The drive from Santa Cruz to Carmel was stunning. You will want to pull over a few times. There is another state park worth stopping in Point Lobos State Park. The traffic is heavier here than Wilder in Santa Cruz. The parking is also straightforward once you pass the pay station. Read the website online for more details on parking and fees.
 
In Carmel, we stayed at Hotel Carmel. The rooms were quaint. Something Evan and I didn't know was there in no AC. Pretty standard in CA, but we had no idea! Despite the no AC issue, this hotel was one of our favorites on the whole trip. The courtyard was super cute & the location was perfect. On the first day, we had lunch at a spot called Cultura. The Mexican food was excellent. Evan ordered the Cultura Mole and I had the Catch of the day. Evan could not stop raving about the mole dish. I think he is still talking about it. That night we had a drink at Hogs Breathe. Evan's dad happened to be in town with his friends, so they took us there for drinks. This spot has a fun outdoor patio. Order beer here; cocktails did not seem like their specialty. After drinks, we went to Aubergine, in the L'Auberge Hotel. The restaurant was fantastic. The setting was gorgeous—lights in the trees, loungey furniture. As far as a dress code goes, I would highly recommend "dressy casual" most men were wearing sports coats. Aubergine offers a tasting menu. The menu focused on mushrooms. There was a different mushroom in each dish.

Each morning we went to Statonaery for coffee. We never had breakfast here, but there was always a long line and wait. I would recommend making reservations here. Another breakfast place, Katy's Place. Many people recommended Katys for breakfast. The wait was crazy long, around 2 hours, so we skipped that. The menu had traditional breakfast items- pancakes, french toast, eggs, the works.
 
Our favorite dinner was Cassanova- I loved everything about this place; the food, wine, setting, and service was top notch. 

Cassanova owns La bicycllete. Many said La bicyclette is their favorite restaurant in Carmel, so it is on my list next time. The same goes for Forge in the Forest.

Our favorite thing to do is road bike on vacation. We rented bikes in Monterey at Work Horse Bicycles. The bikes were very high quality. They gave us helmets, cages for the pedals, and helped us figure out the path to the 17-mile road. 17-mile road is heavily trafficked (by cars, walkers, golfers, and bikers). The shoulder is large enough for bikers, and vehicles are aware many like to bike here, so I felt safe the whole time. The road takes you through the beautiful homes and then through the many golf courses. Don't be fooled; some hills I barely made up—a great workout. We stopped and had wine and sandwiches at the Pebble Beach Market. It's about half way along the ride! The food was excellent, and it is always fun to have a wine break.
Another recommendation- dress in layers or wear long sleeves because the marine layer is no joke! I would go from sweating to shivering in 5-minute spans.
 
A coffee shop that we didn't stop that I had seen was famous because of the show Big Little Lies, Captain & Stoker
 
Other great hotels: The Inn at Spanish bay, Mission Ranch, La Playa Carmel, L'Auberge Carmel
Other activities: beach day, play golf, hit up a tasting room, shop around the various boutiques. 

For more check out my Instagram story.