June 04 trip to Malibu/Carmel w/teenagers
 

Seeking suggestions for reasonable but nice places to stay w/family (daughters are 12 & 17) in Malibu/Carmel area & scenic drive suggestions. Camping is an option too.

You do mean "Malibu and Carmel areaS", don't you? These two hamlets are over 300 miles apart. The drive between the two is indeed scenic, but plan on 6 hours each way.

I am a bit at a loss RE: Malibu. It's a lovely town, but it's NOT set up for tourists. People live there happily and they don't court the tourist trade at all. And a bit of a reality check: Beach communities will always command higher hotel rates; what's your idea of "reasonable"? Your best bet is to stay south in Santa Monica, which DOES have a selection of hotels (Malibu has very few lodging choices).

With teenagers I would opt for Monterey rather than Carmel. Carmel is more of a quaint, upscale place with shops and galeries. Monterey is more diverse with different types of things to do, and definitely more things that would appeal to teenagers.

If you want camping, in Big Sur is Julia Pfiffer Burns SP there are nice camp grounds. I've never stayed there myself, but I know many people who have and they like it. Ripplewood is a small place with cabins right along the river and is rustic, but a couple steps above camping.

For teenagers I would recommend stopping in Monterey to see the Monterey Bay aquarium and then a stroll through Cannery row and Monterey fishermans wharf. Also a hike through Point Lobos is an adventure. They also might enjoy renting kayaks on Monterey Bay.
If you have time to go to Santa Cruz, the Beach Boardwalk amusement park is definitely a hit with kids and teens.

I agree with the recommendation of Monterey instead of Big Sur. Santa Cruz is also a lot of fun for the kids.

Actually, I'm thinking you might want to focus on one area with this trip. Since you have such a long time to plan, you can really design a fulfilling, fun vacation without filling up time with travelling between southern and northern CA.

You're getting great suggestions for up north, and you can't really go wrong up there. If you decide you want to come to southern CA, re-post-- you'll get lots of suggestions there as well.