Page 44 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

CARMEL PLAZA
High fashion and a community gathering place
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DISCOVER
CARMEL PLAZA
CarmelPlaza.com
Facebook.com/
ShopCarmelPlaza
EASY ACCESS AND DOG-FRIENDLY
Carmel Plaza, above; fire pits in the
Courtyard provide a good place to
greet friends, below.
IN THE HEART of Carmel-by-the-Sea,
Carmel Plaza offers the village’s largest
concentration of luxury and name brand
retailers in one location. Thirty-five fine
stores and boutiques stand within Carmel
Plaza’s three levels, including Tiffany &
Co., Bottega Veneta and Anthropologie.
Specialty retailers include Cos Bar, a luxury
cosmetics and skin care boutique, and
Janie and Jack for upscale children’s
apparel. Or take home a piece of wearable
Carmel art at Impressions, which displays
handmade, natural stone jewelry. For
Bohemian travel clothing and home goods,
check out Roller Rabbit. And in this dog-
friendly shopping destination, where
shops often set out water bowls for pups,
stop at The Dog House for toys and
custom-made doggie outfits. Or take in a
California moment during a Seaside Yoga
Sanctuary yoga class.
Courtyard Gathering Place
A recent renovation has transformed
Carmel Plaza and its main feature, the
Courtyard. There, locals and visitors alike
gather around several custom fire pits on
comfortable furnishings amid landscaping
to relax between shopping and dining.
In the food-centric Carmel Plaza, you
can sample fine, rare cheeses in the inter-
42 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
B Y L E N O R E G R E I N E R
nationally renowned The Cheese Shop or
enjoy breakfast or lunch at the Carmel
Coffee & Cocoa Bar. A French bistro, Patis-
serie Boissiere, offers lunch and dinner
inside an inspired cottage. And a Zagat-
rated dinner house, The Flying Fish Grill,
features Asian-influenced fresh fish fare.
Most exciting, Carmel’s only restaurant and
microbrewery, Yeast of Eden, purveys ter-
roir-driven beers paired with a global, street
food-inspired menu.
Take a (wine) break at the Hahn Family
Wines Tasting Room for a sip of California’s
best, one of Carmel Plaza’s three wine-tasting
rooms. Or catch a cooking class at the state of
the art cooking school in a newly expanded
Sur La Table opening in spring 2019.
Great Customer Service
Since visitors come to Carmel Plaza from
the world over, many store employees
speak different languages, subscribe to We
Chat (the Chinese payment system) and
have phone apps for translating.
To learn about seasonal sales, promo-
tions, new store openings and special
events such as a summer concert series,
check out the center’s Facebook page at
Facebook.com/ShopCarmelPlaza. Parking is
convenient in the center’s parking garage at
Mission Street and 7th Avenue.
CARMEL PLAZA