Pet Friendly, too
Carmel
Carmel, the pet friendliest city in the USA… Where else can a pit bull eat lunch safely and comfortably next to family? Well, in Carmel, of course! And there is a fountain of woof and diggedy dog and even a doggie health food store. Pooch Paradise.
Play: Centrally located Carmel City Beach is the place where all the pooches play. Scenic Rd. from Ocean Ave. to Martin Way;ci.carmel.ca.us
Shop & eat: Your pooch will never want to leave Diggidy Dog (Ocean Ave. and Mission St.; 831/625-1585). The Carmel Plaza shopping center has a dogs-only place to get a cool drink of H20, the Fountain of Woof. For dog-friendly dining, check out the Forge in the Forest.
Monterey
Whales, dolphins and seals, oh my, go to Fishermans wharf
Mariposa Suites is a great place to stay, across from the Del Monte Shopping Center, wonderful breakfast, nice rooms.
Abalonetti Grill has a dog friendly patio
Dogitude
Paso Robles
Cici and I enjoyed staying at the LaQuinta Inn. Great breakfast and we’d get a room with a back door that would open up near the parking lot so I could walk her easily. A few nights a week, they also offered cheese and wine tastings. It was easy to get around to the stores, restaurants and to go to Bakersfield or Cambria and San Simeon from this location, too.
A nice small town atmosphere, west and east sides, with a market and restaurants. We stayed at a few places that do not exist any longer but one place we enjoyed was the Cambria Pines Lodge. We enjoyed eating at Robin’s restaurant.
San Simeon
One place to stay was the San Simeon Lodge, there are other places to stay but this used to be a Best Western, is close to the ocean and affordable. There is a restaurant on the property. Breakfast is a free continental one or you can pony up some more for a full breakfast, Eggs Benedict or pancakes or waffles. I liked to eat dinner there also. Usually had baked potato, creamy clam chowder soup and/or salad and a hot fudge sundae. They have entrees including pasta and chicken parmigiana but I like to eat a smaller dinner. There is a nice Mexican restaurant a few blocks away.
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery
Cici and I enjoyed the beach near here. Elephant seals can be entertaining to watch from a distance. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is just 7 miles north of San Simeon on Highway 1. You can visit the rookery year round, but you won’t see as many seals during the months of March, August, September and October.
I spent some time looking around the lobby at interesting artifacts but I’ve never actually taken a tour of the castle! I’ve been told the tour is well worth the $25 and you might even see a reindeer.
Dogs are NOT allowed at the castle. If you want to visit and do not want to leave the dogs alone, hire a pet sitter.
You can also enjoy wildlife viewing including bird-watching, whale-watching, sea otter preserves, and elephant seal viewing and the dogs can roam along the beach.
(a tiki boat, dogging it at the beach, and so much more)
SeaCrest OceanFront direct beach access to the pet friendly Pismo beach.
Morro bay
At the Morro Bay, CA Visitors Center, Cici became a surfing dog. She actually did try surfing the waves in Newport Beach with a surfer dude. We enjoyed eating on the patio of a Mexican restaurant and I liked to eat breakfast at the Grille.
We stayed at the Beach Bungalow Inn and Suites
Solvang
We loved to stay in Buehllton at the Hampton Inn, one of our favorite hotels almost anywhere. With a stay at Hampton Inn & Suites Buellton/Santa Ynez Valley in Buellton, you'll be within a 15-minute drive of Los Padres National Forest and Mosby Winery. This hotel is 0.7 mi (1.1 km) from Mendenhall's Museum of Gasoline Pumps & Petroliana and 1.3 mi (2 km) from OstrichLand USA. Buehllton is about 20-30 minutes from Solvang.
The last time, Cici and I stayed at a hotel right in this "A little slice of Denmark",” a replica of a Dutch village located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley wine country in California. There are plenty of higher priced hotels and lower priced motels available to stay here.
The Danish village offers authentic Danish bakeries, gift shops and international cuisine. Enjoy the 100+ wineries in the Valley too.
It is a short drive,132 miles north of LA (Los Angeles), 297 miles south of San Francisco.
The Solvang Inn and Cottages was lovely, affordable and pet friendly. We had a little cottage room with a door that led outside to a little back yard area where people could barbecue, sit in chairs and enjoy the sunshine and/or walk their dogs. We left too early for me to access the breakfast but the room was top notch, clean and classy, king size bed. free WiFi, flat screen TV, microwave and coffee maker and a lovely shower.