My husband and I moved to San Francisco about 6 years ago and sought a relaxing, quiet location not too far from our place. Enter Carmel-by-the-sea and the Horizon Inn. On a whim, and little research, I decided we needed to finally see what some of our friends were talking about and venture down to the Monterey area. Being as we enjoy Europe and Carmel-by-the-sea is often dubbed "mini Europe" we figured that was where we needed to be. Since Carmel is small, the accommodations are often booked far in advance, but I happened to stumble on Horizon Inn and we have stayed there ever since.
Horizon Inn has three different complexes, not attached, that completes their inn. The main area, Horizon Inn, tailors mostly to couples (anecdotal evidence only); it is not pet friendly and has many rooms with king beds, fireplaces, and some with views and a balcony. Across the street are Horizon Inn's cottage suites; these units are pet friendly, first floor only cottages that have king size beds, typically a pull out mattress in the living room, fireplaces, and "closet" kitchens. *Cottage unit 205 has a full kitchen, if interested. Then there is the Annex; they used to rent both unit 207 and 208, but have since only listed 207 for the longest time. This is a pet friendly room as well with a balcony and ocean view -- and is one of our favorite rooms because it is secluded with a cozy room.
There is parking for each unit either at the respective locations, or a larger parking structure under Horizon Inn. We have actually street parked out of ease a few times and have never had an issue. They offer a hot tub and outdoor seating area that is well maintained as well. Every morning you receive a picnic basket full of breakfast items that will fill you up until lunch. On top of all of that, the staff are always accommodating, friendly, and efficient.
Here are my thoughts of the rooms we have stayed in, a few of them a couple times:
*102. Large room with a comfortable king sized bed that includes a nice view of the ocean off of your private balcony. I thought that being next to the street would bother us, but we didn't even notice. This is a top floor unit.
*112. Mid-size king bed room with a fireplace. This unit reminds me more of a hotel than a B&B, but still good sized and the fireplace adds a nice touch.
*115. Large king bed room with a fireplace and jacuzzi AND a balcony with a fantastic ocean view. This is one of my favorite rooms, but we often travel with our Yorkie and this is not a pet friendly room.
*203. The first cottage we stayed in. It is pet friendly, large, has a living room, closet kitchen, jacuzzi tub, fireplace, and a comfortable bed that you will never wish to leave (all of their beds are like this if you like cloud-like beds).
*204 and 205 are basically the same. Both are pet friendly cottages with a living room, kitchen, fireplace, separate bedroom with a king bed. Perfect for a family or a couple that wants more space.
*207. The annex room that is pet friendly and boasts a queen size bed. This is one of the smaller rooms, but secluded and a nice balcony with a view.
I have been fortunate enough to travel a decent amount of this world and typically stay in 5 star hotels and I constantly return to the Horizon Inn because it reminds me of every other top of the line place I have stayed. The decor isn't up to 5 star modern ratings, this is an inn that prides themselves on making the rooms feel like a home that maybe your grandma decorated, but in a good way. I promise you that this Inn does not disappoint. We had to stay at a couple others over the years when the Horizon Inn was booked, but nothing compares.
The one complaint I have: the balconies are attached to every other room on the floor, though Horizon Inn has a privacy screen, you can easily see and hear what your neighbors are saying / doing while they are on the balcony. I'd LOVE to see Horizon Inn consider a real divider for privacy.
