My husband and I are flying from out East to CA for a week this summer to visit my son who is interning in Mountain View. We plan on going to Yosemite before meeting up with him over the weekend and will probably do most of our visit with him in San Francisco. A few years ago we visited Sonoma and loved it but were thinking of seeing something different this time. We have a couple of days towards the end of the trip and were wondering if Big Sur/Monterey would be a better choice than Paso Robles and wine tasting. Thoughts?

Sounds like junior is at Google.

Getting accomodation within Yosemite Park is very difficult to obtain. Rooms are booked 365 days ahead. There are also cancellations, so check back daily. The official website for accomodations. http://www.yosemitepark.com/lodging.aspx

There are many wineries in the Carmel Valley, and you don't have to drive so far. http://www.carmelvalleycalifornia.com/indexwine.html

Stay in Carmel or Pacific Grove. There are tons of excellent restaurants.

Temps in Paso can get very hot in the summer if that's a consideration. My pick would be Big Sur/Monterey and as mentioned, there are plenty of wine tasting options in the area.

jumping in with a question - rasta - where do you like to eat in Carmel?

Big Sur is far more scenic and cooler than Paso Robles. But the wineries are in Paso.

Big Sur is far more scenic and cooler than Paso Robles. But the wineries are in Paso.

big sur is closer and quite lovely but again you might not find a place to stay this late in the game. Very Nice wineries in carmel valley. In carmel I recommend Vesuvio for a very good Italian dinner and the roof top is lit with white party lights and it has a nice happy hour. places fill up in carmel and Monterey especially on weekends. you would be better off during the week finding a place.

If you have trouble finding accommodations in Yosemite just say. There are options beyond the DNC lodging if they are all booked. Not inside the Valley--which is the first choice-- but close.

My I Make a suggestion? If it is gorgeous weather and the ocean AND wineries you want... come a bit further south to Santa Barbara! It is truly the best of both... only four hours south ... and we have everything you might want.

There is no comparison between Big Sur/Carmel and Paso Robles. Stay in Carmel... skip the wine tasting and just order it at restaurants or bring it with you. Please dont come all the way to California to spend your time in Paso. That will be days of your life that you never get back.

I would agree with either Carmel/Pacific Grove or a "Sideways" wine country visit (Santa Barbara County).

I would highly recommend Carmel/Big Sur area for a few days. It is gorgeous, there is so much to see and there is nothing quite like it in the East. We are heading to that area and SF next week - 8th trip - because our intern became a resident

Centralparkgirl,
You might want to give La Balena in Carmel a try.

If you and your husband like beer, Paso Robles is the place to go. Firestone Walker is a fantastic brewery.

Thanks for the replies! I think we will try for Carmel but now I need recommendations on a place to stay. Any nice not too expensive places?

If by any chance you have Hyatt points, the Highland Inn in Carmel Heights is nice, but otherwise expensive. I have friends who stayed in an inn in Pacific Grove that they really liked, Martine Inn. They said it was reasonable, but I've never been there. We stayed in Seven Gable's Inn in PG. It was a real treat. The nicest rooms are expensive, but they have some small rooms without the best water views that are more reasonable. Pacific Grove is just north of Carmel.

I've stayed at both Highlands and Martine Inn and enjoyed both. Tickle Pink Inn next to Highlands also looked nice. Carmel Highlands is a few miles south of Carmel so you'll need to drive. If you stay in Carmel proper, you can walk to dinner, shops, etc. Carmel/Pacific Grove/Monterey are all very close to each other. Rate will vary depending on weekday/weekend and whether there's an event. I would avoid Concours week.

Patty - La Balena looks nice, but no prices online. What are average entrees? Thanks for the info!

I think the pasta dishes were around 20ish. Higher for seafood/meat dishes. I believe you could also get half orders of the pastas. We spent about $75 on 2 starters, 2 pastas and a shared dessert not including wine and gratuity. If you go, definitely reserve as they were busy even on a weekday evening.