Well after a few discussions we have decided to decrease our driving time further and increase our days in San Francisco to six. I am very excited about having the extra time there. ( Stu's fabulous SF report is partly to blame for this!). As we now only have 2 full days and nights to get to SF what do you all think about the following:
Day 1 Depart LA around 10am and travel to Paso Robles where we stay overnight.
Day 2 Depart Paso Robles for Carmel and overnight there.
Day 3 Drive to San Francisco , taking our time as it doesn't matter what time we arrive.
My one doubt is whether the 1st night should be Santa Barbara rather than Paso Robles as I'm not sure of the number of places of interest between LA & PR.
Thanks to the others for their comments which I really appreciate.

Stu, I have printed the Michelin restaurant list (from the One Market web site) and will enquire about Christmas at their restaurant. We are all very well travelled and appreciate good cuisine. My brother, who has lived for many years in France, is a true gourmand and he, like my husband and I enjoy our wine.

dbdurand, I would very much like to receive your restaurant recommendations.

Thanks again and any further thoughts will be appreciated.

>>taking our time as it doesn't matter what time we arrive.<<

Just remember that it will become pretty dark here around 5:30 in late December. You certainly don't want to be driving Hwy #1 during that time of day & perhaps you won't want to try to find the Palace Hotel after dark during commute hours.

If the weather is nice, I bet you will have wished that you could spend more time in Carmel & Pt Lobos.

I would try to get as far north as you possible can the first night. The winegrowing region around Paso Robles is pretty, but the vines will be totally bare that time of year. I also would not short-change the beautiful Big Sur Coast (incl Pt Lobos) if the weather is nice.

Stu Dudley

Yes there may be regrets as I know how beautiful the Carmel area is. However we do have fabulous coastal areas in my country and beautiful wine growing areas. We do not have a San Francisco however and I hate being rushed when in a new city. (it will seem so after so many years). As well as sights its great to have time to people watch and "waste time" so to speak rather than rush, rush.
If only we had longer but my husband still works and we will have been away for over four weeks in the height of our summer with worries of losing our garden from drought. No sprinkler systems allowed.
Will take your advice and try and get as far north as possible the first day. Perhaps we shouldn't even book our accommadation. What are your thoughts on this? It is probably a quiet time and we could just opt for a reasonable looking motel.
Cheers.

We stayed in Carmel about 3 weeks ago (free hotel that was a gift to my wife - it is closing in Nov). September is a very popular time to visit Carmel because the weather is usually great then. We were there mid-week. Just about 100% of the hotels & motels had vacancies. I don't know much about the hotels on the south end of Hwy #1 near Cambria. Once past San Simeon, however, there are very few places to stay until you get to the town of Big Sur.

Here is something to consider:

Head out on Sunday & drive as far north as you can - and then look for a hotel in Cambria, San Simeon, Paso Robles, etc. I'm pretty sure that there will be vacancies in San Simeon.

Next day, head north along the coast. Stay in Carmel - reserve in advance. If the weather is fabulous and you fall in love with the coast & Carmel & want to stay another night, call the Palace and ask if you can cancel the first night of your 6 night reservation. Remind them that you are still staying there for 5 nights. If they say "no" then head to SF. If "yes" then book the Carmel hotel for another night & head to SF then next day.

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu. Will go with your suggestion. Now I just have to book Carmel and our hire car and we're ready to go!

Instead of Paso Robles, why not stay in San Luis Obispo..? There is a lovely California Mission there which is historic. Its a nice town with plenty of places to stay. Its the jumping off place for route #1. Or you can continue up #101. When you are in Carmel, do check out that mission too. They are all different, and part of California history.

You have received a lot of good advice. Hopefully, the weather will be cooperative. Generally in California, there's less rain the further south you are during the winter months. So you have a good chance of being OK on your drive up to the Big Sur Coast.

I would recommend spending the first night in the Pismo/Shell Beach area. This is just south of San Luis Obispo but is on the ocean. There are a number of outstanding places to stay with ocean views from your room. Many have heated outdoor pools. A couple have indoor ones. The weather is fairly mild here year-round, so they keep the pools open even in December.

For an example, check out The Cliffs: http://www.cliffsresort.com/index.php

For $200 per night, you can get a spacious ocean view room.

Another favorite of ours is the Kon Tiki Inn.
http://www.kontikiinn.com/ Here, every room has an ocean view and you can hear the waves crashing on the beach below.

For the Wine Country, I would visit the Santa Barbara wineries rather than the Paso Robles ones. If you leave San Pedro early enough, you can get to the Santa Ynez area by early afternoon and have a couple of hours to visit the wineries. There are several options here but one that is easily accessed is the Foxen Canyon Trail which is right off Hwy 101 which the main highway.

http://www.santabarbara.com/winecoun...alleytrail.asp

I'm surprised no one has pointed out that driving North on Highway 1 is far less hair-raising than driving South. Having the buffer of the opposing traffic lane between you and the ocean helps, especially with those sheer 100+ foot drops. Enjoy!