Carmel Cottage, Three Blocks From the Beach
Carmel is a walkable village, one mile square. It’s the site of one of the original California missions (beautifully restored today). You don’t need a car—you can shop for groceries, go to the drugstore, post office, stop at a cafe or restaurant, all within a 5 to 10 minute walk. (There is also regular bus service into the town of Monterey, and also down the coast to the Point Lobos Wildlife Reserve.)
The house is a two-bedroom cottage, painted dark grey with white trim, across the street from the side of the La Playa Hotel. It has a gravel driveway big enough for one car. The La Playa Hotel was built in the 1920s and is on the National Register of Historic Hotels. I like to slip over there for a nightcap some evenings—it’s the “local” for many of its neighbors.
The house is two and half blocks from the town beach, which is over half a mile long. At one end is a famous Frank Lloyd Wright house, built on a cliff; on the other end is Pebble Beach golf course. There are two more public beaches within five miles.
The house is 900 square feet, with a deck that wraps around two sides. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, plus a new sofa bed in the living room. The house comfortably sleeps 6 adults. (Guests who have tried the sofa bed have given us good reviews.) We’ve restored the original oak floors from the 1920s in the house’s older section.