I am planning a trip to san francisco and then driving to carmel/monterey area. I was wondering if anybody has stayed at the Highlands Inn and what their impression was? How is parking in carmel?

We found parking on the street on the edge of town (east) and walked from there. It's quite small and walkable.

The highlands Inn is spectacular!!!
My wife and I stayed there last September.
You get what you pay for-don't get the lowest room.
The only better hotel in the area is the Post Ranch Inn - very exclusive.

The highlands Inn is spectacular!!!
My wife and I stayed there last September.
You get what you pay for-don't get the lowest room.
The only better hotel in the area is the Post Ranch Inn - very exclusive.

The highlands Inn is spectacular!!!
My wife and I stayed there last September.
You get what you pay for-don't get the lowest room.
The only better hotel in the area is the Post Ranch Inn - very exclusive.

The Highlands Inn is spectacular.
My wife and I went there last year on our anniversary.
Not a place to spare the change - get a suite high up. Marvelous sunsets.
The only better hotel in the area is the Post Ranch Inn - very exclusive.

Generally, parking in Carmel is awful! Don't mess with the 90 min time frame either because they will ticket, and be aware of the green curbs which mean short term parking. Make sure your car is properly parked close to the curb. That said, the Highlands Inn is wonderful. Enjoy! Also, if you go mid week or arrive before 10 am the parking is much easier. You might also want to visit the aquarium in Monterey or rent a kayak to take out in the bay, or see the pretty old Victorians in Pacific Grove. The 17 mile drive is worth it although again, it's crowded on a weekend. Have fun.

Doug,
You couldn't have picked a better spot. Yes, the Highland's Inn is beautiful. It's not cheap though. As for Carmel parking, well, do you feel like hiking? What we usually do is park down at the bottom of Ocean at the Carmel beach... it's free there and you just have to take off the socks and walk in the beautiful white sand. Then leave the car and walk up the hill and enjoy a leasure time in Carmel without worrying about the parking meter. Also you are very close (at the Highlands') to Pt. Lobos State Preserve. It is also a place you have to see if you have the time. It has been described as the most beautiful meeting of land and sea in the world. I'm sure some would argue that but not my wife nor I. Have fun, maybe stop in at The Hog's Breath for lunch.

Ron

My wife and I stayed at highlands in may. We we're upgraded when we checked in, and the room we recieved was very nice. The original room we had booked was pretty small and we would not have been happy paying that much for a room like that. I spent 3-4 hours at point lobos state reserve and have never experienced anything like that before, it was indescribable. I was very dissapointed, when the park ranger had to drag me out of there, because they we're closing. It is 10 times better than the aquarium