Travel Plans
 

We are 2 couples traveling together in October 2003 after leaving Las Vegas convention.Please tell us if our plan is fessible.On the 1st day we plan to drive From L.V. to Morro Bay (9 hrs)and stay at Inn at Morro Bay. Day 2 travel San Simon for Hearst Castle then on to Monteray/Carmel. Where to stay? Do you suggestion traveling highway 1 or hwy 101.Day 3 to San Fransicso. Should we stay at Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf? What hotel? Day 4 on to wine country. Any suggestions on where to stay there for one or 2 nights. Back to San Francisco to fly out on Day 6.
Any help and suggestions would be appreciated. None of us have ever been in the area.

The coast drive is so much more scenic but it will be a slower drive.

Word of warning....if it is raining hard the day you are to drive up Hwy 1 then I would say drive Hwy 101. In October we get the first rain storms of the season and rocks come tumbling down on the highway...been there and dodged that!

Utahtea

Between Hearst Castle and Monterey, definitely take Hwy 1 - it is one of the most scenic coastlines in the world, not exageration. Hwy 101 is nothing in comparisson. You will go through Big Sur along the way. Schedule plenty of time for stoping along the way to take in the views. If you can, schedule your tour of Hearst Castle in the morning so you will have the afternoon to drive up the coast.

My concern about your itinerery is that it is too rushed. By only spending 1 night in Monterey and 1 night in SF, you wont have much time to see either. The drive from San Simeon to Monterey should take you a few hours so you will be getting into Monterey in the late afternoon. The drive from Monterey to SF will take a couple hours without stops, but there is a lot you can see in between. My suggestion would be to either do the wine country as a day trip from SF to maximize your time or even skip it altogether and spend an extra night in Monterey.

October should be a good time weather wise since California should still be in Indian Summer with temperatures in the 70s. It will get cool in the evenning and might be cool in the day time if fall comes early, so be sure to bring a jacket.

Thanks to each of you for your reply but please give me some more info as to where to stay, especially in SF., Monterey, and the wine country.

I would recommend Highway 1 up the coast to the Monterey Bay Area. From there I'd take Highway 17 through the Santa Cruz Mountains and then 280 north from San Jose into SF. 17 and 280 are both scenic drives. The scenary on Highway 1 north of Monterey is not nearly as beautiful as south of there, so it would not justify the painstakingly long drive.

As far as places to stay in the Monterey area, I think that Pacific Grove would be better than Monterey as far as finding more reasonable accomodations.

http://pacificgrove.org/

In SF if I had to choose between Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf I'd go with the Wharf. Although it is touristy, its much cleaner and more appealing than Union Square. You also may want to look into staying in either North Beach or Cow Hollow areas. Cow Hollow Motor Inn is nice, and parking is included.

http://www.cowhollowmotorinn.com/

Not too sure about where to stay in the Wine Country. I do know that Napa tends to me more crowded than nearby Sonoma. Healdsburg also tends to be a little slower paced too. Of course, if you want to see the Wine Country you do not need to go up to the Napa or Sonoma areas.

There are lots of great wineries in the Monterey region as well as the Santa Cruz Mountains just above San Jose. Another idea, if you were interested, would be to stop at Big Basin between Santa Cruz and San Jose to see the spectacular coastal redwoods. Big Basin is about 15 miles from San Jose. You could stay a night in SJ while touring the area wineries, Big Basin, and other attractions in Silicon Valley before heading up to SF.

http://bigbasin.org/

http://santacruz.winecountry.com/

http://sanjose.org/index.cfm

One thing about Hearst Castle, make reservations ASAP as tthe tours often sell out in advance.

Have a nice trip.

Roscoe - You asked if this is a feasible plan. I think this would make for a miserable trip in which you'll do little but drive and not "see" much of your destinations.

I highly recommend you decide on doing San Francisco + Wine Country OR San Francisco + Monterey, but not both. One night in SF and one night in Monterey are almost worthless. Also, If you can, I'd consider flying from Las Vegas to SFO or San Jose rather than making the 9 hour drive from LV to Morro Bay.

For two couples, I highly recommend staying at the Lighthouse Lodge and Suites in Pacific Grove (specify you want a Suite). website is www.lhls.com. This will sleep 4 and includes fabulous full cooked breakfast and afternoon hor'derves and wines. OR if you want the Victorian B & B (more expensive) feel with a view of Monterey Bay - Green Gables Inn.

Be sure to visit the Aquarium, Carmel, and Pt. Lobos.

In San Francisco, I prefer Fisherman's Wharf over Union Sq. The Ramada Inn is a good mid-priced choice. Another fun place to stay is the Hotel del Sol - bright sunny colors - utterly unique non-chain hotel feeling. I like using this reservation service. They always have great rates and specialize in SF: www.hotelres.com