If you’re a regular reader, you know that for several years I’ve spent Thanksgiving weekend at the Highlands Inn, a Hyatt property in Carmel. It has become a cherished family tradition. This year, however, we may just stay home. My 2020 Thanksgiving travel plans are up in the air…
2020 Thanksgiving Travel Plans
Carmel, California is one of my favorite places in the world. The beauty of nature, the wonderful weather, and the proximity to Big Sur and Monterey make it a perennial favorite of my entire family.
And we love the Highlands Inn because our “townhouse suite” has a patio overlooking the ocean, fireplace, and a full kitchen for us to cook dinner in (going out with two kids for dinner?…yeah, no thanks).
I’m not so worried about the pandemic because we’d be in our little house and most time would be spent outdoors.
But a couple things changed this year. First, there is no food service offered at the hotel. Not even takeout…
My wife and I (and our son too) love the breakfast at this hotel: it is genuinely a highlight of our day.
Second, the hotel is experiencing pandemic pricing. We’ve obtained very attractive paid rates in past years. This year:
Now in fairness, the price this week is down to about $600/night…it’s no surprise they could not sell rooms at $2,000/night. But even $600 pushes the boundaries for this property and I used points instead. But 30,000 points a night for what amounts to a no-service property (the gym, jacuzzis, and fire pits are also closed) just does not sit well. Nor does cooking every meal on vacation. We really don’t need to drive five hours simply for a change of venue.
So despite our love for Carmel, we may just skip it this year and hope to go for longer period once restaurants re-open.
That leaves the question of what to do this weekend up in the air.
We are told to “be responsible” and stay home, but my elected leaders just got back from a “conference” in Hawaii. I’m not looking to go shopping or interact with others, but a change of pace would be nice and unfortunately I don’t have vacation homes I can retreat to. The issue is not traveling, but traveling safely.
So maybe Santa Barbara. Maybe San Diego. Or maybe we will drive over the border into Arizona. Heidi has never seen the Grand Canyon and would like to visit. I just don’t want to deal with crowds of any sort…
And maybe we will just stay home, weed out our garden, and clean all the windows and drain pipes. At least we’ll be together. And who knows, maybe four-year-old Augustine will turn out to be a master window cleaner.
What are you doing this Thanksgiving?
I thought Gov. Newsom said it was ok for Californians to have maskless indoor gatherings of up to 12 people? Or was that advice specific to the French Laundry?
Newsom quietly implied it was okay for himself to have quasi-indoor maskless dining for him and 11 other esteemed guests.
I just bought a timeshare (Redweek resale market) for this property. I was hooked at this property on their $299 rate for 3 days with a timeshare presentation. The $17,000 price tag was a bit much but the resale market was just right. I’m looking forward to returning to this property next year.
Congrats on your acquisition. In addition to the $17K, what are your annual fees?
TUG has the rates for 2021.
Property name: Hyatt Highlands Inn, Carmel: HYI
Unit size: 1 bed
Operating Fee $ 1,804.48 (includes dues and taxes below)
Replacement Reserve $ 281.88
Property Taxes $ 248.45
Club Dues $ 157.00
Assessment $ 0
Total $ 2086.36 (Below this number is another number that states average maintenance fee $2007.39. Not sure if the difference is tax variation or townhouse vs suite.)
Percent Increase over 2020: 2.9%
Quite honestly, that seems absurd.
I think Sam’s $17k price tag is what they were asking in the presentation. He probably got it for much less in the secondary market – as low as a few thousand. Doesn’t change the maintenance fees though, which to your point do seem quite steep.
Thanks Matthew! My yearly maintenance fees are $1908 for 2021. They are quite high but I wanted this property for its subjective trading power and maybe easy resalability compared to other timeshare properties. My purchase price was $2000.
$2K? That’s not bad at all. And you get one week per year? I assume if you have Hyatt benefits they don’t apply?
Yes in many cases, I get one week per year. However, Hyatt Residence Club (HRC) moved to a hugely flexible point system. My purchase was for 2200 HRC points. 2200 HRC points gets a two bedroom residence in the Gold season. Or if I reserve a one bedroom residence (Gold season), its 1240 HRC points. I’ll have leftover points for extra nights such as 2 days midweek (250 HRC points).
If I really want to stretch my stays, I can opt for a studio and its 640 points for one full week. My 2200 yearly allotment of points can stretch for 3 weeks over the year.
This is why I’m okay with paying $1908 in yearly maintenance fees. Since I travel during off-peak periods, I can really stretch my annual allotment of HRC points. A weekend getaway during Gold season (3 nights) is 740 points for a one bedroom.
That makes a lot of sense. Appreciate your clarification!
Just because you have examples of others bending/breaking the rules, doesn’t mean you are entitled to do so. You can rationalize anything you want, but it generally means that you know better. The best thing any of us can do is stay home. We had an vacation rental a 4-5 hour drive from us lined up for this week, and plans to stay there with a private pool, eating in, etc… but out of respect for the rising case numbers, and increased risk (however small) created by any non-local travel, we decided to stay home. It’s going to be a brutal winter before science and sanity prevail in the spring. Just because you have examples of others behaving poorly, doesn’t justify you contributing to the problem.
Exactly. Don’t be a dick. Stay home.
I couldn’t agree more with @don. Please stay home.
There’s literally no excuse for it.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
What are you even trying to say there? You were offered an opinion that your actions could be interpreted as selfish and your justification was classic “whataboutism” Instead of taking the feedback, and having a dialogue, you appear to present a defensive and snarky reply.
Do you honestly believe that in the middle of a global crisis, with over 150k+ new cases a day in the US, and massive case number increases in your home region of SoCal, and every sane person warning to minimize Thanksgiving travel, that’s a particularly great look? Or are you just that special?
It’s just right-wing entitlement, selfishness, and not giving a damn about others. It’s not complicated. Just unflattering.
@Andre: The world must be so nice and black and white for you Andre. Enjoy your misery and keep assuming!
@don: I appreciate your opinion and thank you for expressing it. I may well indeed stay home: in fact, I am leaning toward that.
But as I see businesses struggling and closing around me and mindless hygiene theatre from the smug people who can afford to stay home while lecturing others as if there is only one right answer, I simply note there are other considerations at play as well and every additional day of shutdown extracts an economic, physical, mental, and emotional cost we will not see for many years down the line.
“Science” and sanity won’t prevail in the spring. The vaccine will, unless that is what you meant. I’m looking forward to receiving it. For now, I continue to social distance, wear masks, and test often. But I will not accept name calling stemming from the foolish close-mindedness of others.
Sucks to be you, Don.
Have a good time locked up in your house pal, where the big bad germs can’t get you.
I totally agree with you Matthew. I went up last month and although my suite was really great and view was perfect and the fireplace in the room was nice, I felt it was a rip off not to have any breakfast included. I’m a Globalist and normally would get free breakfast and I read great things about the restaurant there.
Not only is there NO food options but maid service wasn’t included either. Carmel does have a lot of great restaurants but I didn’t think it was worth it. I used 30,000 points per night and rates were $1,500 per night.
I’m going up next month to Ventana Big Sur which has all meals included for the same 30,000 points per night. And I used one of my suite upgrade certificates to guarantee a suite.
Enjoy Big Sur. I’d love to go the Ventana, but with the no-child policy, we cannot do it this time.
“Except as specifically permitted in this Executive Order, social gatherings are prohibited. Social gatherings are groups of individuals, who are not members of the same household, congregated together for a common or coordinated social, community, or leisure purpose—even if social distancing can be maintained. This prohibition includes indoor and outdoor gatherings, planned and spontaneous gatherings, and public and private gatherings.”
Now the funny part is that the same Governor that supports defunding the police probably think law enforcement will knock people’s door to check how many people are inside. Welcome to MN!!!
I’m staying home. I will not apologize. I’m will eat Tofurkey. I will not apologize.
Stay safe!
Yes, well so should everyone. Turkeys are dear, sweet birds; I wouldn’t eat one in a million years.
As for Matthew: go back to the Andaz, WH. Save Big Sur for next year, by which time you’ll savour the prospect even more ( …and pay 1/2 the price for the full experience).
We stayed here a couple months ago when they had really great last minute rates (down below $200/night). Basically every restaurant in Carmel has shifted to take out and/or outdoor dining, so I wouldn’t worry too much about finding things to eat.
And they have a beautiful terrace and a staff who is reliant upon business for survival. Seems odd they refuse to open that.
A place the kids might love is the Andaz in Scottsdale, One of my favorite properties. It’s built almost entirely outdoors with little need for anything inside. A perfect Covid property. Drivable from LA. And if you can score a Globalist upgrade the larger suites are unreal. Even the gym is open to the elements and is a safe option.
Also, a perfect time of year for some epic hikes in the area. It’s where I would go for sure if on the other coast this weekend.
Thanks Stuart. Will check it out.
Great recommendation. I was there right before the shut down in March. Fantastic property.
We normally host 21 family members for lunch with as many friends that roll in during the evening. This year it will be just five, us and my parents. I am unreasonably sad about this but know it is for the best. Friday morning we will head to our cabin for the balance of the long holiday weekend.
We were at the Hershey Hotel two weeks ago and it was sad to not be able to take advantage of all the amenities we enjoyed during prior stays. In hindsight, we should have stayed home.
I’m definitely going to cancel Carmel at this point. We are also having a very small Thanksgiving family dinner compared to our usual large gathering. Oh #2020…
Matthew, I can’t believe all of these self-righteous folks who are staying home because of the virus. Go enjoy the hotel with your family. Tradition is worth more than what you accurately call the theater of hygiene, and all of the virtue signalling people do these days.
I am unashamed of my Thanksgiving plans. A -generational family gathering of many more individuals than my governor would “allow.”
If an individual wants to make a decision that could save a life, so be it. But the role of government is *not* to save just one life (as Cuomo stated earlier this year trying to foolishly justify a reckless shutdown), but rather to seek the greatest good. I think we can see the detrimental effects of these lock downs which also have done nothing to eradicate the virus.
If lockdowns work, why do we need another one? If lockdowns don’t work, why are we doing this again?
Lockdowns work when they are not prematurely lifted and when they are followed. The ones in the U.S. were lifted too early (and not re-imposed) and they were not followed.
In my experience, the people who cry the loudest that their freedoms are being violated by government action are the people who would most benefit from more government control over their decision-making.
Lockdowns were supposed to be for a few weeks to flatten the curve. How did those weeks turn into months? Once community spread has taken hold, lockdowns are ineffective unless you are willing to do a Wuhan-level true lockdown. I don’t think anyone except the most totalitarian-minded American comrade would accede to that.
In my experience, the people who cry loudest about wanting to give the government more control over private decision making are the ones who should never be given any say in what the government does.
COVID-19 has revealed the dangerous effects of the obesity epidemic. The people who are dying are mostly already close to death or sick from fattitude. Barely over 500 COVID-19 deaths are below the age of 25 and just 3% are below the age of 45, and most of those were with comorbidities. Why does the media want to make the public think anyone could drop dead at any moment from this? Why does Governor Cuomo get an Emmy instead of an arrest warrant for sending viral bombs into nursing homes, sentencing thousands of elderly folx to death?
Public health officials should be encouraging the citizenry to eat less and get more exercise and sun. Adipose tissue leeches fat soluble nutrients like vitamin D from the blood, dontcha know?
Absolutely nothing suspicious or telling, at all, that you bring up obesity every.single.time., unprompted, on totally unrelated posts & comments. Nope, no personal reflection of you at all whatsoever. Can’t possibly be a self-hating reflection in the mirror, nope.
I think the huge public health problem in the US is obesity, not COVID-19. I think the public has been hoodwinked into thinking that the pandemic is a much worse problem than it is and America is making a historic own goal. I make no bones about that and the governmental response to the pandemic is quite relevant to what I discuss, which is always backed up with facts. You, on the other hand, bring your hatred of Trump and any opinions opposed to yours into virtually every comment, rife with ad hominem, and refuse to admit that you are overwhelmed with TDS. It’s a hell of a drug.
Be sure to check back in with us mid-Dec and let us know how many in your extended family got COVID during/after the visit
It’s mighty white of you to implicitly wish ill upon a stranger. You must be a very happy person.
Nope, just the reality of our current situation, and replying to a poster who is gleefully discussing hosting a large family gathering, likely including some elderly. 200K cases a day happen due to attitudes like this.
I would give the benefit of the doubt to Andy K that he doesn’t want his family to get sick or spread the virus. Questioning the mandates handed down from above is perfectly reasonable when so many of them are totally ungrounded in any scientific understanding. Authorities have to be seen as doing something to fight this pandemic when the reality is that it is mostly out of their control. What they should be doing is hardening protections for the most vulnerable while leaving individuals to act according to their own risk assessments. Officials aren’t even following their own mandates. It is all a farce.
I feel your pain. Our tradition has been to spend Thansgiving weekend in Maui. This year sadly we won’t be going.
Really enjoyed this lodge outside Yosemite back in June. Offers private family cabins.
https://www.tenayalodge.com/
Yosemite is evidently extra spectacular right now:
https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/yosemite-winter-fall-snowliage-park-california-15731195.php
I think we stay at home during this thanksgiving vacation because the Covid epidemic is so dangerous and complicated.
Matthew, is your blog on the radar of the 50-Cent Party?
?
I had to look that up.
No.
This “Emily Smith” doesn’t strike you as a bot/troll?
Much less so than the white supremacist/adjacent posters who supported Dear Leader on here incessantly until 11/3, then magically no longer post…nope nothing suspicious about that at all
No longer post? You are literally replying to a post I made. I highly doubt you think that I am a Russian or Chinese troll, merely someone to despise as dictated by your TDS. Keep hating, fatty.
My 99th percentile Peloton performance & 45″ box jumps aren’t really possible by a “fatty”. Piss off.
You, on the other hand, are a self-hating keyboard warrior who suspiciously brings up obesity at every single opportunity, no matter how unrelated to the topic. Nothing suspicious about that at all, nope. Get yourself some help already.
{Insert Navy SEAL copypasta]
I guess it is too vulgar for Matthew’s standards.
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/navy-seal-copypasta
If sticking with Hyatt, how about the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach starting at $156 or Hyatt Mission Bay and Spa starting at $176 or Andaz San Diego starting at $136? The Mission Bay location has numerous suites for sale and purportedly has views of Sea World. The Newport Beach Hyatt is selling their hospitality suite for $507 (A 1080 sq ft residential experience with full show kitchen and breakfast bar, dining table for 8, living room and king bedroom. Enjoy the long balcony with views of our golf course. Connecting rooms are available if you contact the hotel directly.) and their 3-bedroom suite for $704 (3 Bedroom Villa Suite
Enjoy your own private pool in our 3 Bedroom Villa Suite. Each bedroom upstairs has one king bed & private bathroom while the main suite downstairs has a full refrigerator, comfortable living room and table for 4. Upstairs rooms are stair access only.). Possibly, you can arrange a better deal over the phone and with a suite upgrade cert!
We live in Indiana and were supposed to drive to Connecticut where our families live. We have decided not to go due to the public health advice not to travel. We are still hoping to go for Christmas, but that is probably just wishful thinking at this point. We moved here 18 months ago away from our families. Our 4 y/o son has not seen his cousins, who he adores, or his grandparents (who he also adores) since July (we managed to go back for two weeks then), so it is a total bummer.
For those criticizing the premise of this post and of taking discretionary local/regional travel, why are you reading a travel blog? That a travel blogger and small business owner weighs supporting hospitality industry jobs as one of several competing priorities is hardly remarkable. Travel shaming is so June…please move on. Hyatt Regency Mission Bay is not fancy but is family friendly and generally well run.
I’m spending Thanksgiving in Salvador, Brazil. Things are mostly open, hand sanitizer and temperature checks are far more prevalent than in New York, and mask wearing in some states (e.g., São Paulo) is almost universal—in others, like Bahia, it is less pervasive outdoors, where it has negligible impact. In some cities, the lack of foreign tourists has caused things like high-end restaurants in tourist areas to close. Domestic flights have all been 95%+ full (with demand-driven pricing in the preceding days tracking accordingly).