We stayed as a guest of the hotel.
In November, while my family and I cruised up the central coast of California for Thanksgiving, we stayed two nights in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was the perfect destination for my family to get away, relax and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation around them. Carmel is a central location to stay when you also want to visit its surrounding cities Monterey and Big Sur.
Carmel-by-the-Sea Traveling Tips
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often simply referred to as Carmel, is situated on the Monterey Peninsula and mainly known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. There is 1 art gallery for every 6 residents. I happen to stumble upon a really cool art gallery called “The Art of Dr. Seuss” while out Christmas shopping.
The city is also known for being very dog-friendly (even on the beach), with numerous hotels, restaurants and retail establishments. But they have some peculiar laws though, including a prohibition on wearing high-heel shoes without a permit, enacted to prevent lawsuits arising from tripping accidents caused by irregular pavement. Believe me! You don’t want to wear high heals anyways. The streets are very steep to walk on!
While in Carmel, we stayed two nights at The Hofsas House Hotel, a European boutique style hotel, located right in center of town or the “village” as locals like to call it.
Upon arrival, we were kindly greeted by Donna, the hotel manager, and offered hot chocolate, coffee and tea. Every afternoon at 3 pm guests are welcome to enjoy hot apple cider and snacks in the sitting room of the hotel. In the winter they also turn the beautiful brass fireplace.
Hofsas House Hotel Review
So after checking in, we gathered our luggage and went upstairs to our family suite located on the second floor of the three-story hotel. We parked our car conveniently underneath the building itself. Since the Hofsas House Hotel was built in the 1940s there are no elevators on the property.
The Hofsas House Hotel has 38 uniquely decorated rooms, many with ocean views overlooking the pines in the village of Carmel.
Our family suite consisted of two main rooms; the living room and the master bedroom. The living room also functioned as a separate sleeping area. We used the pull out sofa at night. Furthermore, the room came with a small kitchen, fireplace and private balcony. We were able to watch glorious sunsets over the Pacific Ocean from the privacy of our room.
Off the side of the living room was an ample full size bathroom that my children used. It came standard with everything that you need for a hotel stay such as shampoo, conditioner and lotion.
The master bedroom, where my husband and I stayed, was by far the largest hotel room I have ever booked. I think it has something to do with the hotel being built back in the ’40s when the building codes were quite different. Either way, I had plenty of room to stretch out and relax. Good night kids, hello sleep!
The master bedroom also came with a large size bathroom similar to the one off the side of the living room.
Finally, after settling in, we enjoyed complimentary wine and cheese (a $30 add on) and sparkling apple cider for the kids. It was a very kind gift from Donna, the hotel manager. Later on she told me that the delicious cheeses were from a local store in town call The Cheese Shop. The owner imports cheese from all around the world.
Over the course of the next two days we did several activities in the Carmel area and walked everywhere from the inn. One day I took a stroll around town to do some early Christmas shopping, while my husband enjoyed the city’s popular Wine Walk Tour.
On another day we ordered delicious sandwiches from a deli in town called the 5th Avenue deli and ate them at the City’s local park. The sandwiches cost about$10 and their choices are endless.
Hofsas House Hotel Accomidations
The Hofsas House Hotel is located three blocks north of Ocean Avenue and eight blocks from the picturesque white sand Carmel beach. Guests receive a continental breakfast in the morning with French Roast coffee, tea, fresh pastries delivered from a local bakery, juice and fruit. Other amenities include a heated swimming pool, dry saunas, view deck areas and free wireless Internet access. Some rooms are dog friendly.
Overall, Hofsas House Hotel is a clean, well situated hotel at the right price, located in the beautiful coastal city of Carmel, California. Check out their hotel packages for 2016 for more information.
Happy Field Tripping!
Jilleen
Monterey Bay Aquarium offers free field trips for students.
Monday 14th of March 2016
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