I enjoyed kayaking in Monterey Bay. The kayak company has all the gear and a guide. It was kind of a chilly day but fun. If Monterey Bay seems too intimidating, you can drive up to Moss Landing and kayak there. You will see Sea Otters, seals, lots of birds. Fun. After kayaking try Phils Fish Market -is a great place to dine. It is a fish market but also a restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. It is famous for its Cioppino. If you go to Phil's, do not go on Mothers Day. Long waits.

Capitola is a cute little beach town to visit.

In case you don't know (I didn't), Monterey is a cruise ship stop. Looks like there's a ship in port the day before Mother's Day (that one's a huge ship) and the day after.

https://crew-center.com/monterey-cal...-ship-schedule

If you haven't bought your ticket yet, look into connecting to the United flight from Denver directly to Monterey. It would sure make things easier, especially on your departure day. There are also multiple American flights from Dallas and Phoenix to Monterey but not sure they work as well from your home airport.

Thank you Janisj for your opinion. That is the advice I was looking for.

Thanks tom_mn...I did NOT know that Monterrey is a cruise stop. Thank you. I followed the link and looked at the ships' itineraries for the days you mentioned and they are listed as 2023 no this year at 2022. Phew! Thank goodness. It seems the weekend of May 7-9 is very busy already!

Sorry, I didn't see that they listed '22 and '23 on the same page and there were only 2 stops in all of 2022, one May1 and then November. I did have my visit coincide with a cruise and it does fill up the shore with walkers and crowd the central Monterey attractions. So nothing for you to worry about.

I think we finally have it all figured out. I truly appreciate your help. You helped us think through the myriad of options.
We moved the trip a few days earlier to avoid Mother's Day weekend and will use a Sat as a travel day. We extended the trip an extra day, so we have a total of 6 full days to sight see. We want to relax and enjoy.
We decided to use SouthWest and fly into San Jose because we can do that for free (points).
Base our trip out of Pacific Grove.
Spend 2 days on Big Sur. !) Go early and hike/picnic at Point Lobos and 2) Drive Hwy 1 (with stops) down to McWay Falls with a late lunch at Nepenthe. With Limekiln trails mostly shut and Hearst Castle shut, the south end lost some of its appeal.
With the aquarium, 17 mile drive, bike rides, whale watch tour, Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, Wineries, and all the lovely restaurants...so much to do.
We just watched President Obama and the documentary on Monterrey/Big Sur and Samantha's Brown show on Big Sur. WOW!
We are a little sticker-shocked at the prices, but feel this will be a wonderful respite from the last 2 years of MidWest Ho Hum ;-)
Thanks, again!

Don't miss Passion Fish for dinner in Pacific Grove. And there are countless good restaurants in Carmel. Be sure to catch sunset at Carmel River State Beach.

We stayed at the Green Gables Inn in Pacific Grove and it was very nice. I would recommend.
If Hearst Castle is closed I would recommend staying Paso Robles. Find yourself a wine tour if you enjoy that sort of thing. We used Elite Wine Tours in Paso and had a great day. The area will not disappoint. I would definitely recommend Les Petites Canailles for dinner in Paso. You would need to make your reservation soon as it has become quite popular. We went in 2019 and it was still fairly new. By far one of my top 5 meals ever!

We thoroughly enjoyed our side trip to Salinas. We've visited Salinas several times in the past. Less than 40 mins from PG via hwy 68 (take this route - not the one via Hwy 1). The outskirts of Salinas are dreary, but the old town has been quite spruced-up (you'll know when you are in old town). Visit the Steinbeck museum and have lunch or browse at the nearby Steinbeck Victorian home. This would be a great thing to do on a dreary coastal day. Same with foggy-day trips to San Juan Bautista and Hollister.

My wife just completed her Shutterfly book for our Sept trip to Carmel, Big Sur, and Santa Cruz.
https://stududley.shutterfly.com/65

Click on "Full Screen". Yes - my wife is a Victorian House fanatic!!

Stu Dudley

your visit to pacific grove/carmel
 

We have greatly enjoyed the Pebble Beach resorts for lunch/cocktails on sunny days. At Spanish Bay, there is a lovely outdoor bar next to the 2d green. and there is a bagpiper as the sun sets. check the bagpiper time before you go.

there is a new outdoor restaurant next to the Hay (par 3) golf course. It's called "Hay's Place", I believe. a great placed to have lunch. Not particularly expensive, considering it's Pebble Beach.

Pacific Grove has a majestic coastline. I would suggest creating your own picnic at least one of the days and eat at one of the oicnic tables near lover's point or the PG golf course (near the John Denver memorial rock).

Point Pinos Grill, the restaurant at the PG public course, has wonderful views.

Thank you all for the restaurant recommendations, sunset views, and glorious vistas! We have reservations at Roy's, Passion Fish, and Rio Grill. We plan to lunch at Hay's, Phil's, and Nepenthe. Hoping to fit Fandango's in, as well. Any thoughts on Roy's? Food reviews seem mixed, but seems like a beautiful spot.
Feeling so confident about our trip now. Thank you, everyone.

Rio Grill is in a strip mall with a Safeway. Better ambiance and food at Fandango, IMO. It will be one of your longer drives to dinner also. Plenty of parking, however.

Stu Dudley

17 mile drive
 

as you may know, there normally is a charge ($11? ) to drive on 17 mile drive. If you tell the guy at the gate you are going to eat, at a Pebble resort, they frequently don't charge you. If they do charge you, keep the receipt and give it to you waitperson-they will deduct that fee from your check..

San Juan Bautista is a mission town, with other historical buildings around the town square. Restaurants and fun shops to explore. One of our favorites.

And scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo were filmed there.

Stu Dudley

I'm not a huge fan of the food at that Roys. I do like Hays Place and also The Bench in Pebble. In addition to Passionfish, I also like Wild Fish in downtown PG if you're looking for seafood. A couple of newer places in Monterey, Stokes Adobe and Cella, are good as well. Both are located in historic adobes.

I just wanted to reach out and say "Thank You" once again. Our trip was incredible. Early May was a terrific time of year to visit. Crowds were low everywhere, The wildflowers were blooming everywhere (sigh). Locals were out and very friendly. We LOVED Pacific Grove. The 7 Gables was the most perfect spot. We were able to walk to Monterey to go to the Aquarium. The rest of Monterrey reminded me of a "Bourbon Street". So glad we didn't plan time down there but the aquarium. We did the 17 mile drive of Pebble Beach early on...took our time...no people. It was a great introduction to what we would be seeing. We ate breakfast at the B&B, snacked for lunch and enjoyed dinner out. Wild Fish was my favorite! We did eat at Roy's after the Bagpiper played. Passion Fish, Nepethene, Farmer's Market after hiking on a Wed, Peppers (talked to the locals), Phils, and a few others I don't remember. Fog was never an issue. It burned off by 9AM. We loved the walking/hiking in the parks along HWY 1 and the views...my gosh...the views! I did not find HWY 1 frightening in the least. I was a little nervous about that because I have been on some mountain roads that make me queasy. So much to see and do in the area. Your wisdom was invaluable in helping us have a wonderful trip.

Thank for reporting back. Glad you skipped Santa Barbara (one of the dullest coastal cities) and stayed in Pacific Grove, much better than downtown Monterey.

Thanks for reporting back. I do hope you went to Carmel. I agree completely about Monterey but love Carmel and Pacific Grove.