Daphne & Taylor
Things To Do
Fav Restaurants in Carmel-by-the-sea
Breakfast: La Bicyclette Restaurant (great for any other meal too!) Katy's Place Carmel Belle Lunch: The Bench - best views and good food on iconic 18th hole at Pebble Beach - our favorite spot! Aw Shucks - casual raw bar with great drinks Mulligans - Irish pub Portabella - casual but fresh Italian and French food Hog's Breath Inn - cozy American bar food Dinner: Dametra - delicious, festive Mediterranean & Daphne's favorite! (great for lunch too) Mission Ranch - iconic spot with fabulous views & patio for sunset happy hour and great steaks and American food for dinner (Clint Eastwood's place!) Little Napoli - casual Italian La Balena - more upscale farm-fresh Italian Casanova - romantic spot with French Italian food Grasings - nice spot with great American-ish menu Vesuvius - great pizzas and fun rooftop bar Cultura - upscale Mexican and mezcal spot
Fav Restaurants in Carmel Valley
Breakfast: Trailside Cafe Lafayette Bakery Lunch and Dinner: Baja Cantina - festive Mexican place, one of our favs! Corkscrew - great pizzas and wine, another one of our favorites! SUR at the Barnyard - casual spot with big menu Cafe Rustica - delicious sandwiches and salads ROUX - European tapas
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Beautiful, and accessible (!) hiking path right next to town along the coast.
Shop Ocean Ave
Spend a morning or afternoon walking up and down Ocean Ave to check out all the shops, galleries, cafes, tasting rooms and more.
Carmel Beach
Stroll the gorgeous beach or bring a picnic and stay a while! The many dogs are just an added bonus to the pretty scenery.
Pebble Beach 17 Mile Drive
Drive through iconic Pebble Beach along the 17-mile drive. Stop at Pebble Beach Golf Links to walk around the property and see the pro shop, or pop in for lunch or a drink at The Bench for views of the famous 18th hole - our favorite spot in Carmel!
Carmel Mission
Tour the beautiful Carmel Mission, one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California.
Carmel Valley Ranch
The golf course that helped Taylor fall in love with Carmel! Play a round or just head in for lunch at this beautiful spot in the Valley.
Georis Winery
One of our favorite wineries in the valley - start here and you can bop to the many other wine rooms and little shops in Central Valley.
Garland Ranch Regional Park
Check out the many trails at Garland Ranch Park for accessible trails right in Carmel Valley.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
We might be biased, but this is the BEST aquarium and a good excuse to see Cannery row in downtown Monterey.
Pacific Grove Golf Links
Check out PGGC for a round similar to Pebble Beach that the locals love.
Bixby Creek Bridge
Drive down Highway 1 to visit Bixby Bridge for the iconic photo-op - this was from our first trip to Carmel together in 2017! You can pair this with McWay Falls and enjoy lunch in Big Sur at Nepenthe to make a semi-full day of it.
McWay Falls
Check out McWay Falls to see a bit of Big Sur, 1 hour south of Carmel down beautiful Highway 1. This is a very short, but very beautiful, hiking path to see the waterfall. Pair this trip with lunch at Nepenthe and a stop at Bixby Bridge.
Nepenthe Restaurant
Head down Highway 1 for lunch at the beautiful Nepenthe with views of the Pacific Ocean, and possibly see some whales!
More Golf Recommendations!
- Quail Lodge - Poppy Hills - Spyglass - Links at Spanish Bay - Del Monte - Monterey Pines