As much as I love living on the east coast (and of course, love New York City), there's an undeniable pull to Northern California for me -- one that I don't think I'll ever be able to shake, quite honestly. It's the open air, windows down, let's get lost sort of feeling that is so intoxicating to me whenever I land back at SFO, and it's little mini road trips, like the one I just took a few weeks back for my good friends Juanjo and Nicole's wedding in Carmel, that really set my heart and wanderlust soaring.

You've heard me wax poetically about Highway 1 and Carmel specifically many times before, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record here, I'll reiterate: Carmel-By-The-Sea (as it's formally named) is perhaps one of my favorite places on earth. It's what I picture when I think of living in a seaside town -- moody skies, sweeping coastline views, a quaint little main street strip chock full of niche stores and mom and pop restaurants and, luckily for this traveler, a selection of boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts to rest my head at night. This time around, the folks over at Hotel Carmel (recently reopened under new management), invited me for a few nights stay while I was in town for my friends wedding. I was hot off the heels of several weeks of European travel and ready for some much needed R&R and ocean air.

In short: they certainly delivered.

While it has all the luxuries of a hotel, Hotel Carmel has much more of an inn vibe -- cozy and intimate -- situated right off the main downtown strip and just a few minutes walk to the beach (where I spent most of my downtime). Naturally, upon arrival, it was the decor that struck me first: it's beachside lodge meets Steinbeck's den meets rustic cabin circa 1962. I basically wanted to wrap myself up in a Pendleton blanket and sit outside my room in my folding director's chair, while sipping my coffee each morning. The only problem was, I didn't pack my Pendleton blanket. Next time, though!

Each morning, there's a community breakfast served, again, tapping into that inn vibe, where all guests are welcome to sit in the den area and read, sip and chat about their day ahead. Given that I was incredibly jet lagged after weeks of travel, I welcomed this little sleepy reprieve holiday whole heartedly -- it was a wonderful opportunity to just unplug, unwind and slow my pace down for a few days.

Huge thanks again to the folks over at Hotel Carmel for hosting me! I had a lovely stay and hope to be back soon!

All photos of Krystal by Angie Silvy