Deniselovestotravel

This upcoming weekend(February 15th) my husband and I are traveling along the coast. from San Fran to Las Angeles. It is only going to be a quick 2 1/2 day trip. Neither one of us have ever been, thus we want to ONLY stop and see the "must go to " places during our drive. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions (keeping in mind that we will be limited as to how many times we stop ....considering the time restraints). We are both huge fans of scenic views. Additionally, any recommendations as to what quaint beautiful hotel(midway between San Fran & Las Angeles) we should stay at?? Any suggestion or recommendation on great restaurants along the coast would be appreciated as well?

Thank you in advance to anyone that takes the time to respond
Sincerely,
Denise
(Ontario, Canada)

Tomsd

There are a ton of posts in here under California that talk about the trip down the coast.

I would probably stay a night in Monterrey/Carmel - visiting the Acuarium and also Pt. Lobos reserve if you like ocean type stuff - or stay the night somewhere in Big Sur - and enjoy that scenic wonderland. Always stop for a cup of coffee and the view of the deep blue sea at Nepenthene. http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/

Next night - wide open - maybe Moonstone Beach at Cambria - and visit nearby Hearst Castle if that sounds interesting to you. http://www.hearstcastle.org/

Tomsd

Check out the Pfeiffer parks along Big Sur - and here are some more guides to that area - which is the most scenic part of the drive. http://www.myscenicdrives.com/drives.../big-sur-coast and http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/bigsur/a/bigsur.htm and http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/bigsur/a/bigsur.htm

Tomsd

Oops. Copied one twice. Here is one from National Geographic:

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...ast-road-trip/

Tomsd

And check out the Big Sur Lodge for a place to stay:

http://www.pelicannetwork.net/big.sur.lodge.htm

Michael

Here aer pictures of the coast between LA and SF. Most of them are geo-tagged so that they can be located on a map.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7624512998387/

The weather should be nice.

Deniselovestotravel

Thank you so much... for your response... very informative with the pictures.. That definitely has helped

Surfergirl

This is a U.S. "long weekend" due to President's Day on Monday, a holiday. As such, there will be more people on the road and more hotels booked. Further, the weather is going to be good (i.e. not cold and rainy!) which will only add to the "let's get out of town" California residential vibe.

In Monterey, there will be the annual State Bar Criminal Defense Death Penalty conference, which means every hotel and motel between Monterey and Carmel will be booked solid. And people like me will be heading down at least one of those days to Big Sur for a little lunch and view from Nepenthe. Point Lobos will be PACKED, so if you want to go there, get there EARLY.

If it were me, I'd go from SF with a stop in Santa Cruz -- along the coastline with a stop at the Natural Bridges state beach; then proceed down West Cliff Drive and then back to HWY 1; stop in Monterey, Carmel, then proceed on to Big Sur. Stay the night there if you can get a room at Big Sur Lodge.

Then continue down towards Cambria, if you feel like going to Hearst Castle, or continue on to Santa Barbara and stop. You can either stay the night in Santa Barbara or continue down to Los Angeles.

BTW, it's LOS, not LAS.

Gardyloo

Just a couple of additional notes to Surfergirl's suggestions:

At Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz, but also in Pacific Grove (slightly easier and faster access) the migratory Monarch butterflies are in great abundance, a not to be missed spectacle. In the morning or late afternoon they clump in the tree branches - www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/8413177538 and www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/8413177420 - and at other times they're flying around and showing off for each other - www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/8417575742

Speaking of showing off (but not much fluttering) this is also the peak time for the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas, a mile or so north of the Hearst Castle visitor's center at San Simeon. There's a big parking area and long fenced paths overlooking the breeding/birthing beaches, with several thousand big animals barking and bleating and battling just feet away - quite the show. www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/8444694219 and www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/8398323255 and www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/8399408100 . There are more butterfly colonies at the south end of Pismo Beach and also near Santa Barbara.

If you haven't visited Hearst Castle it's a very interesting excursion, and the landscape is extraordinarily beautiful in winter green.