Casa De Carmel is an 8 bedroom/bathroom complex that has a seemingly old exterior with somewhat lavish redocrated interiors to give it that B&B feel, that is directly across the street from the Monte Verde Inn (owned and managed by the same people).
During the week of Christmas, a Queen bedroom was a measly $185 + tax a night, which is considered cheap for Carmel. The biggest advantage of this location is that it is just blocks up the hill from the Carmel Beach, and within walking distance to all sorts of shops and restaurants. For you coffee lovers, the local coffee chain shop Carmel Valley Coffee Roasters Company is just a stone's throw around the corner from CDC/MVI.
What is also not widely known is that CDC is also a pet friendly inn, in addition to being child friendly (portable crib provided upon request).
The check-in desk was staffed with only one person, who was very prompt, courteous and helpful.
But this is where the good things end with Casa De Carmel.
Avoid staying in Room 7C (upper level) if you can. It's the closest to the laundry room, and while management claims nothing is running or going on in that room, there were strange tapping noises on the wall in the middle of the night.
Sound and temperature insulation of the building are not so good. You can easily hear people walking by and cars driving by. When people go in and out and open/close doors, you can definitely hear it too. It's also super obvious when your inn neighbor next door is turning on the bathroom exhaust fan, flushing a toilet, or showering. Old plumbing and poor sound insulation in the walls, just makes it easy to hear what your neighbor(s) are doing.
Our next door inn neighbor was the worst. Last night this older guy decided to come back to his room late with his dog. I have no clue if he was married or traveling with a companion or not, but around 1 am he turned on the bathroom exhaust fan, and started making the following noises
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH (in a very sadistic pleasuristic moaning tone with a hint of melancholy was the best way to describe it)
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOA BOY....
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFF
It wasn't as if he was screaming but bad enough I could hear it next door. I didn't know whether to knock on his door and tell him to STFU or call the cops. I also didn't know whether he was having the mother of all orgasms or taking the mother of all shits, which the latter was very apparent because almost 15 minutes later the toilet flushed (then again that's all deductive reasoning, it proved nothing, especially when he was with his dog....)
Oh the breakfast part of the B&B?
Someone who delivers a basket of the goods to your door, you specify between 8:30 am to 9:00 am ish.
The basket contains
yogurt (low fat, peach and strawberry)
two hard boiled eggs (COLD, not appropriate for 40F and below weather these days...)
two muffins (also COLD, luckily there is a microwave in the room)
two small bottles of OJ from concentrate
There's also two complementary bottles of Costco (Kirkland) water in the refrigerator.
As convenient as this location was, I'd recommend paying more and staying somewhere nicer where you have hopefully more peace and quiet, not given a room next to the laundry service, and even better, not next door to some nit wit who decides to moan while sitting on the throne. read more