My friend and I took a girls' weekend up to Carmel, and having stayed at L'Auberge properties in Napa before, decided to book a night here. Coming from SF after a hectic week, we were anxious to find a parking spot, so as I ran up to the courtyard, a lovely man named Mike calmly and graciously met me, explained he would valet our car, and then asked me my name and held out his hand and introduced himself. It was at that moment I instantly began to relax and also realized that this is a hotel that prides itself on both helping guests feel like it's their home AND providing exeptional, curteous, gracious service that is so hard to find these days. After having our car parked (all services are free thanks to the great idea of just tacking on a $30 service charge every night), the woman at check-in greeted us with complimentary organic hibiscus juice made in-house. The rooms are not your modern, everything-looks-the-same behemoths...but isn't that the charm of Carmel? The lobby is marble; the courtyard leading to the rooms is brick-lined with wall-climbing flowers, vines, and with a bubbling fountain in the center; the rooms are cozy but equipped with modern-day amenities like heated bathroom floors, an iPad for room service, free WiFi, a flat-screen TV, a fridge, and an espresso machine (we just got the standard room, nothing special). The personal touches came from the dessert chef's bowl of housemade caramels and a little bag of trail mix, along with two gigantic bottles of sparkling water--all at no charge to guests. Imagine staying in a renovated French country chateau and that's L'Auberge Carmel. What's even better is that you're 1 block away from all restaurants and shops, and about 4 blocks away from the gorgeous beach. Overall, the service and the charm make this hotel well worth the money.
