A guide to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California's storybook village Los Angeles Times

Table Of Content

• Walk through Carmel Art Association, the town's oldest gallery
• Hike from Carmel Valley to Inspiration Point
• Hofsas House – Casual elegance, personal service and traditional family hospitality
• Check current rates for Hofsas House via our Expedia link
• Sign Up for Our Weekly Emails
• What are the check-in and check-out times at Hofsas House Hotel?

The atmosphere was fun and we enjoyed sitting at the bar while we waited for our food. We ordered a classic bacon cheeseburger, prime rib French dip, and bangers and mash with grilled onion and mustard gravy. We enjoyed all three meals while watching the sunset from our room. Hofsas House provides its guests with a complimentary continental breakfast consisting of fruit, delicious pastries from a local bakery, coffee, and juice. Guests can bring a tray with their breakfast to their rooms. Guests with mobility challenges can request breakfast delivery to their room.

Walk through Carmel Art Association, the town's oldest gallery

The hotel has been owned and operated by one family (three generations) for the past seventy years. The Owner and General Manager Carrie Theis arranged a thoughtful itinerary for us. She made excellent family-friendly recommendations for restaurants and places to visit around the Monterey Peninsula. Carmel is unique in many ways, maintaining its quaint atmosphere by resisting city features like parking meters, street lights and sidewalks beyond downtown. These days, many Angelenos are drawn to the town, a five-hour drive from L.A. They delight in its cottages, picturesque downtown, beautiful beach with soft sand and striking coastline.

Hike from Carmel Valley to Inspiration Point

Two dinner entrees of spaghetti with kalamata olives, roasted tomatoes, scallions, garlic, basil, and parmesan cheese, and a fondue entree were shared by the three of us. Hofsas House is ideally located just a few walkable blocks to fantastic dining and shopping that centers around Ocean Avenue, the main street. The swimming pool is open and heated year-round and there are two European-style dry saunas.

Hofsas House – Casual elegance, personal service and traditional family hospitality

As the sun went down the light would hit the crystal knobs dispersing little rainbows all over our room. Each hotel room has one-of-a-kind furniture and decor touches, making each visit a unique experience. Our two night stay at the Hofsas House Hotel made our visit not only comfortable and convenient, but also colorful and full of sweet moments. Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car rentals and package deals with KAYAK.

Check current rates for Hofsas House via our Expedia link

It’s romantic and lovely and feels like you’re stepping into a different time. If you’re considering a stay at Hofsas House, you’ll also want to know why Carmel-By-The-Sea is an ideal destination. But overall, Hofsas House is one of the best places to stay in the village of Carmel, and the cozy, welcoming, and artistic atmosphere suited us perfectly.

The fine printMust-know information for guests at this property

To attract families with kids, especially young kids, Carmel might have to make some changes. The rooms are each decorated with different styles, and some have mini-kitchens for convenience. Guests are served complimentary continental breakfast in the lobby each morning, and the town is merely a few short blocks away.

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With the free off-street parking, it's the perfect place to park the car and walk to explore the area. While the beach is about a 20-minute walk away, it's still easily accessible, especially if guests opt for taking the car. Just 5-minutes’ walk from restaurants and shops in Carmel city center, Hofsas House Hotel features a heated outdoor pool and a continental breakfast with fresh pastries. Free WiFi is included in all rooms.A TV with cable channels offers in-room entertainmen.

A guide to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California's storybook village - Los Angeles Times

A guide to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California's storybook village.

Posted: Wed, 22 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Does Hofsas House Hotel have a pool?

What makes this drive family-friendly is the number of stops you make at points of interest. If a family member has a short attention span, make fewer stops and be sure to have all family members pick a stop that interests them. Walking to the beach from Hofsas House is possible for the fit who don’t mind walking back uphill.

If you enjoy hiking, there are several trails in the park at both Whaler’s Cove and the Cypress Grove South Shore. Artesian coffee house serving small plates with ingredients sourced locally. The food and coffee is almost too pretty to eat and drink! The weather was beautiful so we sat outside on the spacious patio.

I was looking forward to photographing the spectacular scenery. We stayed at the Hofsas House Hotel Family-Friendly Lodging. My family stayed in Pacific Grove several years ago, and we have fond memories of the area. It’s a beautiful part of the world and a nice change from our Southern California beaches and weather. We were super impressed with this beach, the sand was so soft and sparkling white. You can either opt to walk along the Scenic Road trail that runs parallel to the ocean or you can set up a picnic on the sand, we did both!

Families can easily spend a week here and still not see everything the area has to offer. Hofsas House Hotel is family friendly lodging that is centrally located and accommodating. The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History was an ideal family-friendly destination.

And if you’re a writer, Carmel is the perfect place to write. Hofsas House is a great location and ideal if you’re looking to stay in Carmel By-The-Sea and want to walk everywhere. It’s three blocks from Ocean Avenue (near the shops) and eight blocks from Carmel Beach. In total, there are 38 spacious rooms with beautiful ocean views.

The fairytale-like Carmel-by-the-Sea is a place where, for the last 107 years, the only building with a street address has been the post office. The Little Swiss Café had the most delicious breakfast; Café Carmel was charming and yummy. Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small town with a big appetite for delicious food. This seaside community is home to about 45 unique restaurants and cafes, each with its own distinctive flavor. For more information, visit the official website, carmelcalifornia.com. Carmel By-The-Sea is the place to visit if you’re seeking inspiration!

Although the hotel is very centrally located in Carmel-by-the-sea, there’s still plenty of convenient and free parking spots. Often when you choose a hotel that’s in the center of all the action, you end up having to sacrifice the ease of finding parking. The seaside village has changed a lot since then — the tents and cabins were replaced by luxury homes and Carmel started to attract Hollywood stars. Not only is Clint Eastwood a former mayor but he also owns Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant, where he often still makes appearances. Doris Day co-owned the Cypress Inn, Betty White built a beach house in town and Brad Pitt recently moved to the Carmel Highlands.

Ariel loved the whimsical feel of the inn and the intimate comfort of her room. After hearing the sunsets are a must-see, that night she opened her Dutch door and watched the most beautiful sunset, as she breathed the fresh ocean air. She grew hungry, and decided to treat herself to a lovely dinner at one of the many restaurants within walking distance. After a wonderful meal, she returned to her room and cozied up to a roaring fire. Feeling motivated, she opened her laptop and began to type. Hours passed and Ariel grew tired as she listened to the logs crackle in the fire.