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Trip to Cal to drive the coast starting in San Francisco in Sept for 9 days

Trip to Cal to drive the coast starting in San Francisco in Sept for 9 days

Old Dec 31st, 2013, 06:38 AM
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Trip to Cal to drive the coast starting in San Francisco in Sept for 9 days

My husband and I just booked our flight into the Oakland airport for next September. He has never been to San Francisco and really wants to drive the coastline south in a convertible. We fly in on Saturday, Sept. 27th and fly out of the same airport on Tuesday, Oct. 7th. Now the fun begins as we decide on our itinerary and figure out how to see everything we want to see without feeling too rushed. We're not sure if we should drive the coast down to San Diego and then plan on dropping the rental car there and get a one-way flight back to Oakland or if we should just plan to drive not so far down the coast and then drive it back up at the end of our trip. We have both been to San Diego, so it is not necessary that we go all the way down there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best utilize our 9 full days between San Francisco and driving down the coast? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We are just starting our planning process so we don't have any accommodations or anything else booked besides the flight.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 06:45 AM
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Plenty of post in here under this type of topic. Like the convertible idea for sure and driving along the Coast hiway will be beautiful in Sep.

You could also consider taking in Yosemite.

So many options.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 06:59 AM
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There have been 3-5 posts in the last 3 weeks about the same subject. Click on my name & try to find them.

For 9 days, I would certainly not go to San Diego. I might not even go to LA. I think you need at least 3-4 full days in LA to see much of anything, and I think there are better ways to spend your "too-little" time. Think "quality" not "quantity".

I would land at OAK and immediately rent a car & drive to Carmel. The 27th is a Saturday, so traffic should be lite. Spend 3 nights in Carmel and explore that area (late Sept is our best weather - usually). Then drive south on Hwy 1, visit Pt Lobos, and spend the night at the Big Sur Lodge in Big Sur. Have dinner at Nepenthe. Visit all the Pfeiffer stuff. Then continue south to Cambria and visit Hearst Castle. Spend the night in Cambria. Dawdle as much as you can between Carmel & Cambria. From Cambria, drive east to Paso Robles & visit a few wineries. Then take 101/880 back to Oakland, return the car, take BART to San Francisco and spend your remaining days there - which should be about 4 days/5 nights.

Here is more info:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm

Stu Dudley
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 07:50 AM
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Here you go for starters, and 'loose':
- Sat. Sun. Mon. nights in San Francisco;
- Tues. depart for Monterey/Carmel for lunch, staying overnight in one of those cities or in Big Sur particularly if weather is clear (Ventana #1 choice but $$$$)
- Wed. continue to Santa Barbara for 2 nights; drive up into Santa Ynez Mtns., tour wineries; (skip Solvang); tour Hearst Castle
- Fri. continue to Santa Monica staying 2 nights; The Getty, Venice Beach, Malibu, and LA attractions to suit you
- Sunday drive down to Laguna Beach, spending 1-2 nights (#1 Ritz Carlton at Laguna Niguel); lunch in Newport Beach, perhaps Long Beach, and cocktails and sunset at Las Brisas in Laguna; return to Oakland from John Wayne Airport in Orange on Monday nt or Tuesday. Not enough time for an outing to Catalina, and it's another hour south of Laguna to arrive in Carlsbad/Encinitas/Del Mar (north county SD) It's a great trip.
I just wouldnt do many one-nighters or add more stops; September is usually great month.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 08:15 AM
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I've never rented a car in Calfornia - because I've lived here all my life & never needed to rent a car (I'm in my late 60s). However, posts I've read on Fodors have stated that there can often be a large (in someone else's opinion) drop-off fee on a car if it is rented in one place & returned in another. That's why I suggested a driving loop - starting & ending in Oakland.

IMO, Santa Monica beach, Venice Beach, and even Malibu will be a big let-down after the Big Sur Coast & Carmel. I lived in Laguna Beach for 5 years in my mid/late-20s and it is quite scenic - but not as scenic as the Big Sur coast & Carmel, IMO.

Also - I would certainly spend more than 1 night on the coast between San Francisco and Santa Barbara. After reading the OP's post, it seems to me that the "husband's" major requirement is to drive the coast. When I think of "coast", what comes to mind is the Big Sur coast - not the LA coast.

Stu Dudley
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 08:42 AM
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I agree with StuDudley, don't go too far south given your limited time. The itinerary StuD has given is as good as any other unless you have some specific interests other than just driving a convertible down the coast. You haven't actually mentioned any interests at all.

On a side note but I cannot resist, Cali is a city in Columbia. It is not the place name of anywhere in the USA. I find the use of such terms by non-residents kind of like someone saying your Mother wears army boots. You know, I can insult or use nicknames for my family but YOU cannot.

I don't find it cute or hip or in the know to use such terms when you are a visitor. People who call Barcelona 'Barca' are my top peeve.

Sorry for the rant TravelNGal, nothing personal.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 08:46 AM
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Oh crap, egg on face. You wrote Cal a somewhat acceptable short form. I read Cali with an i on the end. An annoying contraction.

My humble apologies TravelNGal. I still hate 'Barca' though.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 08:46 AM
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Oh crap, egg on face. You wrote Cal a somewhat acceptable short form. I read Cali with an i on the end. An annoying contraction.

My humble apologies TravelNGal. I still hate 'Barca' though.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 08:47 AM
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Thank you Tomsd, Stu and aliced! I love your suggestions and they all give me a good starting point to begin our planning. Now I will do some research in the areas of San Francisco, Carmel, Big Sur, Cambria, Santa Barbara, etc. to see what all there is to do and see. In most of the posts I have read, it sounds like Hearst Castle is mentioned a lot as something to see. I like the idea of visiting some wineries and I'm not familiar with Paso Robles or the Santa Ynez mountains. If we visit some of those wineries, do you think it is worth the drive up to Napa Valley and/or Sonoma? Also, would you advise going to Muir Woods or will we be seeing something similar in any of our sites down the coast? I apologize for my ignorance on the areas and what there is see in all these places. But I do appreciate all your input so that I can begin looking into these places a little more.

P.S. Stu, thanks for the link you sent. I had scanned through that post earlier and I see that there is a lot of good information in there on San Francisco.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 08:55 AM
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Thanks for your input, Stu, on the rental car. I had done a little comparisons on renting the car one way down the coast versus returning it to the same location it was picked up. There are varying drop-off fees depending on the location and the rental car agency. But when we were thinking of driving down to San Diego, we were weighing the extra cost of drop-off fee/one-way airfare with spending 8 hours driving back on our last day with only a limited amount of time. After running this info by my husband, he is all for not going down south as far as LA. I love your idea of the loop and I think that is the way we have decided to go.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 09:01 AM
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Geez dulciusexasperis! You need to work on the "sweeter" part of your name a bit! I accept your apology, but maybe next time before you jump all over someone, you check things out a little closer so you don't end up with "egg on your face". I'll have you know that I originally typed 'California' in the title of my post, but I exceeded the number of characters, which is why I chose to shorten it to 'Cal'. This is my first time on this Fodor's site and my first time posting and you certainly did give me a warm welcome! Thanks!
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 09:23 AM
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You will pass right through Paso Robles on the way back to the SF Bay Area from Cambria - so why not stop there? It will also break up the drive a tad and obviously save a lot of time vs going to Napa/Sonoma. Paso Robles is less commercial/Disneylandish than the Napa Valley is becoming. I actually prefer Sonoma over Napa - but I think you will find plenty of typical vineyards/wineries in Paso Robles. Do some research.

There are lots of redwood trees in & around Big Sur.

Stu Dudley
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 09:30 AM
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He really doesn't have a sweeter side - you'll get used to him (he's posted much worse on the Europe forum)

If the one-way drop off isn't prohibitively expensive (shop around) I would go all the way to SD and fly back.

But if you decide not to do a one-way rental -- Then I'd just do SF to Santa Barbara and back. Spend maybe 3 days in SF, pick up the car and head down hwy 1, something like 3 nights in the Carmel/Monterey area, one night in the general Cambria area, two nights in/near Santa Barbara - then head up 101 back to the Bay area.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 09:53 AM
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Thanks for the info on the wineries and the rewoods, Stu. I think we will be more than satisfied visiting the ones in Paso Robles. We live in Michigan and my husband teases me because when we're traveling by car through the state, the only time I need to stretch is when we pass by the wineries! LOL
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 10:04 AM
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Ha! I kind of figured that janisj! Some people just aren't happy unless they are complaining about something! I will never get used to those types of people. I'd rather just let them go on their grumpy way. I just thought the name dulciusexasperis translating to "Sweeter After Difficulties" was a bit ironic.

I think we have decided to only go as far south as Santa Barbara. We did a trip through South Carolina this past September and we moved around quite a bit which got to be a pain. I like yours and Stu's suggestions of staying 3 days in Carmel/Monterey and 3 days in San Francisco. We can always drive around from there to the surrounding areas. But at least then we don't feel like we have to pack up every night.

I really appreciate all the good advice that everyone is providing. It certainly makes planning a lot easier. I know we have a lot of time before our trip, but I'm the type of person who likes to have most of the trip planned out, yet leaving some time open for a some spontaneity!
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 10:22 AM
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If you enjoy wine, try to get to the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara. Some of the wineries remind me of what Napa/Sonoma used to be 25-30 years ago. One of my favorite wineries is Saarloos in Los Olivos. On weekends they have wine and cupcake pairings. The cupcakes are to die for!

http://saarloosandsons.com/

Should you want to visit Heart's Castle, be sure to make the reservations in advance online. Very easy to do and it saves the disappointment of not getting the tour time you want.

Welcome back to California!
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 11:22 AM
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TravelNGal

Do some good research before you decide to go all the way to Santa Barbara, at the expense of time in either San Francisco or the Big Sur Coast. IMO, San Francisco, Carmel, Pt Lobos, Hearst Castle, and the Big Sur coast are unique - Santa Barbara is not. I haven't visited Santa Barbara in decades, and the "summer scene" there is enjoyable - but the Baywatch type "scene" will have died down a bit in early October and won't really be much different than at Carmel Beach.

FYI, Fodor's has an entire book dedicated to San Francisco and the Bay Area. There are 358 pages about SF alone. In the Calif Fodor's book, there are 70 pages about SF and 13 pages on Santa Barbara - mostly hotel & restaurant recommendations - only 5 pages are dedicated to SB attractions. In the Calif book, there are 36 pages about SF attractions.

Use mapquest to estimate driving times too.

Stu Dudley
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 01:18 PM
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In addition to the Santa Ynez area - the wineries in the adjacent Santa Rita Hills have been receiving acclaim for their Pinots and Chardonnays. http://www.staritahills.com/

And on hiway 46 - from Cambria toward Paso Robles, my nephew spent his honeymoon at Justin Vinyards (who produces some very good wine) - and there are some other cute B & B type wineries along the route. http://www.justinwine.com/
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Old Jan 1st, 2014, 07:53 AM
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Thank you everyone for your wonderful advice and suggestions. My husband and I have started looking at some of the websites you all have suggested and are checking out the websites of Hearst Castle, Big Sur and some of the various vineyards. It is all a bit overwhelming, but exciting at the same time. As we start to zero in on our itinerary including places to stay and sites to see, I'm sure I'll be posting more questions. I have been pleasantly surprised at the detailed responses. I also appreciate the varying opinions as it gives us different viewpoints to consider.

Happy New Year to all you travelers out there and all you experts in your neck of the woods. Here in Michigan we woke up to about 5 inches of snow and there is more on the way. This is a good day to put something in the crockpot (I've got corned beef and cabbage planned) and stay inside.
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Old Jan 1st, 2014, 08:14 AM
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It's in the low 60s here. Last night on Union St in The City - I've never seen so many short skirts and high heals walking around outside without jackets on. Just a very thin (and I emphasize "thin") bit of fabric separating the skin of the 20s-something ladies from the elements.

Stu Dudley
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