If you had three days for a romantic getaway to California, where would you go? What would you do? Where would you stay?

Try the Inn at Spanish Bay in the Monterey area. Lovely and relaxing. Right on the beach. Or try the Napa
Valley. Go to the Meadowood Resort for
a quiet beautiful spot. If you don't
already know the wine country this would
be a fabulous trip.

I disagree with Jennifer. When I traveled to Napa Valley, all we found to do is taste wine. It is not very nice for tourists. There aren't many restaurants, or anything else to do. If you want to go somewhere, you have to travel through mountains to go North..very lond and dangerous ride, and if you want to go South, it takes two hours to get to San Francisco. If you want a real romantic getaway, stay somewhere in Southern California. The climate here was rated the second best in the world, and there is a ton of things to do. The best romantic place is La Jolla. It is a ritzy place, but the people are very nice and laid back. They have great beaches, restaurants, shopping, and activities to do such as snorkeling. Although I didn't stay there, I know it's great. An excellent suggestion is the Dinner Cruise, or breakfast Cruise on the Harbor. It is $45.00 per person, but that includes the great meal, and the scenic ride. They have Coronado, an island with great beaches, and Cabrillo National State park overlooking the Pacific Ocean and San Diego. Tip-(if you go there, they have a great tide pool). Hope my information helped. If you need any more reccomendations, I would be happy to help. Again, my email is [email protected] !

I'd stay at Bungalow #7 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The BV has a lovely pool, terrfic room service, attentive and discrete staff.

http://www.thebeverlyhillshotel.com/home1.htm

Wow- I don't know what wine country Kim
was in - but how can you say there are
no restaurants in the Napa area ? Some
of the best restaurants in California are found in Napa. On top of that there is the beautiful scenery , balloon rides, spas treatments, etc. I still highly recommend it.

Kim, Duh......Don't go back to Napa. You have obviously lost the thread.

Try the El Zorro Resort in the Anza Borrego Desert. Or how about the inn (I forgot the name) in Two Harbors on Catalina Island.

A bit out of the way but both very nice and romantic, both are very different in style and type of location.

Either San Diego or San Francisco... There is so much to do in either place! I guess for couples romance, San Francisco would get a slight edge for me.. with all due respect to Jennifer..I don't care for the Napa/Sonoma thing, though in fairness my in-laws LOVE going to Napa and doing the wine tasting thing.
I just don't care for wine tasting and I would rather be in a romantic city with all the amenities.

Long and dangerous ride through Napa? Not nice for tourists? No restaurants?

Not the Napa I (or most people) know.

A suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Beach (Dana Point/Laguna Niguel) overlooking the beach, of course!

If the time of year was between Nov. - April one great option is The Willows in Palm Springs. You can sleep in the same room that Albert Einstein and his wife, or better yet, that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymooned in. An interesting mood setter. The property is fabulous. $0.02.

This answer depends very much on what time of year you are coming and what your budget is! Without knowing that, how can we advise? That said, I am on the side of the pro-Napa group since wine tasting or not, there are plenty of some of the best restaurants in California in the area! Calistoga is a little spa and pretty funky, St. Helena is old and fun to poke around in and there are balloon rides to take as well as golf courses and bicycle tours. What else should there be to do? If you need more than that, then you are best off in San Francisco or one of the other cities.

The Inn on Mount Ada on Catalina Island, but only if you can afford to stay at the inn. If not, wouldn't recommend Catalina. Some little B&B in Mendocino would be great as would Ventana in Big Sur. In a city, the Archbishop's Mansion in San Francisco is tres romantic. Romantic is hard to define and very individual. Good luck.

We love California for a get away...so much to do, and it is a trip from Florida.

We love Monterey, Carmel, San Fran...and I liked going from Napa to Tahoe for skiing...it is a beautiful trip

santa barbara. it's always beautiful there. you can tour the channel islands, a bit south in ventura. good restaurants, lots of b&bs. if you want to be fancy by the beach, santa barbara. beverly hills is always fun. some really good, and expensive, reataurants as well. my vote, though, santa barbara, or cambria, the central coast of california. beautiful beaches, lots of cute, romantic hotels, lots of good food. any questions, let me know.
peri girl

Guys, this post is five years old. If you think it's a worthwhile question, post it again, but after five years information can be too old to be of much use.

Time of year? Depends on how much sun you want, but ROMANTIC? who cares!!!Well, as a Lagunatic, I recommend(for your purposes) the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach. Rooms are now being redecorated, so ask for a fresh one, although the older ones are nice and casual and all hang over the surf!
SExy!!! (There's a pool) Their restaurant is very nice and you are walking distance to all of Laguna Beach and a short drive to Newport Beach and Fashion Island, not to mention South Coast Plaza is minutes from LB and the John Wayne Airport (the airport to book and save hours AVOIDING LAX!

Ha! Just noticed the thread was from....2001!!!! Um, is it time Fodors cleaned out their closet???????!!!
I stand by my recommendation on 1/18/.....2006!!!! Would that be 5 years later???

woops. duh. oh well!

I am a SF native and have been around quite a bit. Partailly my answer would depend on how sophisticated vs. funky you want. For sophistication... I would definietly recommend Ventana or Post Ranch in Big Sur -- 2 nights would be ideal. Casa Madrona in Guallala near Mendicino is also great -- hot tub on the cliff. Aubege d' Soleil in Rutherford (Napa) is a great splurge, as is the Healdsburg Hotel (Napa).