The Intercontinental The Clement Monterey surprised us

The Intercontinental The Clement Monterey was a truly beautiful surprise that we did not expect. If the facade is not exceptional in itself, you just need to enter the hotel to change your mind. With a privileged location, the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey features incredible rooms and suites with direct ocean views. A gem we are looking forward to stay at in the future.

We arrived at the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey after a night at the Portola Hotel. We had arrived a day early in Monterey, as we had left Sequoia in a bit of a rush due to the overwhelming and unbearable heat of our Airbnb.

The Intercontinental The Clement Monterey can look a bit “plain” at first, because from the street, it looks a bit like any hotel in the city. Yet … its location is outstanding. Once we got to our room, we had the wonderful surprise of discovering a direct view of the ocean, a small balcony and pure happiness.

The suite was extremely large and well appointed, and the bathroom leading to the bedroom allowed the princess and I to have a bath, overlooking the ocean! We probably won’t forget this experience at the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey, as it is the first time that we have woken up in the middle of the night because of … an alarm … The reason? A toast in the restaurant’s kitchen obviously, but we were quite stressed out and the princess still remembers this adventure …

However, it did not affect our overall experience. And this stay at the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey combined with our dinners at Hula’s are amazing souvenirs.

Our family experience

Which room with a child?

We recommend the suites first and foremost, as is often the case, because it can really be difficult to enjoy a stay in a tiny room when you travel with your kids. During your future stay at the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey, we recommend the suite that we booked (1 Bedroom 1 King Bed Luxury Suite), as it had a sofa bed for the princess in the living area (separate) and a large bedroom with a balcony.

The bathroom with a huge bathtub is also a real bonus.

The princess loved

La princesse a adoré la vue depuis le balcon, mais aussi la grande baignoire. Elle se souviendra longtemps de l’épisode de l’alarme (qui est devenu un incontournable de nos souvenirs de vacances…). L’Intercontinental The Clement Monterey possède une petite piscine (plutôt un couloir de nage sur le toit) qu’elle a trouvé sympa (il faut tester toutes les piscines !).

The princess loved the view from the balcony, but also the large tub. She will long remember the alarm adventure (which has become one of our most memorable holiday memories …). The Intercontinental The Clement Monterey has a small pool (more like a rooftop swim lane) which she found cool (we have to try all the hotel pools!).

On the plus side …

What about breakfast?

Breakfast was a la carte. There was nothing really spectacular for us vegan. You can ask your waiter/waitress for a a vegan version of the porridge. Truth is, if you have the opportunity to enjoy a vegan breakfast elsewhere, do not hesitate to do so.

We’ll be back for …

To book the same suite in order to have this extraordinary view that we enjoyed every day of our stay. For the remarkable location in Monterey: The Intercontinental The Clement Monterey is located next to the aquarium; but also quite simply because we will like the feeling of reliving this beautiful trip we did in 2018. And then, we will be again very close to Hula’s for amazing vegan dinners!

Activities

At the hotel

You have several options, the first being to do nothing at all and just enjoy the view from your balcony (our number 1 choice without hesitation).

The second could be going to the gym or the swimming pool, although neither are particularly noteworthy.

Finally, the Intercontinental The Clement Monterey has a spa: we are far from the services of the Langham in London or those of the Tschuggen Grand Hotel. The place is relatively soulless and my treatment turned into a nightmare when the professional taking care of my hot stone massage almost killed me with one of them, which literally flew in the direction of my head … It came close!

Close to your hotel

The first thing to do is go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is the one that inspired the aquarium in which the story of Dory takes place, in the second Nemo. This aquarium’s mission is to care for and release the animals therein or to keep them if they cannot be released. Be careful, you will obviously fall in love with otters and look ridiculous while watching them eating or cleaning each other …