From SFO to LAX in a week
 

DH and I are just about 70 and are flying into SFO on a Wednesday and out of LAX the following Wednesday. We're not interested in the city of SF. Have lived there briefly and covered the sites as well as going north often to wine country.

We will have a car the entire time.

The things we definitely want to see are Hearst Castle, a winery or two, missions, both Getty Museums and the Reagan Library. I know Santa Barbara comes well recommended but don't get a feel for how much time it needs: an overnight, two?

All of the trip reports I scanned seem to involve children or people who are trying to cover more distance than we are in a brief period. Neither of us want to be exhausted at the end of the trip.

Any specific hotel or restaurant recommendations would be appreciated. We got frequent flyer air so are willing to spend the saved money on nice accommodations and two or three nice dinners.
Thanks to all.

Just curious why you're flying into SFO at all, since everything on your list is much closer to LAX? Are you looking for recommendations between SFO and Hearst Castle?

You could drive to Monterey (or Carmel), then Cambria for Hearst Castle and nearby wineries in Paso Robles, then Santa Barbara with wine tasting in the nearby Santa Ynez Valley where the movie Sideways was shot.
I have not been to all the missions but both Carmel and Santa Barbara have beautiful ones.
Santa Barbara has a nice art show along the waterfront every Sunday.
If you provide your lodging budget per night in USD it will help folks make good suggestions.

If you like gardens, including the wild & wonderful, visit Lotusland, in Montecito, adjacent to Santa Barbara. Be sure to have a reservation. I cannot recommend enough.

http://www.lotusland.org

sf7307,Much agonizing about SFO, but using mileage worked better and we voted to not drive the same roads round trip.

MmePerdu,I will research Lotusland. Thanks for the suggestion, and I'm almost at the booking tickets phase.

jamie99, Thanks for mission and winery suggestions. I need that kind of specifics to help me focus.

San Juan Bautista has a nice mission and historical town square, restaurants and shopping. Just of US 101 on the way to Monterey. San Miguel mission is near Paso Robles, if you go to that area to visit wineries.

We enjoying visiting the Spanish missions, too. San Luis Obispo has a mission right in town. You could plot your trip to see specific missions on your route. The Jesuit college, Santa Clara U, has a nice one on campus, too.

I can recommend the well-priced Best Western Cavalier, on the ocean just a couple of miles below Hearst Castle. It's charming, with Swedish fireplaces in many rooms. They light bonfires on the beach at night, and set out chairs and tables.

If you want to splurge on hotels that are oceanside:

The Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara

Shutters on the Beach, Santa Monica.
Whenever possible, we try to get a meal at Coast; especially on their outdoor patio overlooking the beach. Great food. Elegant service. Not cheap.

Los Agaves is a great Mexican restaurant in Santa Barbara with really good seafood. Spending at least one night in Santa Barbara would be very worthwhile

Since SFO is a "given", I would do something along the lines Jamie proposes - drive from SFO to Monterey, then down the coast to Cambria, then to Santa Barbara, then to LA. You only have 6 days really, so maybe spend the day in Monterey, day at Hearst Castle (Cambria), day in Santa Barbara, and the remaining 3 days in LA.

I think some ideas are gelling thanks to your responses. We get to SFO at 11:30 a.m. (the airlines willing) and I figure to be on the road by 12:30. I thought we'd go directly to a hotel in Cambria, try to have an early night with a nice dinner and nice bed. If we spend Thursday at Hearst, it would be either to do two separate day tours OR if we could do a day tour and their evening tour (which schedule is not available yet). Whichever, we would be on the road early Friday morning, with mission(s?) and winery on the way to Santa Barbara (love to have a hotel recommendation close to heart of the town but not the really high prices I'm seeing on expedia, booking or travelocity). Stay Santa Barbara Friday and Saturday nights, with a slow progress to LA on Sunday making some local stops along the way(?) Then hotel Sunday, Monday, Tuesday halfway between the two Gettys and Reagan Library and maybe one other museum before a noon flight out of LAX. I'd appreciate a critique because I know the biggest failure involves shoving too much into a limited time. Thank you. You're all helping me plan.

The noon flight out of LAX isn't until the Wednesday.

>> and I figure to be on the road by 12:30. I thought we'd go directly to a hotel in Cambria,<<

But then you'll miss everything in between (which IMO is better than what you'll see/do in Santa Barbara). 12:30 may be a bit optimistic but assuming you do get on the road by then - it is about a 4 hour drive the fast 101 route. The scenic route via Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur is about a 5 hour drive plus stops (many)

If it was me I'd stay in Carmel, then Cambria then, (maybe) Santa Barbara, then on to the LA area.

IMO bad idea to try and drive all the way to Cambria leaving shortly after lunch. It is about a 5-6 hour drive without stops at all. The portion between Carmel and Cambria is the Big Sur and I do not care what Google Maps says, their times are way off since you will not be driving the speed limit (some places are posted as low as 25mph) on a winding curvy road high above the ocean. Stay in Monterey or Carmel (or Pacific Grove) first.

re jamie99's post -- that is the scenic route I mentioned. It is the ONLY route I'd take because the scenery is amazing. And she is right it would likely be closer to 6 hours plus stops.

Although parts of the drive down 101 to Cambria are also very pretty (not like the coastal route, but much nicer than driving on the interstate)

Definitely don't speed down to Cambria and miss the in-between, as others said already.

We got a surprisingly great deal on a King suite at the Castillo Inn, Santa Barbara across from the marina.
http://www.sbcastilloinn.com

PS. Friends like Gainey, near Santa Barbara:

Gainey Vineyard
www.gaineyvineyard.com

Carmel and Santa Barbara were my favorite coastal towns. I really enjoyed Samta Barbara- I'd spend 2 nights there.

Thanks to all. I think we'll do the first night in Carmel and the second in Cambria because Hearst Castle really does figure big in our list and we'll probably want to book two separate tours. I'm searching the web for further details on all your suggestions, missions, wineries, Lotusland.

jamie99, sorry I didn't reply. I was thinking between $200 to $300 average hotel rate. A problem with going higher is when I read reviews of high end properties, someone always has a horror story of peeling wallpaper or thin walls that make me think the Motel 6 is comparable (I'm exaggerating a bit).

Something to keep in mind is that many accommodations along the coast required 2 night minimums on weekends.

You will have a great trip and love it!