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My Monterey, California Favorites 🌊😌
18
items A few quiet coastal places in Monterey/Pacific Grove that just felt good for the soul—simple, pretty, and so easy with little ones. A must for any nature lovers who enjoy a slower vibe. 🌅
Map
Sections
4
Nature
Food
Things to do
Places to stay
Nature
This beach is 😍😍 and the sand is very white and soft. The water is beautiful. You can’t go wrong here.
Carmel Beach - Carmel-by-the-Sea, ...
This is gorgeous. Take this drive from Monterey headed down to Carmel- it is breathtaking. So many beautiful spots to snap pictures and enjoy the scenery. I’m aching to go again!
Scenic 17-Mile Drive in Picturesque Pebble Beach
Stop here to see tons of seals resting on a massive rock. It was fun to see and listen to all of them- bring binoculars!
Seal Rock on the 17 mile drive
Ahh, this beach holds my heart. It is STUNNING at sunset 🌅 We love watching the surfers and playing in the sand. There’s such a peaceful vibe here!
Asilomar State Beach
Food
I had truly THE best smoothie bowl of my life here. I’m drooling thinking about it. The owner was so kind and very welcoming. Support this small business! I highly recommend them for all your smoothie bowl needs 🍌🥑🍓
Terra Superfoods - Monterey
This little breakfast place looks delicious and would love to try the next time I’m in town 🥞
First Awakenings
This place looks DELICIOUS, and you get ocean views. Can’t beat that 😍
Schooners Monterey
Uhm if you’re a bagel lover, please don’t miss this place. You may want to order two! 👩🍳💋 a quaint little bagel place we hit for breakfast.
BAGEL KITCHEN
Didn’t make it to this place but the seafood looks amazing- and ocean views! My favorite ❤️
Fish Hopper
Sometimes you can’t always eat out, so you need a good little grocery store. Let this be it!
Trader Joe's
Things to do
Our aquarium visit was incredible. The fact that it’s nestled right on the ocean with amazing views was so cool. They have a variety of sea creatures to look at and learn about, and they are strong opponents for ocean conservation and rehabilitating ...
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Going on this specific whale watch tour is on my bucket list- this company stood out to me the most and I can’t wait to go one day. Whales have my heart 🐋❤️
Monterey Bay Whale Watch
This park would be a fun stop if you have littles in tow! Who doesn’t love a good park? ☀️
Dennis the Menace Playground
The wharf is a lively place with fun things to see, cute little shops, and good food. It can get busy so be prepared for that!
Old Fisherman's Wharf
Would love to try this place next time! It was close to us in the area we stayed and a nice option for something to do without going into busy Monterey.
Monarch Grove Sanctuary
Places to stay
This place was perfect for us- we snagged a little cottage that had a little kitchen. It was just right for our little family. It also butt up against Lucy’s on Lighthouse that had live music often and ice cream! It was also a very close walk to the ...
Sea Breeze Inn and Cottages
If you’re traveling to Monterey and looking for a quieter less busy area to stay, look into pacific grove. It was a quiet, quaint little town, that truly felt like it had its own kind of magic ✨ we would go back in a heartbeat.
Pacific Grove, CA
Driving through Carmel was magical- there are so many quaint little cottage-like houses lining the streets. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Carmel