2 bedroom cottage near beach, Carmel, California

Classical Carmel cottage--2 bedrooms, 2 bath. Deck. Secluded from street by ivy. 2 1/2 blocks from Carmel town beach. Short walk to restaurants and shops.

Carmel is a walkable village, one mile square. It’s the site of one of the original California missions (beautifully restored today). You don’t need a car—you shop for groceries, go to the drugstore, post office, stop at a cafe or restaurant, all within a 5 to 10 minute walk. (There is also regular bus service into the town of Monterey, and also down the coast to the Point Lobos Wildlife Reserve.)

The house is a two-bedroom cottage, painted dark grey with white trim, across the street from the side of the La Playa Hotel. It has a gravel driveway big enough for one car, so you won’t need to park on the street. The La Playa Hotel was built in the 1920s and is on the National Register of Historic Hotels.

The house is two and half blocks from the town beach, which is over half a mile long. At one end is a famous Frank Lloyd Wright house, built on a cliff; on the other end is Pebble Beach golf course. There are two more beaches within five miles.

The house has a deck that wraps around two sides. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, plus a new sofa bed in the living room. The house comfortably sleeps 6 adults. (Guests who have tried the sofa bed have given us good reviews.) We’ve restored the original oak floors from the 1920s in the house’s older section.

I have to admit the house may not be the easiest place to buckle down and work when the weather is at its loveliest. But it’s always a great place to get some perspective and have an insight that makes things look different. Over last spring and summer, a number of people we’re acquainted with stayed there. I’m going to tell about three stays by different people, to give some idea of how the house could work for you.

No.1 A professor we know in Berlin is now director of an ambitious three-year program that takes place in Germany and the US. She had to do an extensive work trip within the US and wanted her husband and two small children to be with her. They decided the best way was to arrive early and stay in the Carmel house for a week, for the kids to finish their jet lag and for her to rest and collect her thoughts before setting out. This plan was apparently a lifesaver. For several days the children were up at 2 in the morning, but there was always the beach down the street to tire them out. When we saw this family in Washington DC near the end of their trip, they were in good shape--they said starting with a holiday had helped a lot.

No.2 A just-tenured professor we know was suddenly nominated for department chair. This came as a shock, and she knew the daunting extra workload was the biggest reason this invitation had come her way. Yet there were reasons to accept as well. To think about it, she needed some kind of short break from her extremely busy life, so she stayed in the Carmel house for a few days. She enjoyed herself and the pros and cons sorted themselves out (she accepted).

No. 3 On the East Coast friends of ours have a startup business--coming along well but very demanding. He is originally from the Monterey Peninsula, and she is not. He has long hoped to move them and the business there; she hasn’t seen the point. Short visits to the area were unconvincing. This summer they and their kids took the house for two weeks—and all became clear. Their working plan now is to make the move in a couple of years.

So why not give the house a try? It's a great place to hit the reset button on things.

Basics:

Number of Bedrooms 2	Number of Bathrooms 2	Number of Offices 0
Surface Size 900 Sq. Feet	Suited for 4 people	Property Type House

Availability:

Available from Sunday, June 23, 2013 until Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Available from Monday, October 07, 2013 until Thursday, October 24, 2013
Available from Tuesday, November 05, 2013 until Friday, December 20, 2013
Minimum Stay 1 week(s)	Flexibles With Dates Yes