Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa

Location on the bay - close to everything - check out at noon was great - we got early check in also - espresso coffee- loved the balcony view

Everything was wonderful

The location

Monterey was the dramatic interlude of the trip: salt air, crashing water, and that immediate shift in temperament that happens when the Bay gives way to the coast. Monterey Plaza does have the obvious advantage of its spectacular setting, but what impressed me is that it does not rely on the view alone. The hotel feels genuinely luxurious yet still warm, with a kind of polished coastal hospitality that makes one night feel restorative rather than rushed. It is perched right on the water along Cannery Row, and the whole property seems designed to immerse you in Monterey Bay rather than merely overlook it. The hotel emphasizes its waterfront setting, spa, and curated guest experience, while Schooners is described as perched dramatically over the bay with sustainable seafood and unobstructed views. This was one of those stays where the surroundings became part of the emotional memory of the trip. After days of family and friend visits, Monterey gave us a slightly more romantic pause. I can imagine us arriving in the late afternoon, taking in the bay light, maybe walking Cannery Row, then settling in for dinner with the water practically beneath us. Monterey always has that blend of natural beauty and wistfulness, and the hotel leans into it in just the right way. Schooners Monterey Of the hotel restaurants on this trip, Schooners most fully embodied the place. It is suspended over the waves and really is the kind of restaurant you choose when you want seafood to feel like part of the landscape, not just part of the menu. The restaurant is known for sustainable seafood, and a lively waterfront terrace, and current menu highlights include a Schooners seafood platter, shrimp tempura, warm Dungeness crab dip, and steamed mussels. I can easily picture us again leaning into exactly that sort of meal here: perhaps beginning with the warm Dungeness crab dip or steamed mussels, then moving into something more substantial while watching the changing light on the bay. This is the kind of place where even a simple seafood dinner feels cinematic because the setting does so much work alongside the kitchen. What I remember most in writing it this way is the feeling: fresh sea air, a table by the water, attentive but unintrusive service, and the sense that Monterey still knows how to stage an evening.