Yes, I think I will try to spend at least 3 nights in the one place.

I may also stay in LA the night I get back from Cabo so I don't have to drive through peak hour traffic to get to Santa Barbara.

I'm going to extend my stay in Santa Barbara. Has anyone stayed at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara? There must be something on in Santa Barbara during October, because a lot of hotels are booked out already.

>>There must be something on in Santa Barbara during October, <<

I don't know what if anything is going on in Santa Barbara during your dates. But Sept/Oct are the best weather of the year along the central coast so hotels will be semi busy.

SB is a popular weekend getaway almost year-round.

If you're going to drive from L.A. to Santa Barbara I would suggest taking Highway 1 ... which goes along the coast through Malibu ... a spectacular drive (I did it yesterday) past surfers, celebrity homes and about 50 miles of natural unspoiled beauty.

Is it worth staying in Malibu? I've never been.

IMO, no. But I live here, so my impressions are different than the typical tourist. I would just stop for dinner somewhere in Santa Monica or Malibu and then continue to SB.

FYI, in several parts of Malibu, the homes block the views of the ocean, and all you see are garage doors. Traffic is usually moving fast enough that you need to concentrate more on driving, but once you get past these areas the views are great.

I think I will not go to Malibu. I have started a new thread for Santa Barbara as I need some more advice on that region.

I would consider staying in San Diego. You don't say if you have kids (otherwise I wouldn't bother with 3 days in Disneyland - you can see it pretty much in one day. More than that is overkill IMHO).

There is a lot to do in San Diego (Balboa Park, the SD Zoo, beaches, Old Town, La Jolla, Coronado, etc).

What are your plans (6 days) in Cabo for? Do you plan to do fishing tours?

Santa Barbara is nice but there really isn't much to do there. A day or two is more than enough. You can see the lovely, historic Mission and walk around the main town.

SB has a zoo for the little ones, the bird refuge, the sea center on the wharf, a nice planetarium (not sure of the age of your kids), playgrounds by the ocean, and of course, THE OCEAN!

I'm just going to Cabo to relax. I might do a bit of shopping. I'm not really going to sight see.

I will take the kids to the zoo in SB and just walk around the town.

I have booked 2 nights in Los Olivos and 2 nights in SB.