PCH over Thanks giving - itinerary conundrum - Advice please!
 

We are planning to travel (via car) from SF to LA via the PCH in mid November and would like to revisit some of the places we went to last time we were there 8 years ago.
I am currently trying to work in some favourite places from last time -SF, Carmel, Moonstone beach - (so we can eat at the sea chest )- LA and add in some new places Palm Springs and maybe San Diego.

Current itinierary is:
SF - 3 nights
Carmel -1 night
Big Sur- 1 night (hoping to work in the Post Ranch Inn as i have been dreaming of staying here for 8 years!!)
Moonstone beach - 1 night
Santa Barbara? - 1 night
3 nights???
3 nights - Palm Springs
3 nights - LA

Ideally I would liked to have lingered longer than 1 night in Carmel but that would mean arriving @ Moonstone beach on Thanksgiving and both Hearst Castle (where we wanted to do another of the tours) and the Sea chest restuarant will be closed on Thanks giving.
Changing the itinerary slightly (to the one i have listed) to accomodate Hearst castle/The Sea chest, will have me arriving in Santa Barbara on Thanks giving (assuming that's where we go to after moonstone beach) Will anything be open on this day/night here? (last time we were in LA for Thanks Giving) or can you suggest a better place to spend this day/night. I then have 3 nights that i am not sure where to go and then 3 nights booked in Palm Springs followed by the final 3 nights in LA before we fly home.

Any suggestions for the 3 unplanned nights? (which i guess will need to be on the way to PS - is San Diego too far? ) or suggestions what we could swap SB for (i looked into San Ysidro ranch as I figured we could relax there if nothing was open but my do they know how to charge!!! and they have a 3 night min over TG anyway)

I can't change starting in SF and out of LA as that are where my flights arrive and depart
Hope that all makes sense :)
Thanks in advance
S

I am assuming that Yellowstone would be a no go for Mid November? (as that would be somewhere we would like to go but i discounted as i thought weather would make the roads impassable)

I'm guessing you mean Yosemite, not Yellowstone, but you would have to see what was open and if there had been snow so that only the valley (which is beautiful, but way to touristy when I was there) is open, but you could go there if weather permits.

Emalloy - Oh dear, yes I meant Yosemite!! ;)
So really I would have to wait and see? mmm I may discount that as i would rather pretty much have my plan sorted...
many thanks for your response.

Check with Joe's Cafe on State Street in Santa Barbara for when they are open on Thanksgiving. http://www.joescafesb.com/food
We had a great breakfast there in June.
If you like Santa Barbara stay 2 nights and then go directly to Palm Springs if you don't want to spend any time in LA.
You could also hit Las Vegas and Death Valley after Palm Springs.
A few years ago, we were in Yosemite the first or second week of November. The weather was chilly but beautiful.

San Diego would be very nice that time of year for your unplanned nights, not too far, two hours south of LA in non rush hour traffic.

If you're thinking Yosemite Valley, the weather isn't likely to be a big problem so long as you don't mind cold or chilly nights. Tioga Pass, Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point are much more iffy at that time of the year. This past winter, no problem. The year before, closed.

IMO, you'd be better off backtracking a bit after Santa Barbara with sometime in and a around San Luis Obiso and Morro Bay, or even back to Cambria.

if you are thinking Death Valley before PS, look into the Furnace Creek Inn, not the "ranch" which is just a ordinary motel. The Inn is really speical, also a bit on the pricey side.

Thank you everyone.
We don't have to go to SB after Cambria, we could stay at SLO if there would be things to do there ( and it woulndt be a ghost town @ Thanks giving
and then move on to SB ( if we go that way)
Any thoughts on Laguna Beach?
Death Valley is a consideration, is there much to do there?

Would it be possible/worth it (without backtracking) to go SF - Yosemite and then to Carmel?
I do like to idea of visiting Yosemite for a couple of days (assuming this would put us at West Yosemite?) this could solve my Thanks Giving dilema as we could spend TG around Big Sur (with the wonderful scenery to entertain us) but am still a bit concerened re the weather (clearly i know we can't predict it)

The SB zoo is open until 3PM on Thanksgiving. http://www.sbzoo.org/visitor-infor/hours-and-prices
We enjoyed a visit in June.
I'm sure there will be restaurants open on the pier.

The only issue at that time of year might be possible chain requirements at Yosemite http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tirechains.htm and if you're renting a car, I believe most rental car companies prohibit the use of chains.

Patty, thanks for the info, I was wondering about snow chains! Might have to rethink! ( again)

Just a comment on your stay in Big Sur. The PRI will run you $1000 or more a night. If you want a super-posh California spa experience where you want to feel indulged and pampered, that may be worth it.

If you want something more interesting that will be like nothing you've ever done, try reserving a yurt at Treebones instead. We stayed there last week and it was an experience we'll never forget. The feeling is very Big Sur. The yurt was huge (5 of us fit very comfortably, and there was even a ping-pong table inside!), the location is amazing, the restaurant is terrific. And you're in a YURT - how many people get to say they stayed in a yurt?!

I'd also just caution about big expectations. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay on our trip - a place I've always wanted to visit - and found it profoundly disappointing. We really blew our budget on it and it was the most expensive travel mistake I've ever made.

There's currently an auction on Luxurylink for PRI for certain dates in Nov/Dec that brings the cost down http://www.luxurylink.com/fivestar/h...post-ranch-inn

I've stayed at Treebones as well and enjoyed it but I wouldn't say that it's a luxury/pampering experience if that's what you're after. It's also located pretty far south (less than an hour north of Cambria) so it also depends on the logistics of what you want to do in the area.