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Pebble Beach/Monterey Things to Do


JohnnyShotgun

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Hey guys, looking for recs for the Monterey Coast. Wife and I will be there for 5 nights in late January, staying at the Inn at Spanish Bay. Wineries, breweries, seafood, are some of the things we are interested in. We would love local spots for food and drink as well. I know there is an aquarium close by, so will probably stop there for a visit. Open to any other suggestions. Thanks.

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Alvarado is brewpub type setting, decent food and bit better beer, Fieldworks is an outdoor type setting, no food but outstanding beer.
Plenty of good places to eat between Monterey and Carmel, Montrio Bistro, Flying fish grill, Portabella and Aubergine for are all really good.
First awakening and From scratch have for breakfast. There are several seafood options on the wharf but they seemed a bit touristy so we skipped.

January is gray whale season, get on a whale watching charter

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If you want to golf & not pay PBGR rates, go play Pacific Grove Muni near the aquarium. The front nine is as pedestrian as can be, but the back nine is great (Egan design, who along with MacKenzie did the PB redesign in 1929).
It doesn't have the fame of Spyglass or Links at Spanish Bay (I couldn't get on PB, when I was there for a couple of days) - but it's ocean front, and you can get on, unlike PB or Cypress Point.

Our group had a great dinner at the Mission Ranch Hotel Restaurant.

 

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I’m gonna echo what others have said above but as that area is my current favorite place to visit, I have lots of enthusiastic opinions. Also, as I think I also just wanted an excuse to go look through them again, I’ve also included way too many pics from my most recent trip there.

 

With respect to breweries, definitely check out Alvarado Street and Fieldworks in Monterey. Both have excellent beers. Alvarado Street is a brewpub too so you can eat there if interested. Plus, they are always releasing two or three different canned beers each week so I like to go there early on to sample what’s there but also pick up some 4 packs to go.

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Fieldworks is actually just a “tap yard” so it’s good to check out if you just want to hang out and enjoy the weather or, even better, go at night for a nice relaxing vibe.

 

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The 17 Mile Drive is definitely recommended for scenery and will get you by the golf courses which you need to check out even if you don’t play. Plus if you eat or have drinks at one of the restaurants/bars on the way (including the courses) your entry fee will be deducted from the bill.

 

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An even better drive/scenery is driving down Big Sur. On the way, stop and hike around (really just walk around) Point Lobos park. Amazing scenery.

 

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Keep going down south to at least past Bixby Bridge, check out the purple sands of Pfeifer Beach (and Keyhole Rock).

 

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I love having their burger and enjoying the view at Nepenthe, which can be great even when there are a lot of clouds that have rolled in (beneath you):

 

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If you are gonna press on further south, I’d also recommend stopping by Ragged Point, the elephant seal rookery (hundreds of them when we were there) and Morro Bay (as Morro Rock is quite striking).

 

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In and around Monterey, the aquarium is pretty impressive (& I’m not a guy that would normally go to one on a trip) and Cannery Row is literally right down the street from the entrance.

 

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I’ll stop with all the pics but one last rec for one of my favorite places to go there if you like to check out the ocean and views is Lovers Point park which is along a great path for walking/running/bikes right along the ocean and to the northwest of the aquarium. That whole path to the northwest of the aquarium all the way to northern point (bear the lighthouse) is all very striking scenery.

 

 Enjoy your trip!

 

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Mdleast has it covered. Pfeiffer Beach is amazing, big sur is a whole day and an absolute must.

I love Carmel Valley, been enough times to have friends there. There is something about that valley road that just does it for me. Bernardus Lodge in the valley has a solid spa, it’s pricy but nice. The wine tasting rooms are there too. Ingrid Estate Chardonnay at the Bernardus tasting room is my fav - and I don’t like Chardonnay!!

I took my girlfriend to show her around this fall and we ended up having dinner with total strangers, walking the beach, and going back to their place in Carmel-by-the-sea - just an amazing. Ha sounds like swingers but it wasn’t.

Enjoy the weather it’s the best!

Big sur and Carmel valley road are musts, IMO. And you can’t go wrong with mdleast’s itinerary.

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Some real high points covered here. I like Fishwife in Pacific Grove - it's better than the menu suggests. Not fancy, but solid seafood. A little more upscale is Passionfish. I'm a fan of Pacific Grove in general, as it's just slightly less traveled than Carmel - at least a different crowd.

The Aquarium is world-class, and huge - it can take a good chunk of the day to visit, but is highly worth it.

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I’ve only been lucky enough to visit the area once, and it was all paid for, but The Sardine Factory restaurant in Cannery Row was very memorable. The place is very old school and I swear the owners are actual gangsters (awesome guys). The wine cellar is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen and has its own bar and banquet room. Ask to go down and take a look, and check out the famous names on the wine lockers.

And of course walking Pebble is a life experience.

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On 12/31/2018 at 5:39 PM, mdleast said:

I’m gonna echo what others have said above but as that area is my current favorite place to visit, I have lots of enthusiastic opinions. Also, as I think I also just wanted an excuse to go look through them again, I’ve also included way too many pics from my most recent trip there.

 

With respect to breweries, definitely check out Alvarado Street and Fieldworks in Monterey. Both have excellent beers. Alvarado Street is a brewpub too so you can eat there if interested. Plus, they are always releasing two or three different canned beers each week so I like to go there early on to sample what’s there but also pick up some 4 packs to go.

471093244cd460a691d8fd1d02735c95.jpg

 

 

 

Fieldworks is actually just a “tap yard” so it’s good to check out if you just want to hang out and enjoy the weather or, even better, go at night for a nice relaxing vibe.

 

ac1d1144d03b469f2fa6a7ea4b550d02.jpg

 

fe65424a2e0d9676a6ef6a243f73227b.jpg

 

The 17 Mile Drive is definitely recommended for scenery and will get you by the golf courses which you need to check out even if you don’t play. Plus if you eat or have drinks at one of the restaurants/bars on the way (including the courses) your entry fee will be deducted from the bill.

 

0036779658890f3d849cf1daf1d82569.jpg

 

dbe493be6317de9550706d3bca286b61.jpg

 

An even better drive/scenery is driving down Big Sur. On the way, stop and hike around (really just walk around) Point Lobos park. Amazing scenery.

 

8079441625c5eeb9ded405c82a732d6d.jpg

 

820143b588191fdfd40a4f06532627e4.jpg

 

51ceac8cd59eef03cf44b78b2b53ace9.jpg

 

Keep going down south to at least past Bixby Bridge, check out the purple sands of Pfeifer Beach (and Keyhole Rock).

 

01ccbb1cbff2ead6cd2a582b777e8549.jpg

 

15eac13d79477f5390a89e2298b6c69d.jpg

 

1b97e5a9db2f2ccb7c3f9a02bb6e8b09.jpg

 

I love having their burger and enjoying the view at Nepenthe, which can be great even when there are a lot of clouds that have rolled in (beneath you):

 

4ac08b4eeedbfaa97460fabc2bcabba1.jpg

 

If you are gonna press on further south, I’d also recommend stopping by Ragged Point, the elephant seal rookery (hundreds of them when we were there) and Morro Bay (as Morro Rock is quite striking).

 

dfad11bd880d89aab14a6d46cd898d76.jpg

 

7bcccf3a0e80552fc249ed9d7103300a.jpg

 

cab28e43d8fd93519f7d801e759a8134.jpg

 

In and around Monterey, the aquarium is pretty impressive (& I’m not a guy that would normally go to one on a trip) and Cannery Row is literally right down the street from the entrance.

 

9815c569f9615ddcd10d970afab7c06e.jpg

 

I’ll stop with all the pics but one last rec for one of my favorite places to go there if you like to check out the ocean and views is Lovers Point park which is along a great path for walking/running/bikes right along the ocean and to the northwest of the aquarium. That whole path to the northwest of the aquarium all the way to northern point (bear the lighthouse) is all very striking scenery.

 

 Enjoy your trip!

 

Thanks for posting the pictures. I don't take enough when we travel and these brought back a lot of good memories. Lovers Point is a great place to watch a sunrise. Our condo looked out on the point. We walked to the rocks and watched the sun come up every morning we were there.

We were in Monterrey to watch my son in law race at Laguna Seca. If you are a gearhead at all, check to see if there are any events at the track. Hike to the top of the Corkscrew and imagine Alex Zanardi going offroad in an Indycar.

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Went with wife in October for a week.  Driving through Big Sur and hopping out to do little hikes was one of our favorite things.  We did that several days.  One day we downed a bottle of Veuve at a little turnout on a high point south of Bixby Bridge.  It was pretty damn neat.

I actually liked lunch at Ventanas (which we did twice) better than the dinner at Post Ranch Inn.  At Ventanas you have a great view of the ocean and it was a good lunch at a reasonable price.  Post Ranch Inn I thought was kind of a rip off for what I paid.  Ventanas is almost right across the PCH from Post Ranch Inn.

Also liked Mission Ranch a lot, very good value.  And Le Biceclette (sp?) in Carmel for dinner.  Also, there is a cheesy Italian restaurant called Vesuvio in Carmel that has a pretty badass rooftop bar.  We went there before dinner one night.

Go to Spanish Bay Inn one evening for sunset cocktails and listen them play bag pipes.

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Thanks for posting the pictures. I don't take enough when we travel and these brought back a lot of good memories. Lovers Point is a great place to watch a sunrise. Our condo looked out on the point. We walked to the rocks and watched the sun come up every morning we were there.

We were in Monterrey to watch my son in law race at Laguna Seca. If you are a gearhead at all, check to see if there are any events at the track. Hike to the top of the Corkscrew and imagine Alex Zanardi going offroad in an Indycar.

If you’re there during the vintage races holy shit it’s great. The car shows on pebble beach are amazing too. Laguna Seca is amazing though no other way about it. And the corkscrew is exactly where to watch. The climb up from the other side and the turn to the back to set up the corkscrew is pretty bad ass to drive or so I’ve heard.

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On 12/31/2018 at 4:29 PM, Wally Fairway said:

If you want to golf & not pay PBGR rates, go play Pacific Grove Muni near the aquarium. The front nine is as pedestrian as can be, but the back nine is great (Egan design, who along with MacKenzie did the PB redesign in 1929).
It doesn't have the fame of Spyglass or Links at Spanish Bay (I couldn't get on PB, when I was there for a couple of days) - but it's ocean front, and you can get on, unlike PB or Cypress Point.

When I lived in the Bay Area, I had a buddy whose parents lived in PG so we spent a lot of time in that area. I probably played PG muni 20 times. The difference between the front and back nine is ridiculous. Loved that course for the money, which was under $30 at the time.

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We also did a fair amount of sea kayaking and scuba diving down there. Walk in off the beach at the cove at Lovers Point, and dive in the kelp forests with seals, otters, etc... water is pretty damn chilly however.

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Edited by Blotto
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Don’t know if you are playing Pebble or not, but the Tap Room in the clubhouse has really great food and beers. Lots of history. And you can go walk out to 18 green and watch people come in. It’s beautiful. Last time i was there I needed a 3 on 18 to shoot under par. I hit it in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Made 6. Oh well.

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1 hour ago, troph said:

If you’re there during the vintage races holy shit it’s great. The car shows on pebble beach are amazing too. Laguna Seca is amazing though no other way about it. And the corkscrew is exactly where to watch. The climb up from the other side and the turn to the back to set up the corkscrew is pretty bad ass to drive or so I’ve heard.

My kids have a couple of Miatas. We were there for the annual Mazda national get together. It was a lot of fun watching everything from absolute beginners to seasoned vets having a ball on the track for a weekend.

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  • 4 years later...

I'm in Pacific Grove for about 6 weeks. We had a high wave/water surge last week. Did a bit of damage like forced closure of some roads, overturned a car left in a parking lot, and lots of beach erosion. My phone's photos pale compared to what this guy grabbed with a real camera.

 

carmel big wave lone cypress.png

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  • 1 year later...
On 1/2/2024 at 4:53 PM, Chopper said:

I'm in Pacific Grove for about 6 weeks. We had a high wave/water surge last week. Did a bit of damage like forced closure of some roads, overturned a car left in a parking lot, and lots of beach erosion. My phone's photos pale compared to what this guy grabbed with a real camera.

 

carmel big wave lone cypress.png

we are actually considering permanent relo to the area - Carmel Valley Village area, Carmel Highlands, Pebble Beach, and Carmel-by-the-Sea are tops but either fire risk or price will probably or could put those areas out of reach or at least ill-advised.  So Monterey and Pacific Grove are next on the list.... curious about your time there for six weeks - talk to me about how it worked on a longer term?

other cali's welcome to chime in too.

I assume similar weather, etc. to PB and Carmel... not the valley I know that's a few degrees warmer, less fog, more sun.

current thinking is to spend a month in Monterey or Pacific Grove this summer, July most likely. we've found 4-5 places in our budget that are dog friendly.

thanks,

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4 hours ago, troph said:

we are actually considering permanent relo to the area - Carmel Valley Village area, Carmel Highlands, Pebble Beach, and Carmel-by-the-Sea are tops but either fire risk or price will probably or could put those areas out of reach or at least ill-advised.  So Monterey and Pacific Grove are next on the list.... curious about your time there for six weeks - talk to me about how it worked on a longer term?

Carmel Valley definitely gets more sunshine than the others. Pacific Grove probably gets the most fog and coldest weather. I recall reading that's because some methodist sect clear-cut it in the 1800s so they could have a larger campground during the summer. For some reason the lack of tree coverage leads to more fog. 

We came very close to buying in Monterey near Monte Vista school in 2020. View of the bay, close enough to walk downtown but far enough to be out of the traffic and the touristy areas. We put in the highest offer, all cash, above asking, and were told after the offer deadline passed by the seller's agent that "the house was ours." Unfortunately the seller's agent and I later learned that the seller had allowed someone to see the property after showings were over, and that the wife met the family, which was "a mirror image of their own" "and she fell in love." Ugh. Long story short, the seller took less money just because the wanna-be buyers had a child the same age and with the same fucking strawberry blonde hair as their own. It was heartbreaking at the time. We had spent 6 weeks looking at houses and that was the only place we found within that span worth putting an offer on. Three days later we had to head home because the pandemic was kicking off in the US. 

PG can be pretty boring, restaurant and entertainment wise. I love the walk/jogging path along Asilomar Trail. Just a total privilege to be able to walk out of your house and take that loop along the oceanside. This is just something someone once told me - PG is built on a rock and the theory is it's the most earthquake resistant area up there.

There's a particular neighborhood in Monterey to avoid due to fire danger and insurance issues. If memory serves, it's called Skyline Forest area. 

There's more restaurant choices and culture over in Carmel, and it's much easier to get to Point Lobos. Obviously more tourists to deal with but the beach area is also leash-free for dogs, so that may be important if you're a dog person.  I'd guess Carmel Valley also has fire risk issues. (Pacific Grove has an unofficial, illegal dog beach area when the tide is low and so is the tourist season.)

I think it's hard to go wrong either way you choose. All things being equal I'd pick Carmel by the Sea or Pebble Beach, but so much depends on what's available on the market. 

Possibly worth noting - the local hospital is "Monterey Community Hospital" or something but it's now owned by private equity. A lot of people make the drive into Salinas for healthcare. Doctors seems to not stay long at the Monterey hospital.

There's a woman in Monterey, Julie at Bliss Bodywork, who may be the best masseuse ever. I'm not embellishing in the least. 

Oh another point for PG is the TJ's is far less busy than the store in downtown Monterey. 

 

Edited by Chopper
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I love this area and have vacationed there multiple times.  We always end up staying in Pacific Grove and, specifically, in the area right around Lover's Point.  I also love the walking trail there.  That's honestly always a highlight of each trip and walk along there (both directions are great walks) each day of each trip.  

Edited by mdleast
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7 hours ago, troph said:

current thinking is to spend a month in Monterey or Pacific Grove this summer, July most likely. we've found 4-5 places in our budget that are dog friendly.

For the last few years, we have spent most of July in Carmel, which is probably (definitely) not as budget-friendly as Monterey or PG, and we also plan to relocate to the area at some point. We're still exploring the area from that perspective, but I agree with the take above that Pebble Beach seems to have a better price range than I expected.

Carmel is the most dog-friendly place we've ever been, and we walk our dog down on the beach daily. I absolutely love it there.

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1 hour ago, Cap33 said:

For the last few years, we have spent most of July in Carmel, which is probably (definitely) not as budget-friendly as Monterey or PG, and we also plan to relocate to the area at some point. We're still exploring the area from that perspective, but I agree with the take above that Pebble Beach seems to have a better price range than I expected.

Carmel is the most dog-friendly place we've ever been, and we walk our dog down on the beach daily. I absolutely love it there.

carmel valley is actually reachable for us and was my initial preference - fell in love with the valley in my late 20s - but the fire risk worries me. where we live now the fire rating is major, carmel valley pushes past major, pushes past severe and lands on extreme (basalt in colorado where we were also considering for summers only if we could stay in Texas lands on severe for a fire rating). Carmel by the sea and carmel highlands are rated at major like where we currently live, and prices are reachable but the smaller houses. not sure we want to live in 1200 sq ft.  We need a 3 bedroom probably for me to have an office, a guest bed and our bedroom. Pebble Beach is probably doable actually. seems more bedroom community where monterey and pacific grove have smaller lots and tighter spaces near the small town centers. the monthly cost for renting in pebble beach and carmel really aren't what I want to spend. I'd like to stay in the 10-12k range for a month. I can do that in PG/Monterey pretty easily.

the lack of restaurants right there in PG doesn't bother us, access to the trail however is bad ass. we will drive from Texas and we will bring bikes and ride them daily if I have my way.

the weather seems to be relatively similar between carmel by the sea and PG. high 60's in July, bring it brother.

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16 hours ago, troph said:

 

the lack of restaurants right there in PG doesn't bother us, access to the trail however is bad ass. we will drive from Texas and we will bring bikes and ride them daily if I have my way.

We often stay in SW Pacific Grove , across from Asilomar.....it's about 1/2 mile from the entrance to 17 mile drive. I've biked in a lot of nice places, but nothing really compares to biking the 17 mile drive.

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