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South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2014

August/September 2014 69 TOP: COURTESY OF TICKLE PINK INN; BOTTOM: TCOURTESY OF CARMELCALIFORNIA.COM DAY ONE 2 P.M. Your first stop is the Carmel Visitor Center, where you’ll find all the maps, brochures and advice you need. This is the only place to purchase a Wine Walk Passport for access to nine of the village’s 15 wine tasting rooms. At $65, the passport entitles you to a flight of wines at each locale. An additional bonus is that the passport never expires. Here, you can also ask for a listing of the Comstock cottages as well as a free map featuring the town’s 42 courtyards. And by the way, no numeric addresses exist in Carmel-by-the-Sea, so you have to find locations according to cross streets. 3 P.M. Check into your hotel; there are several wonderfully quaint and distinctive choices. One is Svendsgaard’s Inn, a 35-room boutique property within walking distance to the beach and downtown. The inn features a cozy bed with white linens, a gas fireplace and a newspaper accompanied by continental breakfast arriving daily on your doorstep. By now, fresh baked cookies have also appeared in the lobby, as they do each afternoon. Other appealing accommodations might include the Happy Landing Inn, an enclave of cottages recently remodeled but retaining a winsome 1920s character. Each room is named after a famous actor or actress and surrounds a grassy garden with an outdoor fireplace. For a place just steps from the ocean, try the Colonial Terrace, where you can book a romantic room with a view from the second story. Or, to see the Pacific in full, panoramic splendor, drive 10 minutes to Tickle Pink Inn and book a luxurious room with fireplace and ocean view. 4 P.M. Make a beeline for Pilgrim’s Way Bookstore and Secret Garden. Carmel’s only bookshop is small but well stocked with bestsellers and works from resident authors, as well as with books covering local history that can only be found here. Known as the heartbeat of the town, the bookstore hosts readings and author receptions, and the lovely Secret Garden behind the shop offers an oasis of splashing fountains, plants and Zeninspired statuary. 5 P.M. Time for a pre-dinner drink! Zip up the stairs of Vesuvio Restaurant and you’ll discover Starlight 65, the only rooftop lounge in town. Enjoy the lively vibe of this hot spot from a seat in front of the cozy central fire pit. 6 P.M. Run down to the white sands of Carmel Beach with a blanket to catch the sunset. You’ll see the sky illuminate with glorious swirls of pink, red and orange. Build your own bonfire, and if you’ve brought Fido along, take off his leash. It’s totally legal. 7 P.M. Walk to dinner. On every street, you’ll find top-shelf restaurants catering to every type of diet (dairy free, vegetarian, gluten-free and more), for various budgets and featuring a wide variety of cuisine. Tonight, hit Grasing’s, and discover why it was voted by the locals as the “best restaurant in Carmel.” Chef Kurt Grasing creates culinary masterpieces with local ingredients such as farm-raised Monterey Bay red abalone and fresh picked organic greens. Fan favorites include tender filet mignon and milk-fed veal. 9 P.M. Wind up the evening with some great live music and head to the Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant. The singalong piano bar stays open until 11:30 p.m. The 22-acre former sheep farm is owned by “Dirty Harry” actor Clint Eastwood. In daylight, you can see sheep wandering the grassy meadow with the ocean in the background. Tickle Pink Inn The Tuck Box


South Bay Accent - Aug/Sep 2014
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