Carmel-by-the-Sea: A Fairy Tale City

+

Carmel-by-the-Sea: A Fairy Tale City

October 22, 2014

UPDATED AUGUST 2019

Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hearst Castle are two of my favorite places in California. Its cute little houses make you feel as if you were in a fairy tale. Carmel has inspired artists, sparked romances, and attracted celebrities for decades. Rated a top-10 destination in the U.S. year after year, Carmel is an amazing, European-style village nestled above a picturesque white-sand beach.

Carmel is a great place for a weekend getaway if you are in California or a must-stop on a road trip. Words like rest, relax, unwind and happiness come to mind when I think of this coastal town. Every time I've been to California, I have visited Carmel, I'll never be tired of it.

This guide to Carmel-by-the-Sea is perfect for first-time visitors. You can get an overall idea of what to find, things you have to do, trips to nearby cities, some hotels to stay and restaurants worth trying out.

There are some interesting facts that make this city unique:

• There are no street addresses.
• Selling and eating ice-cream in the streets is prohibited.
• You need a permit to wear high heels.
• There are no fast food or chain restaurants.

WHERE TO STAY

There are few places with more charming hotels than Carmel. Picture yourself staying in one of these fairytale houses, sounds wonderful, right? 

These are the most popular hotels in Carmel:

• Hotel Carmel
• Carriage House Inn
• Candle Light Inn
• Lamp Lighter Inn and Sunset Suites

THINGS TO DO
Apart from wandering the streets of Carmel in search of the prettiest houses you can do the following:

• In downtown Carmel you will find many local stores with treasures to take back home from your trip. 
• Shop at Carmel Plaza and grab a bite at one of their restaurants.
• Get some Vitamin Sea at Carmel beach.
• Take a scenic drive down 17 Mile Drive and see mansions such as the ones on Big Little Lies or view points like Pebble Beach.
• Visit the Carmel Mission to learn more about the town's history.

More charming towns:

• Monterey city is nearby and well worth a visit. Stroll on Cannery Row to get a full experience of the city. I also recommend the Monterey Aquarium if you have time. 
• Pacific Grove  has been called “Butterfly Town U.S.A.”, “The Most Romantic City in the U.S.”, “A Dreamy California Destination”. I think that sums up pretty well what this place is like.

RESTAURANTS

From 1986 to 1988 Clint Eastwood was the major of this town. He owns a restaurant called Hog's Breath Inn which is a must if you are visiting the city. If you are a fun of the actor you'll find tons of memorabilia decorating the walls. From the menu, I recommend you try the burgers, they are scrumptious.

Other restaurants and cafes worth trying:

Portabella: local fresh cuisine in a charming environment. 

Brophy's Tavern: one of Carmels’ iconic restaurants serves your all-America favorites.

La Bicyclette: features European Country Cuisine using local ingredients.

Need more? Read the following to help you plan your trip:
California 1
Christmas in San Francisco

Like this post? Pin and share it!

Mondays We Cook: Plum Cake

+

Mondays We Cook: Plum Cake

October 13, 2014

Happy Monday my dear readers! Here's a new recipe to start the week with a lot of energy. Today we are cooking a plum cake. It's basically a sponge cake with raisins and nuts.

Withouth further ado, here's the recipe.

This is what you will need:
250 gr. of butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of baking powder
250 gr. of sugar
2 teaspoons of rum
1/2 lemon juice
a pinch of salt
150 gr. of raisins
375 gr. of flour

Directions:

• Melt butter together with the raisins in a pan. Let cool down.
• Mix all in ingredients in a bowl.
• Pre-heat oven at 180ºC for 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a mold.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 180ºC.

Voilà!

You can find other cake recipes here.

Enjoy,

Cristina xo

Mondays We Cook: Ricotta and Apple Cake

+

Mondays We Cook: Ricotta and Apple Cake

September 29, 2014

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes, a cake whose main ingredients are ricotta, raisins and apple. It's perfect either for breakfast or to surprise your guests if you are hosting a tea party.

Meeting Kristina Bazan

+

Meeting Kristina Bazan

August 14, 2014

Have you ever had the chance to meet someone you look up to or that you are inspired by? If you are a perfectionist like me, you will want to make a good impression. However, for some reason instead of acting normal your brain decides to block and you get butterflies in your stomach just like when you wanted to talk to your high school crush. This is how I felt when I met Kristina and James the incredibly talented and beautiful couple behind the blog Kayture.

I've been following Kayture for years, I always marvel at their flawless and breathtaking photos. She shows so much passion, dedication and enthusiasm on her posts, it's contagious! I love people like that. Kristina became my favorite blogger as soon as I discovered her blog. I instantly fell in love with her feminine and classy style. 

These days bloggers have pretty much reached the status of celebrities. So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw her while strolling around Zurich last week. She was so sweet, down-to-earth and attentive. She asked if we were having a good time in Switzerland and even suggested places to see and things to do. I was so nervous I barely knew what to say, I'd have loved to ask her so many things!

Have a great Thursday and thanks for reading,

Cristina xo

Mondays We Cook: Carrot Cake

+

Mondays We Cook: Carrot Cake

August 11, 2014

Hey guys! Long time, no see! I've really missed blogging during my trip to Switzerland. Now I'm back and I can't wait to show you the pictures from the trip. I've visited beautiful places and guess what! I even got to meet my favorite blogger, Kristina Bazan of Kayture in Zurich. Stay tuned because I'll be posting the whole story soon :)

If that wasn't enough news....A few weeks ago I was approached by the L.A.-based website CgC Daily and they asked me to be one of their contributors. Last week, they posted my first article which you can read here. It's so exciting to see how the blog is growing little by little.

Without further ado, let's talk about today's recipe. Carrot cake. If you haven't tried it yet, do me a favor: don't understimate it because the main ingredient is a vegetable. That's not fair. This cake is delicious, trust me. It's like a giant cupcake and the best part is the cream cheese frosting. Yum!

This is what you'll need:

Ingredients:

100 gr. of walnuts

340 gr. of raw carrots finely grated

260 gr. of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

4 large eggs

300 gr. of white sugar

240 ml. of flavorless oil

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

57gr. of unsalted butter

227 gr. of cream cheese

230 go. of confectioners sugar

4 gr. of pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest

Carrot Cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Toast the walnuts until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool. Peel and finely grate the carrots.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.

In bowl beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored. Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting. 

To assemble: place one cake layer onto your serving plate. Spread with about half the frosting. Gently place the other cake onto the frosting and spread the rest of the frosting over the top of the cake. If desired, garnish with toasted nuts on the top of the cake. 

Serves 10 - 12.

Frosting: beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest.  

As you can see in the picture, mine has only one layer. If you want to make a small one too, you only have to divide the quatities by two.

Have a great week and thanks for reading.

Cristina xo

Adapted from Joy of Baking