we have not been here in several years, but have some very fond memories of this unique inn & cabins, we would stop here and relax for a couple of days after hiking in big sur, nice garden setting here, we would get the unit with the kitchenette , it was stocked with everything we needed, we would go to the safeway across the street and buy some great gourmet treats and cook in our cabin, even barbecued outside, nice refreshing pool too, can't wait to go back ! read more

this is the place my friends stay when they come to town and sometimes if it is getting late and we are having a good time, I stay here as well. It's close and convenient and a diamond in the rough with the pricing, especially for the Carmel area. Granted, it is a bit old and in need of modernization. But it is quiet at night and off the beaten path, the beaten path being Highway 1. Now to be fair, I have only stayed in the lodge/motel portion, not the cottages. They have decent customer service and it's always pretty clean there. read more

When I had to run down to Carmel to have dinner with an old friend, I decided to get a room. I wanted to be close to the town, but not spend a lot of money. I found the Carmel River Inn on Expedia, and reserved a room. Upon arrival, reception suggested I take one of the cottages. I got a GREAT room at a terrific price. You can spend a lot more money in Carmel if you like, but for value, cleanliness, "cuteness" and a wonderful and relaxed setting that is close enough, you can't do better than the Carmel River Inn. read more

We stayed here during an impromptu trip to Monterey. The rooms are considerably older and need some updating but for what it's worth it was ok. We were happy to get two king rooms last minute during Memorial Day weekend- so no major complaints. read more

Great place to bring your dog! They go the extra mile in making your pet feel right at home with a welcome basket, extra bedding for your dog, a bathing station and great open space for them to run around. The cottage is rustic yet cute. Each one has a tiny car port and an area to sit outside and relax. Inside our cottage was super clean, nice smell and oh so cozy. We will definitely be back for another visit. read more

My husband and I stayed here for few nights and it was okay. The first night was fantastic - although we had booked a regular room, the innkeeper upgraded us to a private cottage, which was very cute and spacious. The second night we stayed in a room in the main part of hotel and unfortunately we had very loud neighbors who couldn't stop talking or walking around so we were kept awake by them and then woke up to their loud talking/walking at 7am the next morning. The next day we explained what had happened to the innkeeper and asked if any cottages or rooms were available, but everything was booked. When we got back to our room that evening, we saw the hotel had provided a bottle of wine, which was a very nice gesture. I'm not sure if I would stay in the main hotel again but the cottages are definitely worth checking out. read more

How can someone at the reception be so careless ? Are they trying to make more bucks ? They overbooked and gave us only one room in place of two . And when asked all they said was - sorry ! Nadia - is not courteous and not concerned about guests . Will never recommend this place to anyone read more

This place is cute and cozy. Perfect for bringing your pooch with you. When you check in they give a little gift (dog bowl, treats, ball and poopy bags) for the dog. The room okay, small shower but very comfy bed! Their landscape and garden is really pretty with all the flowers and fresh grass. There is also a cute but tiny trail that leads to the Carmel River. read more

This Inn is the most amazing place to stay!! We were able to explore all of big sur and be nice and cosy in our room at night. There is a patio on every room that leads to a river/creek!!!! Can't get any more relaxing than that!!! And the staff is super sweet! Very accommodating. Will be coming back to stay every time I am in this area read more

I've stayed here many times. I usually opt for the cottages, but they are currently being renovated, so I stayed in the motel portion this trip. The thing I love about this place is the charm and reasonable rates, in addition to the dog friendliness. I hope the new cottages don't prompt big price hikes, because in a high-dollar place like Carmel, the down-to-earth feel of this place is what makes it a real gem. Some reviewers complain about the outdated qualities of the motel, but I appreciate the quirkiness of it, from the split doors on the rooms, to the beamed ceilings on the second floor, to the balconies with the stream view. The only thing I would have liked is a microwave in the room. I even appreciate the regular, old keys used for the rooms. I felt the same way about the cottages, but I can appreciate wanting to improve and build more. I think this place has a unique niche in a land of boutique bed and breakfasts and high-dollar inns. I hope they can maintain the older charm and fair prices even through their growth. read more

This Inn was incorrectly described when I booked on Hotels.com, the stay was absolutely horrible. Thin walls, no air conditioning, and most importantly, unacceptable, rude customer service. I'm glad I only stayed for one night, and booked my remaining stay at a Doubletree. There are other hotel options in the area, I urge potential customers to steer clear from this establishment, I can't stress that enough. read more

The renovated cottage helped make our weekend in Carmel fantastic! With all of the places to stay, I took a chance on the Carmel River Inn and it was worth it! Plus we got a 2 day pass to the Aquarium with our room. The room was clean and charming in all the good ways! read more

This place is awesome, especially for staying with dogs. We came the last week of February and the garden looked great and all the paths were awesome for quick walks. Our cabin (#25, Ricketts) was updated and modern, had a gas fireplace, and a small fenced in patio where the dog could hang out in the sun. There was a small fridge and a HUGE (handicapped) bathroom. This was by far the most reasonably-priced place in Carmel that accepted dogs, and we got our own cabin instead of being stacked on top of other people in hotel rooms. There's also no weight limit for dogs. The only thing that seemed odd is that I booked a cabin through their website, but when we got there, I was told they upgraded us from the main hotel to a cabin. It's probably a good idea to call after you make a reservation and CONFIRM that you have a cabin reserved. Or maybe they were just trying to make us feel special for getting "upgraded." read more

Great place, staff was also very gracious and helped us to up grade to a cabin when we arrived , after checking out a couple of cabins we settled on one over the room in the hotel portion for just a little more money. read more

After checking out early do to an extremely bad experience at Carmel Wayfarer Inn, we were delighted to find this place! Pros: Staff was wonderful!!! Upon check-in we were given a doggie welcome kit which was such a great touch, given the fact that most hotels barely tolerate your pooch. We stayed in one of the cottages. It was large, clean and well appointed with a fireplace. Private fenced patio was great. The grounds are well maintained and very inviting with a walking path, lots of little nooks and crannies where you might find a fountain or some other garden surprise. Our room had a fridge, coffee maker and microwave in the room and coffee in the office. No breakfast but that was fine with us. Did I mention that the staff was wonderful? :) Cons: WiFi didn't work very well and the tv reception wasn't very good. I should say that it rained while we were there and perhaps that was the reason for both. The only other "con" I have was that the bed wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked. We will definately come back again and again. A+ and two thumbs up! read more

Nice quiet clean rooms, friendly. Balcony faces a small clear creek, nice drive to Big Sur, Monterey would stay in a cabin next time.

My wife and I go to Big Sur every year and we always stay in Carmel. Well this year we decided to TRY to get a room at this place.. big mistake. Walk up to the front desk and had one simple request "I would like to stay here for 4 nights, please give me the total price for 4 nights and LETS DO THIS THING". After going back and forth for 10 minutes and only getting a price for TWO DAYS. I asked again to give me a price for 4 nights and the guy literally told me "Well I gave you a price so YOU DO THE MATH". I work in sales SO I DID THE MATH FOR HIM. Took day 1 and day 2, add them together and told him the total then ASK HIM AGAIN FOR A 4 NIGHT total. He couldn't do it... so we got in our car, drove down the street. Pull up to Carmel Village Inn on Junipero Rd, got a price for 4 nights. Pull out my wallet and enjoy our annual Big Sur vacation. 2 stars for the price of two nights, good thing I didn't get a price for just one night. read more

Loved it. Perfect choice for us with Fur Children. Other guests were quiet and respectful. Staff was friendly, we were always greeted with a smile. Super close to~ Carmel- by the Sea~ .Rooms are cozy and inviting. Many original architectural touches in the bathrooms which I really like... Built on 10 acres of enchanting garden and pathways. My room had a sweet view of the forest. Great coffee served in the lobby. Looking forward to returning. I may even try one of the adorable private cottages with fireplace next time. OH! and the bed and pillows were very comfortable! That is super important to me! read more

It's an older motel and cottages, but the pricing makes it worth it. Nothing has been upgraded in a few decades, but the staff is super friendly and the scenery is wonderful!! Due to the drought, the river is more like a wet algae line, but in its heyday, I'm sure this place was spectacular! I would stay here again and it's close to shopping and restaurants. We stayed in the motel portion and I suggest booking early for the cottages!! read more

I'm soo lucky I found this little gem. I will definitely be a regular of this hotel. I was greeted by Arthur who was amazing. I asked if available if I could pay extra to upgrade to a cottage and he said that I was already upgraded. I don't know how & why I was upgraded at no additional charge but the customer service truly made me feel special. I'm already excited for my next stay. read more

I really regret staying here, but thank goodness it was for just one night! This place is screaming to be completely renovated. The room looked cleaned, yet had an old stuffy smell and the bathroom i am assuming is original. I know it's an old hotel, i dont need that regurgitated to me. The walls and floors are paper thin and the people above us were sooo loud, even though they were just walking around, it sounded like a herd of animals galloping back and forth. It was awful and lasted for hours. Some people complained about the frogs at night, for me that was the only plus but had difficulty listening to the frogs because the neighbor snored all night. I got very little sleep. It would be one thing if the room fit the price, which it sure as hell does not! Over $200!! There should be a neon sign out front blinking $49.99 per night. By the way, I didnt want a cottage...i think its great there is a place that allows dogs but I'm not wanting to sit in dog hair and smell urine. I will never stay here again!!!!!! read more

I love finding hidden gems, and consider this to be one of them. You pull up to this off-the-beaten-path inn and are disappointed by the old school looking motel in the front. But then you drive further back in the property to get to your cabin. Beautiful gardens and sweet cabins scattered about. Don't expect a four star kind of place The vintage cabins are old and show a bit of wear and tear, but they're quaint and clean. And it's quiet. Certainly, the price is right. We'll go back for our third stay soon. read more

What an AMAZING little place. SUPER friendly staff. Beautiful gardens everywhere! Very comfy beds. If you sty here, you have to get one of the cottages. For the price, you can't beat it.! Oh... and very pet friendly here. Will definitely be returning. Regularly... read more

I had misgivings when we pulled up to cottage numer 19. From the outside, it looked a little funky. But inside, it was very cute. The cottages were built sometime before 1960, and are more cabins than cottages, but they were clean and comortable. Outside, there are flowers everywhere and it smelled wonderful. I would gladly go back if the opportunity arises. read more

This place is wonderful. I have been here twice on my trips up to San Francisco, with of course, a mandatory stop through Big Sur. It is so affordable, quiet, peaceful, lush and beautiful, and CONVENIENT! You are 15 minutes from Big Sur. Go to Safeway, pack a lunch, hike all day, bask in natures beauty and then come back to your own cottage, take a hot shower, dine at one of the various delicious restaurants nearby, and snuggle into your queen (or king size) for a night of restful sleep under dense forest. Some of the cottages even have their own fireplaces. We heard woodpeckers off in the distance a few of the mornings. We have seen deer every time we come as well as the friendly cat that calls this place home. We love it here. Wish it was where we call home!! This place is absolutely enchanting. Such a bargain, amazing people, and amazing location. Cannot go wrong. read more

Great find we booked at the very last minute. Rates were very reasonable but we didn't book directly thru the hotel, we used the BookIt app from my phone. Also it was super pet friendly and provided lots of room for my dogs to run around and explore. Not sure how anyone can give this place a negative review but I assume they are comparing it to luxury hotels in the city. And that's like comparing apples to oranges in this case. The cabin was super clean and reminded me of my old cabin up in Big Bear. The staff is also very friendly and very helpful. I will definitely be coming back here. read more

I was extremely disappointed with the condition of cottage #18, which was old, uncomfortable, poorly furnished and cold. It was really more of tiny cabin than a cottage, with uninsulated walls and ceiling, a tiny bathroom, a saggy bed, mini-fridge that froze everything solid and an old TV. There was only an uncomfortably hard wood chair to sit on, and the lighting was not good for reading. When you travel with a dog, you don't necessarily expect glamorous accomodations, but I expected better than this. For my 4-day reservation, I was told I'd have cottage #32 with a fireplace and patio. At check-in, I was told there are no reserved cottages- so why was I told about #32? I suspect it would have been a big improvement over #18. I checked out first thing in the morning and returned home rather than face another depressing, sleepless night at CRI. The staff tried to be nice, but could only do so much. They were obviously getting a lot of complaints from other guests, including others interested in early checkout. The policy is 72 hours advance notice on check-out. The grounds are not manicured, but have some charm. The cottages are a pretty rustic experience. If you're were prepared for that, it might be okay. read more

everything are not bad, however, there is a dead point, their internet service is just poor, poor, and poor. I d rather they don;t say they have internet read more

I just recently had an intimate beach wedding in Carmel and my mom booked me a cottage for two nights at Carmel River Inn. This place is so incredibly beautiful and the employees were so sweet to all of us. The cottages made us feel like home and gave us so much space to get ready for the big day. I hope to spend every anniversary here. Thank you to the front desk for making our stay perfect. He was such a kind man. read more

The drought in CA has taken it toll on this place and the maintenance crew has not kept up. The pictures on yelp make this place look amazing, the reviews are great, but when you pull into the parking lot it reminds me of The Bates motel. SCARY read more

The best thing about this place was that it was an easy 10 minute drive to the off leash, dog friendly beach. Our pooch had an amazing time at Ocean Beach. We took him there 2 days in a row. We'll try another hotel/cottage near that beach next time we're in town. read more

Never been so disappointed staying at this hotel. Dirty there is cockroaches there is a small frig couldn't fit really nothing it was disgusting dirty bathroom was dirty. Falls advertisement the website said view thinking beach view walking distance to the beach, stores nope it's in the middle of no where scary. Manager is so rude . The day I went nobody was there. There were couples walking out asking for their refund. The price for this hotel $243 for garbage not worth staying its only worth probably per night $80. Very disappointing hotel don't recommend for anybody staying at this hotel called CarmelRiver Inn. There should be no stars for this place worst place I ever stayed at. read more

I was disappointed when we got there. We booked a room here based on Yelp reviews. But the place is old and dirty coz when we checked in to our room there was dirt/dirt tracks under the sink. Heading to dinner I told the front desk person about it and he apologized and told me he's moving us to a cabin with no extra charge. Told him we can do it when we get back. However, he changed his mind and just gave us another room instead. Which is still not as clean as we expected it to be. read more

We just got back from our third stay at the Carmel River Inn and once again, we were very happy with our stay and plan to return. We stayed two nights in cabin 19, one of the older cabins. Every stay has been in the cabins, not the hotel part. There were two bedrooms in this one: one with two twins for our kids and one double for us. The twin beds were in the main room that had the TV. The kids LOVED that. Our room was a bit cramped (no room for night stands in the parents' room) and there were no chairs (not enough room, but we did have outdoor chairs and a little patio area). We had a tiny fridge and a coffee maker and a shower in the bathroom. The cabin is a bit cramped and lacked some surface area, but it was spotless and comfy. We loved listening to the rain at night (and a frog!). The kids enjoyed exploring the grounds and at this time of the year, the gardens start to bloom. Every time we go to Monterey, I try and find an equivalent bargain and I never do. We have stayed once in one of the hotels on that strip near downtown and it was pretty awful. At the Carmel River Inn, we feel like we have more privacy. You really can't beat that for $90. (I think this is an off-season rate). If you do the Aquarium package it includes 2 two-day adult passes (about $159 a night, I think)! We hope to spring for the bigger cottage next time. We'd save money if we had a kitchen. I thought the desk staff was really great and they even provided me with a cork screw for my wine! If they had a continental breakfast, that would be a nice addition. There were some nice places to eat in the Barns mall nearby and a grocery store and all that. read more

I love this little place. It's a little outside of Carmel, so is quiet and peaceful. It has lovely gardens. Definitely stay in the cottages, and mostly the remodeled ones. We first found it because they allow dogs. Very restful. read more

We stayed here because we got a special deal through the internet. We stayed in cottage #27, one of the unrenovated cottages, for $110 per night. It was small, cozy, and clean, with white wooden walls and simple rustic furniture. There was a complete little kitchen with everything but an oven: full-sized fridge and even two corkscrews. It was very peaceful and we enjoyed burning a fire in the fireplace (real fire with presto log; not gas-burning. If you want, you could bring extra firewood or presto logs.). The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and several of the other people staying here had dogs. The last time we stayed in a pet-friendly place I got fleabites, so I was a bit apprehensive, but nothing like that happened. I couldn't believe we found such a pleasant place for such a good price. read more

An older hotel in Carmel that is in the middle of a renaissance. Pet friendly to the core, clean, great service, kind management, beautiful grounds. We could not be happier with the cottage we were given. We loved it! So much for your money. We will definitely come back again!!! read more

Absolutely perfect!!!! We had trouble finding an affordable, last minute place to stay with our dogs till we just happened upon this adorable place. The staff was amazing!! Shawn was SO helpful and truly wanted to give us a nice experience. He suggested we stay in cabin 22 and we loved it from the first moment we saw it. It was so cute with a cozy front patio and well maintained landscaping. Plus, it's so quiet and private. We adored it and are thinking about staying one more night, if this cabin comes available. We will definitely be back. Hopefully, Shawn is recognized for his outstanding customer service. 5 star staff like that are a rare and true find and a good part of the reason we want to return. Thanks again for a fabulous vacation!! read more

We have been coming to the Carmel River Inn for years. The ownership has changed and not for the better. We reserved a room, the same room we have been reserving for years. When we arrived we were told that you can request a room but they do not reserve specific rooms. The gentleman we spoke with on the telephone stated the only reason the room would not be available is because they may be upgrading it. This was not so. The receptionist, Nadia, was gracious and fulfilled our request. When the room was cleaned we found out that the cleaning staff is limited to 20 minutes per room if the room is not vacated, clearly not sufficient to do the job properly. We used to have an option of having our sheets changed, now that is not an option. You have the same sheets for your entire stay. (Living in California we understand there is a drought, but there should be an option, for obvious reasons.) The grounds are not well maintained as they have been. They are completely overgrown with mounds of wood chips and other material. The "upgrade" to the road was a bunch of sand thrown over the blacktop which had huge holes. One can still feel the holes while driving on it. The wireless internet does not work well. Everytime I powered down the laptop, I had to either reconnect or call the company to have them help do so. On a lighter note, the staff is wonderful. Everyone we interacted with was helpful, courteous and wanted to make our stay as pleasant as possible. read more

Lovely and quiet and serene and super cute cottages everywhere. Definitely the best place to stay if you have furry friends. We had a hard time deciding whether to stay in a posh hotel in Carmel or here, and we are soooo happy we decided on this calm and adorable inn. Plus it's way cheaper than the going rate in the bustling-with-tourists Carmel. It's obviously always under careful upgrading, which is a great sign that they intend to keep up the high standards of the old cottages while making it comfortable for the guests. We won't stay anywhere else. read more