christycruz

Point Lobos is one of my favorite places on earth. Get out and hike a little. You'll get away from any crowds.

Last year I went on a tour of Tor House in Carmel (house of poet Robinson Jeffers) http://www.torhouse.org/

I don't read much poetry and I still enjoyed the tour immensely. Hawk Tower was pretty fun to climb, and has great photo ops.

kimamom

The General's Daughter would be a very nice choice for dinner in Sonoma, the food is excellent. Some other places we like in Sonoma include: the girl and the fig, the El Dorado Kitchen, the Swiss Hotel, the Harmony Club @ the Ledson Hotel & Cafe La Haye. All of these places are located right on the Sonoma Plaza.

If you want a great place for breakfast in Sonoma, check out the Big 3 Diner at the Sonoma Mission Inn, they make some really great Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes that I haven't been able to find anywhere else in the area. It is actually in Boyes Hot Springs, about a 5 minute drive from Sonoma. ***kim***

jtrandolph

Sonoma and Napa are not very far apart, so it would be very possible to do a day trip to Sonoma from your Napa location. Sorry, I don't know anything about Belle Epoque.

CaliTraveler

Thanks for all the responses!

J Correa, I was reading other posts where you described the oldest California amusement park - in Santa Cruz -- it sounds absolutely adorable and something my boyfriend and I would love to do/see...

Since we're staying in Monterey/Carmel for 3 days total, do you think it's feasible to do a day trip there (I figure it's about 50 minutes give or take from either place - is that on target?) -- please let me know if you think it's worth seeing/going to, and how long you would allot (i.e., half a day, day.....)

Thanks to all who have responded -- this is really helping me plan!

J_Correa

You can absolutely do a day trip to Santa Cruz from Monterey. Or you could stop in for a few hours enroute from SF to Monterey. Santa Cruz is about 45 minutes or so from Monterey - a little longer from Carmel. There is a lot more traffic in Santa Cruz on the weekends than weekdays - summertime expect beach traffic everyday, there is just more on the weekends because people like me, who live in San Jose, like to head over the hill to the beach too

The Boardwalk is a lot of fun. And in addition to the rides and the beach, there is the Coconut Grove which is an historic building right there, used to be a casino, now there are shops, miniature golf, arcade, and some event spaces. If you go, make sure to get some taffy at Marini's. It is part of the whole Santa Cruz experience

Downtown Santa Cruz is pretty interesting too - Pacific Ave has a lot of eclectic shops and some odd characters hanging around.

CaliTraveler

J Correa--

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback. I was worried that I may have been spending too much time in Monterey/Carmel for my trip, but I think the day trip idea to Santa Cruz will be a really great addition to the itinerary.... I love historic stuff, so all the things in Santa Cruz you describe sound really great. I LOVE the idea of going to a true, "vintage" amusement park...especially on the water!

You said traffic on weekend was an issue - do you think going on Sunday on way from San Fran (to Monterey) would be terrible traffic wise, and too touristy? Just curious if you think it would be better to get to our destination and then go Monday....

Thanks again so much for all the advice!!!

J_Correa

Traffic is probably unavoidable on Sunday no matter what you choose, just a matter of degrees - LOL. If it were me though, I would go to Santa Cruz on a Monday. Check the hours of operation though - they have limited hours until mid-June, I think.

http://www.beachboardwalk.com/calendar/may.html

CaliTraveler

Thanks, as a NYC girl (and CLUELESS when it comes to California traffic, LOL) all of this advice is very helpful.

I was thinking that maybe we'd drive early Sunday AM from SF to Santa Cruz, do the amusement park/boardwalk for most of the day, then head to Monterey, check into the Old Monterey Inn, hang out a bit, and then go to Peppers in Pacific Grove for a casual dinner (sort of fits the vibe of the day)....

Then i thought perhaps driving next AM to Carmel and doing Point Lobos for a few hours (and picnic lunch?) and then going to Carmel town to walk around there rest of the day....

Thoughts are appreciated....

Also, I have reservations at Post Ranch Inn restaurant for dinner -- but they said that the cliffside dining room is under renovation, and won't be available (so they are using the dining room/area near the pool)?? Does anyone know if the pool side dining really has the full view, and if, given the circumstances, we should perhaps skip that for dinner, and go for lunch instead when we're actually doing the day trip to Big Sur?

J Correa, and everyone else, thank you again so much for the advice... you guys are super helpful. if anyone needs travel info on NYC, I'm your girl!

CaliTraveler

Forgot to mention that before we drive to Carmel the AM after Monterey, we'd try to go to the Aquarium, at least for a few hours, since we've heard such good things.....

jtrandolph

CaliTraveler,

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is only open on Saturday and Sunday until after Memorial Day. (But the video arcade is evidently open every dsy.) Ride the Big Dipper, an historic wooden roller coaster. And check out the historic carousel with its original wooden horses and a calliope and brass rings to catch and throw into the clown's mouth. There is no admission chsrge for the Boardwalk, you just buy tickets for the rides and concessions. We now have "laughing Sal" in the fun house. She is an oldtimer originally from Playland at the Beach in San Francisco.

Do plan to take time to check out pretty, tree-lined Pacific Avenue with its restaurants, sidewalk cafes and boutiques. The trees are about to bloom. And if you drive up West Cliff Drive from the Boardwalk you will come to Steamer's Lane where the surfers do their thing. It is marked by s miniature lighthouse which is in fact a surfing museum.

When are you coming

CaliTraveler

jtrandolph:

Thanks very much for letting me know about Santa Cruz, the boardwalk and Pacific Avenue.... I had read about Laughing Sal in my research-- I can't wait to see all of this!

My trip is from May 30-June 6 - I plan on heading to Santa Cruz on my way from San Fran to Monterey -- so it should be on Sunday, June 3 that I would be around there. There's a possibility we may go to Monterey and then go on Monday the 4th (to avoid the traffic/major tourist influx), but as of now I'm planning on Sunday....

I appreciate the feedback/thoughts - any other suggestions are always welcome!!

jtrandolph

Yes, did you catch that the Boardwalk is only open on weekends until after Memorial Day?

CaliTraveler

Yes, thanks -- Isn't Mem Day weekend May 27/28?

I'll be going after that. I appreciate the heads up!