The front of this hotel looks like a regular motel but the real treasure is the two acres of gardens and cottages laying behind it. I booked this online and they usually have deals going on if you book in advance. It's easy enough to get to and everyone we talked to at the front desk was so friendly. There is parking out front and at every cottage. Our cottage had a fireplace, a whirlpool tub (huge but the jets sadly did not work), and a backyard. The bed was also very comfortable. In the little yard there is a table which would have been great for enjoying breakfast outside but sadly we woke up too late (checkout at 11) to enjoy it before heading out. However, the fireplace and tub were amazing and the whole area was so relaxing. Next time we would like to walk around the gardens more and enjoy the outdoor space. We will definitely be back as we loved our short stay here! There is also a bunch of restaurants and stores nearby if you need to grab snacks or want to head out to dinner. I recommend The Barnyard area which is so cute! read more

Carmel River Inn - Front of our cottage - Hotels Near Me - Carmel, California

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Very remote location in Carmel. Almost hidden, but only because they offer cottages as well as regular rooms. The room is very spacious inside the inn, huge bed very comfortable. Bathroom was an decent size and a clean shower no tub. Quick and easily accessible to almost everything you may need. The only downfall was the we were on the first floor and had annoying ass people upstairs who decided to show up at midnight and have loud conversations and couldn't keep still the entire time. And no not sex just walking back and forth. read more

The place itself was fine, and Jacob was very kind at the front desk, but the Innkeeper - Michael - showed no empathy. We had booked for a two night stay ($500+!) but we had to leave early AM after the first night because of a medical emergency. Michael told me he couldn't do anything because I booked through Hotels.com. I contacted the website, and they said the hotel would have to okay the night's refund. Apparently, when they called, Michael refused, even though we left before checkout time a day early. Very disappointed, and won't be staying there again. read more

Stayed 2 nights in cottage #20. The Good: Cute little clean cottage. Great location, close to shopping areas. Quiet and pet friendly. Our cottage included a fridge, microwave and toaster. The heater worked great. The bad: Outdated cottage. The bed in Cottage 20 was noisy and uncomfortable. The TV remote had buttons that did not work. The standing shower, was narrow and tight. The carport is small and we couldn't fit our SUV inside it; therefore it stayed under the tree in the driveway where our car was attacked by bird poop and when it rained we had to make a dash to the car. The roads have several pot holes so beware and drive carefully. read more

It's true, all previous reviews on the Inn's poorly maintained rooms are true. We were looking for a dog-friendly place with a reasonable rate for July 4th weekend (i.e. a rate comparable to an AirBnB). We probably should have stayed at an AirBnB because our room at the Inn had a mildewy bathroom, the walls were super thin (both above and surrounding), the room was stuffy and smelled damp, and the carpets were not even vacuumed. Our puppy is not yet well-traveled and kept sniffing all the dirty and dusty spots out of curiosity. If you're a light sleeper, the Inn is not for you. At night, the creek's frogs are ribbiting all night. Best part of the Inn was the free parking, proximity to Carmel Beach, and a shopping plaza with pretty decent eateries and groceries. read more

Carmel River Inn - King sized bed - Hotels Near Me - Carmel, California

Can't say anything bad about this place!! We LOVED it! We stayed in one of the back cabins. It was nicely supplied. It was very clean. Beds were comfy. Quiet. I appreciated the touch of leaving rag towels to be used for whatever. You don't know how many times we've wanted to use hotel towels to clean a mess. Best of all was the grounds were VERY well kept and landscaped beautifully. Makes it such a pleasant place! Also local coffee in the lobby was delicious! The area is amazing as well. Point Lobos and 7 Mile Drive is a must! read more

My family and I stayed at Carmel River Inn and we loved our stay! We stayed in the cottages and it was so cozy and clean. Perfect location and very friendly and accommodating staff. Would recommend and stay again! read more

Convent location right off Highway 1 and across from the Barnyard shopping center. Close to Carmel Mission. This is a typical motel that has seen better days and could use a remodel, but it was clean and relatively peaceful. The walls are thin. The back patios have cute chairs overlooking a pretty creek. It was lovely to listen to the croaking frogs. Not so much the snoring neighbors, crying children and footsteps overhead. I'd stay here again, but I'd probably try the cottages next time. read more

Our experience at Carmel River Inn was very amazing and accommodating up until we checked out. When we checked in, the receptionist Jacob was extremely polite and helpful. He gave us a great deal for this last two rooms. Driving all the way from Southern California, we were extremely exhausted but grateful to have come across such a cute and clean Inn. However, around the check out time is when we started having issues. The check out time is 10:30am, which was quite early for us since we had a late night. Since we needed more time to pack up and get ready, we called the receptionist, Henry in the morning requesting for a later check out time than 10:30am. He gave us til 11:00am. Keeping that mind in time, we were not quite out by 11:00am but 11:12am. Even though we were not out by the time he gave us, we noticed that housekeeping was not even done with the room prior to ours. Shortly, we were notified by Henry that we were being charged a late check out fee of $30. He informed us that he was waiving a late check out fee for one of the rooms and just charging us for one which is a total of $30. We decided to go talk to him in the Lobby, as we entered and were standing by the desk, we noticed that he was sitting all the way across the room at his computer desk. He did not even get up and walk to the front desk where we were standing. We asked him if he could forgo the late check out fee since we were out of the room before the housekeepers got to it. Henry informed us that he cannot do that since we checked out an hour after the check out time -- which was completely false. He gave us until 11am, in reality we only checked out 12 minutes after the late check out time. In fact, Henry accounted us from the actual check out time which is 10:30am+18 minutes. We negotiated with him back and forth, trying to get him to forgive the $30 late check out fee, since it was quite unfair in our opinion. Imagine being charged $30 for simply 12 minutes. In our experience of staying at motels/hotels, no one has been so strict about the check out time. He kept informing us that due to COVID the housekeepers need to be in the rooms at a particular time and for a limited amount of time. However, that argument was invalid since the housekeepers were not even done with the rooms before ours. Next, he tried to justify his actions by saying that "it is not up to me, I am not authorized to do that, it is up to administration," once we asked if we could speak to someone in administration, he stated "I am the administration." At this point we were confused and just going in circles. It all seemed unprofessional and rude. Anyways, he never waived the $30 fee. It is quite unfortunate when great stays end up being a great disappointments just because of the luck of customer service on the "administration" end. read more

Stayed in a cottage for 2 nights with husband and baby daughter. Sadly we did not have a positive experience. First let me say what I did like about the inn: The location - very close to point lobos, restaurants, safeway, and downtown Carmel And here's the cons: Very rustic accommodations - the cottages are more like cabins in the woods. It lacked basic maintenance and felt neglected. For $200+ a night I expected better. Pet urine smell - since the inn is pet friendly, it's not a surprise but it is unfortunate. Our carpet had the distinct odor of doggy pee. I winced every time my daughter sat on the carpet to play. Sewage smell in the bathroom - every time we used the sink, it would emit a sewage smell. So gross. In short, it was a less than relaxing vacation as the whole place felt dirty (not to mention the ants that crawled all over my daughters pillow). From the other posts it looks like some of the other cottages are in better condition. But stay away from #21 as it's in bad shape. And maybe if you're not the type to "rough it", find another place to stay in Monterey. read more

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Stayed at Carmel River Inn decades ago, when it was an inn with rustic cottages. Decided to stay there again recently. Found out many units have been updated and they also have new prefab cottages similar to tiny homes, with central air/heat. Cottage - Studio with Wet Bar is the room type for these new prefab cottages. We chose a remodeled cottage studio with wet bar with lots of windows. It has a semi private patio in the rear. King size bed is very comfortable. Gas fireplace is nice. To our surprise, their wifi speed is very fast; 214 download and 65 upload. The entire grounds is very tranquil and pet friendly. Michael, inn keeper, is very friendly and choose unit 34 for us. Our friends who live in Watsonville, visited us at Carmel River Inn. They were surprised they did not know about this hidden jem. They will arrange their family gathering there next time. read more

It was a great stay! We stayed at the Inn/hotel part. The room was clean, we enjoyed our balcony and the little details did not go unnoticed. Beautiful grounds with little trails to enjoy walking and seeing deer. read more

We stayed in one of the cottages, so I cannot speak for the inn, but we loved our cozy little cottage. Has a wonderfully warm, welcoming feeling! If you're looking for top of the line, ultra modern accommodations, I wouldn't recommend Carmel River Inn. However, if you want a comfortable, more homey and intimate location, I would highly recommend staying in one of their cottages. The cottages are on a dirt road, surrounded by trees, with the ribbiting of frogs in the background so you definitely get a more outdoorsy experience while still having the comfort of hotel bed and giant bathtub! We would definitely love to come again! read more

Stayed in a cottage studio, #35 at the very end of the cottage section. We absolutely loved it! It had a fireplace, back patio, nice large bathroom, small refrigerator, microwave. At 8 months pregnant I enjoyed a bath in the tub which was just standard size but very clean and comfortable. Had little unexpected perks such as a candle with matches, q-tips and cotton balls, makeup remover, delicious coffee in the lobby from a local coffee shop. I would avoid staying in the main hotel area due to its proximity to the road. But the cottages are very private, cozy and ours was very clean. Sean at the front office was super friendly and personable. I was a front office manager at a large hotel chain for many years and this place definitely knows how to treat their guests. I don't have a single complaint. We will definitely return if we plan a trip to Carmel again. read more

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As evacuees of the Carmel Fire, we were charged almost $500 for two nights in a cabin including taxes. On the second night my son dropped a LEGO under the table and when i stuck my arm under to retrieve it, my arm touched the frayed and exposed lamp wire, shown in the photo. The shock was very painful and while I am thankful my 7 year old didn't touch it, I am very disappointed in this establishment and their management that this happened at all, let alone their no response whatsoever. We removed the lamp from the room (noticed piles of what looked like dirt coming out of the broken base) and took it to the office. The manager was not there, but we were told he would call us. Never did, so I guess it's a 'sorry too bad for you' situation. It's truly a shame. I don't recommend wasting your money here, but if you do make sure to check all the electrical cords and plugs so you don't get hurt. read more

Carmel River Inn - The tied lamp cord with exposed wire that shocked me. - Hotels Near Me - Carmel, California

My Boston Terrier gives this place two paws up! I came down to Carmel for business and when I could travel with my pup, I do. The pet fee is $20/night but your room comes with a food and water dish, two cookies, a toy, potty bags and the latest issue of Coastal Canine all wrapped up together. Absolutely no other dog friendly place I've stayed at that is THIS friendly and giving. This place is on 10 acres so there is plenty of space to take your pups for walks. It was a pleasant surprise to find an open field with hammocks and swings under a great amount of shade. If I was allowed to let him off leash, this would be a great place for him to run around in. On the 10 acres are these adorable little cottages. Some have their own little porches and fenced in yards, and even a carport for your car. The main building with the office has vending machines, ice, and is near a pool that's heated to 80 degrees. Bummer I had no time to take a little dip. The room is spacious and comes with your own balcony, coffee maker and mini-fridge. The bed is comfy. Your TV is majorly old school but not needing an antenna. It's a TV nonetheless and has ESPN, Dudes. I was in bed, getting some shut eye before a long day and folks were outside drinking and speaking quite loud at 3 in the morning. It really felt like they were IN my room because I could make out every word of their conversations. Normally I don't complain but I was going to be on my feet for 11 straight hours the next day and didn't want to be grumpy. I called down to the front desk and "I'll take care of it right now." shut them up real quick. Thanks CRI for taking care of business and my Puppy Love. read more

Carmel River Inn - Luv this place! It came w/a puppy bowl, a dog toy, cookies, poop bags & the latest copy of Coastal Canine. I have one happy BT. - Hotels Near Me - Carmel, California

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Stay away!!! Deceptive marketing, substandard product, rude management. Our worst hotel experience ever!

This is an adorable place. My husband and I were doing a little road trip and ended up im Carmel. We got a studio cottage for a reasonable price. The front desk clerk was really sweet and helpful. He even told us what places to check out for dinner. The room was clean. It had a microwave, fridge, tv, dvd player, iron, and lots of windows! The shower was huge with all the necessary toiletries. The area were the cottage was located was far enough from everyone where you felt like you had privacy, but close enough to feel a sense of safety. It even had a little closed in patio with chairs to enjoy the scenery, which was calming. I would definitely come here again. If I have to pay for a room, it might as well be these cute little cottages. read more

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A few years ago, my husband and I spent a lovely and affordable weekend at Carmel River Inn in a studio cottage with a king bed, fireplace, full kitchenette and a little yard for our dogs. Back then, you could look at all the available cottages, and choose one you wanted. Fast forward a few years, and we were looking for a place to stay in the area for Thanksgiving, and remembered this Inn fondly. This time we needed a 2-bedroom for us and our 2 boys, and again, Carmel River Inn was available and affordable. However, they had changed their reservation system, and you could no longer look at the amenities in the available cabins and reserve a specific one. Well, we'd been there before, so that didn't stop us...it should have. When we arrived at our "2-bedroom cottage," #19, all of us were instantly disappointed. First of all, you walked right into one of the "bedrooms," which was overfilled with two single beds, an outdated TV, and a "kitchenette" that consisted of a mini-fridge with a microwave on top, and there was no where to gather as a family in one room. The "master bedroom," which did at least have a door, was tiny with a double bed (?!) in it...a double bed...seriously?! Within 5 minutes of arriving, I was on the phone to the front desk about changing our room. However, I was told we couldn't-there was no availability. I was also told it was my fault, since I asked for separate beds for the boys in one of the bedrooms, and this was the only cabin with that....well, if I had been able to see what this cabin was like (like you used to), believe me, I would have never picked it. In fact, after staying there for 4 nights, I don't think they should be allowed to have any people staying in this "cottage" at all. You see, I didn't want to be there even before discovering the heater kept things too hot or too cold and was so loud it kept us awake at night, the shower (with no water pressure) was tiny and moldy, and the bed was hard and I could feel the springs. We kept joking that it was like camping in a glorified tent. Despite knowing from the moment we arrived that we were not happy, no one bothered to check in on us or try to address any of the issues. Sorry Carmel River Inn, although we will return to the area many times, we will never return here and cannot recommend to anyone. read more

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Stayed in cottage 19 for the weekend. Nothing like the photos posted online. Once I changed my thinking from Seaside Cottage to Axe Murderer cabin in the woods - cabin 19 met my expectations. The space was over stuffed with outdated knotty pine furniture. No insulation to speak of and mildew in the tiny shower stall with no water pressure. I'm highly allergic to mold and mildew which made for a pretty miserable stay. I will say however that the staff is super friendly, the grounds are beautiful, and the dog friendliness was stellar. Really feel like it's hit or miss with the cabins - may go back but will make sure to request one with out mildew and knotty pine. read more

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Fabulous weekday deal [we paid $99 inc. taxes for the Ohlone cottage with a kitchenette] for a very expensive area. Yeah, it's not all modernized [though it looks like they're working on that] but that's okay with me, I'd much rather stay in a wood cabin straight out of summer camp than have a giant beige shower. FYI the main non-cottage building is one of those nondescript motels and I assume the rooms are your standard nondescript motel-type rooms. p.s. nicole c. should've waited a couple weeks, the garden's totally in bloom now and gorgeous. read more

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Really affordable! The cottages here are so nice. Maybe not on the outside as much, but it's really nice on the inside. You can get a decent cottage with a king bed, cable TV, free wifi, bathroom, shower, pool(near office), heater, fridge & a coffee maker for not a bad price. For $85-130 You can get all the above or more. It depends, some rooms have a fireplace/hot tub/jacuzzi/living room. I believe there are cheaper rooms then $85, but they're like motel kinda rooms. The cottage is very clean, cozy and had a nice fresh scent to it. This Inn reminds me of Wisteria lane from Desperate Housewives. Very suburban. Each cottage is separated like it's own home with it's very own drive way. Service is good. They call to check up on you to see if everything's okay. Nothing is really around this area besides trees and lakes (which is really pretty and relaxing, but it was about 50 degrees out and driving all the way here from OC down PCH 1... I've seen enough WATER & TREES.) You can get to Monterey within 7 minutes which has a lot more things to do, but not that much. There's the Monterey Fisherman's Wharf, Shopping center (basic shopping stores, whole foods, century theaters) and more ocean... I would come back here! :) Btw, they are pet friendly here. OH and you can sleep to the sound of nature...bird calling and all that.. because the INN is located in the middle of the woods... read more

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OK,,,stayed here four nights in the middle of september. our first cottage, #41, studio with kitchenette, was one of the older ones, but was clean and well kept and roomy except for the bathroom, which was incredibly small and very close quarters. so, on the morning of the third day, we went to the office to see if we could possibly move to another unit. michael, the manager was TOTALLY professional, understanding, and accommodating in handling our request and fortunately, we were able to get into cottage #54, one of the newer units. EXTREMELY NICE IN EVERY RESPECT!! was like being in a small mountain cabin with all the amenities you could ask for. was definitely a game changer for the last two days of our stay. even had a nice deck/porch with a table and chairs which was great for morning coffee and an evening glass of wine. place was very quiet, location was great and we will definitely stay there again when visiting carmel. HATS OFF TO YOU MICHAEL, AND THANKS AGAIN! read more

Love, love, love this place. We stayed two nights in #24. What a great little vacation spot. The girlfriend, Chiwawa and I were very pleased with absolutely every aspect of our stay. When we arrived in our room we turned on all the lights, opened the drapes, and turned the thermostat all the way up. The room was picture perfect but cold! The room warmed up very quickly with the fireplace on, very romantic. It was so neat and organized I felt guilty for messing it up but we soon did. This is the best part: As soon we had the time to look everything over and relax, the phone rang. "Hi, this is Xxxx at the front desk, I was just calling to see if there was anything else we can get you?" Perfect! Our room was newly remolded so everything was new, fresh and clean and the only reason I can't give five stars is because the hotel from the outside looks like it needs a little more than just paint. I actually like the fact that the road in is really rough; it mandates you drive under five MPH and that makes me feel good knowing I won't get hit. The property is in the process of renovations so I assume in a short amount of time everything will be new again. Special note for dog owners! This place is perfect. There is a very large green area where Rex can run around in the grass very, very far away from any road. When our room was cleaned our dogs toys were set up near the fireplace, it was very cute. We should have taken a picture for you, sorry. The room attached to us had two dogs and we never once heard them, it was totally quiet. Apparently there is a lot of very good insulation. Stay here, we definitely will again. read more

Carmel River Inn - Our back yard. - Hotels Near Me - Carmel, California

This is a tough review to write because we loved the Carmel River Inn and thought it was very cool to have our own cottage but, there are things the owners need to address that will make this place five stars. Please note, we enjoyed ourselves and plan to return but...gotta be honest in the review. First off, we arrived early and met the Yelp-infamous Nadia. Don't let the bad reviews of her freak you out. Nadia was friendly, polite, gave us an accurate time on when our cottage would be ready, and did a great job. Carmel River Inn is very dog friendly and they even give you a cool little doggie welcome basket when you check in. While we were waiting for our cottage, we cruised around the grounds and relaxed. It was great after a long drive to chill out in a hammock and let our dog run around on the grass. Beautiful setting at Carmel River Inn We got into our cottage and although it was 'rustic', everything was clean and in working order. Unfortunately, and this is where Carmel River Inn loses stars, it seems like basic maintenance has been ignored and that was pretty disappointing. It was a warm weekend and our cottage only had screens on two of the windows (There's no AC at this place) so we either had to sleep hot or let bugs in. Also, The locks on the windows or the windows themselves functioned poorly. On one window, I had to go outside and push it shut so it could be locked from the inside. On another, I had to use a Swiss Army knife to jimmy the lock close enough to latch. The window over our bed was painted shut so I had to go outside and free the window. There's also lots of paint missing at the base of doors, etc. This type of stuff should be fixed and maintained. Pretty basic stuff. My daughter loved the pool and the water was very clean so that's a plus if you have kids. The location of Carmel River Inn is very good too. You're about a five minute drive from Ocean Ave and central Carmel, just across the street is a big shopping center for supplies, and you're very close to the beach. Great spot! Last but not least, I wouldn't recommend a cottage if you have a disability or wheelchair because the floors are uneven and there are lots of tight spaces. Overall we loved Carmel River Inn, would recommend to friends, and hope to return one day. Hopefully the owners will take care of the maintenance so this place can get the five stars it deserves. read more

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Boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary; it was absolutely wonderful! We opted for one of the cabins (Number 32) and spent one night there. I loved our little cabin, there was a little lawn right next to us and we even had a cute, private, little front patio with chairs and tables. The room had a nice little rustic feel to it, and the fire place was very romantic for those who aren't super opulent. The bathroom was fine for a couple night stay (we only did one night), not much room in the shower but it'll do to get clean. The bathroom has a dispenser for soap and shampoo, which I didn't mind except that the shampoo left my hair kinda dry. Oh well, what'd you expect? At least they're not wasting containers for soaps that'll never get used again :) The grounds are great! There weren't that many people staying in the cottage area so it was pretty open. There are about 15 other cottage on the grounds and a small little field in the back where the chop wood. PROS: King sized bed! Lawn outside. Multiple small patches of gardens sprinkled around the grounds. SUPER close to Safeway to get some breakfast things. FEELING OF PRIVACY!!! They allow pets! CONS: Strange smell at first that was quickly remedied by the awesome fireplace and the provided candles. The room was sparsely decorated. ---- Stay here for a night or so while you check out Carmel! Down town is kinda bourgeois, but the beaches are beautiful and it's a short drive down to Big Sur! Favorite thing? It was pretty empty on the grounds so we felt pretty alone. It was populated enough though that we still saw some couples either arriving or departing. I also don't really mind the kinda "dingy" feel of the place-- it kinda just added to the experience. I wasn't expecting a 5 star hotel, but it certainly felt homey and was very comfortable! read more

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Amazing stay! Super dog friendly and awesome rooms! They saved our bacon with the perfect room at 0300 when we were SOL everywhere else! We will most defiantly be staying again! read more

Nice place to stay in in Carmel. Short drive to cute shops and restaurants. Great customer service! Needed my car battery to get jumped and they were a great help with that! Smelled a tiny bit funky. Comfortable beds. Powerful heater! Takes a while to heat up, but when it does....it gets HOT! You can hear all the noises from the other guests. Walking, talking, flushing, showering, yup. Got a good deal on expedia.com. Booked 4 nights, got 50% off! read more

It was bad. Worse than a cheap motel. So unbelievably bad that I slept in my car. The smell was horrific, it was unbearable to breath. Opened the sliding back door to let in fresh air but there's no screen so moths and bugs flew in. The TV was from the early 90's, stains on the floor and chairs, and paper thin walls. Don't be deceived! The pictures on the site are forged, the rooms look nothing like that. I got there late and didn't feel like asking for another room and moving all my stuff since it probably would have been the same situation. I read some bad reviews but didn't think it would really be as bad as people said. It was worse. Lesson learned, listen to the reviews! I literally paid $140 to sleep in my car. Should've asked for a refund but I just wanted to get the heck out of that disgusting place and never look back. read more

While their rate was attractive, the place epitomizes the old saying - you get what you pay for. Our room was filthy. The shower had black mold and the bathroom floor was gross. You hear every move from the people in the room upstairs. The dude at the front desk was very rude. Strongly suggest you find another place to stay in the area. read more

The place gets one star because the cottages were cute & I can't leave 0 stars...but the hotel itself was absolutely disgusting- I would have left the place but my brother was getting married & we all were staying there. Here's some reasons why it was so disgusting. (I left pictures as proof of everything I wrote if you don't believe me- ahem ahem general manager Michael) I undo every hotel bed and what I found was horrifying- I found long black hairs in my sheets & a very very very stained rock hard mattress. I think we can all agree that when we go on vacation one of the best parts is that comfy bed after a long day of exploring & traveling! NOPE you ain't sleepin tonight! I couldn't do it so I let the check in guy know that I would like to switch rooms. The next room I walk into has a black widow in the shower & another spider ON THE BED..The bed was once again stained with god knows what. I let him know & yet again he had us go into another room. (Are we playing musical rooms now? Lugging around our luggage from room to room pretty absurd!) This one just puts the rest to shame. It's the cleanest mattress so far which was fantastic but I walk into the shower & the shower mat is filled with MOLD. Yes mold. I brought it to the check in guys attention once again. Like do you walk through these rooms before letting guests go in!? I was horrified. He ended up having me speak to the general manager over the phone who denied everything I said- like man are you here?! He "guaranteed" the stains weren't urine & there was no mold! That just pissed me off even more because clearly I was right (please just look at the pictures). We ended up having to buy our own sheets because I'm not sleeping in theirs. The worse part is it was nearly 500 dollars for this crappy place!! Please stay away & find somewhere else to stay. read more

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This was my first time visiting Carmel and was looking for a place to stay that was on the cheaper side while also still pet friendly for my German Shepherd. The Carmel River Inn does not have a weight restriction on pets which is the reason why I decided on this hotel. I booked a room in the inn instead of the cottages since I figured we would be out exploring Carmel most of the day. The inn is older - but the room was clean and they stocked it with all the amenities you'd find at a pricey hotel. Soap, shampoo, extra towels, coffee and creamer, a mini frig, and a cute patio off our room overlooking the Carmel river. After walking the property, I was disappointed I didn't pay a little bit more for a cottage. The cottages looked very spacious with many having private patios. I like that the property was large and had different lodging options. There was a large grassy area towards the back of the property where I was able to take my dog off the leash and let her run around. There is even two dog washing stations on the property which was a huge plus for me :) It's so hard to find places to stay that truly welcomes pets! The only con to this place is the location. It isn't within a safe walking distance to restaurants or stores. You would have to cross over highway 1 with no sidewalk in order to reach the closest shopping center. Other than that, I would be back in a heartbeat. read more

Had a great visit with three generations of the family. We stayed at two inn rooms and one of the older section cottages. Front desk was very professional and friendly. My kids enjoyed the pool and we enjoyed walking over to breakfast at the Barnyard across the street (which you can access through the neighborhood and cross at the stoplight). There's also a creek access just behind the inn - kids need to be monitored but they really liked exploring the creekbed and we saw ducks and ducklings passing by. Rooms were nice and tidy. Really appreciated our stay, thank you! read more

Staff was so kind!! Very friendly and welcoming!! Michael and Stacey were great!! Awesome spot especially if traveling with a dog. Cottage was perfect. Large, clean, nicely appointed room with enclosed patio for the pups. We had just come from the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara (which is fantastic) and was not disappointed in the least. read more

Perfect, quaint, clean, friendly, cozy! These are only a few words to describe our stay at the Carmel River Inn. Upon checking in the gentleman greeted us and continued to excitedly tell us about all be fine restaurants and shops within the area. We were pleasantly surprised with how cozy and cute the cottage was. It had absolutely everything that we needed and then some. The cabinets very well lit with lots of windows and even had a fireplace and its own private patio to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning while listening to the birds. We will definitely be back! read more

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The pictures posted for this hotel are not necessarily accurate. My husband and I booked this place based on pictures we later found out were the cottages. This hotel is very confusing to us because it's two very different experiences based on where you stay. I noticed many of the bad reviews have the same comment from the management which is "try our cottages next time." My response would be, strive for more continuity. The difference in the two experiences is large. I wouldn't stay here again after one night in a regular room and one night in a cottage. Regular room: akin to motel 6. No bath tub, a dark, dingy and tiny shower like an RV or cruise ship, horrible curtains that don't close all the way and aren't dark, no insulation between rooms for sound protection, huge cracks in the door (so large we used it for a nightlight for our toddler because it was so bright all night), a large burn stain on the carpet and the worst part of all- a very uncomfortable bed. My husband and I both joined our toddler in a twin aerobed at 4 am on the floor which was better than our bed. We got moved to a cottage. The room was much bigger and nice in a lot of ways. Great fire place and a big tub. Terrible shower water pressure and no shampoo and conditioner anywhere. My husband went to the front to try to get some and we were told they would make a note to housekeeping. None of us had real bathing our weekend here. Also there was a big gash and hole unfilled in the wall. The bed was slightly better but not much. Way too hard for comfort. While the room looked nice there were too many little things for me to ever stay here again. Biggest plus was location, pretty grounds, and their dog friendly policy. Huge expensive disappointment in our opinions. read more

We had a really nice stay at Carmel River Inn. We spent one night in one of the Inn rooms and one night in Cabin 19. It's definitely a rustic vibe, but everything was clean and cozy. The cabins and the grounds are the real highlight, with lots of native and drought-friendly landscaping, and plenty of room to ramble with your dog or kids. We also loved Niki the Inn cat, the strong morning coffee, and the super friendly desk staff. read more

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Normally I would give it 5 stars, but..because the cabins are awesome, but.... I have to say current management is just not on top of it. Many of my friends and I have been staying there for years. It is obvious ownership has changed. The new management while nice just isn't getting it Several of us converged on the same weekend and all asked for a specific cabins since we have stayed there for years. These requests were done months in advance. I would assume it would have been quite easy to assign someone to a cabin in advance. I know for a fact I was the first one in my group to create a reservation and request a certain cabin. Yet I got my cabin assignment when I checked in. I had multiple emails confirming my reservation so it wasn't my showing up was a surprise. All of us were ignored and none of us got the cabins requested. Plus all of our requests were for unique cabins. No one in the group wanted the same cabin as someone else. It wasn't that they were full, they simply did not pay attention to guest requests. That became obvious when I checked in. Then in a get together I find out the cabin I wanted was occupied by one of my friends, and she actually requested another cabin and the story goes on for almost all of us. No one got the requested cabin. Plus I ended up as a late checkout by one hour+ and got dinged $50. Shame on me. Totally my fault but it was not crowded, they did call but I did not hear it, again shame on me. You would think after staying there for 20+ years a little liberty would have been taken as goodwill. This is the first time in 20 years I had a late checkout. I get the rules, just seems a bit greedy for a very, very long time customer when the place was almost empty due to COVID. read more

We stayed here for two nights and love this place. Comfortable, cozy, and reasonably priced, this was our second visit here. Love that it is dog friendly. Michael was especially helpful, and we appreciate it. We will be back read more

This place was perfect for our trip to Carmel. They were dog friendly which was a must for us with our golden retriever. They have cute little cottages that provide privacy down a gravel driveway. We had an end unit that was nice because we could sit outside and walk our dog around without being bothered or bothering others. They were doing some construction on the property that began each morning at 7am which is why I gave them 4 instead of 5 stars. We liked being outside of the downtown area and having the option of driving into town or enjoying the Barnyard area across Highway 1. read more