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Photo: The Hideaway
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A room at the Hideaway in Carmel-by-the-Sea
A room at the Hideaway in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Photo: The Hideaway
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The Hideaway in Carmel, called the Cobblestone Inn before its recent chic makeover by the PlumpJack Group.
The Hideaway in Carmel, called the Cobblestone Inn before its recent chic makeover by the PlumpJack Group.
Photo: Steve Kepple

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom founded PlumpJack Group 25 years ago as a wine shop. It continues to grow with restaurant, winery and hotel acquisitions. Among PlumpJack’s newer lodging appellations is Carmel, where the 24-room Hideaway debuted last spring. By fall, the boutique inn had made the Chronicle’s list of 100 reasons we love Carmel, but as with wine, a little aging hasn’t hurt.

The setting: On a semi-residential stretch of tree-lined Junipero Street, just two blocks from bustling Ocean Avenue.

The appeal: San Francisco sophistication close to all of Carmel’s charms. PlumpJack’s active partners, Hilary Newsom and Jeremy Scherer, teamed with real estate developers SMeriwether Companies and hired Napa design firm Shopworks to help transform the former Cobblestone Inn motel. The results include bright, uncluttered interiors with bold swaths of wood and leather; compact but gleaming Euro-modern bathrooms; and a handsome fireplace lounge, where staff lays out the complimentary gourmet Continental breakfast and evening wine with cheese and antipasti. Guests also enjoy taking vino and victuals to the newly paved courtyard (once a parking lot).

Insider’s tips: A five-minute walk away on San Carlos Street, counter-service Carmel Belle (a Hilary Newsom fave) offers healthful, often locally sourced breakfast, lunch and dinner; 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday is game night. The beach-bound may want to book a yoga class on the sand with Om Oasis or a session with Carmel Surf Lessons.

Good to know: It’s OK to park in front of the courtyard for unloading, but the best overnight parking options lie around the corner (Mission Street and Eighth Avenue) at the public lot. Some king rooms offer a sofa bed, although floor space is tight when the bed is in use; it’s better to pay an extra $20 to have the sofa bed in a separate sitting area. To book a dog-friendly room (one-time $75 fee), call or use the hotel’s website. The PlumpJack Group also recently acquired Carmel’s Village Inn, which will reopen as the Getaway in November.

Details: West side of Junipero Street, north of Eighth Avenue, Carmel. (831) 625-5222, http://hideawaycarmel.com. From $295 king or queen room weekday, $315 weekend, plus a little over 11 percent in taxes and fees.

— Jeanne Cooper; travel@sfchronicle.com