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Carmel California Vacation Travel

More About Carmel - Editor's Tips - Weather Maps & Dining



When to go?
The season in Carmel stretches from early May well into October and the crowds, traffic and rates can be maddening. Fortunately, the weather is beautiful and the golf courses are open all year long. The range of temperature between summer and winter is only about 10 degrees F and the annual rainfall is less than 20 in. The chilly ocean breeze means you will need at least a sweater all year, especially at night.

Where to stay?
The hotels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts (and one really nice motel) are all first class in Carmel. Each draws its own character from its individual history, from a 19th century ranch restored by Clint Eastwood, to a Mediterranean-style villa built for the Ghirardelli chocolate heiress. Everything in Carmel, lodgings included, comes at a premium price, but everything is close to something beautiful and extraordinary. Almost every room in Carmel is booked solid from May through October, so book as many months in advance as possible. If your pet is coming, Doris Day's Inn is the most pet-friendly lodging in town.

What to do?
Carmel offers visitors to its shops, inns beaches and golf courses an exclusive vacation experience. The dining at the various styles of restaurants is fantastic and speckled with celebrity appearances (and not too pricey). The eclectic collection of shops and boutiques offers the family shopper hours of exploration. To experience the natural beauty of coastal California, roll down the windows and cruise the 17-Mile-Drive. Anyone who knows which end of the sticks to hold on to knows that Pebble Beach is just a stone's throw up the road, along with several other magnificent links. Finally, no trip to Carmel is complete without at least a brief visit to the dazzling white sands of the beach. Don't bother with the swimsuits, though: the waves are large, but the water temperatures are too cold for all but the wet-suited bathers and surfers.

 

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