Pacific Grove is a small city in Monterey County, California. Often compared to Carmel as it was 20 years ago, it offers oceanfront walking trails, tempting restaurants, and plenty of quaint small town appeal. Neighboring Monterey is certainly busier, and even nearby Carmel has become rather congested. This makes Pacific Grove an ideal choice for where to stay if you prefer a more peaceful Monterey County travel base.

Interesting to note is that a quarter of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is actually found within the city limits of Pacific Grove. This major Monterey County, California attraction is widely considered to be the best aquarium in the world. Other Pacific Grove attractions include the Point Pinos Lighthouse (oldest working lighthouse on the West Coast), the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and the Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course. Also worth noting are the monarch butterflies that migrate to the area from November to February. Hence Pacific Grove’s nickname of “Butterfly Town, USA.”

Pacific Grove Hotels

As is true of Monterey and Carmel, Pacific Grove offers its fair share of inns and bed and breakfasts. This only seems appropriate, given the overall charm of the general area and its lack of overly urban atmospheres. Even the Pacific Grove hotels with a chain brand affiliation tend to be more charming than their sibling properties in other parts of the country, as is evidenced by the Howard Johnson Inn & Suites Monterey Pacific Grove. Another aspect of the Pacific Grove hotels is that they include some of the immediate area’s more affordable lodging establishments. You’ll also find some pretty expensive hotels here if that’s what you prefer, with an example being the especially opulent Seven Gables Inn. Regardless of what you ultimately pay for your Pacific Grove CA hotel, chances are good that various things will be included in the rates. At the Martine Inn, for example, the rates include a full service breakfast, gourmet coffee and distinguished teas throughout the day, afternoon cookies, and wine & hors d’oeuvres.

California Map

Pacific Grove Beaches

Time on the beach is something that you can look to enjoy during your escape to Pacific Grove CA. One place to do so is Lover’s Point Park. Located at the foot of 17th Street, this landscaped retreat offers sandy beaches, as well as a children’s swimming pool, a large lawn area, a concrete pier structure, a snack bar, and a restaurant. Often times, there are volleyball nets on the beach. Lover’s Point Park is known to host weddings and is the site for the annual Feast of Lanterns pageant and fireworks.

Another place to go if you want to enjoy some beach time during your trip to Pacific Grove is Asilomar State Beach. Found along the Pacific Grove coast, this somewhat secluded park also offers more than just sandy beaches. Other features include coastal trails and a boardwalk that loops through a natural dune preserve. No discussion about Asilomar State Beach would be complete without also mentioning the Asilomar Conference Grounds. This complex offers overnight lodging in the form of cozy cottages and rustic lodges. As a side note, some of the Asilomar Conference Grounds buildings were designed by Julia Morgan (1872-1957). Morgan designed more than 700 buildings in California and is best known for her work on Hearst Castle.