Where to Stay for Monterey Car Week?
Among the vines of Carmel Valley, in a village by the beach, by the fairway, at the harbour or in a villa: the address is chosen according to the events of your week.
Last updated 6 October 2026 · 4 min read
For Monterey Car Week, five bases stand out. Carmel Valley, inland, among vines and hills, close to Friday's gathering — Bernardus Lodge & Spa or Quail Lodge & Golf Club, cited for illustration. Carmel-by-the-Sea, a village of galleries by the beach, at the centre of the peninsula — L'Auberge Carmel, cited for illustration. Pebble Beach, for those who want Concours Sunday on foot — The Lodge at Pebble Beach, Casa Palmero, The Inn at Spanish Bay. Monterey, around the harbour, closest to the Laguna Seca circuit and the airport. And finally a villa, for entertaining. For the August week they all go early, often with a minimum stay. Each option is prepared on quotation.
The overall answer: stay according to your programme
Car Week is spread across the whole peninsula: the Laguna Seca circuit in the hills east of Monterey, gatherings on golf courses in Carmel Valley, Seaside and Pacific Grove, the street concours in Carmel, Concours Sunday at Pebble Beach. No address is close to everything; each is close to something.
The right question is therefore: which days, which events? Those coming for the racing happily stay in Monterey or Carmel Valley; those coming for the Sunday, in Pebble Beach or Carmel; those staying all week with guests, in a villa.
Carmel Valley: vines and hills
Inland, Carmel Valley is warmer and sunnier than the coast, which is often shrouded in morning mist. It is a country of vineyards, ranches and golf courses, where Friday's gathering takes place. Bernardus Lodge & Spa has seventy-three rooms, suites and villas among the vines; Quail Lodge & Golf Club hosts the gathering that bears its name — two addresses cited for illustration.
It is the base for those who want calm between two days, space, and open-air evenings. Allow twenty minutes or more to Carmel and Pebble Beach, longer at the week's busy hours.
Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pebble Beach
Carmel-by-the-Sea, at the centre of the peninsula, is a village of low houses, flower-filled courtyards and galleries, sloping down to a white-sand beach. On the Tuesday of Car Week, its main street hosts a street concours. You dine there, you walk there in the evening. L'Auberge Carmel, a 1929 house with twenty rooms, illustrates this register.
Pebble Beach, right next door, in the Del Monte Forest, brings together The Lodge at Pebble Beach, around the 18th green, Casa Palmero and The Inn at Spanish Bay. It is the address for those who want Concours Sunday without a drive; it goes first. Our guides to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance cover these addresses in detail.
Monterey and the peninsula's villas
Monterey offers more rooms, around its harbour and Cannery Row. It is a base close to the Laguna Seca circuit and the regional airport: practical for those following the racing from Wednesday to Saturday, leaving early each morning.
For a family, a group or business guests, a villa — in Carmel Valley, in Carmel, in Pebble Beach — offers space, discretion and a chef for the evenings. It is usually booked for the whole week, and lends itself well to dinners between two race days.
Criteria, minimum stays and timing: how to decide
Three criteria decide. The programme first: the racing, the gatherings, the Sunday, or all of it. The use next: continuous hotel service, or a house of your own. The distance finally: the peninsula is small, but its roads saturate during the week, and a few kilometres can cost an hour.
Timing is the rule without exception: the August week is in high demand, and addresses often impose a minimum stay. The table below summarises the choice.
| Base | Strengths | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Carmel Valley — Bernardus Lodge & Spa or Quail Lodge, for illustration | Vines, sunshine, calm; Friday's gathering | Those who want space and rest between two days |
| Carmel-by-the-Sea — L'Auberge Carmel, for illustration | A village, tables, the beach; Tuesday's street concours | Those combining cars and the peninsula |
| Pebble Beach — The Lodge, Casa Palmero, Spanish Bay | Concours Sunday on foot | Those coming first for the Sunday |
| Monterey | Close to the circuit and the airport | Those following the racing from Wednesday to Saturday |
| Villa on the peninsula | Space, a chef, discretion | Families, groups, business guests |
Frequently asked questions
The one that matches your programme. For the racing, Monterey or Carmel Valley; for Concours Sunday, Pebble Beach or Carmel; for the whole week with guests, a villa.
From the autumn for August 2027, or earlier. Addresses in Pebble Beach, Carmel and Carmel Valley go first; a few weeks out, there are sometimes options further away, rarely well placed.
Yes. Carmel Valley and the Laguna Seca circuit are both inland; a chauffeur who knows the week's roads makes the difference at arrival times.
Often during the August week, especially in Pebble Beach, Carmel and Carmel Valley. Villas are usually booked for the week. It is a parameter to build in from the start.
Yes, it is often the right answer for a group: space, a chef, a private dinner between two race days, and journeys organised from a single address.
It is prepared on quotation, according to the address, the room category or the villa's capacity, the number of nights and the added services — staff, chef, chauffeur. Availability and conditions are confirmed before any commitment.
No. The establishments are cited for illustration, with no partnership claimed. TGZ Conciergerie is an independent house, with no affiliation with any Car Week organiser and no official status; we book through our own channels, on quotation.
Take it further
Your address for the week, booked early
Carmel Valley, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Monterey or a villa: tell us which events draw you, and we compose the accommodation, the journeys and the days — one point of contact, on quotation.