I'd like to go to California for the month of February. See what it would be like to live there. I'd be going alone so I don't want anything remote. Would rather stay in a hotel so there are people around versus an air b&b. Don't like big cities. Suggestions?

What is your definition of "inexpensive"? Will you have a car?

There are a number of hostels, including one in Monterey. That’s as inexpensive as you’d get and there would be people around. But most of them have a stay limit under a month. You noted in another thread that you found Monterey expensive, and while it is, it’s nothing compared to many other places in the state, especially during high season.

I don’t think that a month in February would give any kind of indication of what it would be like to live somewhere, California is huge with lots of variety, and where you end up moving would depend on where you get hired and where you can afford to live. So not a great plan all around.

If you can, I’d rent your current home out (if you own) , find work in California, and move there for a year. That’d give you a better indication of whether you’d want to live there. Even if you went the month long Hostel route, you’d almost certainly need a car. SF is probably the only place I wouldn’t want a car in CA.

Good advice, mm.

Though you dismiss Airbnb as having no "people around", if you rented a private room with an ensuite bathroom, rather than a cottage or apartment, you could be comfortable, it would likely be much less expensive than a hotel and, choosing accordingly, you could have people around.

I'd suggest you spend a week here and there and while, as mentioned you wouldn't know for sure if you'd like to live there, you'd have several places with which to compare. And many hosts give a discount for a week stay or more.

I'd be interested in knowing why you've chosen Monterey. Presumably you've been there before.

Just FYI - the only city on the Peninsula with legal short term rentals is Pacific Grove.

Are you considering retiring to the Monterey or working there or?? If you are thinking of moving there -- from where? Real Estate in the nicer parts of the region is expensive to VERY expensive.

Is it just the Monterey Peninsula you are interested in - or other parts of CA?

You meet all kinds of people at the HI hostel.
http://www.montereyhostel.org/
I did stay there once and would go back again. I really liked their kitchen and the large day room/library.

One can't stay there for a month . . .

Check rates at Asilomar:
http://www.visitasilomar.com

Are you married to Monterey? I assume so, since that's your title, lol, but there is a lot to California besides the Monterey Peninsula, so you might consider splitting your month between there and elsewhere. Just a thought.

Another thought: hotels have visitors in them. A VRBO/HomeAway or Air BnB might help you meet the people who actually live in Monterey, if you rent a room, as MmePerdu suggests; or a mother-in-law suite, perhaps, or an apartment in a complex.

One wouldn’t WANT to stay there for a month, even if it was possible. I’ve stayed there too, and I was ready to move on after less than a week. Good point about short term rentals. One of the issues with the Hostel idea is that in CA they are generally isolated or urban. The one in Monterey was downtown, or close enough, not in a neighborhood, which imo was its only saving grace. Another issue would be that a month in hostels is not what I’d call inexpensive. More than I pay in rent. But I’m not sure a well located short term rental would be much cheaper in CA, and if you found a room with ensuite bath, there’s no guarantee you’d LIKE the people around. Mostly when I’ve had roommates, they’ve done their own thing, and a month isn’t really long enough to make friends. The main benefit of a hostel is that people passing through often do want to hang out.

The OP went there around Christmas this year, I think, but I’m curious too because this post refers to CA in general in contrast to Monterey in the title.

>>A VRBO/HomeAway or Air BnB . . . in Monterey

"Not legal."

There are loads of options for rooms in homes around the area. Some will have separate entrances and you can choose to fraternize with the homeowner or not.

On the peninsula -- only in Pacific Grove are they legal.

Can you provide a link, janisj? I’m finding conflicting reports online of various legal initiatives regarding short term rentals in Monterey County.

Monterey Herald

Posted: 11/25/17, 12:38 PM PST | Updated: on 11/26/2017

Revised county vacation rental rules easier on owner-occupied homes

"...a vacation rental where the owner remains on site during the rental term would be designated a “home stay” rental and would be allowed an unlimited number of rental contracts with a zoning clearance."

http://www.montereyherald.com/articl...NEWS/171129893

Thanks! So all short term rentals are not, in fact, illegal. Good to know.

February is probably not an ‘inexpensive’ month in Monterey. It is a winter escape for the wealthy, and events like the the annual golf tournament in Pebble Beach probably make hotel housing scarce and more expensive.

On the Monterey hostel website I provided I did not see any mention of how long you could stay.
You would be well served by having a car and maybe spending a night or two at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse HI hostel.

A lot to digest. Perhaps some clarification is needed.

The main driving force for going to California is because I've seen so little of it. With that I'd like to research the possibilities of living there whether full time or maybe for a few months during the winters. Photography is my other driving force for where to go and the west is a photographers paradise.

I just got back from Monterey and loved it hence the desire to go back. I felt comfortable there. I covered much of the peninsula, many of the parks along the ocean, and want to go back. But I would want to move around and see other places but don't like to move every other day. I'd want to stay in each area for awhile to get to know it. Hostels were ok when I was 19 but wouldn't consider it now.
I'm retired and therefore working is not a concern.
A lot to digest, even for me.

My visit to the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, hostel and more in the area:

http://www.travelgumbo.com/blog/port...tal-california