I adore Carmel! I would absolutely move there now in a heartbeat if I could. Matt and I decided we want to end up here someday… it’s almost like a little European town, so yes – sign me up. We drove up on Saturday morning and stayed at The Hideaway hotel just a couple of blocks from the heart of downtown Carmel.
After checking in, we walked over to La Bicyclette for lunch, one of our absolute favorite spots in the area. So good! We ended up coming back on Sunday morning for brunch, which was lovely as well. I recommend the Margherita pizza and a bottle of rosé. After a little pizza fuel, we wandered around, popping into shops and taking in all of the beauty that takes over every little nook and cranny of this town.
When Matt and I are on a weekend escape, the day is planned around meals! Dinner at Casanova was incredible. We got so lucky (we came without reservations) and sat on the front patio in the most beautiful setting at sunset. We loved how the restaurant is dog-friendly, and the pups scattered throughout the property (including a baby golden retriever… I wanted to steal). The wine and food were perfect – it was the best date night and meal we’ve had in a long time – I cannot wait to make my way back in the near future. I realized a lot of the small details (decor and serving ware) were similar to La Bicylette so I asked them and found out they are owned by the same family. Two brothers own each individually and thought that was cool! They are certainly both doing a great job if you ask me.
(This pistachio banana ice cream was the best dessert ever. Paired with espresso + the last sips of Pinot… heaven.)
More favorite finds
Twigery | flower shop and garden
Paloosh | cutest clothing boutique
Tudor | tasting courtyard
Cypress Inn | evening cocktails
Beachwood Home | home shop
As you may have read in a recent post, I created a Travel Guide in my menu bar. You can now click “Carmel” to see my (always evolving) recommendation list. Feel free to reach out with any comments/questions! Hope you had an amazing weekend! x
Share this story
I adored Carmel when we went to visit! We only had one night there and had to leave right in the morning, so we definitely want to come back to explore some more. It’s so charming, and feels almost like a little European city!
You just hit the nail right on the head! Yes. That must be why we love it so much. 🙂 I hope you’re able to make your way back soon, definitely would have loved some more time myself. Thanks for saying hello, Minna! x
I want to go here so bad!!
alexamjohnson.com
You absolutely should. It’s such a lovely place to visit!
Loved this post Ash! xo
Thanks, Soph! So excited to see you this weekend!
Oh my god, Carmel looks amazing. I need to go there!!
You sure do! xx
Looks beautiful! Especially adoring the food 😉
Haha, the best part! It’s gorgeous there. You just gotta come visit the west coast, my love!
ahhh looks amazing! I LOVE Carmel too – such a charming little town with european influences everywhere you turn. So goooood. By the way, your photography is looking so beautiful! xx
Aw, thank you SO much, that meals a lot to me! I hope all is well in your world, friend! x
So my husband and I just took a trip up Highway 1 from San Diego to Napa and mapped out all of our hotels and places to visit beforehand. We booked a room in Big Sur but the hotel called us *the day* before and canceled our room due to the fires – panic mode over here since there are about 3 places to stay in Big Sur and no one was taking guests. I remembered your post about Carmel so we quickly made a reservation at the Cypress Inn (amazing!) and had pizza at La Bicyclette (hungry husband became immediately happy and even took a menu back to the hotel as a souvenir). So THANK YOU for this post. I hardly ever comment on blogs but wanted to say you are doing everything right, my friend!
Hi Krista!
First of all, so sorry about your plans falling through, but I am SO happy you were able to figure it out. Carmel seriously makes my heart skip a beat, so good choice! You liked the Cypress Inn? I haven’t seen the rooms, but it looked so darling when we stopped by in the lobby! 🙂
La Bicyclette can definitely turn ones day around… so delicious. So glad you guys had a great time!
& thank you SO much for the sweet note, it made my day!! x
Absolutely! I’ll be reading your travel guides religiously moving forward. It couldn’t have worked out better for us – Carmel is such a better place to stay overnight anyway. The Cypress Inn was perfect and we loved the charm. Highly recommend it and we will be staying there again when we go back – if you like Doris Day, you’ll love it. Thanks again and if you ever need any Chicago recommendations feel free to reach out 🙂
Ah, I LOVE Chicago! I’ve only been once and Matt has never visited, so I’m hoping to plan a trip in the next year or so. I will be sure to reach out when I have plans!
Great place to visit, but hard to find your way around because there are no street numbers, hence no Google Maps to guide you. It has always been an issue given there are 500 businesses in a single square mile. Carmel has a lot to offer but hard to find all those hidden gems. Not now. There’s finally a navigation tool. https://carmel.guide
I’ve never had an issue!