Cali Road Trip Itinerary
 

Please give me feedback on our 1st Calif road trip: (2 adults/2 kids (15&12)from Florida

From East Coast in July (7/26-8/5)
Fly into San Diego (Stay 2 nights)

**Drive North to...LA/Hollywood? or up to Santa Monica? (is this too far for 1 day of travel??) Spend 2 nights in this area. **
**This is a big ??; where to stop from San Diego heading North...not going to Disney; want coastal towns; I would not mind swinging through "Hollywood" see the sign, celeb house tour; but not sure it warrants a hotel stay...

Drive up to Monterey/Carmel(?Do we give up 1 night in San Diego for 1 night in Carmel?); over to Yosemite for 2 nights. Drive from YNP to San Francisco for 3 nights. (Day trip to Napa?) Stay in San Jose airport area for last night due to early AM flight.

We do not want to break up the trip too much by jumping hotels, but on the other hand it seems the best way to cover the most ground. After all, it is a "road trip"!

Trip Objectives (in this order):
1. See the CA Coast
2. See Yosemite
3. Get a "feel" for SFO
4. Get up to wine country if possible

Any thoughts/input appreciated. Also, we are trying to stay @ Marriotts if anyone has recommendations in that regard. Thanks!

If you call it Cali you won't get feedback.

San Diego should be about 2 hours, but at the wrong time of day it is 3 hours. It is not too far.

I would spend one night in Monterey/Carmel. Actually I like Pacific Grove better and it it is between Carmel & Monterey. We always enjoyed Pt. Lobos when we visited as children at about that age.

I find San Diego boring, but that's just me. Unless you are spending most of the day at the San Diego Zoo-Legoland, then two nights in San Diego is probably best.

With two kids are you going to be able to do wine tasting? If you want a taste of wine country, you are passing near the Santa Ynez Valley which is off Rt 246 from the 101 freeway at about Solvang. You might take a night in that area and just add a taste of winetasting there. There is plenty to see in the Bay Area and I'm not sure the kids will be that interested in Napa.

If you don't have a lot of sights to see in LA, you might consider staying in Santa Barbara rather than LA. Santa Barbara definitely fits your criteria for a coastal town. This will make for more driving, but if you leave SD in the morning, get to the LA area around 11 or so, you can spend the afternoon there, and then be in Santa Barbara for dinner.

I wouldn't give up a night in San Diego since you've only got 2 to begin with, which realistically gives you 1 full day. With only 1 night in SD, you might as well skip it all together and fly into LA.

For Monterey, I agree with the Pacific Grove recommendation. Great location.

While in SF, you can definitely take a day and go up to the wine country. You might want to combine it with a trip to Muir Woods or Sausalito. Your kids wont be able to wine taste, of course, but they may find the wineries interesting. Too bad your 15 year old isn't 1 year older - designated driver ;) Stopping in the Santa Ynez valley is another great alternative.

One place that isn't on your itinerary is Santa Cruz, which your kids would probably love.

You should book your Yosemite reservations right away. . . there is nothing left in the Valley but tent cabins at Curry Village. The motels just outside the park boundary have a few rooms left.

SFO is an airport, don't think it's really what you want to get a feel for, although it is a rather nice airport.

No, really I'll try to be helpful. LA/Hollywood/Santa Monica is nothing but a few hour's drive from San Diego, but you would need to be sure where you are staying. No reason to stop anywhere in between, if you want coastal, then it's Santa Monica, or even farther north up to Santa Barbara (well out of the LA area). You can easily do a tour of Hollywood from SD and end up in Santa Monica in one day, but it would be best if you avoid the rush hour, from SD start about 9 AM so you hit LA around 10 and 11, after the morning rush and before the lunch rush. Timing is crucial here.

Well this is just the start of your journey. If it's to be a "road trip" you will have to expect to switch hotels each and every night.

I did not realize there were so many perfectionists on here! I did not mean to offend or err by referring to "Cali" or "SFO"...only trying to be brief.

tina - I know, we are definitely prickly about names and abreviations around here. I am not sure why. Don't worry though, we are generally nice people :)

I'll get comments, but I think the Cali abbrev. is cute. Anyway, I'd spent at least one night (can you squeeze in two?), in Carmel/Pacific Grove (PG)/Monterey. All three are great. Although, PG has been really growing on me lately. :-)

As noted above it's crucial to leave San Diego about 9- 9:30am to drive to L.A. It's not a bad drive if you time it right. It's awful if you don't.
There are a few things in to do in L.A. Hollywood is pretty well through the thick of the traffic if you're going to stop.
Once you get past Thousand Oaks it's lovely.
You'll be right in time to look for a little lunch. I live in San Diego, I would give up an extra day in SD to go to Carmel or Big Sur!!
Why, if you're going to be in San Francisco would you fly out fo San Jose? If you haven't paid for the flight maybe you could reconsider? Even flying out of Oakland would be better and you can take the BART there. There isn't much down there unless you live there and The City is wonderful.

I don't mind Cali either. Native Californian here. :-)

I'm totally biased, but I also snore at San Diego and prefer Laguna Beach by a logn shot. There are so many beautiful (hidden) beaches, it's a surfy town but is also picturesque. See if you can score a room at Vacation Village (on the beach--just be sure not to take a room facing the highway unless you can sleep through the rumble). Not fancy but prime location.

If you must do San Diego, try to stay in a North SD County town like Encinitas. If you're kids are into skateboarding, be sure to swing by the Encinitas YMCA (right off the 5 freeway at Encinitas Blvd.) as many of the top pro's practice there on the huge halfpipe.

I like Encinitas--still retains a lot of the old CALI flavor. ;-)

Boy oh boy was I sloppy in that last post. I should have my B.A. in English revoked immediately.

A few more tidbits:

I actually just did the CA Coast road trip two months ago (probably my 99th time at least, but this trip was to show two out-of-staters the state, so I think I will share some of my thoughts in relation to that).

In no particular order...

I'm sorry to harp about traffic, but it really can stress out a vacation. Big Sur is one you need to know about. Off season, it's a dream drive, an almost mystical kind of spot (well, OK, not for everyone). But sometimes that summer traffic results in a very slow snake of cars for miles. Eek!

In Big Sur: you might want to see if you can snag a room at the Big Sur Lodge (state-run, no luxury at all, but in a good location).

Carmel: ridiculously cute/picturesque but very pricey. I recently check out some inns there. I suggest the Colonial Terrace Inn because it's just a 1 min walk to the beautiful beach there. Quiet, residential area. Old but in good shape.

Ah, sorry, I just re-read your post. You may be using Marriott points. Well, there is a pretty nice Marriott in Dana Point called (snarky wink) the Laguna Cliffs (it's 5 miles south of Laguna). Nice pool, quiet locale. I've stayed there twice. I'd personally rather be IN Laguna Beach but like I said, I'm biased.

Re wine country: here's my take (and I have two siblings who have lived there since the early 70s). It's roasting hot in summer (I know, you're from Florida) and it's sorely overpriced IMO. If you do go, I would skip the Napa Valley and do Sonoma Valley instead. Healdsburg is cute, but probably further norther than you want to go.

If it were me, I would use my 9 days this way:

SD (stay in North SD County--Encinitas or Del Mar, on OCEAN side of freeways if possible). I presume you'll be flying in late, but if you're in time for dinner consider Fillipi's (several locations). Sawdust on floor Italian spot. reasonable. tasty.

Orange Co. (Laguna Beach is of course my vote. Some here like Huntington Beach but personally I think the beaches are monotonous. The whole pier scene might be ok for the teens, though. Newport Beach (my hometown) is similar, just more expensive, more yachty.

Santa Monica (like all SoCal beach towns) can be crazy crowded, but some really like it (I'd never go during the summer myself--but it's SO L.A.). Malibu is sad because access to the beach is (unlawfully) difficult with all the big houses blocking the way. Grr.

You can get good deals in Long Beach--it's halfway between OC and L.A. and there is a new downtown scene happening, worth a couple hours. Good aquarium, too.

Santa Barbara. I just spent a night there and felt depressed--here I was showing my friends this supposedly lovely spot on the coast and all we could smell was OIL. Ugh! (Reminded me to quickly donate to whatever environmentalist organizations that fight offshore drilling so it won't happen off Laguna!). Ack! SB main downtown area is now half scruff, half GAP/STARBUCKS/INC. The worthwhile SB is the hidden SB--use a good guidebook, venture off the beaten path. Maybe some locals can chime in here? I personally always stop at The Church of Skatin' my favorite skate shop that is housed in (u guessed it) an old church.

SAN LUIS OBISPO: unsung favorite! Mellow college town with a good vibe. Huge Farmer's Market on (I forget which day). If you want a taste of wild California coast, head to Montana del Oro State Park, very underused, very primative but OH there is my California in a nutshell (seashell?).

Speaking of seashells, Plese Everyone stop taking our shells! ok, lecture is over. (But really--in Laguna it's now a crime to take anything other than trash from the beaches.)

Another cool alternate idea: stay at Baywood Inn in tiny Baywood Park (part of Los Osos, south of Morro Bay). Off the tourist track (by several eons) this is a tiny village off most tourists' radar. You can rent kayaks/canoes and head to the sandspit (30 ft high dunes) across the bay (water is only a few feet deep so you must check the tide chart before doing this).

Favorite yummy meal: Big Sky Cafe in downtown SLO.

the more I think about it, the more I'd recommend a stay in SLO. Sorry, no Marriotts for you, alas.

I too like Pacific Grove and have stayed there about 5 times. Monterey is just too crazy-touristy for me. Yes the aquarium is great but not worth a two hour line up, IMO. PG has a lot of choices. The whole town is pretty quiet so no big concerns on which inn to pick.

Santa Cruz! Now there is a teen favorite (older teens, perhaps). Warning: one stop at UC Santa Cruz (one of the University of California campuses) and you will want to register immediately. Not for your kid, for you! Surf and redwoods. check this out.

San Fran: so worth it, just don't try to do too much. I would say cancel SD and just spent a week here instead. You might consider a VRBO.com spot here. Live like a local. If you can't, one well located spot is the Cow Hollow Motor Inn. It's right on a major street (Van Ness I think) but our very nice room was amazingly quiet. (Be sure to ask for a quiet room).

If you're feeling really adventurous, book a room at one of our lighthouse hostels. They aren't bad! Your kids probably won't forget that one. There's also a fab hostel in San Francisco's Presidio. They have "family rooms" but the go fast.

Last thought: Marin County. Definitely worth a look. Tiny towns of Anselmo, Fairfax, Larkspur..so North Cali!
Stinson Beach (known for its great whites--chomp) is a crazy crowded spot in summer but you'll definitely see the West Coast version of Martha's Vineyard.

I wish you (and anyone else considering a trip) could come in the Fall or Spring when we're at our best. Especialy fall.

Enjoy!

SLO's Farmer's Market is on Thursday Night. ITA on Big Sky Cafe. Also, Mo's for BBQ and Linnea's for coffee and acoustic music.

FWIW, we have taken our daughter with us to a couple of wineries while on vacation. They are usually very nice and will give her grape juice and some crackers and/or cheese, so she enjoys the stop too.

Fog

Big Sky in SLO has a nice wine selection by the glass, if you think you might have to cut the winetasting out.