Carmel Conventions, Trade Shows, Conferences and Meetings
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Set on gently rising headlands above a sculpted rocky shore, CARMEL is well known for its ridiculously inflated real-estate prices, neat rows of quaint shops and miniature homes along Ocean Avenue, and a largely untouched coastline. Unfortunately, the town also has a thick air of stultifying pretension, peppered with tacky galleries and mock-Tudor tearooms, and lacking any authentic sense of small-town culture. Even so, Carmel Mission Basilica , 3080 Rio Rd (Mon-Sat 9.30-4pm, Sun 10am-4pm; $2), provides a rare hint of genuine historical interest, with Moorish bell towers, a sandstone facade, three small museums featuring antiques and memorabilia, and an eerie cemetery containing the graves of over 3000 Native Americans.

The area's natural appeal is much greater than its cultural offerings. Carmel Beach , for one, is a tranquil cove of blue water bordered by soft white sand and cypress-covered cliffs (the tides are deceptively strong and dangerous, so be careful if you chance a swim). Point Lobos State Reserve , two miles south of Carmel on Hwy-1 (daily: summer 9am-6.30pm; winter 9am-5pm; $3 per vehicle; ), has plenty of natural attractions to support its title of "the greatest meeting of land and water in the world." Spread along 1250 acres, and with more than 250 bird and animal species along the area's hiking trails, the sea here is one of the richest underwater habitats in California. Gray whales are often seen offshore, migrating south in January and returning with young calves in April and early May. Because the point juts so far out into the ocean, chances are good of seeing them from as little as a hundred yards away.

Pebble Beach
Famed as the site of the Pebble Beach Country Club and Resort and Spyglass Hill golf courses, and home to the yearly AT&T Celebrity Golf Tournament (where huge crowds await Bill Murray's schtick), Pebble Beach has what may be one of the finest stretches of coast on the Monterey Peninsula. Craggy shoreline, crashing surf and cypress groves mark the spot where Portola landed in 1769 on his first, fruitless expedition to find Monterey. Pebble Beach has long been the enclave of the very top tier of country club society.

Carmel
Carmel takes quality-of-life matters very seriously, which is why you will see no neon signs, telephone poles or street numbers on houses, and may be scolded by a perfect stranger if you are seen eating in the street. Affluent Carmel preserves its idyllic gracefulness with a stern propriety one might associate with Martha's Vineyard. In spite, or perhaps because of this, the town, known far and wide for exclusive gift shops, award-winning restaurants and secluded resort hotels, has been a popular tourist destination for more than a century. That the city fathers remain so adamantly opposed to the intrusions of the late 20th century (to say nothing of the 21st) has inevitably brought them into conflict with development-minded area businessmen. It was just this that swept Mayor Clint Eastwood into office (his intent on loosening the stricture over business permits of the sort needed for his now-closed Hog's Breath Inn restaurant). Mr. Eastwood has served his term and stepped away from Carmel politics, although he remains a Carmel resident.

The 1771 Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, or more succinctly, Carmel Mission, is Carmel's biggest single attraction. A handsomely preserved piece of Spanish colonial history, the mission's bell tower was not the one that starred in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. That was a bit of movie magic Hitch added when he found that the actual tower was not up to his cinematic standards.

Carmel Valley
If possible, Carmel Valley is even more laid-back than Carmel. Perhaps it is the rustic isolation. Carved from the original rancheros in the area, it still looks very much as it did when Spanish dons owned the rolling green hills. Driving along Carmel Valley Road, though, one will find more than cattle and horses grazing picturesquely if precariously on the hillsides. Golf courses such as the Rancho Canada Golf Club offer a somewhat more affordable alternative to courses along the Pacific while John Gardner's Tennis Ranch provides an alternative to golf with a posh resort and gourmet dining.

Shoppers will find much to delight them in Carmel Valley with the upscale Barnyard on the border between Carmel and Carmel Valley, as well as the tiny but chic shops that dot the area. Elegant vinyards, such as Durney Vineyards at the Heller Estate also appear throughout the Valley.

The ranchero tradition has not died out entirely here. If you want to explore the area in a more up-close-and-personal way, the expert guides of Holman Ranch can arrange tours on horseback to suit your expertise level, horse-sense and your schedule.