Lindsey

Finally submitting the report on our trip along the California Coast last May. Before I start want to thank everyone for their input.

Our primary route was on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Landed in Los Angeles and drove to San Francisco. Rented a convertible for the drive, a definite requirement for this trip.

Los Angeles to Santa Barbara. Other than a wreck at the 10 & PCH and a detour for construction in Oxnard, the drive from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara was uneventful. Stayed at the Fess Parker Doubletree Inn. Nice hotel, across from park and close enough to Stearns Wharf to walk. Make sure to use Priceline.com and biddingfortravel.com for reservations. Toured the craft show along the beach, Stearns Wharf and State Street. Tried wines at several of the tasting rooms. Too sweet for us. Ate dinner at the Wine Cask. Excellent food and service. Overall, we wish we would have stayed for more than one day.

Santa Barbara to Cambria. First, drove to Los Olivos to try some wines. The drive along 154 is very nice. Glad we got off the PCH. Los Olivos is a cute town, and might be a nice place to stay for a few days in the “country”. Tried wines at Fess Parker and Zaca Mesa. Must have been a bad year, because we thought both had mediocre wines. After going 0 for 2, we decided to head to Paso Robles.

The drive to Paso Robles was uneventful, except for some construction near Pismo Beach, and not notable. Paso Robles may not be as beautiful as the other wine countries, but its wines are fantastic. Kam, thanks for the recommendation on Wild Horse. Superb. Ate a picnic lunch there on the Wild Horse grounds with the Tempranillo. Also tried Grey Wolf and Bonny Doon. If you like herb gardens, definitely stop by Bonny Doon.

Off to Cambria. Stopped in New Harmony along the way. Stayed at the Pelican Suites Inn. Beach view. Good room with a view of the beach. Do not eat at Moonstone Bar & Grill. Walked along the beach and relaxed. Cambria is a good place to get away to.

Lindsey

Cambria to Carmel. As a single day, probably the highlight of the trip. First stop, the Hearst Castle. Yes, its tacky, but you have to visit. The panorama is fantastic. To paraphrase Robert Earl Keen, “The house goes on forever, and the party never ends.” An amazing place. My wife’s response was “we have to get one of these”. Tour 1 gives you an excellent highlight.

The road through Big Sur is one of the most spectacular drives you will ever take. Yes, it is winding and requires concentration, but well worth it and not unsafe. Make sure to refuel before starting this drive. Despite not stopping enough, did max out the digital camera. You should take several days to explore this area.

Stayed at the Tickle Pink Inn. My wife loved it. Excellent service. Just south of Carmel. No views of the water. Walked through Carmel. After dinner, we walked along the beach and watched the sun set. A peaceful ending to a great day.

Carmel to Napa. The drive from Carmel to San Francisco is not as beautiful as I remember. Stopped in Sausalito on the drive up. It is losing its quaintness. Checked in at the Wine Country Inn. I highly recommend it. Nice rooms, good service, hearty breakfast, helpful staff.

That night, at dinner at The French Laundry. The finest dining experience my wife and I have ever had. Alain Ducasse, eat your heart out. The French Laundry is worth the hassle. Each course was a highlight. Of the ten courses served, nine were outstanding and one was excellent. The concierge, Bobby, did a fantastic job of matching wines to the courses.

Napa to Santa Rosa. The next day we roamed the Napa Valley. At $1 million per acre, the land here is outrageous. Toured Cakebread Vineyards. Always great wines. Ate lunch at Greystone. Sat at the bar and sampled some great appetizers. To fulfill our unrequited childhood geekiness, we went to Calistoga to watch the Old Faithful Geyser. Amazing how small it is. Next, Chateau Montelena. The finest grounds in Napa Valley. Then drove to Santa Rosa, stopping at the Petrified Forest. Very fifties.

The only reason to stay in Santa Rosa is because it is midway between Sonoma and the Russian River. We stayed at the Fountaingrove Inn. Which is reasonably priced for the quality room.

Toured the Russian River wine area the next day. Highlights were Unti and J. It is a pretty area, and land is much more reasonably priced than Napa. But the wines just aren’t as good. The following day drove from Santa Rosa to San Francisco, visit wineries in the Sonoma Valley. Picked up some picnic food in Sonoma. The highlight in the Sonoma Valley was the Gundlach Bundschu Winery, excellent wines, outstanding grounds. Ate our picnic with a bottle of their Pinot Noir. This is life.

George

Great report of a fine trip! You're right about the convertible--it's a requirement for that drive. When I went to pick up my Nissan Altima at LAX, I had to walk past a shiny red Camaro convertible that was screaming "Take me, George! TAKE ME!" I did--and looked everywhere but back.

Again, a super report. Thanks for the memories....

Anne

I agree -- what a great trip report!!And timely, as I am in the very beginning planning stages of similar trip. (thanks to free tix from United!) Last Feb, we drove from LA to Monterey, this time we want to go from San Francisco to the Napa Valley. You've given me some great ideas!

Two questions: how far in advance did you need to make reservations at the French Laundry? Would it be safe to assume $100+ per person?

Thanks again for the post!

Lindsey

For reservations at The French Laundry, call 60 days to the day before you want to go, no sooner no later. Start dialing at 10:00 a.m. their time. Hit redial many, many times. Without wine its $175 per person. Gourmet ranked it #3 in the U.S.

A more reasonably priced restaurant that may be easier to get reservations is Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Supposed to be even better.

Susan

Lindsey, great report! I remember the thread where you got lots of great advice. It was worth topping a few times for others planning a similar trip.

Did you end your trip in Sonoma or stsay in SF? Seems I remember that was part of the original plan, along with some artisan cheese places near Pt. Reyes. ?

Glad you and your wife enjoyed yourselves.

Paul

Nice report! Just a few small points. New Harmony is just Harmony. Hearst Castle is not tacky IMHO, just ornate and well beyond what any of us are used to in our everyday lives. I would hate for someone to pass up seeing that beautiful estate due to the use of the word "tacky".

kam

Lindsey, thanks for a great report. Glad you liked Wild Horse. There are some great wineries in the Sonoma Valley---did you get to Hop Kiln, Ravenswood, Souverain? If not you'll have to come back next year. And, can you believe that they used to let you picnic at Chateau Montelena with the geese and swans, but people being what they are started ruining the grounds. Sad.

J Correa

I agree with Paul - I wouldn't classify Hearst Castle as tacky. It's definitely over the top, but not tacky. When I hear tacky, I think cheap, plastic, cheesy.

I think Hearst Castle is incredible - that an individual person/family could build that enormous house and accumulate all that stuff.

Lindsey

Mea Culpa. Mea Culpa.

The term I used may have been a little too strong. I will amend my statement to over top. I think anyone who reads the statement "you have to visit" will know it is worth the trip.

Susan, yes we did end the trip in San Francisco. I did not write about it because I did not think it would add to people's knowledge. We walked alot and our calves hurt. And, I still don't like Fishermen's Wharf. We did not visit any of the Artisan Cheese makers. Between wine and cheese, Deb chose wine.

Anne, there are so many great restaurants in Napa, that wherever you choose to eat will be a great meal.

Kam, passed on Ravenswood because we can get most of it here. Did not try any of the others because we were wined out.

Note, most shipping companies can figure out how to transport wine to your home state, no matter where you live. Our fridge is full.