Last weekend, we had a little weekend getaway - Me, my husband, and Nutmeg, our Corgi. We went to Carmel, CA on the Monterey Peninsula. Carmel is a very dog friendly town. Many hotels/inns accept furry family members. Most restaurants permit the pups (some even have a menu for your pup), and the beach is an off leash area where you dog can run and play with other dogs. We went the vacation rental route. We rented a little place called "Tuckaway" (http://www.vrbo.com/197121). If the link doesn't work, just put "Tuckaway Carmel CA" in a search engine and it should come up. It was a good choice for us. We started each day with a walk through the neighborhood. During the day, we either meandered around Carmel visiting shops, roaming the residential streets, or hanging out at the beach while Nutmeg tired herself out playing with other dogs. At night, we picked a restaurant and the three of us went out to dinner. One of our favorites is "The Forge". It has a large outdoor area and they are great with the dogs. Nutmeg was greeted with pats and a milkbone. They brought her a bowl of water as soon as we were seated and, she had the chicken breast off the doggie menu (kibble, chicken breast, hamburger patty, hot dog for your dog). Also on the patio were 2 beagles, a scottie, a Papillion, and a couple of mixed breed dogs. Most every table had at least one four legged companion with them.

For those who live in Northern and Central California, I highly recommend Carmel as a place to get away with your four legged friend. And for those who may be taking a family vacation to California, a stop in Carmel might be in order. Just wanted to share the info.