Monterey or Carmel?

April 25, 2004 11:31 AM

Monterey or Carmel? Inexpensive weekend hotel/B&B recommendation? Preference is close to the water, less than half a mile, night life not important, yet without blowing my credit card to bits. [NMI]
posted by billsaysthis to Travel & Transportation around Canada (3 answers total)

Best answer: Beachcomber Inn (off rte. 68 IIRC) in Pacific Grove, across the street from the Asilomar conference center and about a quarter mile from the beach. Not sure what the price is, but my family's been going there since I was 4 so it can't be too ridiculous. Pacific Grove is basically right between Monterey and Carmel.
posted by LionIndex at 1:36 PM on April 25, 2004

In response to your first question, Monterey, as it's like 15 mins from Carmel (by car) and will probably drop your lodging costs by about 50%.
Carmel's nicer, though, kind of a large town, whereas Monterey is more of a small city.
posted by signal at 8:39 PM on April 25, 2004

I second looking in Pacific Grove. The place we stayed, The Inn at 213 17 Mile Drive, wasn't cheap, but a much better value than a comparable place in either Carmel or Monterey, just a 5-7 minute drive from Monterey itself, and close to the water. Pacific Grove is more of a little beach town than either Monterey or Carmel, with a handful of good restaurants and a small beach, and I think a butterfly nature preserve, and it's well-situated as a base for visiting the area.
posted by ambrosia at 10:02 AM on April 26, 2004