Great deals for San Francisco lodging? Monterey? Sonoma? Wharf Pass?
Jun 16th, 2011, 10:09 AM
#21
Geanster: You will see many vineyards on your trip. Monterey County, Carmel Valley will be handy when you are in Monterey. Not far from Cambria is the Paso Robles wine area. Also very nice.
If you have time, go to Napa or Somoma for the experience. But i wouldn't say one is any better than the other. Just different ... unless you are big wine enthusiast/consumer!
If you have time, go to Napa or Somoma for the experience. But i wouldn't say one is any better than the other. Just different ... unless you are big wine enthusiast/consumer!
Jul 8th, 2011, 07:59 PM
#23
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Thanks to everyone for your input! We ended up flying into San Francisco, renting a car and driving the 1+ hours to Monterey's Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa (priceline 4* purchase... there's an additional "$15.00 per day resort fee" you pay separately)...
It was alright, but I hope to stay at the Jabberwock Inn next time. They were great communicators though our dates didn't work out this time around.
We planned to hike around Big Sur the first day but detoured by Carmel to get a quick feel of the area and fell in love with the place. It's my new retirement pipe dream.
Charming shops and idyllic beach setting with loads of surfers, happy dogs and people golfing on the Pebble Beach course! Ate amazing chicken salad sandwiches on fresh baked bread at the Carmel Bakery & Coffee Co. (Logo is a pretzel - they have huge yummy pretzels too). We actually bought them and carried them to a space we found for a picnic. I can also vouch for their dark chocolate dipped macaroon and my friend vouches for the biscotti... skip the brownie. too sweet.
Finally hit Highway 1 and stopped at all the scenic spots along the white-knuckled drive... parked along the road at Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park and walked around McCall Falls. I had commented on the smell of eucalyptus and later overheard a guide pointing it out... something about there used to be a lot of it there? Interesting. Took the tunnel to the main park and hiked straight on back to a waterfall. Very nice little hike with the crossing of a couple of creek areas.
Stopped at The Phoenix store at Nepenthe on the way back. Very cool book shop and other fun items. Ate dinner at the Fish Hopper in Monterey that evening... we weren't quite taken with Monterey. A little too commercialized, but it's very neat how well they've maintained and made use of historic/functional buildings. The food was great there and we even had an otter swim by our window giving us a personal playful show. Now smitten with otters. lol
Original plan was to drive back down to Cambria for Hearst Castle, but we decided we'd prefer more Carmel and less white knuckled driving... We stayed at the Normandy Inn right on Ocean. GREAT location and adorable accommodations. Ate at the Grill (ok but wish we'd checked out the greek place instead). Visited the Carmel Mission on a Sunday which made for an even more authentic experience... the priest was preaching to a full house and we were able to listen in for awhile.
Our next leg included a 3 hour (torrential downpour) drive to Napa. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn as they were offering a great 2 night, napa train lunch, tasting passes (we only used 2 of the 6 because of time), breakfast included (made to order chocolate crepes, egg white omelets, croissants, etc., surprisingly delicious!!) deal... Well worth it. The Napa Train is restored vintage rail cars and food was good but we loved the opportunity to check out the vineyards from this perspective. We scoped out some of our stops for later that day driving. Visited Grgeich Winery (of the story from the movie Bottle Shock), Rubicon (Francis Ford Coppola/awesome antique film memorabilia), Alpha/Omega, Cakebread (my friends choice)... V. Sattui (which I thought may be over-commercialized but I loved their wines and would visit again)...
We stopped in Yountville hoping for something from Bouchon Bakery, but it had closed a few minutes earlier!!! :/ We were there at just before 7.
Note about Napa... I envisioned quiet country roads everywhere rather than the actual 2 lane highway that runs N to S through the whole valley. You just drive through and quickly turn off into the driveway of your choice. I'd have never imagined all of these vineyards only yards away from the traffic, but there they are. I'm sure there must be lovely drives and more to discover, but I'd recommend you take the time to research further about those options. I'd also look for a hidden B&B as I saw a sign down a quiet road that appealed.
We also had a wine tasting and pairing at the Oxbow Market in Napa - a strange high-end food court feeling place. Options were slim at the later hour and we ate at the Bounty Hunter. Fine, but not recommending.
I wanted to see Sonoma and thought I saw an alternate route on the map... It was a winding mountain side adventure over crumbling road and past fields of deer and a double 360 loop! Note: Follow your GPS advised route.
Sonoma square was a nice stroll and ate tasty Mexican at La Casa on the square. Originally intended Girl and the Fig but it was closed for an employee appreciation evening! All-in-all, didn't see what the fuss was about but I'm open to revisiting.
Final leg was San Francisco. We stayed at the Galleria Park Hotel. It was cute, but tiny rooms and lots of street noise. We also had a wet floor from a leaky fridge and moved to an even tinier room!... this was a Jetsetter purchase. Great location though. 1 block from the Montgomery Bart station which would make me reconsider it in a pinch at the price point.
We turned the car in at SFO on our way through and took the Bart on back. We did discover that the bus/cable car drivers are generally very nice and helpful! $2.00 gets you on with transfers for 90 minutes. However, we found that they're pretty lenient and we got around all day each day on
It was alright, but I hope to stay at the Jabberwock Inn next time. They were great communicators though our dates didn't work out this time around.
We planned to hike around Big Sur the first day but detoured by Carmel to get a quick feel of the area and fell in love with the place. It's my new retirement pipe dream.
Charming shops and idyllic beach setting with loads of surfers, happy dogs and people golfing on the Pebble Beach course! Ate amazing chicken salad sandwiches on fresh baked bread at the Carmel Bakery & Coffee Co. (Logo is a pretzel - they have huge yummy pretzels too). We actually bought them and carried them to a space we found for a picnic. I can also vouch for their dark chocolate dipped macaroon and my friend vouches for the biscotti... skip the brownie. too sweet.Finally hit Highway 1 and stopped at all the scenic spots along the white-knuckled drive... parked along the road at Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park and walked around McCall Falls. I had commented on the smell of eucalyptus and later overheard a guide pointing it out... something about there used to be a lot of it there? Interesting. Took the tunnel to the main park and hiked straight on back to a waterfall. Very nice little hike with the crossing of a couple of creek areas.
Stopped at The Phoenix store at Nepenthe on the way back. Very cool book shop and other fun items. Ate dinner at the Fish Hopper in Monterey that evening... we weren't quite taken with Monterey. A little too commercialized, but it's very neat how well they've maintained and made use of historic/functional buildings. The food was great there and we even had an otter swim by our window giving us a personal playful show. Now smitten with otters. lol
Original plan was to drive back down to Cambria for Hearst Castle, but we decided we'd prefer more Carmel and less white knuckled driving... We stayed at the Normandy Inn right on Ocean. GREAT location and adorable accommodations. Ate at the Grill (ok but wish we'd checked out the greek place instead). Visited the Carmel Mission on a Sunday which made for an even more authentic experience... the priest was preaching to a full house and we were able to listen in for awhile.
Our next leg included a 3 hour (torrential downpour) drive to Napa. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn as they were offering a great 2 night, napa train lunch, tasting passes (we only used 2 of the 6 because of time), breakfast included (made to order chocolate crepes, egg white omelets, croissants, etc., surprisingly delicious!!) deal... Well worth it. The Napa Train is restored vintage rail cars and food was good but we loved the opportunity to check out the vineyards from this perspective. We scoped out some of our stops for later that day driving. Visited Grgeich Winery (of the story from the movie Bottle Shock), Rubicon (Francis Ford Coppola/awesome antique film memorabilia), Alpha/Omega, Cakebread (my friends choice)... V. Sattui (which I thought may be over-commercialized but I loved their wines and would visit again)...
We stopped in Yountville hoping for something from Bouchon Bakery, but it had closed a few minutes earlier!!! :/ We were there at just before 7.
Note about Napa... I envisioned quiet country roads everywhere rather than the actual 2 lane highway that runs N to S through the whole valley. You just drive through and quickly turn off into the driveway of your choice. I'd have never imagined all of these vineyards only yards away from the traffic, but there they are. I'm sure there must be lovely drives and more to discover, but I'd recommend you take the time to research further about those options. I'd also look for a hidden B&B as I saw a sign down a quiet road that appealed.
We also had a wine tasting and pairing at the Oxbow Market in Napa - a strange high-end food court feeling place. Options were slim at the later hour and we ate at the Bounty Hunter. Fine, but not recommending.
I wanted to see Sonoma and thought I saw an alternate route on the map... It was a winding mountain side adventure over crumbling road and past fields of deer and a double 360 loop! Note: Follow your GPS advised route.
Sonoma square was a nice stroll and ate tasty Mexican at La Casa on the square. Originally intended Girl and the Fig but it was closed for an employee appreciation evening! All-in-all, didn't see what the fuss was about but I'm open to revisiting.
Final leg was San Francisco. We stayed at the Galleria Park Hotel. It was cute, but tiny rooms and lots of street noise. We also had a wet floor from a leaky fridge and moved to an even tinier room!... this was a Jetsetter purchase. Great location though. 1 block from the Montgomery Bart station which would make me reconsider it in a pinch at the price point.
We turned the car in at SFO on our way through and took the Bart on back. We did discover that the bus/cable car drivers are generally very nice and helpful! $2.00 gets you on with transfers for 90 minutes. However, we found that they're pretty lenient and we got around all day each day on
Jul 8th, 2011, 08:08 PM
#24
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$2.00 per day. LOVED the city though the maps and getting around took a ton of energy. Walked over 25,000 steps one of the days.
Saw many of the staples... Golden Gate Bridge, the view from Coit Tower, the Painted Ladies (Full House) on Alamo Square, watched the cars on Lombard Street, wandered around ghiradelli square... there were loads of movie trucks by the water for filming... still not sure what film it was... we stumbled upon a food truck festival Friday! Packed with people and great food options...Chinatown (Ate at R&G Lounge based on the advice received from a woman on a bus... urbanspooned to it and saw that Anthony Bourdain had featured it on his show! It was delicious. I had my first bubble tea at a shop nearby... We stopped at City Lights Bookstore in North Beach and shopped... (lots of fun literary history there/Alan Ginsberg/Bob Dylan)... Golden Gate State Park (A Picasso exhibit was there! but $25 and we didn't have the time to take advantage)... Everything costs so prepare... Tea Gardens, etc.
There is a fun hippy vibe to the city so you will find cool websites offering cheap/free things to do in the city. Just look them up.
And that's it!
I actually hadn't meant to post this yet... i wanted it as a trip review, but accidentally hit "submit"...
Thanks again for everyone's help!
Saw many of the staples... Golden Gate Bridge, the view from Coit Tower, the Painted Ladies (Full House) on Alamo Square, watched the cars on Lombard Street, wandered around ghiradelli square... there were loads of movie trucks by the water for filming... still not sure what film it was... we stumbled upon a food truck festival Friday! Packed with people and great food options...Chinatown (Ate at R&G Lounge based on the advice received from a woman on a bus... urbanspooned to it and saw that Anthony Bourdain had featured it on his show! It was delicious. I had my first bubble tea at a shop nearby... We stopped at City Lights Bookstore in North Beach and shopped... (lots of fun literary history there/Alan Ginsberg/Bob Dylan)... Golden Gate State Park (A Picasso exhibit was there! but $25 and we didn't have the time to take advantage)... Everything costs so prepare... Tea Gardens, etc.
There is a fun hippy vibe to the city so you will find cool websites offering cheap/free things to do in the city. Just look them up.
And that's it!
I actually hadn't meant to post this yet... i wanted it as a trip review, but accidentally hit "submit"...
Thanks again for everyone's help!
Jul 8th, 2011, 08:11 PM
#25
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We also watched the sea lions at Pacific Grove for awhile before using the 10 sea front miles of the "17 mile drive" to get over to Carmel! We enjoyed the drive. $10 but you're already there, why not? Great views... beware of deer! We had two wander across the road in front of us.
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