26195 Mesa Dr Unit Stylish space with ocean views

Carmel is one of the most unusual places to call home in California -- a coastal village on the Monterey Peninsula that bans chain restaurants, skips street addresses on residences, and has no streetlights, all by design. Daily life moves at a quieter pace, with residents strolling Ocean Avenue past art galleries, ducking into independent cafes, and watching fog drift through cypress groves toward the Pacific. The broader Carmel region stretches south from this storybook downtown through Carmel Highlands, Carmel Valley, and the gateway communities leading toward Big Sur.

Rentals across the region include a few smaller apartment communities, townhomes for rent, and single-family rental houses, many with architectural character rooted in Arts and Crafts and European cottage styles.