Inna made one-day hotel reservations at the Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay for the April 5 - 6 weekend. She wanted us to explore Monterey, Carmel, and Point Lobos Natural Reserve.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
At around 09:30, we started our long drive to Monterey via US-101. Traffic was relatively light, and we arrived at the Alta Bakery & Cafe at 10:35. We parked our Tesla Model Y and sat at an outdoor table near a couple of beautiful dogs. At the same time, Inna stood in line to purchase breakfast and coffee. She ordered the following from the menu:
- Boris: Mocha, Avocado Toast
- Inna: Latte, Smoked-Salmon Toast
- Dessert: Cookie, pastry
I liked the Avocado Toast and the Smoked-Salmon Toast, though the sizes were relatively small. My mocha was delicious (the cookie and the small pastry).
After breakfast, we drove to the
Red House Cafe, where we parked our car and walked to Lovers Point Park to begin our long walk around the Pacific Grove shoreline. We walked for a few miles to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, then turned back.
At 13:45, we decided to have lunch at the Red House Cafe (one of our favorite local eateries). After sitting down indoors (near a fireplace), we looked at the Brunch Menu and ordered the following:
- Drinks: Coffee, Pellegrino
- Boris: Crab Cake Benedict
- Inna: Mushroom Soup, Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake
My Crab Cake Benedict was excellent, as was Inna's Mushroom Soup and Smoked Salmon. After breakfast, we decided to return to Lover's Point and see if we could rent some Ocean Kayaks.
We stopped by
Pacific Grove Adventures, a local shop that rents bicycles, paddleboards, and kayaks. We decided to rent a two-seater kayak and paddle around the bay. (Kayak rental was $30 for two hours per person)
Both Inna and I put on foul-weather gear (jacket and pants) and a life preserver. The foul-weather gear helped to keep us dry while paddling around the bay. We stored our shoes in the shop.
We paddled out into the Monterey Bay. There was some southerly wind with small chop on the water. As we paddled around, we encountered other kayakers, who pointed out a pod of sea otters with their pups. Inna took out her iPhone and tried to take photos and videos. We paddled around some more, encountering additional sea otters (and maybe seals, too).
After about 70 minutes, we paddled back to Lover's Point Beach, where we started, and returned our kayak.
Here is a
video that Inna recorded on her iPhone:
After washing our feet, we walked back to our car and drove to our
Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay hotel, parking in the hotel's garage. We checked into our room #127 and rested for an hour.
At 18:20, we decided to head to
Wild Fish for dinner. Inna was hoping to listen to some jazz while enjoying delicious seafood. When we checked in around 18:38, we found out that the jazz quarter was not playing (since the pianist was on holiday in Puerto Rico). We were a bit disappointed, but decided to dine there, anyway (indoors). We looked at the menu and ordered the following items:
- Drinks: Pellegrino
- Appetizer: Ceviche, Spring Salad
- Boris: Ahi Tuna
- Inna: Ahi Tuna
- Dessert: Apple Crumble
While the service was fast, efficient, and attentive, the food was
average at best. The
Ceviche was fresh, but too small. The
Spring Salad was not very appetizing. The
Ahi Tuna was delicious. The
Apple Crumble was freshly baked but very small and not particularly outstanding. Overall,
Wild Fish serves average-quality food at high prices. When the jazz quartet is playing, live jazz makes up for average fare.
After dinner, we walked to
Lover's Point Beach to burn off some calories and noticed that a nearby coffee shop, the
PG Meetinghouse, had a live jazz band playing. It might have been worth going here instead.
We drove back to our
Portola Hotel & Spa at Monterey Bay, and I plugged the Tesla Model Y into a charger. I was surprised to see it charging
$0.65/kWh instead of $0.33/kWh at home. We only needed to charge 20% (from 60% to 80%). I was expecting the Portola Hotel to provide a cheaper (or free) charging station.
Sunday, April 6, 2025
We did not sleep well. Our hotel neighbors were having an early-morning baby-making session at 02:00, which was quite loud. In addition, some low-level music was playing.
I got up at 07:00, took a shower, and shaved. I made a cup of coffee on the Keurig machine, but it tasted like toxic sludge.
I worked on my MacBook laptop while Inna took a shower and got ready. We walked downstairs to the pre-paid breakfast in the Portola Hotel lobby. After sitting down and looking at the menu, we ordered the following:
- Boris: Custom Omelet (sausage, onions, tomato, cheese) with potatoes
- Inna: Eggs Benedict
The Omelet was huge and not too bad (but not on par with Sorobon in Bonaire). Inna's Eggs Benedict was not bad either.
After breakfast, we returned to our room, packed, and loaded our Tesla Model Y. The Tesla had charged to 80%. We checked out of our hotel and started our drive to Point Lobos Natural Reserve.
Unfortunately, upon reaching Point Lobos, we noticed that many cars were parked on the road. We also saw the sign indicating that the Point Lobos parking was closed. Unable to find nearby parking, we decided to skip Point Lobos and spend the morning in Carmel.
We reached Carmel-by-the-Sea and drove down Ocean Ave, finding a parking spot quickly. We decided to walk toward the beach along Scenic Rd.
We enjoyed our long walk, watching the surfers in the water, the wide variety of dogs playing on the beach, and the cute bicycles with sidecars roaming around Scenic Rd.
Eventually, we returned near our car, worried about parking for over two hours, and decided to stop for lunch at the Portabella restaurant. We sat down indoors and ordered the following items:
- Boris: Avocado Chicken Sandwich
- Inna: Salmon & Pistachio Salad
The Avocado Chicken Sandwich was excellent (but I skipped eating the bread). Inna's Salmon & Pistachio Salad was also quite delicious.
After lunch, we re-parked our Tesla Model Y and walked toward Mad Dog & Englishmen Cafe & Bike Shop. We stopped there to order a couple of pastries & mochas (I was feeling somewhat sleepy).
I decided to stay there while Inna explored the boutiques and galleries in Carmel. After she returned a few hours later, we drove back to San Jose.
Monterey/Carmel Weekend Review
Highlights
- Kayaking on Monterey Bay with Pacific Grove Adventures
- Spotting pods of sea otters!
- Walking around the Pacific Grove shoreline (looking for seals and sea otters)
- Walking around Carmel Beach and watching dogs and surfers
- Eating brunch at Red House Cafe and Portabella
- Eating breakfast at Alta Bakery & Cafe
- Enjoying the many bikes with dogs in the sidecars (from Mad Dogs & Englishmen) in Carmel
Lowlights
Links
- Monterey
- Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Point Lobos
