Hi,
I know there have been a ton of posts about the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but I have a particular question I was hoping someone could help with. This is going to be a long message! My husband and I are flying into Long Beach (staying in Pasadena) for a wedding August 14th-16th. We?re then going to drive up the coast, and fly out from Oakland on August 21st. We plan to arrive in San Francisco on August 19th, and are staying at the Stanford Court. (We?ve got Marriott reward points.) This gives us two to three days to drive up the coast.

Our original plan was to leave Pasadena on the morning of the 17th and stop for lunch in Santa Barbara or Solvang. We?ve been to Santa Barbara before, so we?re not dying to see it again. Then we would continue on to San Luis Obispo, where we were going to stay at the Madonna Inn. We like kitsch. The next day on the 18th we were going to continue, take in the view, and stop at Monterey/Carmel, before ending up in Sunnyvale, where we will go to dinner with family. We were going to stay the night there and drive into SF the morning of the 19th.

But now I?m wondering if this wasn?t the best itinerary. I?ve heard that Hearst Castle is great, but I don?t see how we could see it with our current schedule. We?re not going to want to go up and back from San Luis Obispo on the 17th and we?ve already got a long drive on the 18th. I?m wondering if it wouldn?t be better to leave Pasadena on the evening of the 16th and stay in Santa Barbara that night. Then on the 17th, we?d drive up to Hearst Castle and stay the night in a hotel in Cambria. On the 18th, we?d continue up the coast and maybe stop in at a state park near Big Sur, maybe stop in Monterey or Cambria and then go to Sunnyvale by the evening.

I guess I?m asking if Hearst Castle is worth changing our itinerary (not staying at the Madonna Inn and staying in the hotels in Cambria that seem less than thrilling) AND if the second itinerary seems like it would even out the driving better and give us more time to see things in general. Any advice from locals or those who?ve made the drive before?

I'm not very keen on the hotel choices I can find near Cambria/San Simeon, but if staying near there rather than at the Madonna Inn would be better for the trip overall, I'd like to do that. I'm also not sure how hard the drive will be...whether it's better to split up into 3 days or whether all of the checking in and out of hotels will be worse than just leisurely doing it in 2.

Thanks!
Roxanne

Eeek. Not sure why all of those question marks are appearing where apostrophes should be! Sorry.

I like the second itinerary a lot, and there are some kitschy bed n breakfasts up near Cambria.

The Pelican Suites is nice, too.

I think the second itinerary sounds better too. Have a very pleasant night in Santa Barbara (I'd recommend the Palace Grill for dinner) and then drive up to Cambria the next day. You shouldn't have any problem finding a quaint little B&B in Cambria. Hearst Castle is definitely worth a visit if you are in that area. Plus, you will then have time to spend the afternoon (the next day) in the Monterey/Carmel area ...which is just so beautiful. Don't miss the 17-mile drive.

SLO to Cambria is only about 40 minutes (it's not the slow section of hwy 1), so you can still do Madonna Inn if you want.

I think you might like to spend the 1st night in SLO, and the second in Monterey; it will make that section, which is new to you, less rushed.

Thanks for the replies! I decided to switch to itinerary two, which gives us more time to see Big Sur and Hearst Castle. I'm a little bummed about losing The Madonna Inn, because I love kitchsy stuff like that (My husband took me to Graceland for my birthday a few years ago.), but I think it's going to make the trip more enjoyable overall.

You might enjoy the Montecito Inn just south of Santa Barbara. It was built by Charlie Chaplin. They usually have good rates on weeknights if you ask for the "L.A. Times Special"

Hearst is really very interesting - and has great views . . . You won't be sorry that you switched things around a bit. Just make sure you have hotel reservations in advance . . . and Hearst reservations as well.

I like your seond itinerary better as well. I've never stayed at the Mt.Madonna Inn but I have a feeling that once the novelty of the place wears off you may wish to be in Cambria. Cambria has more to do and more to see. I also recommend a stop at Nepenthe in Big Sur or the River Inn in Big Sur for lunch.