My husband & I are taking our first trip to San Francisco in early March for a conference. We are getting in a day early, (late morning) and want to rent a car at the airport & driving to Monterey to stay overnight. We need to get back to the airport by @ 5 PM the next day.
Would like some suggestions on how much we can see in this short time. Would like to drive down the coast to enjoy the scenery. Would we have time to drive down thru Carmel and to Big Sur or Point Reyes the next day - then back to the airport? Or would it be better to just hang out around the Monterey area? Also would like a suggestion on where to stay in the Monterey/Pacific Grove area for the night. Have been all over the websites - but some personal insight would be helpful! Thanks

My favorite place to stay in Monterey is the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. It is a gorgeous property, located in the heart of Cannery Row. You will be truly pampered here.

We very much enjoy the casual restaurant, Schooner's Bistro and had an excellent breakfast in the Duck Club. The rooftop spa here wonderful, we paid $15/per stay to use the bromine jacuzzis and weight room there. The views from the top of the spa are amazing. We were just talking yesterday about how we "need" to book a room here this month.

I haven't stayed in PG but I really want to return again and have dinner at The White House which I would highly recommend for a nice dinner in the area. Enjoy the coast! ***kim***

You did not say what day of the week you will be driving from SF to Monterey, or what day you will return. It makes a BIG difference. On Sat or Sundays, the most direct route will take you 2 hrs or a little less. On a weekday, mid norning (9:00), may take 3 hours or even longer. at 10:30, it may be 2 1/2+ hrs.

Returning on a work day, if you get to San Jose by 2:00 you should be able to sneak into SFO before the commute traffic. At 3:00 you will probably hit the "Oracle Mile" just before the 92 Fwy, in which case I would recommend that you take 280 from Monterey.

Don't consider doing Monterey & Pt. Reyes on the same trip. You may have meant Pt Lobos. Pt Reyes is about 1 1/2 hrs north of SF.

You can hit Big Sur on your trip. Its about 45 mins south of Carmel. Visit Pt Lobos also.

I would stay in Carmel, not Monterey - it has more charm. The cannery has gotten a little tacky, in my opinion.

Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca

It's certainly doable in "two days", as the drive from SFO to Monterey is about two hours.

Assuming you are arriving at SF International, just ask the car rental agency to map you to the coast. It should take you less than a half an hour to arrive at the Pacific Coast. Then you just drive right down Highway 1 to Monterey.

I'd suggest going past Monterey to Big Sur that first day. If the weather is in your favor, then stop off at Point Lobos. The views are great. It's only a couple of miles south of Carmel. Stop about an hour.

Then continue on along the coast to Pfeiffer Big Sur for a short hike in the redwoods. Also about an hour.

Next stop would be Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to view McWay Falls, the "only" waterfall to descend right into the ocean. March is a good time to view these falls as there will be lots of water falling off the cliff. Half an hour easy hike in and out. When you get to JPB Park and park, walk across the parking lot and you'll see a set of stairs. Take the stairs down and turn to the right. This will take you directly to the ocean.

Stay together on your hikes. There are mountain lions, but they usually hide from people, especially if there are more than one and they are making a lot of noise. Don't let this scare you off. I go hiking with children and teens a lot and this is standard advice that I give them. We haven't met a mountain lion yet.

After JPB Park, it will probably be getting dark and you should start back for Monterey on that winding road. Places to stay are plentiful, depending on your budget. There are some wonderful B&Bs in Pacific Grove, which is right between Monterey and Carmel. A few of them are located right by the ocean.

Going to Big Sur is contingent on good weather. If the weather isn't good, I'd suggest just walking along Ocean Beach in San Francisco and dining at Cliff House.

Point Reyes is in the opposite direction, to the north of San Francisco. You will not have time to get to Point Reyes in the time you have allotted yourself. POint Reyes is more for hikers and better to visit when the weather is warm.

Enjoy California!

Thanks for the suggestions! We are getting to San Fran on a Sunday morning. Have to be back at the airport by Monday @ 5PM to catch a shuttle to our hotel in San Fran. Will certainly keep in mind the "traffic" on the way back. If I'm reading correctly, it sounds like most of our driving should be done on Sunday?- which might be a feat after 5 hours on a plane (!) but we are anxious to see the West Coast scenery! Maybe Monday should be for staying around the Monterey area? Everyone seems to mention the aquarium. I was confused about going to Point Reyes. A friend of ours gave us some info for there and I presumed it was south of Monterey. We would love to see McWay Falls & hopefully we can fit everything in.
Also - we will be going to Muir Woods & Salsalito on an excursion from San Fran during the week. Is Muir Woods much different than what we would see at Big Sur?
Thanks again for the tips. If anyone can suggest a nice B&B in Pacific Grove, I'd appreciate it. If not- we just might wind up at a Comfort Inn. Anyone stayed at the Munras Lodge in Monterey? They have a $79 special!

Um, I'm a little concerned about the mountain lions mentioned by easytraveler as I hadn't seen them mentioned before. Are they in one particular area or all along the coast in that area?

Re driving back to SFO on Monday. The weekend before last I left Carmel at 3:00pm, drove up 1 to 17 to 280 and arrived in SF (not the airport) in just over 2 hours. Did not encounter much rush hour traffic. If you leave Montery by 2:30 you should make it to SFO in time. I see you are returning to SFO to pick up a shuttle to your hotel in SF, if you miss the shuttle because you are having to much fun in Carmel/Monterey, it won't be the worse event in the world. There are numerous ways to get into SF from SFO.

On mountain lions, here's a useful site:

www.dfg.ca.gov/lion/

This is the California Department of Fish and Game site and they have an excellent, short discussion on mountain lions. The instructions are especially useful.

Did I mention banana slugs? If you have a teenage girl in your party, a banana slug will produce more screams than a mountain lion. EEEEEEUUUUUUYYY!!!

Mountain lions are pretty much a part of hiking in almost any part of the Golden State. So are banana slugs. (EEEEEUUUUUYYYY!!)

Sorry, CinDE:

I was going to post a reply to your questions:

Mornings along the coast can be foggy/castover. That's why I suggested that you start on your touring in the afternoon. Besides it will relax you after the long flight.

Forget the Munras Lodge. I live about an hour from Monterey and don't get to stay in their hotels often, but I once attended a conference at the Munras and stayed there. It's old and tired.

If you try Priceline, you can probably get the Hyatt in Monterey for about $45-$55.

Otherwise, off the top of my head, the two B&Bs in Pacific Grove that I can remember are the Seven Gables and the Green Gables.

I hope the weather warms up for you, because the blooming magenta ice plants by those two B&Bs are awesome. They go cascading down to the sea, a crimson blanket covering everything.

As Stu has mentioned, Carmle would be a more fun place to stay than Monterey.

Check out tripadvisor.com for some recommendations. Otherwise, check back here.

Viamar and other Fodorites who live in the area can help you further.

Happy travels!

Sorry, that was "Carmel" not "Carmle"

H cinDE! Are you set on staying in Monterey? Normally when an OP asks about a specific place I don't try to suggest to them to stay in another area!

With that being said, Carmel is gorgeous, definitely plan on spending some time in this quaint, elegant gem. We have enjoyed stays at the Tickle Pink Inn and the Park Hyatt Highland's Inn, both located in the Carmel Highland's, which we think has some of the most gorgeous coastline in CA!

There are many inns right in downtown Carmel that you may want to check out. www.carmelinns.com has many options.

I don't what your lodging budget is, but The Green Gables and The Seven Gables in PG are close to $200 or more a night and go up to $400/night.

One place that we really enjoy is the BW Monterey Beach Hotel, a short drive from Monterey/Carmel but located right on the beach. There is a nice stretch of beach there to walk and the property is really very pretty with the oceanviews from the lobby area.

In the pm, snacks are set out and there is a nice pool and jacuzzi and on-site restaurant that serves good food. You may be able to get a room there for $99/night, nonoceanview in March and a bit more for the oceanview if you like view rooms.

I hope you are able to visit the Pt. Lobos State Park, it is gorgeous. Take a picnic lunch, we enjoyed bike riding around this area.

The Monterey/Carmel/PG area is gorgeous and will keep you occupied, the towns are really very close together so you should be able to see everything. I have some great restaurant suggestions if you're interested, just let me know! ***kim***

www.montereybeachresort.com is the website! Enjoy! ***kim***

CinDE, Why are you tying yourself down to a 5 p.m. ride with the shuttle to the hotel? By returning the car in SF, assuming the rental agency has an office there as all major ones do, you give yourself a greater leeway in your travel time and itinerary. From Monterey I would take one all the way back to SF. You might see a gorgeous sunset along the coast.

Thank you for all of your suggestions! Will look into staying in Carmel also. Have scratched the Munras Lodge off my list! To Michael -- need to get the rental car back by @ 5 so we can get to the hotel in SF, grab something to eat & get to a Welcome get-together thing that's scheduled at the hotel at 7 - so our time is somewhat limited. Thanks again for all of your help!

Sounds like you don't want to spend a fortune on lodging. If so, and if you can live w/out a tv, I strongly suggest asilomar http://www.visitasilomar.com. It doesn't sound to me like you have enough time to enjoy big sur on this trip. I'd stick to the Monterey area if I was you.

CinDE, Carmel also has a couple of Best Western properties. The Carmel Bay View Inn and the Carmel Mission Inn. I haven't stayed at either place, but BW places are always nice, comfortable and clean. Good Luck! ***kim***

Thanks Kim (and John) I am checking into some places in Carmel. Will look into the BW's there. Wish I had more time to be in this area - but SF should be interesting too!

Here's another vote for Carmel as opposed to Monterey. They are very close to each other, so you would have time to see Monterey, but it does not have the charm of Carmel. If it is possible for a town to be whimsical, then that's Carmel. Some houses look as though they were pulled out of a fairy tale...you really have to see it. There are many BnB's there. We've stayed in The Carriage House Inn, which is nice, but if you can swing it I agree with Kim from earlier post, the Tickle Pink will be amazing for views. It is not "in town" however, so if you want to be able to walk around, walk to dinner, stroll to beach, etc, I would keep location in mind. Most places do not have much of a water view...LaPlaya may have them. I know you can see the water from their dining terrace. Be sure to inquire if this is a major requirement. Another thing. Stick with plan for shuttle from airport instead of driving in yourself. Unless you are accustomed to driving on steep hills (and stopping on them while waiting for traffic lights), don't drive into SF! It can be pretty hairy.

If you haven't decided on a place to stay as yet, you may want to check out travelzoo. They have a special at The Tickle Pink Inn for $189 seven days a week through March 31st.

Yes, that is an amazing rate for that property. I haven't heard of this travel website before, do you ever see rates for the Sonoma Mission Inn? ***kim***