Pacific Coast vacation
 

My husband and I are just starting to plan our eight day trip (August 9-17th) down the Pacific coast. We are flying into SF and plan to maybe stop by a winery and then drive down the coast. What winery should we go to, places to stay that are modestly priced, restaurants that are a must, and sites to see. Anyone have a good itinerary or suggestions for our trip including the above ?

In driving down the coast, how far are you going ? Do you plan to fly home from San Francisco? Do you plan to spend any time in San Francisco?
A few suggestions.

Monterey
A whale watching trip.
http://www.montereybaywhalewatch.com

Randolph Hurst Castle San Simeon reservations are recommended.
Big Sur

As we tell everyone new to this board, do some research first. People here are very knowledgeable but it helps if you have specific questions? What is your budget? What type of activities do you like? Are you driving all the way down to LA and flying home from here or do you need to go back to SF?

Use the search engine and put in phrases such as "California Coast Itinerary" or Drive SF to LA". You will tons of posts come up. Do some reading and then get back to us.

meant to say "are you flying back home from there (meaning LA).

Amber - looks we were posting the same thing simultaneously.

"Randolph Hurst Castle San Simeon reservations are recommended.

"Not to be picky, but it's "Hearst's Castle".

Curious

Between Carmel and San Simeon, you don't have many hotel/motel options. There are generally two types - very expensive ($500+ per night), and very inexpensive (campgrounds and rustic cabins). There are very few in between, and they are probably already reserved for this August. I wouldn't be surprised if almost everything is already reserved, since there are very few places to stay between Carmel & San Simeon.

You could stay in Carmel a few days, explore that area, & make a few trips south to Big Sur Then head south to San Simeon to stay there.

Be aware, August is our foggy month.

Stu Dudley

Sorry for the mistake on the Hearst Castle .