Moon Gate. . .Our Little Cottage by the Sea

Hello my friends,
As many of you know, we recently took a trip to Carmel, CA.
 
We stayed in the sweetest cottage and I wanted to share it with you.
 
One day in early May hubby walked in after work toting the latest issue of Victoria magazine he had retrieved from the mailbox.
 
As I started to browse through it I came to an article titled:  Coastal Getaway:  CARMEL BY-THE-SEA
 
It was about the 5 cozy cottage rentals,  Carmel Cottage Inn.
 
 
 
The article pulled at my heart strings and hubby said, "book it"
 
Let's just say, he didn't have to say it twice!! :)
 
Moon Gate cottage, here we come!!
 

Easy to see how it got it's name.  Hubby seems to be pleased with it as well.

 
The cottage was surrounded by gorgeous greenery and flowers.


The gardens were very well manicured and had sweet paths leading to each cottage.

 

 
 
 
 

 
 This was our own little private seating area.

 
That large hedge is fuchsia, if you can believe it!  Here we just plant it in shade pots as trailers.
 
 
Great place to relax at the end of the day!
 
 
 This is the view as we walked down from our cottage.

 
 

Now that we've toured the gardens, let's step inside. . .
 
hand stenciled wooden floor.
 
 
 
Lots of cozy seating.  This cottage actually slept four.

 
 

Folk art on the wall and I loved the running rabbit pillow!

 
A cozy fireplace for those cool evenings.  We actually did turn it on one night.  It had rained that morning.

 

Most of the time we enjoyed an open window. 
 



Oh look, a welcome gift.  Sparkling cider, A large bag of delicious almonds, and one of pistachios as well.  Maps and info to help us navigate the small town.  There are no numbered addresses.  A shop simply lists it's location between two streets, and cottages are often referred to by name alone.

 
The kitchen is the heart of the home and this one certainly
did have heart!
 
 
Vintage style appliances and I adore that checkered floor!  I would have loved to have stayed in 'Log Haven' simply because it had a green fridge and dishwasher.  It sleeps 10, so wasn't going to pay up for that!  lol!  You can see photos of it in the magazine.

 
Not only was the kitchen cute, but they sure knew how to stack the cupboards.  Colorful mugs of Fiesta ware.  I had to play with them a little to show off my $5 thrift find scale for Instagram.
 
Rusty and worn!  Just how I love it!!
 
 
The bedroom was sweet and simple.  The mattress was super comfy.  Always a plus!!
 

 
Looking out the bedroom window to our courtyard.


The ocean was just a hop, skip, and a jump away.  In fact when we arrived we met one couple from Canada that had just walked barefoot to the beach.  It was so close, they said, "why bother wearing shoes?"  This was their 2nd stay at the cottages.
 
This was their cottage.
 

 
 


Hubby enjoyed strolling along in the sand,
 


 While I captured the wild life. . . (wink)
 
 
and gathered trinkets that had been washed ashore.

 
and look what it shared with us come sun down.
 
 
Oh, isn't life by the sea simply grand?  Too bad it had to come to an end.  At least for now, but it will forever live on in my memory!
 
hugs,
Jann

22 comments

JoAnne said...

Such an adorable cottage. I would love to have a little getaway there!

happyone said...

Oh that looks like a lovely place to spend some time.

Jeanie said...

This is just enchanting. What a little haven. And the welcome gift is lovely -- great contents and so nicely put together. I think I would be in heaven.

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

I love it there also. Although i have never spent the night there - love the town and all the stores and restaurants. My son lives close to there so we go for the day.

After seeing your beautiful photo's I need to go back there again.

So glad that you had a wonderful time.

Hugs,
Mary

Rose L said...

Carmel is a lovely place. The cottages are so nice. I bet you felt relaxed.

Louca por porcelana said...

Wonderful time!Great pics!!!

Susie said...

Jann, I loved your get away. Such a cute place and all by the sea. Yes, I could do that a few each year.. My four daughters and I went to Lake Michigan for a mini vacation and it was so nice there. Our cottage was a sweet one also. I hope we can do that again one day. Blessings , xoxo, Susie
p.s. your lanky hubby is a cutie, you make a sweet couple.

Anonymous said...

Jann, oh my what a delightful cottage! I love all the arches and the plants & flowers. So beautiful! And inside - love your little kitchen and the view. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us!

Connie said...

What a wonderful get-a-way . . . thanks for sharing it with us.

Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes said...

Such a sweet, cozy cottage... all abloom! So glad that you had the chance to spend time in Carmel By-the-Sea, Jann! What a perfect getaway! Many thanks for taking us along. Wishing you a star-spangled weekend! ♡

Judee@gluten Free A-Z Blog said...

wow. This looks really lovely and relaxing. My friend is going to California to visit her new grandchild and is renting a cottage for a month .. hope it's as nice as yours.

Antiques And Teacups said...

Wonderful! We honeymooned in Carmel, and have visited many times, as I grew up on the San Francisco peninsula and we began our married life there. Have visited many times. That looks like the perfect cottage! I know you had a wonderful time! And according to our Utah kids, especially the daughter in La Verkin by St. George, I bet you needed a break from the heat!
Ruth

Parsimonious Décor Darling said...

Beautiful tour, Jann...reasons such as these are why it is so hard to leave California! Such a gorgeous capture of the sunset too. Thank you for sharing.

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

What a sweet place to visit and stay. I love everything about it! We stayed at a cottage like that at Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes and we swore we were going to go every year. We never went back but oh, the memories! I actually got a lot of garden ideas from that place :-)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a romantic get away cottage, Jann. I've visited Carmel in the past and loved it's sweet cottage village charm and its location by the sea.

carol@The Red Painted Cottage said...

Oh Jann, what a fairytale getaway! I would love to visit Carmel, but I've only been in the LA area and next year we'll be in San Francisco with no car rental.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

What a charming get-away, Jann! My uncle and aunt got married in Carmel back in 2008. It was so romantic. Lovely pictures.

Blessings,
Sandi

organicgardendreams said...

Hi Jann, when we lived in the Bay Area, Carmel was my favorite getaway destination. I just love this little charming town. I am so glad that you got to go! I even remember where exactly the cottages are where you stayed. Small world, isn't it?
Warm regards,
Christina

Sarah said...

What a perfect get away, Jann. We love Carmel by the Sea! We've been several times, but never stayed in a cottage. I will check this out for future reference. I can just imagine how perfect it was.

Curtains in My Tree said...


I just love going to any beach.I think it would be paradise to live on a beach everyday and enjoy the ocean
Then id we owned a sweet cottage like that it would make life perfect

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Looks like you had a great time in a lovely place!! Thanks so much for always taking the time to visit!!
Hugs,
Deb

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

What a sweet cottage this was!

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