dlynne

We're only going to have 2-3 days in the Carmel area. Is it worth the time to go to Santa Cruz, or is Pacific Grove similar? We'll want to spend some of our time shopping/wandering around cute little towns. We may also want to do some light hiking and/or visit area wineries. We'll be there next week-end (Aug 4-6) if there's anything on the calendar we might want to know about! Any suggestions for our time will be appreciated! We enjoy good food, good wine, beautiful scenery, good music, being outside.

StuDudley

IMO, Carmel/Pacific Grove is MUCH more attractive and interesting than Santa Cruz. You could easily spend 5-7 days in the Carmel/PG/Monterey/Big Sur area. I would have a hard time finding stuff to do & see that interests me in the Santa Cruz region for 5-7 days.

Weather might be better in Santa Cruz, however - but even if it was foggy in the Carmel/PG area - I would still prefer it over a Sunny Santa Cruz.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

I just re-read your post. You may be asking about a day-trip to Santa Cruz from Carmel???? Same answer from me, however. You will find plenty of things to do in the Carmel region - Spanish Bay, PG, Pt Lobos, Big Sur, Monterey Bay aquarium, Carmel Valley wineries - just to name a few.

Much of downtown Santa Cruz was damaged in the '89 earthquake. I think they re-built downtown a little too quickly and without enough planning. I also read this opinion in a preservation magazine that my wife subscribes to. The magazine compared the re-building of Santa Cruz to the re-building of Los Gatos - which was also damaged in the quake. Los Gatos took more time to re-build and I think they did a better job.

For shopping, I prefer Carmel & PG over Santa Cruz - although I have not visited Santa Cruz in about 12 years.

If you have kids - the Santa Cruz Boardwalk/fun zone might influence your decision. If you want to sunbathe for a day - Santa Cruz would be better for that.

Stu Dudley

qwovadis

carmelcalifornia.com PG are light years prettier than Sana Cruz

If you want some day tripping head south to nepenthebigsur.com

ventanainn.com simply beautiful add Hearst Castle if you

like history or amazing architecture...

elnap29

We were just in Santa Cruz for a short holiday earlier this week. The sun was out and the weather was beautiful - in the seventies - while Monterey/Pacific Grove was socked in with fog and only in the sixties. The beaches were full of swimmers, but we mainly did a lot of hiking and walking in various parks.
But if it were my first and only trip to the area, I would stay in the Carmel/Monterey area. It is really gorgeous. If you want to do some light hiking/walking, be sure to go to Point Lobos State Park, just south of Carmel. Big Sur is nice also. You will find plenty to do in your 2-3 days in this area, so don't bother with Santa Cruz on this trip. Make sure you pack some layers to stay warm in the cooler parts of the day.

november_moon

Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz are really nothing alike. They happen to be on the same bay, but the similarities pretty much end there.

Pacific Grove is a small town with a gorgeous coastline. The coastline is mostly rocky with a few small beaches and some areas with really good tide pools. There is a great bike/foot path along the water. There are a few good restaurants and a bunch of B&Bs, some quite pricey. Pacific Grove is known for its architecture - there are plenty of neat Victorian, Craftsman, and spanish-style houses. Downtown is very walkable - only a few blocks long, but has some shops, cafes, and place to poke around.

Santa Cruz is a much bigger town, really a small city. There are many wide, sandy beaches, which are great for playing in the water, boogie-boarding, and hanging out on the beach. The water is cold, of course, but a lot of people still go in the water. The Boardwalk and the wharf are there, right off the main beach. Surfing is a big part of the Santa Cruz culture. The downtown area is pretty quirky, with definitely a hippy vibe - lots of shops and some restaurants and cafes. The university has a big influence on the town too, although school isn't in session until later in August. Santa Cruz also has some rocky coastline with good bike/walking paths. There are tide pools too, but they aren't as easily accessible from the main tourist areas.

The Santa Cruz mountains are known for their redwood forests and have plenty of good hiking.

So there's a brief description - whether a visit to Santa Cruz is worth the time is really a matter of your priorities. Knowing a bit more about the towns will hopefully help you decide.

happytrailstoyou

They took the words out of my mouth.

sunbum1944

My first choice in that area- is Capitola- very cute beach town - I have only been there off season so not sure what it's like in the summer - also would choose PG and Monterey over Santa Cruz - but really, I liked all of it -

dlynne

Thanks so much! Beach time is not a priority, so I think we'll skip Santa Cruz. Any favorite winery visits near Carmel?

isabel

I am also planning a trip to the area - about a week later (Aug 16-19) and am stressing about the weather since I was under the impression (from my 'foggy' memory and couple decades old photos) that it would be beautiful and sunny and just discovered it could easily be cool and foggy.

Stu (BTW that was a great post you did on SF things to do, found it in a search so can't remember the date, but thanks) and november_moon - you both implied that Santa Cruz is more likely to be sunny than Monterey peninsula. So, can you suggest which areas of the central coast we should think about concentrating in for best chance of sunny weather? We were thinking one night Monterey, one San Simeon and one San Luis Obisbo (that last one so as to be headed towards Las Vegas where we have to drive to the following day). The front end of the Calif portion of our trip would be three nights/two days SF (actually Lafayette cause my son just moved there) and then two days/one night in Napa Valley somewhere.

So - looking for ideas of things to do i that area if it's foggy and which areas are most likely to be sunny for great views.

easytraveler

The town of Los Gatos thanks you, Stu Dudley, for your objective view on its rebuilding. I was in downtown Los Gatos when THE earthquake hit.

dlynne: Carmel would definitely qualify as "cute". You could spend some time on Carmel Beach itself or drive down along the coast during good weather. Point Lobos shouldn't be missed - in good weather. Even in the fog, it's kind of neat, especially on the circular trail around the Allen Grove.

Isabel: there are all sorts of things to do, depending on your interests. There's Monterey Bay Aquarium, there's all the different sites connected with John Steinbeck, including going inland (and to sunshine) to Salinas to the Steinbeck Center. There's also the Henry Miler Library in Big Sur.

If you want to hike and the coast is socked in by fog, just go a little inland to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and it's usually sunny there and has plenty of hiking trails through redwoods, from easy to moderately difficult.

Pfeiffer Big Sur also has lodges if you really want to get away from it all.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=570

Pfeiffer Big Sur is also just a few miles north of Nepenthe. If the fog lifts, definitely stop by Nepenthe for the view.

I've hiked Big Sur in sunshine, fog, and rain - just watch out for poison oak/ivy and those big old banana slugs:

http://tinyurl.com/3ec9gxf

(Needless to say you should bring some kind of hat - and sturdy shoes. Please don't hike Big Sur in your flip flops or high heels!)

janisj

easytraveler and nov.moon have laid things out exactly -- and there is no rhyme nor reason to the weather. Santa Cruz could be gorgeous and Carmel socked in -- or -- vise versa -- or -- neither is -- or both are.

But definitely 100% -- if it IS clear, have lunch at Nepenthe

dlynne

How long is the drive from Carmel to Pheiffer Big Sur State Park, and also from Carmel directly to Nepenthe? Is it worth the drive to Nepenthe if you're not going to Hearst Castle? You guys are giving awesome information! thank you!

easytraveler

It's about 30 miles from Carmel to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

However,

this is along a winding two-lane road AND there are lots of places in between that you would want to stop.

Straight drive-through, figure at going about 30-40 miles an hour, so it'll take about 45-an hour.

Again, you will probably want to stop along the way. For example, Point Lobos is just a couple of miles south of the juncture where Ocean Avenue in Carmel joins Highway 1.

Here's the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce website and their map:

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/map.html

These should give you some more ideas of what to do and of the distances.

StuDudley

>>Is it worth the drive to Nepenthe if you're not going to Hearst Castle?

krgystn

I agree: the drive is far better than the castle itself.

Margo

Daughter and I just returned from a two-day trip to Carmel area from SF. Charming little town, beautiful scenery along the coast.
We stayed at Lobos Lodge and were really pleased with the one bedroom accommodation. It had a rather large living room with nicely updated decor and a bedroom area with two queen beds. Price was about $185 for the night. The breakfast that was delivered to our door at a prescribed time was rather boring. A large muffin, orange juice, and a very small serving of mixed fruit. Coffee was make-your-own available in the room. The location was great--right on the main street in the middle of the village.

There were no restaurants with sea view in Carmel but we happened upon a very good restaurant which served mediterranean food-- Dametra Cafe. Very small place with nice staff. I would suggest reservations as it is very popular. It is about one block up from Lobos Lodge.

On the way to Carmel from San Francisco we stopped for lunch at Moss Landing to eat at Phil's, a local institution there. Good seafood. We travelled along Route 1 and stopped to look at the wonderful views at least a dozen times. We did drive the 17-mile drive past the Pebble Beach Club--that was nice but I won't need to do it again.

On the way back to SF, we stopped at Cannery Row in Monterey. Ate at the Fish Hopper at an outside table right on the Bay. Food okay, view terrific. A seal came to view us as we ate.

Also we did enjoy the trip to the Carmel Mission--interesting history there!

Margo

dlynne

Margo, how were the temps? How did you dress? Great report, thank you!

november_moon

Summer along the coast is generally cool, so bring layers, including a light jacket. It can be foggy or sunny - usually both in the same day. For later this week, highs are supposed to be in the mid-60s.

november_moon

Summer along the coast is generally cool, so bring layers, including a light jacket. It can be foggy or sunny - usually both in the same day. For later this week, highs are supposed to be in the mid-60s.