HI all,
My husband and I are wanting to take several four night trips this next year to California for two purposes:
1- for fun
2- to possibly look into moving there when he retires in 5 yrs. or so....

We want to explore Carmel, Big Sur, the redwoods, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Laguna Beach, and San Diego too!

Any suggestions for 4 nights with great hotels would be so appreciated.....I would LOVE ideas for how many nights here, how many nights there, etc. that work with driving time accounted for like on here! Does that make sense? Like, should we stay in Carmel two nights, and Big Sur two nights? Fly in or out of San Jose or S.F.? What are the nicest accomodations in Big Sur- looked at the Treebones Resort but maybe a little too basic for us and yet Post Ranch Inn is $1000/night....a bit high.

We have stayed in Carmel at the Highlands Inn years ago and loved it, but seems like now the reviews are saying it is very rundown...ideas for view of ocean in Carmel that is really nice, 4 or 5 star but charming too.

Please help me with some 4 day itineraries for any and all if you will! I would so appreciate it.
And thank you in advance....it is just so hard to determine how much to cram in in four nights?

And also, is this a mistake to try to see it all with 4 night trips- a full week a whole lot better way to do it? This just works with his schedule, work-wise....

Jennifer

Personally I'd divide your trips into two parts. Fly into LA and out of San Diego to explore the Southern part of the State. Then on another trip fly into San Jose, and out of SF or Oakland to explore the Northern part. I'd try to see each part during its worst weather, so you know what you are getting into. That would be Dec/Jan for N. Calif.(rain) and probably June or Aug/Sept for Southern Calif.(Heat and Santa Ana winds)

You could do 4 days in San Diego easily. I have a girlfriend coming Friday and we have so much planned. I recommend staying at the Estancia in La Jolla or the Grand Del Mar or Hotel Solamar downtown in the Gaslamp. The Lodge at Torrey Pines is nice as well.

We stayed at the Tickle Pink Inn this past May right next to the Highland's and had a great time there. The Highland's Inn is not run down by any means, we have stayed several times here.

This past weekend we LOVED our time in sunny and warm Laguna Beach, we stayed at the Laguna Reef Inn right across the street from the Montage, we have enjoyed stays at the Montage and the Casa Laguna Inn in the past. Two nights was not enough in this beautiful area full of friendly people! ***kim***

4 days would be the perfect amount of time to have a really nice holiday in San Francisco. Here is a thread that might be useful.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=35129049

Check the car rental rates before booking air into one city and out of another. I agree that it's a good way to do it....but I've seen one-way car rentals from San Diego to Santa Ana aiport at $250, while going the other way it was $100.

Weekend car rental rates start after noon Thursday, and you can return the car up until late Monday night.

I would recommend spending your nights in Carmel as opposed to Big Sur...when I traveled there with my family ten years ago, gas cost $4/gallon in Big Sur, so I shudder to think how much it would cost now! My husband and I flew into San Francisco and drove down the 101 to LA, but we took a week to do so...I agree kleroux that you may want to split your trip into two. If you do choose to stay in Laguna, however, look into the Montage! It's the pride of Orange County!

Yes, the Montage is amazing! They required a 3 night minimum stay over the weekend for the 4th. We had a wonderful dinner (group of 5) at The Loft this past Fri. night, food, service, ambiance was perfect before going down to the beach to catch the firework shows from Dana Point and Laguna. We also enjoyed a great breakfast at The Loft the following morning.

Montage also has a great spa, I had a hair style there (Linda) one year and it was very pampering, complete with a small bottle of Sparkling Wine. ***kim***

Hi,
Thank you all for your help! I appreciate it so much. Still working on this and will post more soon.

Keep the ideas coming....kind of hard to plan I think!!

Jennifer

Jennifer, can I assume you've looked into real estate costs and taxes and that you'll have buckets of money when you retire?

Many people who haven't done some research are shocked at the numbers. Unless you head for the 'burbs of the towns you mention, $1.5 million will buy only a modest property; your property taxes the first year will be a minimum of $15,000 and will go up every year.

Add sales tax as high as 8.75% in some places, state income tax of up to 9.3% and gas taxes of 44 cents on every gallon. There is talk of tax increases or new taxes to cover the state's crazy-high budget deficit (now $16 billion). California has also seen an increase in health insurance costs greater than the national average, something like 33% since 2002.

I am California-born and think it has more to offer than most places, but I think if I was retiring in another state I wouldn't be looking to move to California. Here's a helpful website for comparing tax rates in different states:

http://www.retirementliving.com/RLstate3.html

But if you've got the green, good on ya and welcome!

No disrepect intended, but I live here in California and the first thing I'm doing when I retire is leaving the state! Unless you have quite a bit of income, this state is really hard on retirees. And retirees coming here from other states? Ouch!

The only area in the ones you listed that you might find some sort of housing is the San Diego area, and then you have to look. And it depends on what type of budget you are looking at.

We just drove through the Carmel/Big Sur area a few weeks ago. Nice, very nice. But to live there? Wow. I'd love to. Very expensive. The redwoods might be a possibility, depending on the city - Humboldt? Or Marin County? Big difference. San Francisco is a fascinating city, also known for high-priced real estate, though the east bay might not be as expensive. (still can be pricey, though) Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach (any beach community, really) means prices for EVERYTHING goes up.

Seriously, listen to Jean. California is a beautiful state, and you've certainly picked some of the most beautiful places! Just be sure to be realistic.

Real estate prices in Big Sur aren't bad, they're having a fire sale.

Well we are retired in Calif. and doing just fine. Its nice not to have to buy every new gadget that comes on the market, and no need for a huge home anymore either. There are plenty of communities with lovely homes that are affordable. We live in Healdsburg, and since we have plenty of tourists paying sales taxes and hotel taxes here, we also have a nice community for those of us who are here full time. Real Estate prices are DOWN in California, I can't think of a better time to buy and get a good bargan.

Hello again,
Thank you to all who have responded. Actually, although I know it seems insane to retire there, I figure surely there are some people who live these in California who are not extremely wealthy and enjoy it! My husband is a doctor/surgeon who has been very successful but of course, retirement is still tough on anyone I realize.

I grew up in California and although live in Texas now, have never forgotten how much I love it there. I am sure it has changed some but still just dream about living there again.

I actually was interested in San Diego area because of the weather.

Would love some ideas of housing areas in San Diego that are not outrageous.....and anywhere else. But we are open to all areas of the state.

I STILL at least want to look around and consider California as an option. It is so fabulous in so many ways.

Thanks for the help so much.

Jennifer

Hi again,
I was just re-reading some posts about taxes, etc. We are currently paying $60,000 a year in taxes on one house here in Houston and another $28,000 on a lakehouse so prices here are steep too....am sure it is different when retired....surely there are some areas there that are not so outrageous! Love some ideas....

Thanks.
Jennifer

Well, you certainly are accustomed to high property taxes.

Certainly, there are less expensive areas, but you're going to have to venture out of the cities you listed and perhaps to places you've never heard of. It just depends on what you need/want. The farther you get from the ocean and the cities you mention, the cheaper it gets.

The initial property tax bill is based on 1% of the purchase price. So, even if you buy a mansion with land out in the boonies for $1.5 million rather than that small condo in Laguna, your tax bill will still be $15,000 to start.

San Diego zip code 92130, just inland of the Sand Diego Freeway.

You can find a single family tract house on a standard sized lot for under $700k (which unfortunately is much smaller than what you'd get in Texas).

You're within 10 minutes of La Jolla and Torrey Pines.

And if you want a condo you can find something closer to the ocean for that amount.

Check with a realtor when you get to San Diego. Can't beat the weather!

San Diego zip code 92130, just inland of the San Diego Freeway.

You can find a single family tract house on a standard sized lot for under $700k (which unfortunately is much smaller than what you'd get in Texas).

You're within 10 minutes of La Jolla and Torrey Pines.

And if you want a condo you can find something closer to the ocean for that amount.

Check with a realtor when you get to San Diego. Can't beat the weather!

Hi,
Can any of you who know the San Diego area well fill me in on any names of areas or subdivisions to look at that are not $ 2.5 or 3 million up? For example, I want to look at Rancho Santa Fe and I am thinking it is a variety of pricing form really high to fairly reasonable....there are so many people living there, there just must be something not crazy expensive!! Just love the great weather and want to remain active and be outside and enjoying where I live.
In Texas where I live now, the property is expensive too, so accustomed to that. One house one street over just sold for $5 million- 8,000 sq.ft. so not cheap either here. So, maybe not impossible to live there too?? Of course, we would not want a huge house any longer or need one so surely we could find something for a fair amount hopefully....

Appreciate any ideas....

8000 square feet is practically a city BLOCK on the coast of California!

How about Carlsbad or San Juan Capistrano?

Have you looked at zillow.com to check out some neighborhoods?