Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Carmel is a one-square-mile village with about 40 hotels — almost all small, family-owned, often family-run for two or three generations. Pebble Beach Resorts runs the most famous addresses (excluded). The independents: Tally Ho, Tickle Pink, La Playa Carmel, the Cypress Inn (Doris Day's old place), Hofsas House. Most are 30-40 rooms or fewer.
Cypress Inn
Doris Day's pet-friendly inn since 1985 — 44 rooms, the village's most-loved patio bar.
La Playa Carmel
A 1905 Mediterranean-style mansion — 75 rooms, the largest hotel in Carmel village proper.
Tally Ho Inn
An English-cottage-style 12-room inn in the heart of Carmel village — built 1929, family-run.
Tickle Pink Inn
Family-owned since 1976 — 35 oceanfront rooms on Highlands Drive, hot-tub-with-Pacific-view tier.
Carmel River Inn
Family-owned ranch-style cabins on the Carmel River — 43 rooms, the value play in Carmel.
Hofsas House Hotel
Family-owned for three generations — 38 rooms in a Bavarian-style stucco building three blocks from the beach.