Relaxing at Hofsas House in Carmel-by-the-Sea

In yesterdays post about Carmel Valley I got to show you the beautiful mountains and vineyards. Today I’ll be talking about Carmel-by-the-Sea, where Erica and I spent our last two days in California. It’s about 20 minutes from Carmel Valley and is a gorgeous town right by the sea. There’s shopping, dining, art, and so much wine.

I’ll be posting all about the activities we did in Carmel-by-the-Sea in a separate post but today I wanted to talk about where we stayed. Hofsas House is a Carmel institution. It is third-generation family owned and is such a charming place to stay.

The hotel is Bavarian themed and has beautiful artwork throughout the property. This piece was commissioned by Maxine Albro, an artist who was originally from Iowa!

Erica and I nicknamed our room the dollhouse. It was spacious, pink, and floral. All the rooms at Hofsas House are individually decorated so you could stay there five times and feel like you’re staying in five completely different hotels.

I love that our room came with a fireplace! The weather was perfect the first two days in Carmel-by-the-Sea but the day we left brought the “Storm of the Century” as locals dubbed it. If you have to deal with bad weather why not do so by a warm fireplace?

We were greeted by a lovely cheese and wine spread in our room. Hofsas House offers so many packages to make your stay memorable. They can arrange a couples massage in your room or a picnic basket to be prepared for a day at the beach.

The Cheese Shop sent some fabulous cheeses for us to try, along with a a bottle of Chardonnay. We had plans to visit The Cheese Shop on the last day but due to the weather were not able to. Next time I’m in Carmel I definitely want to check them out in person.

The cheeses were delicious. Erica and I enjoyed them after a day of exploring while the sun set over the ocean in front of us.

The Hofsas House partner with a French bakery to bring in fresh pastries for breakfast. I love the cozy little eating space in the lobby.

I won’t tell you how many pastries I ate while I was there. I’m a sucker for good-tasting carbs. 😉

What I really loved about Hofsas House was how it felt like you were staying with family. Everyone was so kind and went out of their way to make our trip a pleasant one. Carmel is such a friendly place. Being there I felt like time moved a little slower, and that I was able to breathe and relax. Isn’t that what vacations are all about?

I still have a whole post full of eats, shopping, a ridiculous nacho story, wine, and the ocean to share with you guys from my time in Carmel. That will be coming either tomorrow or next week, depending on how late NYE festivities run tomorrow. Regardless, I wish you an awesome last day of 2014 and a very happy start to 2015! I’ll talk to you in the new year!

Questions of the Day: Have you been to Carmel? Do you prefer bed and breakfast type hotels or big resorts?