We got a great deal on hotwire so this is one of those "you get what you pay for" experiences. The hotel is located on a "corner" with no real address so get good directions because your GPS won't be able to find it. It's walking distance to great shops and art galleries. Small town feel. Good for walking around and exploring.

The room was small with dated decor but they made the best use of space. The walls in our room were painted a bright sunny yellow but in an awful sponge painted technique. It was really wierd and looked like stained walls. Not pleasant to look at.

The front desk closes at 8:00 p.m. but there is a phone if you need to reach someone after hours. Breakfast is served in a picnic basket at your doorstep which was cute. Raisin bran, milk, danish, bananas, granola bars.

Overall it was fine but I probably would only stay here for a good deal under $80 a night.



It had everything you need in a basic room, but truly nothing special.

I booked two rooms for a three night stay over the holidays, one queen and one king. Without a doubt, and as many previous reviewers have already commented, the establishment is dated and the property is not bashful of showing its dated details. Just look at the property sign near the entrance to the parking lot - it's missing letters! With that said, the rooms are pretty decent for what it's worth. It is like an amped up Motel 6 room at the heart of Carmel. The rates are about $95.00/night + taxes, which is hard to beat. Remember, you're in Carmel, not in Twentynine Palms. The bathroom appears to have been updated with full granite counter and shower stall, which is an eye opener and also a stark contrast to the rest of the room. The armoire opens up to a flatscreen television set and a mini fridge, perfect accommodation for simple travelers like us. Second floor rooms are also equipped with a balcony with a table for two for some fine wine at night. I also appreciate how the staff leaves a basket filled with pastry, fruits, cereals, mini orange juice and milk cartons between 8:30am to 9:00am every morning. The entire property is very small; there is a small lobby just big enough to check guests in and out and no space for breakfast like in other properties or bed & breakfasts in and around Carmel. Despite the small size of the property, the Clarion Collection makes the effort to provide a morning's breakfast to their guests. While the cold breakfast isn't the greatest, it's the effort that counts. In my eyes, this place deserves a 4-star rating. It doesn't get a complete 5 star because of several small annoyances. For one, our room (#315) did not have a waste basket for trash. I though this was odd and accepted it as part of the room feat, but on the 3rd day, a waste basket magically appeared! Another annoyance is the digital fireplace heater (which was very cool) did not work in my parents' room down in #301. Again, just minor annoyances. We're simple travelers and tend to overlook a lot of minor issues as long as the overall stay is satisfactory.

GOOD LOCATION BUT NOT WORTH THE PRICE
If location and price are both essential Clarion (aka Carmel Oaks) is well situated in downtown Carmel, close to the ocean. Prices are not budget although the hotel condition is. Lowest price rooms are about $90-100/night and for weekends $140-150 plus Carmel’s hefty 12%. Based on our two experiences at Clarion, we suggest the nearby Comfort Inn or for good price/value but a bit farther away, the Carmel Village Inn. The most affordable comfortable and convenient motels/hotels in this area are in Monterey, a 10 minute drive.
PLUSES:
-Location
-Among the moderately priced motels in Carmel.

MINUSES:
-Rooms are small and not well maintained.
-No microwave
-Wifi unreliable. Keep dropping so repeated logins necessary.
-TV not viewable from sleeping area in the units we have stayed in.
-Cold breakfast basket that arrived between 8:30and 9:00am: contents milk, orange juice, packaged roll, banana, candy bar.
-Room coffee almost undrinkable.
-At 2pm we had to ask for maid service even after being away 9-1:45.
-No 24 hour staffing of service desk. And staff is minimally friendly.
-Very limited parking

We stayed here for our second time last weekend since we were in Carmel for a friend's wedding. The first time was a one night stint as part of a road trip from Ventura county to Nor Cal. In general Carmel is super cute and full of great restaurants and shopping (actual shopping or just the window varietal), Most places here are B&B's and many have a 2 night minimum and the price is at least $200 per night. We were able to get a suite for $149 per night. Now, this place definitely needs a refresh. It feels a little dated and the furniture is a little bit old. However, everything is clean, which is the most important thing to me. Our suite had the normal bedroom plus a separate sitting area with a coffee table and work desk, but the kicker was a separate kitchen in a separate "room" with a fridge, microwave, sink. We have an 8 month old so it was ideal since we could set up her crib in there and still have our separate area without bothering her while she was sleeping.

Not only is there a lot of space given what you are paying, the town is so small that you are literally in walking distance to everything. The location is great! Good spot - Casanova - is across the street and the Hog's Breath Inn (one of the very few drinking spots that stays open late) is one very short block down. They also deliver a breakfast basket in the morning with cereal, milk, juice, pastry.

So, if you are looking for luxury this isn't your spot. But if you are looking for something comfortable for a good value I would 100% recommend this place. And the next time we come to Carmel I would definitely stay again - the true sign of the quality of a hotel.