The best hotels for wellness in Carmel offer unique opportunities for restorative getaways, whether it’s treating yourself to spa treatments, practicing yoga on a picturesque hilltop or basking in a hot tub after a day of mindfulness and meditation. Their offerings of locally sourced food and wine can also have a rejuvenating effect.
Featured photo: Courtesy of Bernardus Lodge
Bernardus Lodge
It may have opened in 1999, but Bernardus Lodge & Spa radiates the charm of a centuries-old European country estate. A welcoming pool, a grid of tennis, bocce and croquet courts, and hikes in nearby Garland Park can help balance the irresistible dining at Lucia restaurant, where hyper-local cuisine has made it one of the best between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara. A lovely day spa (popular with locals, too) offers comprehensive services with steam rooms, saunas and basking pools to deepen the relaxation. Its 73 villas, suites and guest rooms provide state-of-the-art technology and creature comforts ranging from couples’ soaking tubs to fireplaces to king-size feather beds with goose down comforters and Italian linens — part of why it’s on our list of best luxury hotels in the area.
HIGHLIGHT: Active vineyards cover much of the resort’s 28 acres, as do thousands of lavender bushes and a working chef’s garden, which also provide ingredients to many of the therapies offered at the day spa. Guided meditation or yoga sessions along with private hikes are also available.
Carmel Valley Ranch
Spread across 500 acres in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, Carmel Valley Ranch has the space and the facilities for all kinds of wellness activities, starting with three different swimming pools, a hilltop yoga pavilion and an extensive fitness program that includes barre, circuit training and water yoga. The menu at Spa Aiyana features 10 different types of massage as well as other desirable treatments; a new program of “equine experiences” involves interacting with the ranch’s five horses for education and relaxation.
HIGHLIGHT: Cooking classes, beekeeping and foraging hikes are culinary highlights. Among the resort’s 181 rooms are a variety of woodsy-chic accommodations, many featuring fireplaces, private decks with deep soaking tubs, or both, for a true hideaway vibe. No wonder you’ll find it on our list of the region’s best hotels for romance, group getaways and luxury, too.
Quail Lodge & Golf Club
Picture 93 ranch-style bungalows set amidst 850 acres of verdant valley that was once a working dairy and you’ll have a sense of Quail Lodge & Golf Club, a Carmel classic since 1964. Closed in 2009 after 45 years of operation, Quail Lodge reopened in 2013 following a ground-up renovation and redesign by Barry Design Associates, the design team behind the Beverly Wilshire and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. Vaulted ceilings and tall windows nod to Eichler, framing spacious rooms with plenty of living space ranging in size from 395 to 650 feet.
HIGHLIGHT: In addition to the 18-hole golf course (updated in 2015) that put Quail Lodge on the map the grounds incorporate three tennis courts, pickleball, bocce ball and a nine-hole putting green. The on-site restaurant, Edgar’s, celebrates sustainable seafood and locally grown produce serving up grilled octopus and shrimp, Monterey Bay sand dabs, and farmers market salad.
Hyatt Carmel Highlands
A hillside compound in Carmel Highlands, just south of the spectacular Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and only a 10-minute drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea, Hyatt Carmel Highlands has had several incarnations since it opened in 1917. Today its 48 luxurious guestrooms, scattered across rustic buildings, include 11 suites, 32 ocean-view rooms and five garden-view rooms with modern Mission-inspired furnishings; some have full kitchens as part of the onsite Hyatt Residence Club (which goes by the resort’s original moniker, Highlands Inn.) Couples celebrating a special occasion gravitate toward the Big Sur, Point Lobos and Sunset suites for their panoramic ocean views and outdoor patios. Toast togetherness in the glass-enclosed Sunset Lounge overlooking the Carmel coastline, and dine at the highly esteemed, California-inspired Pacific Edge restaurant, which also provides a sweeping view of the striking shoreline, just across Highway 1.
HIGHLIGHT: Book a couples’ massage at Spa Adeline, and don’t miss taking a dip in the hotel’s heated pool and three hot tubs during your stay.
L'Auberge Carmel
Right in the center of quaint Carmel, boutique L’Auberge Carmel was built in 1929 as an elegant chateau blended with a cozy cottage. Today modern amenities like heated bathroom floors and walk-in showers complement antique furnishings (some 18th century), wrought-iron canopy beds and deep standing bathtubs. With only 20 rooms, guests receive plenty of individual attention, including the perks of valet parking, made-to-order hot breakfast and room service (from Michelin-starred Aubergine), twice-daily housekeeping and in-town Volvo car service — hence it also makes our list of top luxury hotels in the area.
HIGHLIGHT: Culinary packages include overnight stays and classes with Justin Cogley, Aubergine’s award-winning executive chef, or talented pastry chef Yulanda Santos. Many rooms offer a peek of an ocean view, with Carmel Beach just a few blocks downhill.
The Inn at Spanish Bay
Hidden coves and beaches lie just below the boardwalk outside the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach, where a bagpiper plays daily as the setting sun illuminates the Scottish-style Links at Spanish Bay. As with the resort’s Lodge at Pebble Beach and Casa Palmero, it’s among our choices for top luxury hotels in the region. Guests of the 269 rooms and suites get advance tee time reservations to the famed Pebble Beach golf course plus country club access, including the nearby private Spanish Bay Club and Tennis Pavilion as well as the Beach and Tennis Club some 5 miles south.
HIGHLIGHT: All of the roomy lodgings include fireplaces and most have balconies or patios. Foodies won’t have to walk far for fun. After listening to the bagpiper outside Sticks restaurant, check out Stave Wine Cellar for small bites, cheese and charcuterie paired with some of the 50 wines or eight craft beers by the glass. Then head to Peppoli at Pebble Beach for some of Monterey’s best Italian fare, or Roy’s at Pebble Beach for Hawaiian-fusion cuisine.
The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Home to world-renowned 17-Mile Drive and Pebble Beach Golf Links, the gated enclave of Pebble Beach also boasts several resorts that capitalize on the stunning ocean and fairway views. The oldest and most renowned, the Lodge at Pebble Beach, opened in 1919, the same year as the eponymous golf course, but it’s been expanded and modernized several times since then, including the 2017 addition of the modern Fairway One cottages. Spacious rooms and suites feature patios and balconies to bring the views even closer, with contemporary decor that has a classic, clubby feel; many offer gas-burning fireplaces, perfect for foggy days. The Lodge also makes our list of the best luxury hotels in Monterey.
HIGHLIGHT: Besides the stunning ocean views, it’s all about access: Guests staying in a Pebble Beach resort can book a tee time at Pebble Beach Golf Links — often hailed as the top public golf course in the country — up to 18 months in advance, compared with 24 hours in advance for everyone else. You gain admission to the equally impressive but private Beach and Tennis Club, with its heated 25-meter lap pool perched just above the chilly Pacific.
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