Carmel Cottage Inn History

Log Haven

Log Haven is one of the oldest homes in Carmel.

 We have traced the deeds at the hall of records in Salinas to verify the owners of the property, talked to Pat Hathaway and examined the original photos in his collection, combed the local history library and sifted through microfiche of old Pine Cones. We now know quite a bit about the history and people that owned the property. 

We know from photos that Log Haven was built between 1907 and 1910 by Dr. Virginia Smiley and Dr. Lucia Lane. The addition was in place by 1912. 

The doctors originally purchased 8 adjoining lots that ran from San Antonio to Carmelo St. They sold the property to another doctor, Cary de Angulo. Cary lived at Log Haven with her husband, linguist, Jaime de Angulo.

 Cary divorced, moved to Switzerland and eventually became the translator and transcriber for the famous psychologist Carl Jung. She married Jung’s apprentice, HG (Peter) Baynes, and returned to Carmel on sabbatical. Baynes wrote home to his daughter how happy Cary was to be “back in her shack” in Carmel (from Jung’s Apprentice, by Diana Baynes Jensen).

 Cary Baynes sold Log Haven, including all eight lots to Adolf Lafrenz in 1937, witnessed by the Swiss Consulate.

Tradewinds, Home Port, Moon Gate and Sky Way

After selling off portions of the lots along Carmelo, Lafrenz and his wife, Hallie, built the other four cottages which were offered as vacation rentals called “Cottages By The Sea” and have been vacation rentals ever since.

 The cottages became a part of La Playa Hotel in 1989 and we purchased them in 2011.