Review: The Quail in Carmel Valley, California

Over the years, I’ve learned that you don’t have to play a sport well — or sometimes even at all — to enjoy it. The joy it brings to someone you love might be enough. Sometimes the space or venue in which the game is played helps you along, too.

For me, all of the above is true about golf. The sport renders me nostalgic, because playing the local putt-putt course was a small-town diversion I loved as a kid. My dad, uncle and grandfather have always played, so trips to the driving range or local municipal course were regularly squished into the itineraries of family gatherings. Alternatively, we’d all crowd onto the couch to watch Tiger Woods dominate a televised tournament. And water usage be damned, most courses are beautiful sights to me — verdant and open spaces that make the players look so small compared to the vastness of (manicured) nature.

When my husband took up the sport a few years ago, I was annoyingly supportive. “Go! Get out there! It’s so pretty!” I’d say. Now, we’re set to enjoy as many courses as we can on our travels — though I’ll be doing so from the edge of the fairway, and that suits me just fine.

At The Quail, a 93-room hotel in Carmel Valley, California, most guests play golf, or at least enjoy a good course view. On a recent trip with my family of four, we experienced both angles firsthand.

Golf at The Quail

The Quail sits on 850 acres, much of which encompass its 18-hole championship golf course. The fairways stretch and curve around mature trees, a few private homes and the hotel’s bungalows. Our room was right on hole 15, so, on the afternoon that my husband played a round, my daughters and I relaxed on our sizable patio and waited to see his golf cart come into view.

Even as non-players, we were happy to be close to the greens; surrounded by the low mountains of Carmel Valley, the Robert Muir Graves-designed (and Todd Eckenrode-refined) course delivers both a challenge and lovely views. Anyone looking to take a lesson or two can certainly do so via the golf club. And birds like the green space, too — during our visit, we spotted the property's namesake California quail, as well as mallards, grebes, hawks and lots of geese right from our patio.

The girls and I didn’t miss out on all the golf, though, as The Quail also offers an all-grass, nine-hole putting course. There weren’t whirling wooden windmills or trick holes like at my childhood putt-putt, but we still turned it into a competition and found ourselves shouting about every hole-in-one. Guests can borrow colorful putters from the lobby and spend as long as they’d like on the course. 

Other Outdoor Activities 

Being outdoors is highly encouraged here, and to that end, the resort has set up various areas for relaxing or playing in nature. Next to the manmade Mallard Lake just behind the lobby, clients will find oversized Connect Four and cornhole, plus a set of Adirondack chairs for a moment of stillness. A pair of remote-controlled boats might be checked out to race on the lake. And new fire pits have been added throughout the property; guests can ask the concierge for a complimentary s’mores kit on weekend evenings. 

The property also has a pool onsite, and plans to add a hot tub soon. Around the pool deck are mini stand-alone fitness cabanas that my tween daughter and I bopped between one evening after dinner. One housed treadmills and elliptical machines, another had yoga balls and stretching mats, while a third offered free weights. Spa Adeline is just off the pool, as well, where treatments range from Swedish massages and hydro facials to craniosacral therapy and astrology readings. 

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Pickleball courts, tennis courts, electric bikes and a Range Rover off-roading offering round out the on-site options. Instead, I went to the daily wine hour, when local bottles are set on ice for guests to pour in the lobby and enjoy there, or take outside. The lobby area is a cool space with a mid-century modern lodge vibe (the hotel originally opened in 1964, but has of course been updated), so sitting here with a glass of wine or a good book is an ideal way to chill out, Carmel Valley-style.

Accommodations at The Quail

The Quail underwent an extensive renovation a decade ago, then guestrooms were refreshed post-pandemic. Our double-queen, bungalow-style room on the golf course was comfortable, especially the window bench that looked out to our spacious patio. All rooms have private decks or patios, and the temperate Central Coast climate makes them truly usable spaces. We read out here with coffee one morning, and at dusk looked for birds in the trees and chatted with fellow guests walking their dogs on the path adjacent to the golf course.

For a top-tier stay, book clients in the just-renovated villas. The Quail has two of these accommodations, both sleeping up to six guests and measuring 2,000 square feet.

“These have been completely redesigned, with new furniture and new kitchenettes,” said Shane Orser, director of sales and marketing for The Quail. “They are great for families, with two queen beds and a king bed. They’re also good for bridal parties that want to get ready together. Both villas can even be connected to form a larger space.”

Dining at The Quail

For dinner, we walked to the lobby-adjacent restaurant, Covey Grill. Fresh off a full renovation this year, the restaurant sparkles with brand-new art and furnishings. The whole back wall is floor-to-ceiling windows facing a dining deck and Mallard Lake, so if the coastal fog has receded, it’s bright and sunny even indoors.

California cuisine is the focus here. While our girls opted for spaghetti and meatballs off the kids’ menu, my husband and I chose dishes such as yellowfin and cherries, tempura squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta and perfectly seared scallops adorned with a hill of sweet pea pods. This meal, combined with the sunset, was a happy closing to a busy day on the property. 

Though we did not try it ourselves, Edgar’s Restaurant is also at The Quail, set in the golf clubhouse. Send clients here for lunch (sandwiches, salads, street tacos and more) or happy hour near the driving range and pro shop. Dinner is served on Sundays only.

What’s Nearby

Rarely one to stay put on a particular property for days, I’ll usually wander to whatever is closest, and from The Quail, that’s a charming collection of shops and eateries just across Valley Greens Drive. Bear + Flag Roadside has incredible sandwiches, Wagon Wheel Restaurant serves diner classics (and you can’t beat the campy decor) and boutique shop Tancredi & Morgen is full of beautiful home goods to peruse.

Further out, the shops and eateries of Carmel-by-the-Sea are less than 15 minutes away by car. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is the same distance away, but south on Highway 1; note that parking at this popular spot is hard to find unless you arrive very early. But a sunrise trek to the stunning preserve is a must for anyone in the region.