Carmel or San Luis Obispo?
 

Hello:
I'm planning a road trip in March with my boyfriend from Las Vegas to Napa Valley and then San Francisco. We have time to spend two nights somewhere in between. Already visited Yosemite some years ago so I want a different experience. I've been looking at San Luis Obispo and Carmel and both seem pretty charming. But, Carmel is a longer drive from Vegas. Is it worth it or should we save some time and go to San Luis Obispo?

Carmel is a 8 or 9 out of 10. SLO is maybe a 5 or 6. If you had enough time I'd suggest 2 nights in Carmel and 1 in SLO. But if you only have 2 nights, spend them in Carmel.

Carmel and Big Sur would be my choice for sure

In March, both places should have lots of vacancies, so you don't really need to book ahead. You could stop in San Luis Obispo (or Avila Beach) for a late lunch and decide if you feel like driving a couple more hours or not.
San Luis Obispo is about an 8 hour hike from Las Vegas , if it were me I would probably spend 1 night in Santa Barbara and 1 night in Carmel. Lunch in San Luis Obispo in between maybe?

If you really didn't feel like you could push on to Carmel from SLO - check out very cute/nearby town of Cambria - Moonlight Beach if you want to splurge a little.

From Santa Barbara to Cambria is a fairly straight shot driving wise (hour and a half on an easy driving road) - once you get past the cute/Danish themed town of Solvang - about 45 minutes "above" SB.

The next am - go take a tour of Hearst Castle on your way to Carmel. www.hearstcastle.org, - nothing like it in the US.

Also stop at the Elephant Seal beach a couple of miles north of the turnoff into Hearst Castle (which is just north of San Simeon).

The advantage of stopping somewhere around Cambria for the night - is that you will be going through the very scenic Big Sur area during the middle of the day (assuming you take the Hearst Castle tour) and will have more time/sunlight to really enjoy it. :)

Tomsd's advice parallels my own experience. I wouldn't want to arrive at SPECTACULAR. Big Sur tired by a long day of driving. It is too beautiful.

Also, if you like wine enough to go to Napa, Cambria is a sort of center for Central Coast wines. We stopped at Hearst Castle, but if I were doing it again, I would pursue some Pinot Noir instead!

Back in the day, Cambria was also famous for a house/sculpture built by an outsider artist named Dr. Tinkerpaw. It has probably been replaced by condos, but if it is still there, it will amaze you.

If you only have two nights, going all the way to Carmel could, especially if you hit some traffic along the way...get you in quite late. So you only have one full day to enjoy Carmel. If you stop a night in Santa Barbara you'll have the latter part of the afternoon to enjoy.
If you leave Las Vegas between 5am and 7am you'll hit monster traffic from Victorville into Los Angeles if that's your route. And if you leave Las Vegas at 7:30am and stop only in Ventura or Summerland for a seaside lunch, that puts you into Carmel after dark.

According to MapQuest, it's 8 1/2 to 9 hrs to Carmel, and 7 to 7 1/2 hrs to SLO.

Kferrer never mentioned Hwy 1.

I wouldn't want to drive 7 1/2 hrs to SLO, then next morning 3-4 hrs up Hwy 1 to Carmel, and next morning 3 1/2 to 4 hrs to the Napa Valley (take 280 to SF, then GG Bridge, not an East Bay route). I would want a relaxing day somewhere in there by driving the ugly route through Barstow, Bakersfield, Paso Robles, Salinas, to Carmel and staying 2 nights. If you want some Highway 1, drive 1 hr south of Carmel & back.

Stu Dudley

I 100% agree w/ Stu. Why drive all day long just to get to SLO, then drive again the next day to Carmel. Get an early start from Vegas and you'll be in Carmel by mid to late afternoon and have two nights to enjoy the area.

Whatever you decide, I advise against taking the coast from Santa Barbara to Carmel. It's long and exhausting. Best to take 101 and then 68 (towards Monterey Peninsula) to Carmel. You could always drive to Big Sur the next day. Cambria beats SLO for sure. Carmel is the best of all.

absolutely - you don't have enough time to drive up the coast.

If you are into California wines, then a night in San Luis Obispo or even Paso Robles (30 miles North of SLO along the 101) may be a good call. Lots and lots of great wineries to stop at. Personally, I can take Carmel for only so long and one night would be the "so long" for me. :) If you are hitting SLO on a Thursday, there is a lively outdoor farmer's market starting at 6:00p.m. along the Heguera Street [sp] with some restos setting up booths outdoors, and local college band playing. Personally, I like that kind of community stuff. Maybe you will also.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!! I think Carmel wins!!

"Personally, I can take Carmel for only so long and one night would be the "so long" for me."

I, on the other hand, can never spend enough time in the Carmel area and have just returned from my 4th weekend in a row there enjoying the beautiful ocean walks and views.

We love Carmel so much we're moving there next month :)

Can anyone suggest a wonderful hotel in Carmel for just one night?

Welcome to Fodors JillGCM. This is a very old thread -- you may want to start a new one of your own w/ your specific question(s). When you re-post -- please include your budget.

Also - it does depend on the day of the week -- most Carmel properties have a 2 night minimum on weekends.

Hi Jill,
Yes please start a new thread. I liked Highlands Inn (now run by Hyatt) but it is not cheap so budget in USD please, not adjectives like "moderate".

Time of year and whether there are any events in town can make a big difference in terms of rates/minimum stays as well.