Hofsas House Hotel: A Family-Friendly Hotel in Carmel

Dreaming of a California getaway away from a big city? How about a storybook of a town by a beach? My family took a winter getaway to Carmel-by-the-Sea (Carmel for short) – you’ll have to read about all the things we did! This post is about where we stayed in Carmel-by-the-Sea: The Hofsas House Hotel.

Looking for a hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea that's good for kids? Check out this review of the family-friendly Hofsas House Hotel. #California #Carmel #familytravel

Disclosure: Our stay was hosted by Hofsas House Hotel. Some of our expenses were comped and some were not. This post contains affiliate links.

About Hofsas House Hotel

This Bavarian themed inn is one of the oldest in Carmel. What started as a few cottages in the 1940s, expanded in the 1950s to an additional 25 rooms and a pool. The hotel has been a family-run hotel since the beginning. If you visit now, you’ll likely to meet Carrie Theis, granddaughter of the hotel’s founder.

Entrance to the Hofsas House — The Hofsas House, with its distinct Bavarian style, is one of the oldest inns in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.

No two rooms are decorated alike (as Carrie told me, “We like color.). Some are suites, and great for families. Our suite had a private balcony with a sliver of a view of the ocean and fireplace (request room 40 if that sounds good to you).

A wine and cheese package at the Hofsas House Hotel. The wine was from Scheid Vineyard, not too far from Carmel-by-the-Sea.

The hotel offers some packages that can get you golfing or relaxing in a spa, as well as in-room packages like wine and cheese pairing (which I believe I had in our room upon our arrival thanks to our gracious host). You can bet I enjoyed a glass out on our balcony that first night!

What kids will like at Hofsas House

Carmel isn’t like other California cities with an abundance of thing to do and hotels to choose from. You’ll have no problem finding a hotel with a pool among all the family hotels in San Diego, for instance. But, there aren’t many hotels in Carmel with pools. So the fact that Hofsas House had one puts it above others. It’s a heated pool, so you can swim most any time of the year. Which my kids did. We arrived at the end of January and they went to the pool straight away.

Heated outdoor pool at Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea California — The pool at Hofsas House Hotel is heated, so you can swim in it year-round.

And in case you were wonder, it was a balmy 60-ish degrees there. If you’re expecting Southern California winters, you would be mistaken.

There’s also a dry sauna at the hotel. I guess that one’s more for us parents.

If your child is actually a fur-baby, you’ll be happy to know they are welcomed.

The welcome mural at Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea California — The mural by artist Maxine Albro is one of the first things you see when you arrive at Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The artist painted three pictures in the lobby, and the headboard found in the hotel’s Room 47.

What parents will like at Hofsas House Hotel

Let’s be real: The suites are made for families like mine. The hotel has several two-bedroom suites providing ample space for a family to spread out and relax.

The kids could watch one TV in their sleeping area, while we could go to our room and watch too.

Our suite included two rooms and two bathrooms. This space here included two day beds, which were great for the kids; a fireplace; and a small kitchenette you can’t see pictured. The second room in the suite had a king-size bed and one of the bathrooms.

Our suite had a small kitchenette, two bathrooms, a separate room with a king-size bed, and a private balcony. Nice, right?

Regrettably, we had terrible weather, so we could only sit on the balcony one evening. You could see a patch of the ocean from our balcony.

Here’s the view from our Room 40 balcony at Hofsas House. Off in the distance, you can see the Pacific Ocean.

There is a fridge in the room, making it convenient to bring some of your own food (if budgeting is important).

Hofsas House serves a complimentary breakfast each morning with fresh pastries, fruit, and yogurt. You can dine by the fireplace in the little lobby or take it back to your room (or balcony, right?).

I’ve got a big appetite at breakfast, so it was not a substantial by my standards (I mean, I ate the Triple D breakfast at From Scratch).

Other freebies parents will like:

The hotel also offers free, off-the-street parking. We lucked out and had a covered spot, which was great since it rained a lot while we were there.
Free Wi-Fi

What’s near the hotel?

Hofsas House is within walking distance to all of the cute shops and galleries in Carmel-by-the-Sea, as well as restaurants. You’ll want to just walk around one afternoon while you’re there to take it all in.

A block of shops in cottage-like buildings near the hotel. Most streets near the Hofsas House Hotel were lined with charming buildings like this and a lot of trees.

To give you a sample of things that are just one block away, there’s a Dr. Seuss art gallery, the restaurant Hog’s Breath Inn, and a book store called The Pilgrim’s Way Books & Gifts (which is right next to the most enchanting-looking walkway leading to the Secret Garden).

Fountain in a courtyard in Carmel-by-the-Sea California — A courtyard garden we found just walking around Carmel-by-the-Sea.

And a dozen more clothing shops and galleries and restaurants in that same block.

A little further, like three or four blocks away, you’ll more kid-friendly things places to visit. Some of the ones that appealed to my kids included Thinker Toys, a toy shop, and the Cottage of Sweets, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Exterior of the Cottage of Candy in Carmel-by-the-Sea California — If this isn’t the cutest candy shop, I don’t know what is. This is the Cottage of Candy on Ocean Avenue, between Lincoln and Monte Verde streets.

Carmel Beach is about an 8-block walk. The owner of the hotel warned us about the “healthy hill” on the way back. It is indeed quite the hill to trek back up! Keep that in mind if you have young ones.

Carmel Beach California at sunset — If the sunset promises to be beautiful, you’ll find quite a few people waiting at the Carmel Beach to witness it. The beach, and this view, is within walking distance from Hofsas House Hotel.

If you’ve got a car, there’s a whole lot more within a few minute’s drive. Skip down to the “Plan your Carmel trip” section to read about a few of them.

Pastry display at Carmel Coffee House & Roasting Co. — There was something about the window display at Carmel Coffee House & Roasting Co. that caught the attention of my kids on one of our walks.

If you go

Hofsas House Hotel

Where: San Carlos Street, north of Fourth Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. (the quirky thing about the town is that there are no addresses, just street coordinates)

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