A Perfectly Divine Weekend in Carmel/Monterey with Young Kids

With the opening of the Secret Lives of Seahorses at the Monterey Aquarium, we knew that we had to take my 2 year old down to check it out. Instead of just heading down for the day, we decided to make a weekend of it and I was just blown away at the number of kid-friendly activities there are in the area.

Here's my perfect weekend away in the Monterey/Carmel region with a toddler, preschooler or elementary school aged child. Would definitely do it again and just hope for warmer weather.

1. Carmel Beach

At the end of Ocean Avenue
Carmel, California

Comment:

Day 1 AM What kid doesn't enjoy the beach. This is a great way to get into the vacation mood right away. Lots of great places to eat, it's hard to go wrong.

reviewed on: May 24 2009

"Beachy-keen fun "

The sand here is so soft and fun for kids. Be sure to bring your sand toys and dress in layers because it can often be cold and windy here. It was about 55 degrees today on the beach, so we were all bundled up in sweaters and jackets.

There's lots of seaweed and some rocks to collect, but if your kids are into seashells, you won't find many if any here. Restrooms are available up near the parking lot.

Come early (before noon) and you'll find plenty of parking in the parking lot. However, Ocean Street gets crowded pretty quickly especially during summer weekends, so be prepared for a slow drive in. There are tons of dogs, so if you or your kids are afraid of dogs, you might not want to come to this particular beach.

There are plenty of eating options in town depending on your eating pleasure. Katie's is pretty popular, but you'll have to wait. We really liked Carmel Belle, a coffee, cheese and charcuterie on Ocean and San Carlos. Delicious sandwiches.

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2. Carmel Valley Ranch

One Old Ranch Road
Carmel, California

Comment:

Check-in to the hotel and let your younger kids catch some zzz's. This is a great place to stay with easy access to all the major spots. Plenty for older kids to do on-site - pools, tennis courts, driving range, etc.

reviewed on: October 25 2011

"Renovated and Rocking"

We came out 2.5 years ago and had a nice stay, but felt the place needed a little more love. Now $35 million later, the Carmel Valley Ranch is truly a getaway for families.

After a 2 night stay here this past September 2011, it was hard to leave. The rooms are completely updated with a modern look and provided a cushy stay. We got a room where the bathroom was separated from the bedroom which made things a lot less tricky with a sleeping child in the bedroom.

The Citronelle restaurant is now under a new chef and renamed the The Lodge restaurant. It was delicious and the service was excellent. They now have a fully loaded kids' menu too. The Ranch now offers tons of daily activities onsite and the River Ranch area is just heaven for kids (pool, camp, daycare, bocce ball, and a variety of other activities).

All in all, we're totally in love with this place and will definitely come back for more.

Go to http://blog.trekaroo.com/2011/10/14/carmel-valley-ranch-a-heavenly-stay/ and read my full review on the updated Carmel Valley Ranch.  

The following review is for a stay in 5/2009...
My husband recently was sweet enough to book a weekend getaway for my birthday (Memorial Weekend 2009) in Carmel Valley. We stayed two nights at the Carmel Valley Ranch with my 2 year old rambunctious son. The entire resort is nestled in Carmel Valley, an all-suite resort surrounded by the Santa Lucia Mountains. The highlights of our stay were the golf cart rides around the resort which was our toddler’s favorite part, the room setup and the kid-friendly service.

My husband booked the spacious Veranda Suite (850-900 square feet room)! The room is nice, but not as nice as the photos on the website portray. The history on the hotel is that they were acquired by LXR Resorts who planned on renovating and converting them into condos. They got through the lobby (stunning) and 4 rooms before the economy went down the tubes and all the funds dried up. The rest of the rooms are still in their original condition. Don’t get me wrong, the rooms are still nice, but they’re definitely from the 90s with their tile flooring.  The website preps you to expect something a bit different. The price is reasonable price considering the amount of space and service you receive (we got a 1 bedroom suite for $250/night - $290/night if you include their $25 service fee and tax).

The living area is stocked with a mini fridge and they brought a microwave and highchair for us upon request. We requested a crib as well and it was nice to have a crib with a real mattress versus the typical pack-n-play cribs that they usually setup for babies. If your toddlers a climber, this is probably not the best, but it worked perfectly for us. Both the bedroom and living room area each have a fireplace which is cozy and has a separate bedroom. The fire tending tools are a bit dangerous, but there was plenty of space on the mantel for them.

The room is located right next to the 12th tee which had 4 sand traps. When my son approached our room and saw the sand traps, he took off running to play in the big "sandboxes!" He was in total heaven and loved the fact that these sandboxes came with big people sized rakes. He quickly got to work making tiny little footprints all over the sand traps and then trying to rake it up before heading off for the next "sandbox." He was certainly having too much fun to consider taking a nap, so it was a bit of a challenge convincing him to get some shut-eye.  However, once he was in his comfy crib, he quickly zonked out for about 2 hours. Those 2 hours are the golden period where my husband and I get to recoup for the next round of parenting fun.

The resort has 2 outdoor swimming pools, a golf course, tennis courts and fitness center. It was freezing the weekend we were there (about 60 degrees during the day and rainy), so even though the pool was heated, it wasn’t inviting enough for us to take a dip. The in-house restaurant Citronelle is Michel Richards’ delicious new restaurant. We ate in the lounge area which is more casual and were seated immediately. The restaurant’s got highchairs and were nice to my son, but unfortunately there are no kid-sized portions. So, you’ll either have to share or be ready to spend ~$15 on a burger for Junior. I had a seafood salad which was divine and the presentation was meticulous.

The Carmel Valley Ranch is located less than a mile away from Safeway, so we were able to pick up bagels, fruit, and milk for breakfast and some other snacks. From here, we were 15-20 minutes from all the major attractions in the area: Point Lobos State Park, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey Bay Aquarium, MY Museum, and more. The resort itself was also full of woodland animals which are fun for any kid under the age of 5. We saw deer, rabbits, squirrels and a swan on the lake. We were told that there are often wild turkey sightings, but we didn’t catch any during our stay.

Lowlights, Carmel Valley Ranch charges a $25/day service fee to cover all tips for golf cart rides, housekeepings, etc. We didn’t like that fact because what if the service wasn’t any good? So, be sure to use all of their services to the max! Since the resort is set in the hills, the walkways are often sloped. Our little guy loves to run and bit it a couple of times, but no injuries. I wouldn’t recommend this for 1 year olds who are just getting their walking legs. Could be a little tough for them to maneuver.

Overall, our stay was great. It was easy access to all the major attractions in the Monterey/Carmel area and a spacious room. The rooms could definitely use a little upgrading. Overall, I would recommend it for other families.

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3. Point Lobos State Reserve

Point Lobos State Reserve
Carmel, California

Comment:

Day 1 PM Hike and enjoy the evening sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Fun for all ages. Eat dinner at one of the restaurants in the Barnyard on your way back to the hotel. From Scratch is a favorite.

reviewed on: June 26 2008

"Favorite spot to bring family"

This is one of my favorite spots to show-off the beauty of the Bay Area. From the youngest to the oldest, there are trails of varying difficulty to fit the needs of any family. From barking seals to quiet beaches, your kids will love spending a couple of hours here. Beware of the poison oak especially if you have a toddler. On certain paths, the poison oak grows close to the trail.

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4. Monterey Bay Aquarium

886 Cannery Row
Monterey, California

Comment:

Day 2 AM Sea you at the Aquarium.

reviewed on: May 24 2009

"Great mix of things that toddlers find fun"

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must-see stop for families in the Monterey/Carmel area. We weren't sure if there would be enough to keep the attention of a little boy who's not yet 3 feet tall, but there was plenty.

The first time we came was during the wintertime on a regular weekend. We just went yesterday over during Memorial Day Weekend and only for the last hour from 5-6pm and it was totally packed. It definitely took some ninja skills to keep up with my fast little toddling guy.

Our favorites are watching the feedings which are spread out throughout the day. Our favorites were the penguin (2nd floor) and OuterBay feedings (better view on the second floor although you can see it on the first floor). The OuterBay is fun because it's where you can see the hammerhead sharks, tunas, and big fish eat. The spokesperson is wonderfully informative and gets the whole audience going.

The exhibits are mostly for kids who are at least 3 feet high, but my little guy managed alright on his tippy toes. He liked all the hands-on activities from collecting stamps from each of the various exhibitor sections and playing with the water/tidepool area just to the right of the penguin section on the second floor.

The Coral Play area on the second floor is loved by kids 0-5. It starts off with a tank filled with Nemos and Doras which kids are always super excited about. If you've got a baby or new crawler, you'll probably want to head over to the Coral Babies areas. Here you'll find a gated area with squishy mats and toys fit for the littlest kids. Here your infants and new crawler/walkers can hang out without getting run over by the bigger kids.

Adjacent to Coral Babies is Coral Play which has 2 rocking horses, a slide, a tunnel and the oyster shell which is a Kodak moment for millions of kid photos a year.

Up on the second floor on the other side of the aquarium, you'll find the Outer Bay exhibit area with the sharks, jellyfish and more. If you keep walking to the end, you'll find another kid's area for ages 2-6 where kids can dress up like a dolphin, feed a whale food (basically a big shape sorter), and crawl around. Can get crowded quickly because it's a small space, but fun for little ones.

There's another slide structure in the otter's area on the 1st floor below the Outer Bay exhibit and an arts area where you can color. There are touch tanks filled with starfish, coral and all sorts of other goodies on the first floor, if your kids are into that stuff.

In terms of eating options, there's both a self-serve cafeteria and restaurant in the aquarium. Highchairs and booster seats are easily found and the food is delicious. We had a pan-fried tilapia with sauteed greens which was one of the best dishes I've had, but my husband was disturbed by the fact that I was eating fish at an aquarium. You can definitely get the usual hamburger, chicken fingers and fries as well.

We went to check out the new seahorse exhibit, but it was really crowded difficult to see the actual tanks especially for my little guy. I had to lift him up for all of them which gets tiring. Plenty of fun interactive areas for older kids (ages 5-8).

Our family tradition now is to end our visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and head out onto Cannery Row to the Nestle cookie shop down the street for a bag full of cookies. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

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5. Cannery Row

Cannery Row
Monterey, California

Comment:

Day 2 PM Grab dinner somewhere on Cannery Row. The big tourist restaurants are Bubba Gump and Schooners with a fabulous view of the Bay. The hoopla's a bit much for our family, so we like eating at Amarin, the Thai place across the street from the Aquarium. Grab a cookie and then it's back to the Ranch.

reviewed on: January 28 2009

"Wonderful neighborhood for a family"

This is a fun oceanfront strip with the Monterey Bay Aquarium (DON'T MISS" on one end and lots of fun shops and restaurants in between. We spent the morning at the museum and then walked along the ocean, stopping by at the Nestle shop for some piping hot, fresh chocolate cookies. Lots of fun little trinket shops to browse and restaurants to choose from. A fun day trip for any family.

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6. Monterey County Youth Museum

425 Washington Street
Monterey, California

Comment:

Day 3 AM Check out and head to the museum. It's about 1-2 hours of fun for kids 8 and under. When you're done, head across the street to the Paris Bakery Cafe and grab lunch for the family to go to enjoy at the next spot.

reviewed on: May 27 2009

"MY Museum was a perfect morning activity"

We checked out MY Museum this past Saturday morning and my 2 year-old didn't want to leave. The museum is small, but is perfect for a 1-2 hour visit. The hands-on exhibits are great for ages 1-6, but if you've got an older child in your mix, there's a fun Creation Station that can their attention. With all the glue guns in the Creation Station area, I would recommend this area for kids 3 and up.

My son loved the Go-Fore Golf area which is basically a 3 hold mini golf area. There are plenty of golf clubs and balls to go around. Definitely a good place for the Tiger Woods hopefuls to start practicing for their future rounds on Pebble Beach a couple of miles away.

The Healthy Fields area has a great set of machines and displays where the kids can pull carrots and pick strawberries from the fields. There's a large sized "marble run" exhibit where kids can turn the crank and bring balls up through a maze of pipes and chutes.

Lots of areas for pretend play including a theater with costumes in back, a playhouse, ambulance and firetruck with firemen outfits. The ambulance is fun for any 2 year old since you can spin the steering wheel, pick up a phone and press various buttons to turn on the sirens and flashing lights.

There's also a house that's meant for construction, but the foam bricks are not very easy to use and build with. My son tried to stack them on top of each other, but it's pretty precarious and doesn't allow for lots of flexibility and creativity.

There's a treehouse and hospital area that has a huge Operation game. I'm still really bad at removing the butterflies from the stomach. :)

In the front, there's an area just for kids 3 and under. Kids are asked to remove their shoes, but there's a fun boat the kids can ride on a "water" bed. My son loved stacking the large cushion blocks and knocking them over like Godzilla. Pure ectacy for him.

I would definitely recommend MY Museum for any toddler who's in the Monterey area.

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7. Dennis the Menace Playground

777 Pearl Street
Monterey, California

Comment:

Day 3 PM This is an amazing free playground your kid's will certainly enjoy. Head over to Fisherman's Wharf for an early dinner before the trek home.

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