travelling_circus

Hi California specialists,

My husband and I and our two younger children (18 and 15) are planning a three-week trip to explore California -- it will be a first trip for the children. We want to spend some time in the San Francisco area, where we have family; visit wine country; Yosemite; do the Highway 1 coastal drive; fit in a week at a beach house somewhere; and finish up with a few days in LA.

I'd love some feedback on an initial itinerary. We would probably fly into San Francisco and out of LAX.

Fly into San Francisco - Aug 1
Drive to Napa or Sonoma for two nights in wine country/Calistoga/ Indian Springs - Aug 1 and 2
Lake Tahoe one night - Aug 3
Yosemite two nights - Aug 4 and 5 (I have tentatively booked at the Ahwahnee since it may be hard to get reservations as time goes by)
San Francisco four nights Aug 6-9
Carmel for one night - Aug 10
Cambria or San Luis Obispo for one night - Aug 11
Santa Barbara or Malibu or Santa Monica for a week in a beach rental - Aug 12-18
Los Angeles for three nights 19-21
Fly home

What do you think? Too ambitious? Not ambitious enough? Where will we get a great, relaxing best-of-California beach holiday?

Thank you for your help!

MichelleY

Put your days in SF at the beginning of the trip. Do one night in Napa and add another one or two to
Lake Tahoe. Tahoe has lots of outdoor activities for your kids. After Yosemite, head over to Monterey bay area. You could rent a house here in Aptos, Santa Cruz, Capitola. Or further south, Pismo Beach. I am not familiar with areas to rent in So. cal.

Others here will be able to give more advice.

janisj

I think MichelleY's plan makes a lot of sense. Put SF at the very front end since you won't need a car there. Then collect a rental car downtown and head up to Sonoma/Napa. I'd also add 1 night to Tahoe. W/ just 1 night you'd have less than 1 full day there. Not really worth the drive w/o at least 2 nights 1.5 days. Then Yosemite > Monterey/Carmel (I'd stay 2 nights here because it is along drive over from YNP.) > down the coast . . .

If you end up renting a beach house in Malibu or especially Santa Monica - you would not need additional nights in LA. So you'd have 3 nights to play around w/ (adding the time to Tahoe, Carmel and the coast drive)

sf7307

I like the idea of starting in SF and of spending only one night in the wine country (I've never really figured out what would interest kids in Napa, and I have kids and I live in the Bay Area). After Yosemite, cut over to Monterey. I'd do my beach week in Southern California because it's more reliably warm - Laguna Beach, Newport, Balboa, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach are all possibilities. The latter have the advantage of bein close to LAX.

tomfuller

Agree with the others: SF first then rent the car downtown instead of the airport. Return the car in SF and take the train to Los Angeles and rent a car there to avoid a drop off fee.
The train trip would likely be on August 11 skipping SLO.
I can't tell you which of your beach week rentals would be the best. Sounds like a fun 3 weeks.

janisj

Tom: Here we go again

How does the train help these folks?? They are going to Tahoe, Yosemite, Carmel, the central coast and so on. Back tracking from Carmel to SF to catch a bus to the East Bay to catch a train - how does that make sense?

No train journey(s) fit for this itinerary.

You must have been very traumatized by a drop off fee sometime in your past since you often suggest really complicated ways to avoid them . . .

travelling_circus

Thank you very much for these helpful suggestions! I think that taking a day off Napa/Sonoma and adding it to Tahoe makes perfect sense -- thanks Michelle, Janis (who has helped me once before with plans in England!) and sf.

I also really like the idea of moving the beach holiday closer to LA, and freeing up more days to devote to the Carmel.

Re San Fran first, is this all about the car? We will need a car in San Fran as well as we have family in Marin County that we will want to visit. Or does it just make better sense from a mapping/itinerary perspective?

Re the beach, thanks for the so cal suggestions, sf, I will check them out. Any opinions from others on the best beaches?

DebitNM

Having a car in SF is expensive; parking can run upwards to $50 a night. Rental cars also cost more when you rent from airport location.

Where do you need to go in Marin - perhaps there is another way to get there besides driving.

IF you need a car just to get to relatives for a visit, think about renting a car for just a day. You can rent in SF [Dollar has a location on O'Farrell St near Union Sq that often has city specials]. Pick it up in the morning and either return it that night or next morning.

janisj

"Or does it just make better sense from a mapping/itinerary perspective?"

Yes, it really does make more sense to loop around from SF > Napa > Tahoe > Carmel > down the coast. Just a bit more logical route.

If you decide you really need a car to visit your rels, then you can plan that for your last full day in SF and just have to pay for parking one night.

MichelleY

No, it is not all about the car in SF. It is route wise more direct to go from Yosemite to the Monterey area. Going back to SF is out of the way. Really try to do at least 2 nights in Tahoe and the Carmel/Monterey area. You will see plenty vineyards and wineries throughout your trip, so Napa should just be a pass thru.

MichelleY

You should also line up a beach rental NOW for August.

Tomsd

There is more to do for your family in San Diego than in Santa Barbara. And the front end of your trip sounds fine to me as you had it planned. From SF Airport to Napa is only about 2 hours, assuming you don't arrive in rush hour.

janisj

"And the front end of your trip sounds fine to me as you had it planned. From SF Airport to Napa is only about 2 hours, assuming you don't arrive in rush hour."

But then they'd have to return to SF (and drive through Bay Area traffic again) after Yosemite. Makes more sense to drive from YNP to Monterey.

travelling_circus

Thanks for clarifying the recommendation. I'll make this adjustment. Re booking beach rental now, Michelle, I see what you mean -- some are quite booked up already!

I like the idea of using the beach house as a base for doing the LA thing. Have checked out a few options and like the look of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa and Marina del Rey. Any opinions on relative merits?

sf7307

I think of Marina Del Rey as more of an singles 20s/ 30s crowd, while Hermosa Beach is more family/laid back. Manhattan Beach seems a little more upscale than Hermosa, but they are immediately adjacent to each other (you can walk or ride bikes between them on "the Strand") so between those two, I don't think it really matters.

travelling_circus

Thank you, very helpful!

tracys2cents

A quick check on Expedia shows $1800 for a one way car rental southbound on those dates, but $1050 going LAX to SFO. So, I'd advise that you do a more thorough check of car rental rates before you book the open-jaw airline tickets in the manner that you are planning to do.

travelling_circus

Wow! What a huge difference! I'll have to look into that... Thank you!

tomfuller

A seven hour bus ride to Santa Barbara might might save you more than the $200 fare for 4 to Los Amgeles.
http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak#
Sorry if this gives janisj a stroke.
You could also rent the second car in Santa Barbara if you really want to pay a drop off fee

bambrosia

Agreed on bailing on Napa and SF on the front end without a car. Try to separate family in Marin from SF... or have them join you for excursions in SF. If the car is mandatory, consider staying in Sausalito and Ferry into the SF when you want to go there.

I don't know about trying to fit Yosemite AND Tahoe in - I would pick one or the other.

As far as SLO or Cambria... I would pick SLO... the Quality Suites is perfect for your group and I would stay 2 nights. Consider going to Avila or Pismo for an afternoon, check out Cal Poly, enjoy the town, maybe even hit a winery or two?

Mission Beach in SD is amazing with plenty of things to do if you want more than beach.. I would pick that over and LA area beaches for sure. But, if you are beaching it for a week, by design - stick to one of the LA area beaches already mentioned. (re: Santa Barbara - not really a beach house town, despite the lovely beach - drive right on by)

Enjoy