Stop overs between LA & San Fran

Hi,

I%26#39; am due to get married in two weeks %26amp; me %26amp; the future Mrs Smith (yes that is really my surname) will be travelling by car LA to San Francisco. We have two nights to get from LA to San Fran %26amp; wondered where the best places would be to stop over night to break up the trip. I have been looking on a map %26amp; am not sure where to stay. The places I have in mind are Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo for the 1st night then on to Carmel or Monterey for the 2nd night then on to San Francisco. If anyone has any advice or sugestions they would be most welcome. Also the other thing I cannot decide on is if I should book hotels prior to my trip or just walk in off the street. We start our trip with 4 night in Vegas with a hotel booked, we then want to drive down to LA %26amp; stay there for two nights, this time with nothing yet booked %26amp; then spend two nights driving up to San Francisco. Can anyone advise if it is a wise move not booking anywhere for those 4 days in advance. I quite like the idea of not being tied down %26amp; going with the flow. The dates of our mini road trip are 6th Sept (leaving Vegas) to the 10th Sept (arriving in San Francisco where we have a hotel booked.

Many Thanks,

Jason

Stop overs between LA %26amp; San Fran

Santa Barbara or better yet, Cambria would be a good choice for a honeymoon stay.

There are several inns along Moonstone Beach Drive that are romantic and the ocean is right across the street.

The most romantic rooms I%26#39;ve seen in Cambria are at the Blue Whale Inn, but the Best Western Fireside Inn, Fog Catcher Inn, Moonstone Landing, White Water Inn, Pelican Cove Inn are all lovely places to overnight.

Then you can take a morning tour of Hearst Castle (only 8 miles from Cambria) before driving up to Monterey.

In the Monterey area, I recommend staying at a B%26amp;B. The Green Gables Inn, The Seven Gables Inn or the Old St. Angela Inn would all be romantic and wonderful for your trip.

Because September is still pretty heavy with tourists, you should have reservations ahead of time. It would truly be disappointing to arrive in a lovely spot and not be able to find an available room.

Stop overs between LA %26amp; San Fran

Congratulations, Mr. Smith. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;re a very lucky man (and vice versa). I can%26#39;t really speak for the other areas you mention, but in the Monterey/Carmel area, it%26#39;s risky not to book ahead for two reasons: September is a busy month here, and if you want something really nice, it could be gone by the time you arrive; and also, the hotels tend to inflate their prices when it%26#39;s busy, so if you don%26#39;t book beforehand, you could end up paying more than $300 for a simple motel room. I did check the September calendar of events, and luckily you%26#39;ll be here well before the Monterey Jazz Festival, when things really get crazy. Here%26#39;s what I would do: I would book a room, being very careful to check out their cancellation policy. In many cases you can cancel with no penalty up to 48 hrs before your reservation date. That might give you some more flexibility in case you want to change your itinerary along the way.

As for hotels in the Monterey area, there are so many choices, depending on what you like:

1) Upscale: Monterey Plaza Hotel, situated on the water on Cannery Row; Tickle Pink Inn and Highlands Inn, both situated high above the ocean on a cliff--spectacular views--not in town, but about a 10 minute drive south in Carmel Highlands.

2) B%26amp;Bs: There are many B%26amp;Bs in Carmel and Pacific Grove. In PG, Seven Gables, Green Gables, and Martine Inns are across the street from the water--great location. In Carmel, there aren%26#39;t any right on the water, but plenty within an easy of walk of Carmel Beach: Lamplighter Inn, Wayfarer Inn, Sea View Inn. In Monterey, a somewhat pricier but very lovely B%26amp;B is the Old Monterey Inn. It%26#39;s in a residential neighborhood--not near the ocean, but has pretty gardens.

3) Motels--Cost-effective, clean and comfortable but not special or romantic: see http://www.monterey.com/mc4/mc4b.html

I hope this helps. Have a great trip.

Thank you both very much, I%26#39; am glad I have taken your advice %26amp; have now booked in advance. I have spent most of today (It is now midnight) trying to get the combintion of hotels %26amp; places I want over two days. It has proved impossible. All of the decent places in Cambria only take booking of 2 nights or more over the weekend. Seeing we will arrive in Cambria on Saturday 8th September I%26#39; am king of stuck. Because of this I have had to change our plans slightly. I really liked the sound of The White Water Inn in Cambria %26amp; they had a king double room with double spa in the room for $180 a night. Because of the trouble I%26#39;am having getting a single night in Cambria I have booked a 2 night slot in The Whitewater Inn. The reviws are very good %26amp; it has come recommended by you guys. Also it is pretty much slam in the middle of LA %26amp; San Fran. It is a shame as I would liked to have stayed a day in Monterey, but it looks like I cannot have it all. Thanks again guys for your advice.

Jason

Hi Jason

If you leave early on the third day from Cambria, you should have a good amount of time to enjoy driving through Big Sur and Monterey before heading up to SF. You%26#39;ll just have to budget your time and decide what sights are the most important for you not to miss.

The White Water Inn in Cambria is a lovely place to relax and enjoy a honeymoon. The ocean is right across the street with a nice boardwalk to walk along the shore.

Some good restaurants to choose from include Brambles Dinner House, Sow%26#39;s Ear, Black Cat Bistro, Robin%26#39;s.

Since you%26#39;ll be staying 2 nights you%26#39;ll have time for a Hearst Castle tour and visiting the Paso Robles wine country for tasting (if you like wine and are of legal drinking age).

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Have a great time in California.

Hi,

I had always intended to say thanks for all your advice, so please accept my apologies for the delay. We have now been home from our honeymoon for what seems like ages, it is probably not even two months.

In the end we liked the look of the WhiteWater Inn, or should I say the WhiteWater Innl iked the look of us. In the end I decided not to leave finding a place until we got to Cambria. What a good piece of advice that was, I struggled to find somewhere weeks in advance of us going for the weekend we wanted. Everywhere I called said they were booked out, so when WhiteWater Inn said they had a vacancy I snapped their hand off. Some things are just meant to be........ Moonstone Beach Drive is beautiful as is the town of Cambria.

We have never been to a place quite like it before %26amp; it was very hard to describe it to friends %26amp; family when we got back, it is definately a one off. We were so glad we found Cambria %26amp; it made a great relaxing stay after 4 nights in Vegas followed by a road trip to LA %26amp; 2 nights in Hollywood.

The Inn itself was very quaint %26amp; clean, the staff were the friendliest people you could ever wish to meet, nothing was too much. Moonstone Beach Drive itself was very tranquil %26amp; relaxing %26amp; both nights we watched the sunset together before heading off to the bar %26amp; restaurant on the drive. Again I could not really fault the restaurant. The staff were very friendly %26amp; helpful %26amp; it has a great location just off the beach. If I had one complaint I would say if you are not a fish lover you will struggle to find much variety on the menu.

We took a trip in to Cambria%26#39;s Main Street one afternoon for a spot of lunch %26amp; shopping. Main St was beautiful %26amp; I felt like we were in an old film set from the 40%26#39;s or 50%26#39;s. Not a single supermarket or brand name store in sight. All the shops were locals %26amp; it made a refreshing change not to see a Starbucks or a GAP store on every corner.

We would definately like to re visit Cambria again sometime in the future. I even recommended Cambria %26amp; the WhiteWater Inn to a work colleague who has a road trip holiday in California soon. I actually think she is there now.

Thanks again guys for the wonderful memories.

Jason.

Thanks for the trip report, Jason.

I%26#39;m so glad you enjoyed your stay in Cambria. It truly is a special place for relaxing and enjoying the coast. Sometimes it%26#39;s hard to convince others of that, but you nailed it for them.

When you make it back to California, be sure to check out the town of Pacific Grove next door to Monterey. This is another treasure of a California coastal town with spectacular views and wonderful ambiance.

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