Day 2 – Relaxing in Mammoth Lakes, CA
May 3, 2025
Breakfast at Black Velvet Coffee
We didn’t have the best night’s sleep and I’m not sure if it was completely bed related or if the altitude had anything to do with it. But, we were up and ready by 9am and headed back to Mammoth Village in search of a little breakfast. We decided to head in to Black Velvet coffee, which we had seen the day before. I had a chai latte and a ham and cheese croissant, and Mrs. Seas went with a mocha and a muffin. Food and coffee were good but expensive. The total charge was $39.44 including tip.
Strolling through town and more coffee
After our food and coffee, we decided to walk down the hill into town since it wasn’t raining. We walked about a mile and a half down Main Street enjoying the weather and looking at the different shops and restaurants. When we hit the edge of town near the hospital, we noticed a large Starbucks and went inside to grab another coffee.
This Starbucks was definitely one of the nicest I’ve seen. It was huge and had a ski lodge feel to it, including comfy chairs in front of a fireplace. I had another chai latte and Mrs. Seas went with a regular coffee. We relaxed in the comfort of Starbucks and watched a light rain start outside.
Shopping and Lunch
The rain was light when we put our jackets on and left Starbucks but quickly started to become a heavy drizzle. We ducked into several shops to look around and try to stay dry as we worked our way back. We looked in Shea Shat’s bakery where everything looked delicious, but we passed on having food here since we had plans to stop at Erik Shat’s bakery in Bishop the following day. We picked up a couple things in one of the stores for our little nieces in Toronto that we plan to take in October when we visit.
We decided to grab some lunch and hoped the weather would improve. Pizza was sounding good so we dropped in to the Outlaw Saloon, which is attached to John’s Pizza Works on Main Street. We split a pizza and had a quick pint. The food was good, and the beer was ice cold. Unfortunately, we failed to grab any food or menu pics, but the total bill was $49.00 (including tip), so it wasn’t too bad.
After we finished eating, we checked Uber and it was only about $12 for a ride back to the hotel, but the weather was now a light sprinkle, and it was less than a mile back to the hotel, so I convinced Mrs. Seas to just walk back. Well, wouldn’t you know about 3 minutes into our walk it started actually raining and we got soaked. We ducked into a covered bus stop about halfway back for a break and then just walked as quickly as we could back to the hotel. Did I mention the walk back was all uphill? We did take the staircase up the hill to the rear entrance of the Westin Monache and found this neat little bench right out the back door of the hotel overlooking the Gondola station at Mammoth Village.
Mammoth Village and Dinner
After drying out in the room for a while in front of the fireplace and watching the Kentucky Derby, we decided to head back out to do a little shopping and grab some dinner. The rain/drizzle had finally stopped so we headed back down to Mammoth Village and found a couple things we couldn’t pass up. We looked at the restaurants around the Village but decided to head back down to Mammoth Brewing Company again for dinner. This time, we sat upstairs in the larger bar area, and it had a good crowd for a Saturday evening.
We had a couple pints and some food and really enjoyed the atmosphere and views from our table by the window. Tonight, I went with the “It’s a Spicy Meatball” Sandwich ($16) and Mrs. Seas went with the pub salad ($7) and a side of fries ($9).
After dinner, we walked back up the hill and called it an early night since we would be leaving early the next morning. All in all, it was a very relaxing day, and we had a good time in Mammoth. Even with lots of things still not fully open for the summer it was just what was needed to unwind from work a little before heading to Death Valley and a much busier next couple of days.
Westin Monache Wrap Up
We enjoyed our stay overall at the Westin Monache. There were a couple of things that could have been better such as the bed and small maintenance things around the room. But the size of the room, friendliness of the staff, and great location made up for any shortcomings. We didn’t try the hotel’s restaurant this time, but it looked nice and seemed fairly busy when we walked by in the evenings. The covered parking garage at the hotel is definitely a bonus in the winter months.
Next time we find ourselves in Mammoth, I’ll probably check out the condo prices immediately around the Village. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at the Westin Monache again. The Westin is part of the Marriott portfolio of hotels, so that’s also a bonus for us as we usually tend to gravitate toward Marriott for our hotel points.