Lamp Lighter Inn — Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea

We cannot say enough good things about Lamp Lighter Inn! We stayed there at the end of June for our wedding and had done a courtesy room block with many of our guests staying here as well. It was absolutely perfect and all of our guests loved Lamp Lighter and raved about it!

Because our guests were staying in all of the rooms I've seen them all and they are all equally charming, clean, and cozy. Some of them are a little larger with a living room space and private outdoor area and many have fireplaces. The main courtyard area is a great place to rest, hang out with friends, and we even used it as an event space for our rehearsal dinner! There are multiple seating options and outdoor fireplaces to enjoy.

The location is perfect for Carmel-by-the-Sea. You're right in the heart of everything with easy access to the beach and to town. Our guests loved being able to walk to both easily and get a little vacation while celebrating our wedding.

The staff, especially Olivia, truly went above and beyond for our wedding weekend. They had a handwritten card and bottle of sparkling wine in every room for the guests. Olivia was available to answer any & all questions both during the week and in the months leading up to our wedding. When I asked about hosting our rehearsal dinner in the courtyard Olivia was all hands on deck and enthusiastically said yes! Her and the other staff at Lamp Lighter took my vision for the rehearsal dinner and made it everything I could have wanted and more.

We had one room that was not booked by our wedding guests and Olivia left it open for us so that there wouldn't be anyone on site other than our guests, and even allowed us to use the room to do bridal hair and makeup in the day of the wedding.

I will forever sing the praises of Olivia and Lamp Lighter Inn and whenever we return to Carmel-by-the-Sea it will definitely be top of our list to stay! Incredible service, value, and adorable accommodations. Cannot recommend enough - for a weekend getaway or for a...

This place was cute and you can’t beat the location. Just nine minutes down the hill is the beach and in the opposite direction all of the adorable shops, restaurants, and bakery. To me, for the price you pay, it is very bare-bones hotel living. The rooms were uncomfortably tiny with a standup college shower. No bathtub. While there is a complimentary continental breakfast served and they make it welcoming by turning on all the fire pits so you can sit by the fire to enjoy your coffee, that is really the only hotel service provided. For the money… It really should be a full bed-and-breakfast and it would be nice if they did an evening happy hour where you could purchase a glass of wine or some light appetizers to enjoy by the fire pit before walking to dinner. I fell completely in love with the Cypress Inn up the street when we were visiting and will absolutely stay there next time. They have a gorgeous bar, patio, amenities, staff. And it was the same price as this spot.|The best part of our treetop room was the private patio out the back. I did sit out there every morning to...

There are some nice rooms here - but there are some not so nice rooms.||We have the Katydid cottage. It was so small we could not open our suitcases. It has no air con and so it was really hot and uncomfortable. The bathroom was tiny and poorly appointed.||The main concern was security. The stable door on the room was not secure and the windows were slatted glass - easy to remove. One pane was broken. There is no safe.||The slatted windows, poorly secured stable door and thin walls meant we had no peace and no privacy. The main road is six feet away and the seating for guests in the garden was outside our room. ||Breakfast is eaten in the garden, but it was ok.||The staff were not that helpful - especially as they took the limited number of guest parking spaces forcing us to find a space on a side street. ||Not a great stay - It’s California in August - you...