When I travel, I try to look for lodging that doesn't allow pets, children or TV. In my mind, a stay in Carmel, CA should be an experience without the distractions of everyday life. I have been staying at the Sandpiper during my trips to Carmel for the last 5 years. The crashing waves of nearby Carmel Beach, just a block away, residential quiet, hearty breakfast in the great room, old world charm and uber-friendly staff makes me come back time after time. This will always be my home away from home in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea. I shouldn't be talking like this; there goes my secret!

The rooms are very tastefully decorated, clean and warm, the lobby area and the breakfast room are cozy and inviting. The location is quiet .Just a minute's walk and you are on the beach so that was really convenient. The inn keepers are very cordial and helpful. Had a wonderful experience!

My boyfriend and I just spent the weekend here at the Sandpiper Inn and had a great time. It's a beautiful place with views of Carmel Bay. The rooms are charming, clean, and nicely decorated. Breakfast consisted of fresh fruit, yogurt, granola and we had a choice of 2 different kinds of home made quiches or croissants. It's located a short walk from downtown Carmel so it's nice and quiet and we enjoyed seeing all the different and charming houses in the neighborhood. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
Would definitely return!

We stayed in the Sandpiper Inn for 2 nights as part of an amazing road trip down the PCH1 from San Fran to LA Sep ‘12 taking in all the sites on the way over a 4 day period.

We decided to stay in Carmel as we had heard how nice the Carmel and Pebble Beach area was in addition to wanting to see the Aquarium, Whale Watching etc at Monterey Bay.

We booked Room 1 which was a ground floor room and the largest at the inn as we had lots of baggage for our 3 week holiday in California.

The Good
Room 1 was very romantic – big old fashioned bed you could just fall into, instant gas fire, lots of space but the bathroom was a tad small. Best of all you can hear the ocean crashing on the beach from your room!
Service was friendly and décor inviting…nice country home feel to the place, firepit outdoors etc.
Breakfast adequate but nothing to write home about. Other B&Bs made a bigger effort with breakie on our trip. Think we had quiche one morning and had to dash out to get to the Whale Watch another morning.
Parking is a hassle in Carmel but the Inn has plenty of parking out front.
You are 2 min walk from the end of Carmel beach with those evening sunset walks which are spectacular …don’t miss them!


The Bad
You are 20-25mins walk from the town centre so if you plan on dinning at night in town be warned that there is very little street lighting around Carmel if you are walking/driving etc.
The walls are thin at the Inn and while its generally peaceful we did hear a couple’s loud amorous activities upstairs late one night…I suspect so did the entire Inn!lol
No TV in the room is I suppose part of the Inn’s charms but I can see how this is maybe not for everyone…we didn’t mind.

If we are ever in the area again we would stay here again.

Other tips:
Book a lunch seat at the Bench café in Pebble Beach and watch one of the greatest golfing views over the 18th hole towards Carmel beach….spectacular! (and this from an Irish guy who is used to seeing some of the most beautiful coastal golf courses in the world).
Take the 17 mile drive and drink in those views because you wont ever be able to afford those houses!..ps you don’t have to pay the toll if you have a Pebble Beach booking.
Whale Watch in Monterey Bay…take the early morning boat…go see the Aquarium afterwards.
Stroll down Carmel town centre with all its quirky shops and eateries.
Take a bottle of wine and watch the sunset at Carmel beach.