Let's face it, Carmel is an expensive place to stay, and while the Dolphin Inn might not be what you'd expect for the price in a less precious town, by Carmel standards it may be the best bargain in town. My room was comfortable and well appointed (right down to chilled wine glasses and a plush robe) and the staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. The Inn has a (rather noisy) sports bar/restaurant right next door, but offers dining discounts to a number of excellent restaurants nearby, (I recommend the Bistro Giovanni just down the street. Best Halibut ever!), and the continental breakfast delivered to my door was adequate and appealing. My only quibbles; thin walls and loud neighbors (who, fortunately, passed out early), and it is, though walkable, quite a trek down to the beach. Although this was just an overnight on my way down the coast, I'll definitely consider the Dolphin Inn for a longer stay; such a deal it just might make Carmel doable again!

We stayed here on our roadtrip this summer, with our daughter and grand son. Check in and out went perfectly, both people I dealt with were very nice and helpful. they had coffee, and hot water for tea or hot chocolate and a bowl of apples in the lobby all the time. They also put out delicious cookies during the day. Even though it is an older property as are most of the places in Carmel by the Sea, it is very well maintained and everything is clean, attractive and in working order. Our beds were very comfortable and there was a table and chairs to eat our very delicious breakfast which was delivered to our door in the morning in a cooler. there were 3 kinds of cereal bowls, 3 pieces of fresh fruit of good quality, some delicous obviously fresh baked items, scone, muffin, etc. that came from a bakery not cosco type stuff! 100% pure juice, milk, and the coffee in the room was from the Carmel Valley roasting company who's organic coffee is so good I order it from them and have it shipped to me in Canada! That was a realy treat to have it right in our room. The room was spotlessly clean, and the bathroom area was seperate from the vanity and coffee making area, and both were spotlessly clean, the housekeepers do a fantastic job!! We did not take advantage of the pool but it looked very inviting and very clean! It is very close to the main walking area around all the lovely little shops of Carmel By The Sea, and there are lot's of great places to eat just minutes away. there is a pub onsite, but we did not try it as we were travelling with a child, however there was no loud noise from the pub so I think it is a nice quiet place. We will be staying at the Dolphin Inn again on our upcoming road trip.

We made this our second stop en route from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Arriving late afternoon we found this place to be quite relaxed in atmosphere if a little 'hands off' in terms of staffing - this, however, is because as an 'Inn' it is a collection of rooms allied to a central but separate office/reception building and not a hotel style set-up. No restaurant. The room we had was close to the lovely heated outdoor pool and we found it very pleasant, with a nice bathroom, coffee maker/kettle, gas fireplace etc etc. The bedding was a little antiquated but clean fresh and comfy. Breakfast arrives in a cooler bag having been ordered via a slip the night before; it gets left outside your room door. This doesn't sound ideal, does it, but it actually works very nicely and when there was a mistake in the order it was corrected quickly and without fuss. The Inn is well situated in a quiet yet central spot and you can easily walk all around central Carmel from here. The beach is a bit further away, and down quite a steep hill, so driving might be a better option if you don't fancy the climb back up. We enjoyed our brief and relaxing stay in this comfortable Inn in this charming town.

I am amazed at some of the reviews for this place.
The delivered "continental breakfast" is in fact a cold clingfilm wrapped croisant and 1 danish pastry also film wrapped, not fresh. An over proccessed orange juice and an individual cereal packet (not even 2 for a double room!). Yes this is left outside your room in an insulated bag. Thankfully, there are nice coffee shops and bakeries for breakfast not far away.
The first room we were given (we arived after reception open hours) had such an unpleasant pungant smell it was very difficult to settle and sleep. The next day we switched rooms. They moved us to an upstairs room with a fireplace and expected us to pay extra for the fireplace "up-grade".
The carpets in both the rooms we experienced definately encouraged you to keep your shoes on.
There was a gap around the door in which let the wind blow through in this room so we had to sleep with the fire on. Not something either myself or my husband were happy about.
The bathroom in both rooms were very small and very tired, rust stains around the overflow a lot of limescale marks around the taps. A very grotty shower curtain...
This place definately needs some investment to bring it up to speed. we didn't find it particularly cheap either.
There are thermus flasks of coffee available at reception. We didn't try it.
It is quiet, there is parking and it is quite well placed to wander around the town, although quite a way from the very nice beach so you would probably need to drive to enjoy that.