If you stay at Villa Mara Carmel it will most likely be one of the best hotel experiences you will have ever had! Everything, and I mean like literally everything, there is as close to perfection as things can get. First of all the staff is wonderful! Friendly, helpful, knowledgable and most important interested in you as a person and not so much as a paying customer. Secondly the property itself is beautiful. All public areas are made up as lovely as possible. The furniture is comfortable and luxurious, there are books everywhere which make you want to sit down and just enjoy your time, and finally they have several outdoor sitting areas, most of them with cozy fireplaces where you just love to have a first drink to start the evening. Last but not least the rooms are just amazin! Beautifully designed with exactly the right balance between coziness and a modern lean feel. The bed is super comfortable and very large - one of these beds you wish you had at home. The bathrooms are amazing (my wife loved the heated toilet seat), the shower is spacious and the towels are exactly how you want them to be in a place like this: large and cozy. We stayed in room "Asilomar" and loved the small balcony with views of Carmel and the ocean. Would I come back? Absolutely! Would I try another hotel in Carmel? Honestly, there might be others, but NO!