Monterey? I am considering BW Carmel Bay view Inn in Carmel or the Doubletree in Monterey (little more expensive tho.

Both towns get the tourist crowds -- but Monterey is the more "urban" of the two, while Carmel is quaint and charming.

The Doubletree will put you smack dab in the middle of downtown Monterey, within easy walking distance of shopping, restaurants, as well as Wharf 1 and Wharf 2.

If you want quiet, choose Carmel.
If you like shopping & nightlife, choose Monterey.
The two towns are mere minutes apart, so you'll definitely be able to enjoy them both.

I stayed in that Best Western (Carmel Bay) and it buys you nothing over Monterey in terms of ambiance. It's by a freeway and could just as well be in Monterey, because you still have to drive everywhere. We like to stay at Casa Munras in Monterey--walking distance to the warf and aquarium, nice accomodations and reasonable prices.

I think it depends on who you're with. My family with two teens stopped in Carmel for a drink at Hog's Breath. Carmel did not appeal to us much. Seemed to be all art galleries. We stayed in Monterey at the Cannery row area and liked that. It was lively enough for my kids, but not as tacky as the wharf area.

I generally like small, quaint towns. Loved Laguna Beach a few years ago. So I was worried about Monterey, but we liked it. I have to admit we didn't spend much time in Carmel though. Liked the Mission and Point Lobos very much, but didn't hang in town long. We also spent very little time in Monterey's Fisherman's wharf. In fact, my kids didn't even see it! My husband and I walked there from the Plaza hotel early one morning on the nice bike path behind the hotel. (Kids were still asleep). There was no one around, but I could tell I wouldn't want to spend much time there.

auntiemaria did a great job of summing up the difference between Monterey abd Carmel. You also may want to look into nearby Pacific Grove. There is quite a nice selection of inns and B&B's. It's less touristy than Carmel and more quaint than Monterey.

I agree with Robinson regarding Pacific Grove. My husband and I stayed at the Gosby House Inn when we were there in Sept 2002. The town is very quiet and quaint. There is also a very good restaurant two blocks down the street that serves fresh fish at reasonable prices - Passion Fish.

Coming from the midwest, being near the ocean is important to us. Of the three towns, Pacific Grove had the best oceanfront... really gorgeous. If you like B and Bs, that would be a good choice. With teens, we didn't feel that was an option for us on this trip, and I'm not sure I would like a B and B even if it was just my husband and I. But I wouldn't mind trying if it was one of those I saw in Pacific Grove!

There is a great bike/walking path that runs a few miles through both Monterey and Pacific Grove connecting the two. The two towns run together so it's hard to tell where one starts and the other ends.

A funny thing happened to us early one morning. My husband and I were walking towards Fisherman's wharf in Monterey when a man jogging in the opposite direction stopped and started laughing. It was an old college buddy of ours, who also happens to live in the same suburb of Chicago as us (his kids are in school with ours). They were staying in Pacific Grove in one of the B and Bs and he was out jogging to Monterey. We didn't know he was staying in the same area or even in California. Imagine what the odds are of bumping in to him at 8 am on the bike path!

bucky - don't you just love it when you run into people like that? It's so much fun. I always wonder, how many people do we just miss running into like that?