san francisco and monterey peninsula
 

Planning a week or so trip to San Francisco and the Monterey Peninsula. Would Moss Landing be a good place to stay for the Monterey Peninsula portionof the trip? How close would we be for day trips to the points of interest in that area? (wineries, seashore, etc.). We would fly into SF, drive down to the peninsula to spend 3 or 4 nights, then drive back up to SF for two or three nights. Possibly go up to Reyes National Seashore for a night? Is this too much, should we limit it to SF and the peninsula?

If you want to see Monterey, why not stay in the Monterey area??
Pacific Grove, Carmel, Monterey would all be my suggestion.

Moss Landing wouldn't be terrible --but not all that convenient.

It would be about an hour to the Carmel Valley wineries and longer to other Monterey county wineries.

Seashore isn't an issue -it is right on Monterey Bay.

Carmel would be about 30-ish mins depending on traffic.

Nepenthe in Big Sur would take about 75-80 mins.

Santa Cruz boardwalk less than 45 mins

We took a wildlife cruise in Moss Landing. It was incredible. We didn't stayed in the slough (creek) area and didn't see the actual beach. The captain of the boat owns a bed and breakfast. He was nice. I can't say anything about the lodging since I didn't see it.

I think Moss Landing would be a great base if you want to do alot of kyaking. Other than that I don't think I would stay more than a night or so. I would rather be in Carmel-Highlands.

Sorry. That was we stayed. Take "didn't" out of the third sentence.

Staying in Moss Landing is not a good idea. It is too far from all the wonderful sights and activities of the Monterey Peninsula. It's best to stay in Carmel, Monterey, or Pacific Grove. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must see. As is Point Lobos State Reserve, the drive to Big Sur, and a walk or bike ride along the Pacific Grove stretch of the Monterey Peninsula Recreation Trail along the coastline.
Have fun!

Split your time between San Francisco & Monterey areas for lodging. Eat a meal at Phil's in Moss Landing. Enjoy!

I agree - stay on the Monterey peninsula. Moss Landing is incredibly small and except for some antique stores, the marina, and a couple restaurants (and a power plant) there isn't much there.

You all always give such good information. Ironically, my reason for zeroing in on Moss Landing was that I read nothing but fantastic reviews about the B & B owned by the Captain, but was unsure of the location being convenient. Is there anywhere anyone recommends in either Monterey, Carmel, PG, or any other place in that general area. I didn't realize that ML was not on the MP. Our last trip to CA was spent between the wine country for 4 nights, and SF for 3. This time we'd like to see the MP for 4 nights and SF again for 3, so any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated, especially accommodations-wise.

What is your budget? And is it a weekend or weekdays?

Moss Landing is on Monterey <i>Bay</i> but not on the Monterey <i>Peninsula</i>. Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove are the towns you want.

Monterey Bay is very large -- from Santa Cruz (NW end of the Bay) to Pacific Grove (SE end) is about 45 miles on hwy 1. Moss Landing is essentially the half way point.

We stayed at Seven Gables Inn and loved it.
Great location, excellent breakfasts, nice people staying there and comfy, pretty rooms.

http://thesevengablesinn.com/

I second the recommendation for Seven Gables b&b in Pacific Grove. There are also other nice b&b's in Pacific Grove.

Agree, if it's a B&B you're after, focus on Pacific Grove, it's centrally located for all the things you're likely to want to do. Carmel is lovely, too. Moss Landing is great for a visit, but a bit inconvenient as a base.

We are looking at a vrbo in PG - Seven Gsbles has only their very, very upper priced rooms left at this somewhat late date. Does anyone know anything about the Sunset Inn? It isn't way high, price wise and has received pretty good reviews on Trip Advisor. That being said, I don't want to spend four nights in a dump, regardless of the price. We'd like to stay someplace that is nice, CLEAN, comfortable and conveniently located without paying $300+ a night. I'd rather spend my money on dining, etc., but I also don't want to 'dread' going back to the room at night.

Also, for the SF portion of the trip, should we stay in Union Square (if so, suggestions as to what hotel), or a B & B in the Noe Valley?

Mariposa Inn and Suites in Monterey is nice. It is a boutique hotel.

As for Union Square vs Noe Valley, it's really apples and oranges and it really depends on the experience you're looking for. Union Square is the high-end shopping district, with many shops, hotels and restaurants. It's closer to downtown, North Beach, Chinatown, etc than is Noe Valley (which is easily accessible by public transportation, however). But Noe Valley ( where I Iived for years before moving to the burbs) is a great residential neighborhood, with a terrific neighborhood street of it's own (24th St) with boutiques and very good restaurants.

We stayed at the Union Square Westin two years ago, and liked it very much. It was convenient, clean, and comfortable. The Noe Valley would be a different experience, and I think we'd also like it very much.

Does anyone know anything about the Sunset Inn in PG. It gets pretty good reviews, but maybe because it isn't super expensive it makes me wonder if it could be as good as some of the reviews say it is.