Advice on stops in the Pacific highway
 

We are a family of 4 (10&14yr old kids) are coming across to California April 2017 for 17 nights from Scotland. I have booked 1st night at a motel at San Jose airport as we have a long journey and will be exhausted!
Next 3 nights at Tiburon (we will ferry it into SF)
3 nights Yosemite (fish camp)
We have 4 nights to get to our 3 night stop at San Diego
And lastly 3 nights in LA.
My husband would prefer to have two 2 night stops enroute from Yosemite to SD
I'm liking the look of Monterey or Carmel
Pismo beach and Santa Barbara and I'm thinking of splitting it, we do want to see a lot however relax a bit also....maybe not?
Any suggestions would be grateful

>>3 nights Yosemite (fish camp)<<

Can you change this? If it isn't pre-paid, I would book elsewhere.

Fish Camp is a very long drive from Yosemite Valley -- like 90 minutes each way.

If you can't get into Yosemite Valley, try Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. It will save you more than 2 hours drive each day.

I would do 2 nights in Monterey, one night in the Cambria/San Simeon area and one in Santa Barbara area.

Is the Fish Camp accommodation the Tenaya Lodge? This is a nice place, but it is a drive into Yosemite Valley - an hour in good weather without other cars on the road. If you can get something in Yosemite Valley, so much the better, and as janis says, El Portal makes a good choice if nothing is available in Yosemite Valley. Plus, El Portal is on Hwy 140, which doesn't have any mountain passes, so if the weather is inclement, you are less likely to encounter snow.

For your 2 2-night stops between Yosemite and San Diego, Monterey is a good 1st stop. For the 2nd one, I'd choose Santa Barbara - its a great town and your kids will probably really enjoy it - and it makes the drive down to SD not quite as long.

With your children, I would definitely plan on visiting the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. If you drive down the coast #1, near Cambria you can see the Beach with the Sea Lions. Amazing. It's a beautiful drive, and about 2.5 hrs. Carmel to Cambria if you don't do a lot of stops. Get an early start. I'd stay in Santa Barbara rather than Pismo Beach.