Hi, Any idea which town I should stay in? I'm flying into San Jose, plan on going to Big Basin State Park, and spending some time in SF then moving down the coast. Only staying for 2-3 days at most?

A little more info please. Will you have a car? Do you have a specific reason for going to Big Basin? There are other woodsy places in the area that I'd recommend over BB. Do you plan to go to BB then to SF and then backtrack down the coast? What is your budget range? Five-star hotels or hostels? If you can be a little more specific, some of us who live in the area will be glad to help!

If you only have 2 or 3 days, you probably will not have enough time to see Big Basin, the coast, and SF. Being that SF is in the opposite direction to both Big Basin and the Monterey Bay Area, you may just want to focus on Big Basin and the coast instead. However, if you do plan on seeing all the places you listed, San Jose is centrally located to SF, Big Basin, and the Monterey Area. Staying downtown would make the most sense as most sites, restaurants, etc. are within walking distance.

www.sjdowntown.com

www.sanjose.org

Our whole trip will be 10 days, I was thinking of going to SF for 1-2 days, BB another day,so I wanted to stay in one hotel central to those locations for 3 days then move down the coast to see Monterey/Big Sur, stay for a couple of days somewhere inbetween Monterey & Santa Monica.

It is about 60 miles from Big Basin to San Francisco. Hmmmm.... why not stay one or two nights in San Francisco, the best way to see the city because you are there in the evenings too, and then spend one or two nights near Big Basin? There is a ton of info here about places to stay in SF, based on your budget and interests. Near Big Basin I'd suggest you stay in Saratoga or Los Gatos. What is your budget?

Consider using Priceline for your SJ and/or SF hotels. Good deals abound. Check out www.biddingfortravel.com for a PL tutorial. (I have no connection to either site)

If you want to stay in one place to see both SF and Big Basin, San Jose would be the logical choice. If you stay in Downtown San Jose, you can take the Caltrain from the San Jose Diridon Station at Santa Clara and Cahill Streets, a short walk or cab ride from many of the hotels in Center City. Big basin is about 25 miles from San Jose.