Last 2 nights of trip left to book - monterey area - please help!
 

Finally got the first 7 nights of our nine night cali trip booked (9/10-9/19) thanks to all of you guys!

First three nights in San Fran via priceline. Next 4 at the El Dorado in Sonoma (we were going to do 2 napa and 2 sonoma but decided we didn't want to change hotels that much). Friday am 9/17 we plan on driving down to the monterey area andspending friday and saturday night down there before driving back to san fran on sunday (flight isn't till 10pm).

Questions: I would like an ocean/water front property in a nice town with restaurants within walking distance, a hot tub/pool would be nice. I'd like to spend 300 a night or less (we got a good deal on the first 7 nights so this is our splurge). Is this possible? Not too picky on town, open to all the differnt towns in the area (from monterey north to santa cruz).

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

The Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa would meet your needs. We stayed here a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it.

The property is right on the water and in the center of Cannery Row, so you can walk to everything. There is a very nice spa on the property and it is so wonderful.

We paid the extra $15 to use the two jacuzzies, weight room and sauna. The spa is located on the rooftop and the views are just amazing. There is an outdoor fireplace and comfy lounge chairs.

What's really nice about the jacuzzi is that there is no chlorine, they use bromine salts so the water is silky smooth, like a mineral bath.

There are two restaurants on the property that we really like. Schooner's for fish and chips (they're great here!) and The Duck Club where we had a really nice breakfast.

The beds are really comfy with down comforters, and very nice bathrooms, robes, turndown in the evening with Ghiradelli chocolates, etc. I won't stay anywhere else in Monterey now.

Have a great trip! I haven't stayed at the El Dorado (we like the SMI) but the location is wonderful, right on the plaza and the place looks really quaint. The girl and the fig and Cafe La Haye are wonderful in Sonoma. ***kim***

thanks! I'll look into the monterey plaza, any other suggestions for around carmel/pacific grove/santa cruz? Still gotta sit down with the husband and see where "we" want to stay those last 2 nights.

btw kimamom...i think i picked up the el dorado from one of your posts reccomending it, so thanks! they were 100's a night cheaper than any other place and we scored one of the bigger rooms with a balcony overlooking the plaza :)

Well, in Carmel, The Highland's Inn can't be beat. If you can't get in there, The Tickle Pink next door has been highly recommended on this board.

We haven't stayed in PG, but some of those B&B''s look really nice and there's the White House for dinner in PG that we really like.

Go to Roy's one night for dinner and hear the bagpiper play, it's a great place with gorgeous views from the property. Located on the 17 Mile Drive. They will reimburse your entrance fee if you dine there. ***kim***

Go to www.pacificgrove.org for a complete list of Pacific Grove hotels.

The GREEN GABLE INN and the SEVEN GABLE INN are great B and B's that offer ocean views plus close walk to downtown PG. I am not sure about the hot tubs.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe any of the B&B's in PG have swimming pools or outdoor jacuzzis.

I'm a swimmer, so we always look for properties that have a pool/spa area. ***kim***

Monterey Plaza Hotel was the first that came to my mind!

For others doing both SF and Monterey, be aware that you will usually find much better availability/prices in Monterey on weeknights and in SF on weekends.

thanks guys! I have it narrowed down to :

Martine - Pacific Grove
Seven Gables - Pacific Grove
Monterey Plaza - Monterey
Tickle Pink - Carmel
La Playa - Carmel

with the edge to the plaza. I'm going to call all 5 and pick (based on availability and price).

I know it would be cheaper on the weekend. We ARE staying in san fran on the weekend (at the Mariott Renissanse Stanford Court in Nob Hill for 75 bucks a night through priceline). But we chose to take the wine country nights at weeknight prices since there were 4 of them, and suck it up for the 2 nights in monterey :)

Thanks for all of your help, any other suggestions would be great. I'm sure I'll be back for more advice later on particulars (restaurants/sights, etc..)

Have a look at http://www.canneryrow.com
It's a charming, romantic place! :)

hey reporting back

we are tenatively at the monterey plaza for those 2 nights - a little on the pricey side, but considering how pricey some of the not so nice places were, not a terrible deal (i am keeping an eye on all the prices in the area hoping something gets cheaper last minute, but at least we have it booked).

I'll report back after my trip, can't wait!

We stayed at Hotel Pacific. Ask for a room that is not on the street side. It was wonderful............

For a very quiet night and lovely dining, The Quail Lodge in Carmel is fabulous. I am not a golfer but love the beauty of the surrounding course and the peaceful ambience. I'm looking forward to the www.TomatoFest.com September 12th and the pleasure of a return stay at The Quail. Just another option.

I hope you enjoy the Plaza. I found it worth the $15/stay to use their rooftop jacuzzi/weight room. The jacuzzis here are actually filled with bromine salts that will leave your skin silky smooth. The views from the top are beautiful, you feel very pampered.

We also very much enjoyed our breakfast at the Duck Club. Schooner's has always been the first place we head for fish and chips when we're in Monterey. Enjoy your stay! ***kim***