NAF

Drive from San Francisco to LA down Highway 1 ??

Thinking doing this in september , looking for tips on places to stay etc .

TIA!

BOB.T

Will be able to tell you in July!

NAF

lol

Ok!

BOB.T

We're going next month, I don't think there's a hotel / motel / house / rock / stone that Sal hasn't checked out!

Sonic'

We only drove from San Fran to Vegas, and we went via South Lake Tahoe, Death Valley then Vegas, much more scenic

NAF

I'll pm her in a bit Bob and find out what she knows

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

That is quite true but I still can't decide where to stay in San Francisco, today the top floor of the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway is favourite but that could change tomorrow

Sonic'

Comfort Inn on the corner of Van Ness is the one we stayed at Sal, across the road did some fantastic baguettes

NAF

Hi Sal
where you thinking stopping along the way ?

NAF

Death Valley sounds good Sonic

Nimbus

A few years ago (1999!) we drove from SF to Monterey/Carmel along Highway 1. It's a great drive. We didn't go any further south as we cut across to Yosemite. There's a nice restaurant in Big Sur that's worth stopping for lunch at on the highway. They had a bench in the river you could sit in and cool your feet

Daryl

Did this a few of years ago, there is plenty of fantastic scenery to take in!

Your first stop after SF might be Santa Cruz, which has the historic Boardwalk Amusement Park and a nice town, with loads of bookstores, art galleries and cafes.

We stopped there for a couple of hours to have lunch, before heading on to Monterey where we stayed at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, which was nice enough. It was conveniently located on Cannery Row, where you can find Fisherman's Wharf (bars, restaurants) and the Aquarium (the biggest in the US).

A few miles down the road, you really must tour the Monterey Peninsular by doing 17 Mile Drive, a toll road. This is where you will see amazing beaches, imposing houses, wonderful golf courses (including Pebble Beach - if you are feeling wealthy, stay at the Lodge!) and the Del Monte Forest. Do beware of fog at that time of the year though!

Carmel, where Clint Eastwood used to be mayor, is right next door. Thought it was a bit boring, but it's worth a look.

Next day, traverse Big Sur, a drive of around 100 miles, where all you will see is mountains, cliffs and the Pacific Ocean - there are very few signs of civilisation and it has been described as "the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world". This was the highlight for me - apart from a round of golf at Pebble Beach!

After that, the scenery gets slightly less interesting, but at San Simeon there is a must see - Hearst Castle, where you can take a guided tour. Further south, heading towards Santa Barbara, you can tour the Santa Ynez wine region.

After Santa Barbara, it's on to Los Angeles, where I would recommend you stay in Santa Monica - right on the beach, with plenty of good hotels, restaurants and bars and not sleazy like LA itself.

Hope this helps, the memories are fading a bit, it was about 5 years ago that we did it.

One last thing, hire a decent car, something with a V8 in it - it will make light work of all those mountain roads!

NAF

Great info Daryl
Thanks !!