We enjoyed a short trip to the Monterey Area in late October trying out the RV for the second time together. We stayed at the Marina Dunes RV Park, http://www.marinadunesrv.com/ a few miles north of Monterey. It was a nice park, quiet and we had a great space that had lots of privacy between us and the neighbors. There was some freeway noise but it would not deter us from staying there again. Because we are relatively new to the RV experience and for financial reasons, we have not purchased a tow vehicle yet. For the time being, we are either going to use bicycles or rent a car depending on the location. For this trip to the Monterey /Carmel area, we rented a car. If you are staying at the Marina Dunes RV Park, there is a very easy way to rent a car. We arranged a car with Enterprise Rent-A-Car in the nearby town of Marina. This rental agency provides pick-up/drop-off at the RV park! Their sales manager came to the RV park the morning after we arrived and took us to Enterprise to fill out paperwork and get the keys. We had the car for 3 days – a Nissan Sentra, which served our needs very well. For checkout, we took the car back, finished the paperwork, then he brought us back to the RV park to be on our way. It was so easy and convenient! While on this trip we visited the charming and artsy town of Carmel by the Sea (http://www.carmelcalifornia.com/). The day we were there was unseasonably warm and we ended up walking on Carmel Beach in 80+ degree weather. Normally it is cool and breezy and a windbreaker is a good idea no matter what season. There are many art galleries, shops, and restaurants to enjoy in Carmel. You might just see Clint Eastwood! He lives in the area and is often seen out and about there. In Monterey we visited the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/) and drove around the bend to Pacific Grove to see the beautiful Lover’s Point area with crashing surf. If you go to Monterey Bay Aquarium, be sure to see the otter feeding if possible, the amazing 3-story kelp forest, and the jellyfish exhibit. It’s easy to spend a whole day there! Lots of kid-friendly activities too. The Marina Dunes RV Park was clean and quiet – we were there in October - but be warned that some of the sites back right up to hw 101 and would be very noisy. Our location was perfect- # 55 along the back edge. See map here: http://www.marinadunesrv.com/Services.htm . I think #50- thru 60 are the choicest locations. There are privacy hedges between sites too. The clubhouse provided hot coffee and cookies in the morning. The restrooms and showers are clean and modern. The store has a few necessary items plus gift items. Very important for us was the free wireless! And, it is a 10-minute walk over the dunes to get to a beautiful beach. Marina RV Park is highly recommended!
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