Reviews of Carmel Bay View Inn 3 stars

I was impressed by the Bay View Inn. The grounds were beautifully maintained, the facility was very clean, and the room was nicely appointed. I splurged for a bay view room on the top floor, and the views were stunning, with a balcony to sit on to enjoy coffee in the morning or to watch the sunset in the evening. The fireplace added a nice ambiance. We felt very comfortable and were living in luxury. The location is awesome, right in the heart of downtown Carmel, walkable to loads of world class restaurants, galleries, and the beach. The facility also had ample parking, which is necessary in Carmel. I saw many negative reviews about the breakfast, but I enjoyed the simple breakfast: bananas, danishes, yogurt, coffee, juice, cereal, scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage or bacon....No, it's not going to blow you away, but it's nice to have something prepped for you in the morning. So, I was appreciative that it was there. Bottom Line: I will stay here again and recommend it to anyone.

The only thing I would ask the hotel to change is to allow access to the breakfast room until later hours in the evening, to allow access to hot water, coffee, and the microwave. I arrived in Carmel late in the evening, after restaurants had closed. My only option for dinner was to go to a grocery store and purchase cold salads, and pre-made sushi. I couldn't purchase anything that needed to be re-heated, unless I had access to the microwave in the breakfast room (which I noticed the next morning). I'm sure that would require extra staffing and cleaning, but it would be a nice benefit for patrons of the hotel.

Room lovely, clean and spacious. Very comfortable bed. Chilly at night even in summer so the fire was a welcome bonus. Close to restaurants.

Breakfast was substandard with very little choice and paper plates, plastic cutlery. Bathroom amenities ie shampoo, conditioner not great quality and not refilled.

Location is great and within walking distance of shops and restaurants.

Room was small and no ac. Not a good value for the price.

Staff was good, friendly.

Room was dark, faced north and did not have good artificial light. In the age of led lightbulbs, this is inexcusable. I booked thru booking and could not be compensated for price difference when i got a Queen room instead of a King. Evidently all of the King rooms had shower in the tub. Also the hotel name is deceptive. Only the top two of six floors had a view of the bay.

No help

The location is excellent in downtown Carmel.

The breakfast was very basic with little choice. The room would benefit from some modernisation but had a lovely ocean and hillside view. Unfortunately an error was made with our request for a room change and, despite having received a confirmation for the new room back in February 2025, we were advised only one day before our arrival in August that the new room would not be available for the duration of our stay. Thankfully the original room we had booked was still available but was somewhat of a squeeze for 3 people.

Loved having the fire in the room and the bed was super comfy

Location is awesome!!! The rooms are spacious and clean. The service is good and staff very nice and helpful. Nice swimming pool open 9am-7pm. Truly recommend!

Breakfast was not very good and there was very little room to get seated, but overall this is a minor disadvantage - the location beats everything 😁

Not much!

Way too much money for this hotel. No views, not a happy camper.

The building is older but very well maintained. The flower boxes show their attention to detail. The breakfast was basic but included eggs and sausage which met our needs. The pool was warm and fun to swim in. The pool bottom has some plaster separation, but maybe I just noticed it because I swam along the bottom with goggles on. Other people I was swimming with didn't notice. The location is about a block from Ocean Avenue, which has shops and ends at Carmel Beach. The hotel upgraded us from a king room with a rollaway to a double queen which was very much appreciated. The room had a large patio (table with 4 chairs and 2 lounge chairs) with a great view of the bay and ocean.

A few times the wait for the 1 elevator was long. The hotel is terraced so the first floor and pool are at street level and the 4rth floor is also at street level. Parking for the 4rth and 5th floors is at the 4th floor street level, so we only needed the elevator to get to the lobby and pool.

I liked the location. The bed was comfortable.

My room smelled like mildew. The water didn’t get hot enough. There was a lot of noise early each morning.

Breakfast was wonderful, healthy, warm, lots. Location, location

I only chose it for location. It’s a typical 3* rating, not luxurious, just a place to stay.