Day 1:
4:00PM
We arrived at our lodging, the most charming Inn on Ocean Ave.
Ocean Avenue is Camel's downtown strip filled with shops, restaurants, galleries AND is only a 3 minute walk from the famous Carmel Beach! The staff at The Lamplighter Inn were amazing, they made the entire experience.
These little cottages were quaint and romantic. Our room was the perfect mix between a coastal cool and modern chic. The ceiling was spectacular and I am such a sucker for in-room fireplaces.
5:00PM
We started off the evening by walking up and down Ocean Ave, admiring the art galleries and shops. We only spent about an hour window shopping on Ocean Ave, but there are enough adorable places to keep you company all weekend long, from the shops, art galleries, wine tasting, and restaurants to the spectacular architecture (I have never seen such a fairytale-like town. It was as if we stepped into a storybook).
6:00PM
We ventured down to the renown Carmel Beach to watch the sunset, it was marvelous.
As a wide range of orange and pink colors stretched across the sky, we danced in the sunset and soaked up its beauty.
7:30PM
After watching the sunset we headed to a highly recommended sushi restaurant in Monterey (the next town over) called The Sushi Fly. It lived up to the hype, the Hot Date roll was our favorite!
We ate our sushi in the fire pit seating of our inn, and visited with other guests. Through our entire experience in Carmel, everyone in this charming town was so friendly and inviting!
9:00PM:
We headed back to our room to enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine from our Inn and planned out our stops for the following day!
Day 2:
8:30AM:
But first, coffee!! A 2 minute walk from our Inn was the cutest coffee shop, called The Carmel Roasting Company The coffee was delicious! I had a sugar free caramel iced latte and Hunter had a caramel frappuccino and they were so yummy, their espresso beans are delicious!
Budget Traveling Tip: Pack breakfast food and snacks to bring with you! That's what we do on our travels and the only money we spend on food is for morning coffee and dinner!
10:00AM:
After grabbing coffee we hopped in the car and started heading South on the US HWY1.
THIS WAS THE MOST GORGEOUS DRIVE! The following photos were all taken at turn offs and trails right off of HWY 1!
11:00am:
About an hour drive south from Carmel-by-the-Sea landed us at our first hike of the day at Sand Dollar Beach, where you can walk down to the ocean and relax beside a gorgeous view.
We drove just past the entrance to the beach, and hiked the cliff area overlooking Sand Dollar Beach.
PSA: The trails are unmarked making it can hard to know where you are headed, so you will need a few hours to adventure this area if you have never been here before. But if you have the time, we highly recommend it! It was absolutely beautiful.
4:00PM:
After we got back to the car, we drove back up the US 1 about 30 minutes to Julia Pfeiffer Burns Beach. This was a very shot and easy hike, it was the most gorgeous view in Big Sur. The parking lot was filled but we were easily able to finding parking at a nearby turn off and it was only a little over 2 miles total to walk down to the beach and back.
5:30PM:
You HAVE to stay and watch the sunset, it is absolutely magical!
7:30PM:
We headed back to Carmel and got Poke for dinner! The seafood in Carmel area is amazing!
Day 3:
9:00am:
We walked up the street to the same coffee shop for breakfast and latte's! Since it was our last day, we took it slow.
We headed down to Monterey and took the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach! (The entire time we planned out how we were going to move to Monterey), this is the part of California that is worth paying millions of dollars to live in! ;)
12:00PM:
We spent the rest of the afternoon perusing the shops outside of the Monterey Aquarium. (Unfortunately the aquarium was closed, but everyone told us it is a must do when they open back up!)
*Our favorite shop was a handmade candle shop, they are so many options and you can even have yours customized!*
4:00PM:
We headed home!
It was a perfect weekend getaway! We hope you love the photos and tips, we can't wait to hear of your travels!
Travel Soon!
~Mr and Mrs Jones