Weekend Getaway To Carmel-By-The-Sea & Stay At The Hofsas House Hotel
Travel, leisure, relaxation, music, food and beach are my most favorite things. I try to accommodate them as much as I can in my day-to-day ...
https://www.divalikes.com/2015/06/weekend-getaway-to-carmel-by-sea-stay-at-hofsas-house-hotel.html
Travel, leisure, relaxation, music, food and beach are my most favorite things. I try to accommodate them as much as I can in my day-to-day life. One fine day, me and my husband were discussing the places we haven't explored in California. That is when we arrived at the conclusion that Carmel-By-The-Sea is one place we have heard a lot about but never really spent much time there. Though we have been to the 17-Mile Drive and Big Sur, it always happened to be a quick scenic drive. But this time, we wanted to stay in Carmel during the weekend and know more about this European-style village with white-sand beaches, shopping, restaurants, wine tasting, art galleries etc. We hit the road on a Friday afternoon and reached Carmel in no less than one and half hour. We made our stop at The Hofsas House Hotel where we booked our stay for 2 nights. I came across Hofsas House Hotel while browsing the net and its history of over 60 years of European hospitality made me choose this place for our stay.
Exterior Of The Hofsas House Hotel
The first look at The Hofsas House felt more like a home than a hotel. It has a simple and beautiful Bavarian-inspired touch to it. Since it is a hilly area, the office is on the third floor which is the street level. The parking was sufficient for the guests and we checked-in at the office to receive our room keys. The staff informed us a bit about Carmel and gave us the map to sort things out and decide on the places we want to visit. We then took the stairs to our room which was located on the fourth floor with a huge patio area with chairs and a wonderful ocean view.
Room No. 43 Located On Fourth Floor
As soon as we entered the room, I was elated to see the spacious room equipped with a king sized bed, fireplace, sofas, cupboards, amazing wall decals, television and full kitchen which ensured that our stay was going to be classy and comfortable.
The Interiors & The King Size Bed
Room Decor
Being the cleanliness freak I am, I quickly went in to check out the restroom area and it was maintained really well. It was well lit, had clean bath towels, hand towels, hair dryer along with bath & body products. There was a small area attached to the restroom which had hangers, iron board, iron box and a seating area to iron the clothes.
Well-Equipped Restroom
To top it all, there was a full kitchen with microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, dustbins etc. If you are the kind of person who loves homemade food, this place serves the purpose perfectly. Overall, I was more than satisfied after checking out each and every corner of our room. I truly couldn't have asked for more!
Full Kitchen With Microwave & Refrigerator
The Hofsas House Hotel is quite known for their courtesy and warmness towards their guests and we were welcomed with a bottle of wine and chocolates. It was perfectly arranged on the side table of our bed and we thought the holiday has begun! Since we reached our hotel room a little before the sunset time, me and hubby decided to enjoy the chill weather and sunset by savoring chocolates and wine in the patio area with the ocean view. We also checked out the heated pool area from our patio and planned our next evening there. The evening was super romantic and we fell in love with the climate, fresh air, greenery, sunset and the ocean view. We got pizza delivered to the room for dinner and used the microwave to heat the pizza and stored the sodas in the refrigerator thus making the best use of the kitchen.
Wine & Lula's Chocolates
Patio Area With Perfect Ocean View
After a good night sleep alongside the fireplace, we got up quite early and sipped some coffee viewing the sunrise. It was such a pleasure and delight. The Hofsas House Hotel also provides continental breakfast which includes pastries, croissants, muffins, yogurt and orange juice. We quickly went to the office room to grab some breakfast for both and relished it in our room.
Hofsas House Office & Continental Breakfast
We got ready quickly and left the room to meet Carrie at the office. She explained to us the history of Hofsas Hotel and it was overwhelming hearing it all. Donna Hofsas founded the Hofsas House Hotel in 1957 building the main hotel with 25 rooms and a swimming pool. Later on, she added the north wing and the meeting room. Following Donna's death, her son, Jack Theis, took over the hotel and passed it on to his daughter Carrie Theis who returned to carry on her grandmother's legacy of service and hospitality. Carrie also guided us about the different restaurants, beaches and wine tasting rooms in Carmel which helped us to decide where to head next. Hofsas House Hotel also has some amazing offerings which you can check out here.
The Entrance
We then headed to experience the food and restaurants of Carmel with the Carmel Food Tour. I shall share the experience of the food tour in the upcoming post. While we were on the food tour, we realized that everything is within walking distance from any hotel or inn in Carmel and it was a treat to walk by the village. The most interesting part of Carmel is the no high heels law and no street addresses. Weird but it's true!
Streets Of Carmel-By-The-Sea
Late in the afternoon, we wanted to relax on the beach. We reached Carmel River State Beach which is a 1-mile long-protected beach with a lagoon formed by the Carmel River. Since the beach is considered dangerous for swimming, we spent some quality time chatting, bird watching, reading books and sunbathing.
Carmel River State Beach
After a while, we went back to our room to freshen up as we had our dinner reservation at Beach House at Lover's Point, Pacific Grove. It took us just 15-20 minutes drive from the hotel and we reached the Beach House by 6:30 PM. We checked out the Lover's Point beach and it was quite crowded. Upon arrival at the Beach House, we were greeted well by the host and guided to our table. The restaurant was super crowded and we noticed a big line of people waiting to be seated. We got a cozy table with a nice view of the Lover's Point and enjoyed a delicious dinner there. The menu included a good number of items and we ordered Chardonnay Wine, Tuscan Market Fries, Grilled King Salmon Filet and Stuffed Rosemary Chicken Breast. After a delicious dinner date with dear husband, it was time to travel back to the hotel. A terrific day had finally ended and it was time to rest and prepare for another hectic day ahead.
Beach House At Lover's Point
Interiors & View From The Beach House
Delicious Dinner
The next morning was supposed to be our check out and we had planned the day way before. We went for wine tasting making use of the Wine Walk Passports. We wanted to visit Carmel Mission or Mission Carmel, which is a Roman Catholic mission church in Carmel-by-the-Sea but couldn't do it. We do plan to visit it next time surely. Later in the day we checked out from the hotel and followed it up with a quick take out lunch from 5th Avenue Deli. We grabbed the lunch and started our journey back home. All in all, it was an excellent weekend getaway and definitely stands out on the top of our list. From performing arts and cultural activities to hundreds of Carmel shops, restaurants, wine tasting, art galleries, and more — this place is definitely worth a visit.
Hofsas House Hotel is located on San Carlos Street, north of Fourth Avenue in Carmel-By-The-Sea. For more information, visit www.hofsashouse.com.
Exterior Of The Hofsas House Hotel The first look at The Hofsas House felt more like a home than a hotel. It has a simple and beautiful Bavarian-inspired touch to it. Since it is a hilly area, the office is on the third floor which is the street level. The parking was sufficient for the guests and we checked-in at the office to receive our room keys. The staff informed us a bit about Carmel and gave us the map to sort things out and decide on the places we want to visit. We then took the stairs to our room which was located on the fourth floor with a huge patio area with chairs and a wonderful ocean view.
As soon as we entered the room, I was elated to see the spacious room equipped with a king sized bed, fireplace, sofas, cupboards, amazing wall decals, television and full kitchen which ensured that our stay was going to be classy and comfortable.
Being the cleanliness freak I am, I quickly went in to check out the restroom area and it was maintained really well. It was well lit, had clean bath towels, hand towels, hair dryer along with bath & body products. There was a small area attached to the restroom which had hangers, iron board, iron box and a seating area to iron the clothes.
Well-Equipped RestroomTo top it all, there was a full kitchen with microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, dustbins etc. If you are the kind of person who loves homemade food, this place serves the purpose perfectly. Overall, I was more than satisfied after checking out each and every corner of our room. I truly couldn't have asked for more!
The Hofsas House Hotel is quite known for their courtesy and warmness towards their guests and we were welcomed with a bottle of wine and chocolates. It was perfectly arranged on the side table of our bed and we thought the holiday has begun! Since we reached our hotel room a little before the sunset time, me and hubby decided to enjoy the chill weather and sunset by savoring chocolates and wine in the patio area with the ocean view. We also checked out the heated pool area from our patio and planned our next evening there. The evening was super romantic and we fell in love with the climate, fresh air, greenery, sunset and the ocean view. We got pizza delivered to the room for dinner and used the microwave to heat the pizza and stored the sodas in the refrigerator thus making the best use of the kitchen.
After a good night sleep alongside the fireplace, we got up quite early and sipped some coffee viewing the sunrise. It was such a pleasure and delight. The Hofsas House Hotel also provides continental breakfast which includes pastries, croissants, muffins, yogurt and orange juice. We quickly went to the office room to grab some breakfast for both and relished it in our room.
We got ready quickly and left the room to meet Carrie at the office. She explained to us the history of Hofsas Hotel and it was overwhelming hearing it all. Donna Hofsas founded the Hofsas House Hotel in 1957 building the main hotel with 25 rooms and a swimming pool. Later on, she added the north wing and the meeting room. Following Donna's death, her son, Jack Theis, took over the hotel and passed it on to his daughter Carrie Theis who returned to carry on her grandmother's legacy of service and hospitality. Carrie also guided us about the different restaurants, beaches and wine tasting rooms in Carmel which helped us to decide where to head next. Hofsas House Hotel also has some amazing offerings which you can check out here.
We then headed to experience the food and restaurants of Carmel with the Carmel Food Tour. I shall share the experience of the food tour in the upcoming post. While we were on the food tour, we realized that everything is within walking distance from any hotel or inn in Carmel and it was a treat to walk by the village. The most interesting part of Carmel is the no high heels law and no street addresses. Weird but it's true!
Late in the afternoon, we wanted to relax on the beach. We reached Carmel River State Beach which is a 1-mile long-protected beach with a lagoon formed by the Carmel River. Since the beach is considered dangerous for swimming, we spent some quality time chatting, bird watching, reading books and sunbathing.
After a while, we went back to our room to freshen up as we had our dinner reservation at Beach House at Lover's Point, Pacific Grove. It took us just 15-20 minutes drive from the hotel and we reached the Beach House by 6:30 PM. We checked out the Lover's Point beach and it was quite crowded. Upon arrival at the Beach House, we were greeted well by the host and guided to our table. The restaurant was super crowded and we noticed a big line of people waiting to be seated. We got a cozy table with a nice view of the Lover's Point and enjoyed a delicious dinner there. The menu included a good number of items and we ordered Chardonnay Wine, Tuscan Market Fries, Grilled King Salmon Filet and Stuffed Rosemary Chicken Breast. After a delicious dinner date with dear husband, it was time to travel back to the hotel. A terrific day had finally ended and it was time to rest and prepare for another hectic day ahead.
The next morning was supposed to be our check out and we had planned the day way before. We went for wine tasting making use of the Wine Walk Passports. We wanted to visit Carmel Mission or Mission Carmel, which is a Roman Catholic mission church in Carmel-by-the-Sea but couldn't do it. We do plan to visit it next time surely. Later in the day we checked out from the hotel and followed it up with a quick take out lunch from 5th Avenue Deli. We grabbed the lunch and started our journey back home. All in all, it was an excellent weekend getaway and definitely stands out on the top of our list. From performing arts and cultural activities to hundreds of Carmel shops, restaurants, wine tasting, art galleries, and more — this place is definitely worth a visit.
Hofsas House Hotel is located on San Carlos Street, north of Fourth Avenue in Carmel-By-The-Sea. For more information, visit www.hofsashouse.com.
The hotel room is so neat, simple yet classy!
ReplyDeleteIts Eurpoean themed and I loved it!
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