Help! S.F. to Sonoma to ??
 

Hello: My husband and I will be touring the area for 7 days this mid-April. My itinerary looks like this so far:

* Arrive S.F. late evening on Friday. Staying at the Chancellor Hotel in Union Sq.

* Explore S.F. through Monday. Pick up the rental car from Enterprise in Union Sq. on Monday afternoon.

* Tuesday: Early departure from San Francisco to drive to Sonoma. Visit Sonoma Square, Sonoma Cheese Co. for picnic treats and head to Ravenswood. We'll only visit one or two wineries for tastings and then head to Beltane Ranch to check in and take a driving tour of the area. Any tips or favorite driving routes?

* Wednesday: Check out of Beltane and leave Wine Country. We plan to head south to Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove...

* Friday night: We have a midnight flight out of S.F. on Friday night so this gives me 2 nights and 2.5 days to explore the coastal region. Is there time for us to explore a bit of Napa before we leave the area?

Now, here's the question: How should I break up the rest of the trip (from Sonoma to Carmel or ?, and back to S.F.) and how far south should I drive, keeping in mind we need to drive back to San Francisco to return the car and get ourselves to the airport?

Any suggestions about where to stop on the way back as we head up toward the airport for our Friday evening flight?

Thanks, Bowsprit

Why pick up the car the day before you leave? It only means that you will have to pay overnight parking for it.

The most direct route to Sonoma is the best. Jack London State Park is worth a visit, assuming it's open. There is a picnic table at the ruins of the Wolf House.

Carmel, PG & Monterey are all on the same peninsula. I would simply drive back to SF over the Golden Gate and take 19 ave. through the city. It's the easiest way. From 19 you will take 280 and I would then take the turn off to Pacifica and take highway 1 to the Monterey peninsula. If you happen to be in Half Moon Bay around lunch time, you might want to eat at the Flying Fish (first commercial establishment after the hwy 1 & 92 intersection, turn left at the intersection light).

Firstly: Thanks! I want to pick up the car the night before we leave so we can just zip out of the city without having to take time to go to the rental agency on Tuesday.

Thanks for all your information. I'll have 2 nights to enjoy the area after I leave Sonoma and I was trying to determine exactly where the best place to stay would be if I wanted to visit the Monterey Pennisula, Cambria, San Simeon and Morro Bay?

Also, I'm hoping to make a quick visit to Napa from Sonoma, drive to Bodega Bay and then head south to drive down the coast.

I just don't know where to stay for those last 2 nights...I want to be centrally located to these towns but I don't want to stay so far south as to have to face a 6 hour drive back to S.F. on Friday to catch our late night plane.

<i>Also, I'm hoping to make a quick visit to Napa from Sonoma, drive to Bodega Bay and then head south to drive down the coast.</i>

That is perhaps more driving than anticipated. The drive to Bodega Bay and especially along the coast is slow. Count on 2.5+ hours from SF to Monterey, a good hour from Sonoma to Bodega Bay without going to Napa, and I would say 2 hours from Bodega Bay back to SF, perhaps even longer if hwy 1 tempts you.

Highway 1 is a must.

So, maybe we'll take a pass on Bodega Bay this time. I realized early on while planning this trip that I'll need to plan another trip to see everything I want to see. Perhaps I'll save Bodega Bay and Napa for another trip that might include Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.

So, S.F. to Sonoma to Carmel area.

So, where is the best place to stay if I wanted to visit the areas around the Monterey peninsula, Cambria, San Simeon and Morro Bay?

Thanks for the drive times. I don't want us to spend the entire week in a car.

I meant that hwy 1 along the coast north of SF would really slow you down. I recommend hwy 1 going south to Monterey as more scenic and not much longer than taking I 280 and 17 to Santa Cruz and then on to Monterey.

I think your time may be better spent by picking either north or south from SF. Going to Sonoma, then backtracking to Monterey is kind of a waste. I would just continue on up to Montecino, Jenner, Occidental, Bodega Bay etc. You may want to Mapquest your itin., it may alter your plans significantly & pay some attention to the times, not the mileage.

Sorry Mendocino (threw a random winery in there for you).

Thanks, Michael, for your good advice.

I'm going to go ahead with my S.F./Sonoma/Carmel plan. I think it's do-able. My original itinerary included Bodega Bay, Napa, Yosemite, San Simeon and Morro Bay. My current itinerary is quite pared down from the original! I think it'll work.

SAnParis2: Nothing wrong with a randome winery, imo! Thanks for your suggestion. Yours was an itinerary I considered early on in our planning, but we really want to see some of the PCH south of S.F.

So far I have reservations at The Chancellor in S.F., Beltane Ranch in Sonoma.

Now, I'm left with finding a bed in Carmel/Monterey Peninsula for 2 nights. Any ideas?

Can we risk not having reservations after we leave Sonoma? This might give us some freedom as to where we stay.

Mid-week in April should not be a problem to wing it as far as reservations are concerned. However, you might not get the best rate. But, if you are really going to Carmel, why wouldn't you want to reserve a room?

"I was trying to determine exactly where the best place to stay would be if I wanted to visit the Monterey Pennisula, Cambria, San Simeon and Morro Bay?"

I agree with the others that in your time frame, you should either do the North Bay - Sonoma, Napa, Bodega or do Hwy 1 from SF to Morro Bay. If you stay with your current plan, you will not have enough time to see San Simeon and the Big Sur Coast unless you really shortchange Monterey and Carmel.

Thanks for your feedback. We're planning now to make a reservation in Carmel at the Sea View or the Cypress Inn. We'll then determine how much further south we want to venture. I don't know that we'll make it to San Simeon this time, but we'll see how it goes when we get there.

(many thanks to everyone for your help)

I woke up this a.m. realizing that I'm not going to be in the room too much and may not fully take advantage of a gorgeous inn.

I found the Comfort Inn, Carmel by the Sea and I'm wondering if it is downtown and just steps to shops, galleries, restaurants, as its website states.

Thanks, all, for your patience, I'm nearly done planning, I promise!

I ask this because I looked at a map and although everything looks close, I have no idea how big a Carmel neighborhood block is.

I google mapped. I think the Comfort inn is a good budget choice.