Itinerary help - San Fran to San Diego
 

I'm trying to finalize our itinerary today and get the rest of our hotels booked as I am keenly aware I am running out of time (travelling August 11 - August 25).

So far we have booked

San Francisco - 3 nights
Yosemite - 2 nights
Salinas - 2 nights (to see Carmel/Monterey area - all hotels in Carmel/Monterey are booked due to a car show)

So that takes care of 1 week. At the end of our trip, we intend to spend 3 nights in San Diego.

That leaves us with 4 nights to play with.

Option #1

2 nights San Luis Obispo
2 nights - somewhere else between San Luis Obispo and San Diego - was originally thinking Santa Barbara - but maybe Santa Monica - open to suggestions.


Option #2

1 night San Luis Obispo
3 nights LA area (is it better to stay in LA proper, or somewhere else).

We don't necessarily have a ton of stuff we want to see in LA - mostly the Hollywood area.


Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Could you find a place to stay around Santa Cruz, Capitola, or Soquel area instead of Salinas? They are on the coast and much nicer than Salinas and still close to Monterey/Carmel (less than 1 hr drive). Just a suggestion. Have a great trip.

You are hitting Monterey over the Laguna Seca races and Pebble Beach Concours. Not some simple "car show". Things will be very crowded. Traffic over from Salinas will be heavy too.

I agree to try Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola instead.

The hotels in Yosemite and Salinas are already booked and cannot be changed. It is what it is - we aren't really happy about staying in Salinas - but I was getting a bit panicky about not being able to find a hotel after contacting literally 40 places.

I mostly concerned about what to do with the last leg of our trip.

Thanks!

If you want to stay along the coast after the Monterey part of your trip, you could do 1 night in San Simeon or Cambria and tour the Hearst Castle, 2 nights in Santa Barbara and then the last night in either Laguna Beach or Catalina Island.

An alternative would be to do the "Sideways" tour which would give you an opportunity to enjoy some of California's wine country.

Have you already paid for the Salinas hotel?? If not, I know very few hotels that don't let you cancel w/o penalty if you do it w/i 2 or 3 days. If you can cancel Salinas - I definitely would. But only after you've found a room elsewhere since things may be crowded even up in Santa Cruz.

Yes - we've already paid for the Salinas hotel - I was told before I booked it was a special event time and there were no cancellations - so I'm stuck with that.

You'll be fine in Salinas. We've stayed there before -- on purpose! If you are a John Steinbeck fan you might want to squeeze in a visit to the Steinbeck Center. I find a certain beauty in the area and its rich agricultural history.

I would put a vote in for Cambria on your optional nights. I'm not sure what you enjoy doing, but it gives you access to Big Sur, has some pretty great restaurants, and you can visit the Hearst Castle.

Are you hikers? Do you enjoy nature?

You will be going through some of the most beautiful coastal areas the world has to offer. Pity to speed through.

You two nights oculd be spent doing Monterey Aquarium, walking around Carmel, and going up to Santa Cruz - the Beach Boardwalk will be open.

Then when you head southward, stop off at Point Lobos State Reserve. It's a couple of miles south of Carmel and has some beautiful hikes, most are very easy.

Then further south you'll come to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. There are numerous hikes in Pfeiffer Big Sur amond the giant redwoods. Some peole even prefer to stay in a rustic cabin in this state park.

After Pfeiffer Big Sur (which is inland) you'll reach the coast again and almost immediately you'll see Nepenthe on the right. Stop there, even if you are not going to eat there, the food quality can be erratic, but the view is so spectacular you may not notice what you are eating.

Next stop is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and the short hike to McWay Falls, the only falls in California that falls into the Pacific Ocean.

All along the Big Sur route there are numerous turnouts for the gorgeous views.

You could opt to spend a night in Cambria if you are not staying in Pfeiffer Big Sur. I'd take one night from San Luis Obispo and spend it a bit further north in either the state park or in Cambria.

After Cambria, the road straightens out a bit and the driving is easier.

One night in San Luis Obispo.

Then when you travel southbound, between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara near the town of Lompoc is Mission La Purisma, probably the best preserved and upgraded of all the California missions. If there's one mission that I would recommend to you for an understanding of the California missions, it would be La Purisma.

I'd opt to stay in Santa Monica instead of Santa Barbara. Others may feel differently.

Well, it's getting late and my mind's wobbling.

Have a great and fun trip! :)