CA Hwy One info needed
 

I have some questions about some hotels/motels/inns located along the Highway One. Please, does anyone know anything about the following places:<BR>- Guesthouse Intl. Inn, Beverly Hills<BR>- Motel 6, Goleta, Santa Barbara<BR>- Stagecoach Lodge, Monterey<BR>It is SO difficult to book some hotels from here. You don´t know what you get!!<BR>If you know any other good places, tell me!<BR>We are on a budget......as you can see from my listing above. So any other suggestions should be in same price range.<BR>Thank you so much for all help!

I've stayed at the Motel 6 in Goleta, and it is A-OK. Nothing frilly about it, it is a Motel 6, but it was a clean and accomodating that mostly caters to business travelers associated with the high tech firms in the Goleta area.<BR><BR>Keep in mind that Goleta is about a 15-20 minute drive up the freeway from the main part of Santa Barbara where the scenic/touristy stuff is. It is a typical suburban area, not the pedestrian-friendly kind of area that central SB is. Not knocking Goleta at all! it's nice... just making sure you are aware of the geography in case you had different expectations. Happy travels.

Where is the Guesthouse Intl. Inn in Beverly Hills? What street? Let me know and I'll check it out for you. (By the way, just got back from Scandinavia -- saw your other posting -- and LOVED it!).

Thank you Shannon!<BR>The address for The Guesthouse Intl. is:<BR>7721 Beverly Blvd.<BR>Beverly Hills, CA 90048<BR>How kind of you to help us. <BR>Where in Scandinavia were you?

I'll check it out today. I know exactly where it is, and although not Beverly Hills, it's what we call "Beverly Hills Adjacent"! It's a short distance from my mother's home, and it's in walking distance of two malls and plenty of good restaurants, so the location is excellent.<BR><BR>We visited Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Trondheim (my personal favorite!), Oslo, and Bergen. Where are you coming from?

I've never stayed at the motel 6 in Santa Barbara but I've heard that it is one of the nicer ones. There are 2 in town and 1 of them is the first Motel 6 ever and I think that is the nicer one.Good luck.

Try to stay at a motel 6 in Santa Barbara. Goleta is 10 miles north of Santa Barbara . Goleta is a nice town but it's no where near what Santa Barbara is. Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful towns in California, you'll feel like you are in the French Riviera. I know that there are 2 Motel 6's in town. A few years ago we stayed at the Mason Beach Inn for $55 a night with aaa discount. It was 2 blocks from the beach,close to Bath St. it wasn't fancy but it was ok. But do try the Motel 6's in town too. I'm sure you can get a room there. Have fun!

Shannon and Sandy!<BR>I´m so greatful for your help.<BR>And Shannon, we are from Finland.<BR>Sandy, I will look up those Motel 6 in Santa Barbara, thanks!<BR>I´m looking forward to your next message Shannon!!!

Your Beverely Hills Inn may prove to be OK, but if not, the least expensive motels along Hwy. 1 are near the Los Angeles airport and all are decent. I wouldn't recommend any along Hwy 1 north of the airport in LA because they are run down. I have never seen a motel in Monterrey that was bad; its such a tourist area that they keep them in good condition. Motel 6, or Super 8 or Holiday Inn Express or Best Western are all decent budget choices everywhere, but I prefer the Best Westerns because they have a free breakfast (no eggs but everything else), not gourmet but sufficient.

The Guesthouse looks fine from the outside, and it's just around the corner from CBS television studios, Farmer's Market and the new outdoor mall, The Grove. The Grove reminds us of one of the pedestrian streets in Scandinavia, like the Stroget in Copenhagen, maybe a little (without traffic) like the Esplanade in Helsinki. A good area for a budget hotel. Close to Beverly Hills, West Hollywood (Sunset Strip), and points West, such as Westwood and Santa Monica. I assume you'll have a car and will be driving. It will take you about 20 minutes not using the freeway to get to the beach and Highway 1, or 10 minutes using the freeway (going south on La Cienega to the 10 freeway, going West on the 10 -- also known as the Santa Monica Freeway -- which takes you right onto Pacific Coast Hwy, which is Hwy 1).

Excuse the jump in. Is the Guesthouse a good budget choice for a solo who wants to jus "hang their hat" while visiting The Getty?

Mona my family does this trip at least once a year so if you have any questions about restaurants or attractions please ask. I live on the Monterey Bay but I haven't heard of the Stagecoach Lodge, there are a lot of budget motels in Monterey though. The room rates change greatly depending on what time of year you're traveling. In Pacific Grove there are a few budget motels. Pacific Grove is closer to the ocean and a little quieter. A budget motel in Monterey could put you in the middle of a busy intersection.

Sandy, the Stagecoach Lodge is on Tenth St. just off Hwy 1, next door to the Fireside Lodge. Right by the long expanse of park that takes you down to Dennis the Mennis playground. We go up to Monterey once a year for a seminar and I was born there. We always stay at the Marriott, but one year we waited too long and stayed at the Fireside Lodge. We hated it. The walls were paper thin and the couple in the next room -- well, we got more than we bargained for! The Fireside Lodge looks better, and there's plenty of great little motels along Munras between Fisherman's Wharf and the shopping mall.<BR><BR>Jen,<BR>For you, I'd suggest the Holiday Inn in Bel Air just off Sunset Blvd. if the only place you'll be going in L.A. is to the Getty. It's the closest place to the Getty that I know of in budget territory.

The Holiday Inn at Sunset Blvd is a great call, Shannon. Mona, It's a stone's throw from the Getty, and given the parking situation at the museum the hotel would probably be able to give you a lift there in the hotel shuttle.<BR><BR>Hope the planning is going well and best wishes from a fellow Scandinavian (American).

Sandy, I tryed to contact you but there was something wrong with your address?

In Santa Barbara, my husband & I stayed at the Cabrillo Inn. The internet rate was $99. which included a wonderful continental breakfast. There is a nice pool & a large deck overlooking the beach & ocean.

When my relatives are in town on a budget, they stay at the Olympia Motor Lodge in Pacific Grove. It is off the beaten path at the end of Lighthouse, 1140 Lighthouse, nearer the ocean, but no ocean view. The phone number is (831)373-2777. Enjoy.

Mona, Sandy's email address is probably not real--just like yours.

Mona, sorry but my e mail is fake.My husband would kill me if I put up our real e mail. Anyway if you have any questions just post them here, I log on pretty much everyday or so. Hope to hear from you..

Thank´s to you all for the help.<BR>And then, Sandy!<BR>Thank you for all your good advices.<BR>Now to all my questions that I have:<BR>- I posted another question on Fodors too, about Lucia Lodge. Nobody has answered that. Do you know anything about this place? It is along the Highway One. A small village/town called Lucia, not so far south from Carmel.<BR>- We are travelling in april-may 2003. But if you want a quite good hotel to a good price you have to book now, I think.<BR>So, do you have any good places in Monterey or Pacific Grove that you know of? We are on a budget, so that you know. We have been thinking about "Borg´s Ocean Front Motel". What kind of place is that? Are there any other cheeper places near the ocean? <BR>This is how we planned our trip so far:<BR>- LA for 3 nights<BR>- Santa Barbara for 2 nights<BR>- Lompoc 1 night<BR>- Cayucos 2 nights<BR>- Lucia 1 night<BR>- Carmel 1 night.<BR>- San Francisco 4-5 nights<BR>- Sebastopol and with that, Napa 2 nights.<BR>- Monterey Peninsula 3 nights<BR>Then we have to leave for home, Finland.<BR> <BR>We have been in California before in 1997. In LA and SF. But we had to come again!!!<BR> <BR>Thanks a lot Sandy!!!<BR> <BR>Best regards<BR>Mona

Shannon!<BR>Thank you too!<BR>I can´t beleve that you went to all that trubble and went onsite to look up the place.<BR>Let me know if I can help you with your next trip to Scandinavia.<BR>A little advice already: Go visit the finnish archipelago. I live in it so I know it is a very nice place to be!<BR>

We ate lunch at the restaurant at Lucia's. Food was decent. Did not go into the motel and look at the rooms. My guess is it was built in the 50s or 60s. The location is somewhat isolated and has a great view of the ocean.

Mona , the Borgs Ocean Front is a good choice. It's very close to the ocean in Pacific Grove. I don't think it's super fancy but it looks cute and is in a great location. While In Pacific Grove go to Lover's Cove, it's very close to your motel. I've never stayed at he Lucia Lodge. I'd suggest staying in Big Sur. We just stayed at the Big Sur River Inn and loved it. The rooms are very basic ( no tv or phones) but the atmosphere of the resort more than made up for the lack of luxuries. The restaurant was very good,it has outdoor dining by the river and a nice cozy bar. They have live jazz on weekends,a pool and they have chairs placed in the river were you can sip a cocktail and listen to water falls.The room rate is $100 a night which is good for the area. I'm not sure if you need 3 nights in Monterey if you're staying one night in Carmel.It's very hard to find budget rooms in Carmel. I'd stay 2 nights in Big Sur and 2 nights in Pacific Grove. Or try an extra night in LA or Santa Barbara. Just a suggestion. Do go for a walk at Carmel Beach it's beautiful. Sometimes you can get good deals on rooms in Calistoga in the Napa Valley. Calistoga has a cute downtown area and great restaurants. A lot of the motels in Calistoga have hot mineral pools. I'll post again soon. Hope this was helpful.

With risk of repeating myself.........Thank you Sandy!<BR>We got a very hot deal at a very fancy hotel in Carmel. They are doing some construction at the hotel and we can stay at the new wing for - 70%. Not so bad!<BR>We will stay at a friends house in Sebastopol and she will probably let us use her car to go to Napa, Calistoga and other fine wine places. We visited Carmel last time we were in California, but only for a few hours. So that´s why we would like to stay there just a little longer this time. And I know that Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel are all almost "the same" but we only stopped for a lunch break in Monterey last visit so we thought that we should stay a little longer here too. You know try a little bit of everything......!!!<BR>So, you think the Borg´s is OK?<BR>Are there any other good places near the beach........and then of course at budget price??? Lots of questions to you my Fodor´s friend....but you are the only one I can turn to right now.<BR>Until next reply....<BR>

Mona sorry it took me so long to get back to you....Yes I do think the Borg's will be fine. We've driven by it lots of times and I always have thought that it looked real cute. In my AAA tour book map the only other hotel right on the water in Pacific Grove is the Green Gables which is big $$$. There is one other budget priced motel called the Lover's Point Inn, but it's aross the street , not right on the cliif side. The Borg's might not be the poshest place but it's location is great.<BR>I'm glad to hear that you will stay in Santa Barbara. It's one of my favorite places. The beach there is wonderful. You might want to tour the Santa Barbara mission. It's one of the best in California. Two good restaurants in Santa Barbara are Joe's on State Street and The Palace on Cota off of State St.. Joe's is very basic American food, burgers,steaks and sandwich's. The bar gets quite lively at times. The Palace serves Creol and New Orleans type food , they play great jazz while you're dining. State St. is great for just walking along and checking out the sights. It's a college town, so expect a lot of young people.<BR> In Beverly Hills we like to go to Nate'N'Al's for breakfast. It's on Beverly Drive. It's an old Jewish Deli that doesn't look like it belongs in Beverly Hills but the food is great. Lots of celebrity's go there. It's always a little fun to see someone famous while in LA. Not that you would but I never ask for autographs or anything like that. Across the street is the Museum of Television and Radio which is interesting. Rodeo Drive is just a block or 2 over from Beverly Drive so you could walk over there and check out the sights.<BR>Hope this is helpful. <BR>

Sorry to reply with a question, but Sandy, I would love your opinion on the following motels. It is so hard to plan sight un-seen.<BR>Bestwestern Victorian Inn in Monterey<BR>Bestwestern Monarch Resort in Pacific Grove<BR>Bestwestern Carmel Mission Inn in Carmel<BR><BR>and I need one more place to stay in the Carmel by the Sea area. HELP

Priscilla, I've never stayed at any of the places you mentioned but I can tell about their locations. I think they are all nice places to stay. The Victorian Inn is 2 blocks away from Cannery Row, so you are close to all the sights in that area. It's most likely not real quite in that area. <BR> The Monarch Resort is at the entrance to 17 mile drive. I'm sure it's nice in that area, but it's not real close to the ocean. Lover's Cove and the foot path along shore in P.G. are very nice.<BR> The Carmel Mission Ranch isn't quite in Carmel Valley. It's located on highway 1 just south of the entrance to Carmel Valley. It's real close to Carmel River Beach and Point Lobos, which is one of the most beautiful places on the central coast.<BR> My husband and I just stayed at the Candle Light Inn in Carmel-by-the Sea. I thought it was real nice. We had a king room with a fireplace and a 2 person jacuzzi tub. It is close to our favorite restaurant in Carmel: Casanova. It's French Italian and very romantic. Other places we've stayed at in Carmel that I liked are: The Pine Inn, Garden Court and the Normandy Inn.<BR> Hope this was helpful.

ttt

ttt