trip to San francisco and Carmel
 

What are the can't miss spots in San Francisco and Carmel? Where to dine and what to see?

How much time do you have? What ages are the people going on the trip? How many people are going? What are their interests? What time of year is the trip? What type of experience are you looking for? Museums, sightseeing, high end dining, cheap eats, active pursuits, luxury and pampering, shopping, spas, relaxation?

Give us more to go on.

Must have a drink at the Buena Vista Bar located near Fisherman's Wharf. I know it is on the corner of Hyde but can't remember the other street. Ask anyone they will know. They originated the Irish Coffee and it is great! You can sit at the bar and look out at the Golden Gate Bridge. Really Cool!!

My fiance and I are in our mid-twenties. We are going to San Francisco for two days and then to Carmel for 5 days in late January. We certainly want to site-see, but also we want to relax a bit. We are on a budget. We want to have a good time but not break the bank in the process.

Two days only for sightseeing in San Francisco will not be exactly relaxing, depending on what you want to do. On the other hand, five days in Carmel might be a bit much. You might think about dividing the time more equally.

tallahassee,
did you get this from the disaster thread?

Congratulations tallahasseegirl. We loved Carmel... the Highlands Inn will be perfectly romantic for your honeymoon. Great restaurants in the hotel. Like sunshinesue we enjoyed our 20th anniversary in Carmel staying next door at the Tickle Pink Inn. The views are stunning... splurge as much as you can on the room... esp. one with a view... it'll be worth it.

Some don't miss spots that we loved exploring:

Carmel Beach
Carmel Mission
Point Lobos
17 mile drive
Big Sur - we enjoyed Nepenthe and Sierra Mar @ the Post Ranch Inn for lunches - great views
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

I'll attach a link for the trip report I wrote about the things we did. This has been one of our FAVORITE trips.

http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages....p;tid=34452270

My guess is that you'll find this substitue honeymoon spot to be a huge blessing in disguise. Some things are meant to be... enjoy every minute. Congratulations.

I agree about dividing the time between SF and Carmel more equally. 2 days in SF isn't much. You will be very rushed to see the city.

While in SF, you can save a bit of money because you wont need a car - so you wont have to worry about rental and parking charges. Between walking and public transportation you can get just about anywhere you want to go.

If you are comfortable using Priceline, SF is a great city to use Priceline and save some money on lodging. That will be good because lodging in Carmel can be a bit steep - you are going during the off season though, so it shouldn't be too bad.

January is a big time for whales on the central coast - check the Monterey chamber of commerce to see when the whale festival is. It might be during your trip. Point Lobos is a great place to whale watch from land and of course there are whale watching boat trips too.

Three nights in Carmel and four in the city would be my choice.

Make sure you spend some time at Point Lobos. Truly unique.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is another must do.

-Bill

I think two days in SF and five in Carmel is perfect. Two days in San Francisco is enough for me. Not that SF isn't fabulous, because it is, but I do not find cities relaxing and after the stress of a wedding, relaxing would seem to be a top priority.

Tallahasseegirl, you definitely want to spend a day driving up to Big Sur. Have lunch at Sierra Mar and find Phiffer (sp?) Beach.

Hike Pt. Lobos. Visit the mission. You could do a winery tour. You have probably been to great aquariums but. if not, check out the one at Monterey. If you or your fiance are golfers visit Pebble Beach. The grounds and stores are open to the public. Take the 17 miles drive.

I don't think you will have any trouble filling five days. Have a great time!

Late January is not a great time for the coast. The weather may be very poor during the five days you are out there.

I'd suggest making a Plan B and plan on 2 days in Monterey and 5 days elsewhere. There's a lot more to do in San Francisco and other Bay Area cities, even when it is raining.

Late January is the rainiest time along the coast. But there is also a chance you will might good weather. Ever watch the ATT (Crosby) pro am? Some years it is glorious and some years it is practically monsoon followed by fog.

And IF there are bad winter storms there are frequently slides that close hwy 1 through Big Sur south of Monterey.

For a Jan. trip I would definitely plan on 4 SF/3 Monterey, or 3 SF/4 Monterey.