Elderhostel
at Hidden Valley

The entire staff joins me in welcoming you to HIDDEN VALLEY and its ELDERHOSTEL program.

As an arts training center which is dedicated to providing performance and study opportunities to promising young talents in music and dance, we consider it a special pleasure to share our campus with Elderhostelers. This web page will attempt to anticipate your questions and give you travel and housing information.

Registration

You may register on opening day between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. If arriving by car, there is adequate parking near the dormitory/office area. Payment for extra nights or single rooms are to be made at the time of registration, and you may pay with traveler's checks, cash, or personal check. We do not accept credit cards. At registration, you will receive your schedule for the week. Our week together begins with a wine/juice and cheese reception at 5:00 p.m. and dinner and orientation follow at 6:00 p.m.

Housing in Wright Hall

All rooms in Wright Hall are simple but clean and cheery with two twin-sized beds. Each room has a small bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. All rooms exit directly to a deck or walk via a sliding glass door and all doors have locks which can be used when you're inside ... but when we go out we leave them unlocked. Single rooms are not normally still available at the time of registration; if one is open, however, there is an extra charge of $35.00 per night payable at registation

Early Arrival/ Late Departure

If you need to come early or stay a day or two later, the charge is $35 per person or $50 per couple per day (when space is available in Wright Hall). This charge also applies to persons who are enrolled in two consecutive sessions and stay the nights between sessions. Arrangements for all extra nights in Wright Hall should be made and confirmed at least one week in advance and you need to provide us with a means to contact you during the week before your arrival. No meal service is available on campus between Elderhostel sessions nor can private transportation be provided during that time. Restaurants and public transportation are within walking distance in Carmel Valley Village.

Schedule & Individual Class Info

We regret that we are unable to provide a daily schedule in advance of your arrival at Hidden Valley; however, all weeks contain at least one free afternoon for local sightseeing. Public transportation is available.

Clothing, Weather, Tid-bits

Carmel Valley is always (don't hold us to this) sunny. Mornings and evenings are a bit chilly ... delightful sweater weather. Be sure to bring a jacket. Good walking shoes are a must. You will enjoy walking into the Village of Carmel Valley (one-half mile away). The Village is a small, friendly community that offers several restaurants, a small library, and provides must of the services you might need. Public tennis courts are close by, so bring your racquet if you with.

The Wright Hall rooms have indivdually controlled heaters. Bed linen, a pillow, a blanket, two towels and a wash cloth are provided for the week. Bring along games, binoculars, and books, if you wish. If you will need an alarm clock or hair dryer, you should bring them with you.

Rolling or Walking About

Our campus is essentially flat and compact. There are few stairways and wheelchairs can be easily accommodated.

Smoking

Smoking is not allowed inside any of the campus buildings.

For Fun

If you play a musical instrument, please bring it along (no pianos, please) so we can have a talent night and perhaps a bit of ensemble playing.

Mail, Messages, Emergency

Mail should be addressed to you at:
Hidden Valley Elderhostel, Box 116, Carmel Valley, CA 93924
There are no telephones in the rooms. Important calls may be directed to our main office (831) 659-3115 and we will post messages immediately on the door to your room. Outgoing call may be made from the "Elderhostel phone" which is available 24 hours a day.

Getting Here

By Air:    Monterey Airport (12 miles from our campus) is served by United, United Express, America West, and American Eagle. There are rental cars available or you can take a taxi (cost: approximately $50).

For those of you whose flights terminate in San Jose or San Francisico, you may find it convenient to use the Monterey Salinas Airbus which will bring you to the local transit plaza in Monterey. You can contact the Airbus for schedule and cost information at (831) 373-7777 or visit their website at http://www.montereyairbus.com/

By Bus:    The Greyhound bus will bring you to Salinas.

By Train:    The Amtrak station is in Salinas (approximately 20 miles from Carmel Valley). There is now an Amtrak bus that connets the Amtrak station to Carmel. To use this service, ask for Carmel as your destination when making reservations with Amtrak. This bus cannot accept checked baggage, so be sure that you can manage your luggage on your own.

If you wish to have someone from Hidden Valley meet you at one of the local terminals, arrangements must be made and confirmed by us at least one week in advance. You'll need to provide us with your arrival time and a means to contact you during the week before your arrival. The cost is $20.00 per person or $15.00 each for two or more people. Please note that we cannot provide transportation from the Salinas Amtrak or Greyhound stations or from the Carmel Amtrak bus stop. Also, there may be times when this service is unavailable. Carmel Taxi is available at all times and may be contacted at (831) 624-3885.

By Car:    Hidden Valley is located exactly 11.2 miles east of Highway 1 on the Carmel Valley Road (G-16) in Carmel Valley, California. Traveling east on G-16, Hidden Valley is located on the right side just past Ford Road. The campus entrance is distinguished by a hand-carved sign denoting Hidden Valley, An Institute of the Arts.

Traveling on Hwy 101 from the south, take the Monterey Peninsula exit in Salinas (called Sanborn Road) and follow it west (Sanborn Rd. becomes Blanco Road) to Hwy 68. Turn left onto Hwy 68 (west) and follow it about 9 miles until you see a sign for Laureles Grade (G-20) to Carmel Valley. Turn left onto G-20 and follow it until it ends (6 miles) at Carmel Valley Road. Turn left again and follow it to Hidden Valley (approx. 2 miles).

Traveling on Hwy 101 from the north, Take the Monterey Peninsula/Hwy 156 exit and follow it west about 5 miles where it will automatically put you onto Hwy 1.

Traveling on Hwy 1, simply come to the Carmel Valley Road (just south of Carmel) and once on the Carmel Valley Road, come out 11.2 miles.

Departure

The program ends with brunch on the closing day. Elderhostlers are expected to depart the campus by 3:00 p.m. unless they have made prior arrangements to stay over (see Early Arrival/Late Departure).

If you have any questions we have not answered, please feel free to telephone or write to us. We look forward to meeting you and sharing a fine Elderhostel week with you.

Peter T. Meckel
General Director

Elderhostel Website

Biographies of Elderhostel Instructors

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