Bucky, I understand! It seems like everyone wants you to have the very same experiences they had, right down to the same appetizer for dinner.

Hearst Castle is indeed very nice. I'm just concerned that you are trying to do too much. I do that all the time myself... if you are in a place you start stretching your limits. The part of Monterey that the website is probably referring to is the wharf area and maybe some of the Cannery Row area. Those parts are good for a day at most. But if you use your hotel as a base, the driving to Carmel, Point Lobos, and even Big Sur, really aren't that far. And I don't think those areas can be considered tourist traps by any stretch of the imagination!

Can you play it by ear? Don't buy your tickets to Hearst Castle til you decide you're ready to leave the Monterey area and make a cancellable reservation in Morro Bay. Then if you get to Monterey, feel like you've seen it all and are ready to move on, drive on down.

Be forewarned, the drive along the coast is a LONG drive. Sometimes, when the weather doesn't cooperate you don't even get to see much. Once I was at one of the turn outs and some guys in a sports car sped up, jumped out for a look and a low layer of fog covered the ocean! They wailed, "3000 miles of driving and we can't even see the Pacific".

I'm sure you'll have a great time, whatever you decide.

I, on the other hand, like your second itinerary. Yes, Hearst Castle is worth the extra effort.

Just one wee change: since you will be driving straight back to SF via 101, I would suggest taking Highway 1 going down to Monterey. You can stop off at Ano Nuevo (make reservations!) to see the elephant seals. Since this is the season (Dec-March) for seeing these huge animals and since it's on the way, it's almost an effortless add-on.

I do have an ulterior motive! :) Promoting our beautiful state! I've travelled overseas and domestically a lot, but California is where I love to come back to! Have fun!

Bucky, I will pop up again to say I pretty much like your 2 nights in Morro Bay plan. As your neighbor's kids and Easytraveller advise, do not miss Hearst Castle, especially with teenagers. It will be a highlight of your trip. Do make reservations in advance to avoid disappointment, as it is a wildly popular destination. You will not see anything except a couple of tiny towers on a distant mountaintop unless you get on a tour, and it is not once but several times that I've sat on the terrace at Nepenthe hearing the sad tales of those who were shut out.

There is nothing in Monterey, except possibly the aquarium, which you or your kids will find remotely as interesting. I really don't have anything against Monterey, which is a pretty city and I think would be a fine place to live, with more to interest the tourist than most places. Its just that as soon as you go south of it, you get to places that are less visited and less big-hotelled but much more world-class, uniquely wonderful.

Morro Bay has the advantage of being a base from which you can get back to San Francisco airport quickly on 101, as you have already figured out. Another advantage to it which no one has yet mentioned is that Morro Rock, which overlooks Morro Bay, is a worthy scenic attraction in its own right, and I think it will be especially so to your teenagers. I remember seeing it first at age 12 and being absolutely fascinated by it.

Grasshopper, it pains me, because my honest opinion is that Monterey the city is a much-overrated tourist destination, to be identified as that endlessly tedious, San Jose-loving, everywhere-else-especially-San-Francisco bashing person who haunts the Northern California posts, constantly congratulating and agreeing with the posts he or she has posted on the same threads under other screen names. To prove that I am not this person let me make this also sincere statement: there is nothing in San Jose or its immediate environment--even Big Basin--which a tourist should spend time on during their first twenty-five weeks of visiting California. Convinced?

Bucky, one last comment about your Sunday night. I do agree with the Big Sur Lodge desk clerk about it being about 45 minutes drive back to Monterey from there. The road is slow. However, once you are there, none of you will want to go back. At age 14 or as an adult, rain or shine, there's no way that I'd ever want to be in a characterless modern hotel in synthetic Monterey than in a cabin in the uniquely, hauntingly beautiful atmosphere of Big Sur. Once you've experienced it, you'll know.

Hi bucky!
I would also agree that the Big Sur Lodge would be a great place to stay. I stayed there this past Summer and loved it. The rooms are very spacious with their own balcony, and some have fireplaces and kitchens. One thing that was a huge plus for me was their pass for free admission to all the state parks in the area: Julia Pfieffer Burns, Point Lobos, Andrew Molera...all are definately worth checking out. We did visit Monterey to do a whale watching trip (maybe an hour, but VERY schenic,drive) I really enjoyed every minute of it. I do have a trip report on here under "San Francisco/Big Sur trip report" if you would like to find out more.
I hope you have a wonderful time!

bucky,

I think that your revised plan for two nights in Mooro Bay with a visit to Hearst Castle is perfectly fine, as is spending 3 or 4days in Monterey. i have never really thought of Monterey as a tourist trap. In fact, I think Sf is more of tourist trap thatn Monterey. I would limit my time in SF to spend more time along the picteresque Central Coast. SF is okay, but I found it to be way overhyped.