Anyone been to Californian Coast - Tips wanted!

[peachsmuggler]

We are going to California for 2 weeks in June.

We are going to San Francisco for a week and then are hiring a car and going to drive down the coast. Wondering where to go.

Is Moneterey a nice place to stay and do outdoorsy beach stuff?

ta!

Forgot to say, we are taking our 2 year old!

Dont know how much money you are looking to spend but en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronado,_California was nice for a few days but pricey. The Hotel Del Coronado is lovely. It was where they made the film Some Like it Hot.

Has a fantastic beach and Coronado is nice place and close to San Diego.

We had fun at hearst castle but that was without kids

We stayed in Cayucos, small seaside town south of Big Sur and loved it (in a bit too pricey but lovely BandB:
www.bedandbreakfast.com/california-cayucos-cayucos-sunset-inn.html). Lovely beach, good seafood.

Its not too far south of Hearst Castle which is a bonkers place to visit.

You should be aware of the weather. At that time of year there is a lot of fog on the coast so you may not get the spectacular views that everyone raves about.

I would recommend Santa Barbara - really nice town, great restaurants, lots to do (whale watching etc).

Goodness, so many things!!! Yes had been told about the fog. Does it just spoil the view or is it more than that? Does it mean you can't go to the beach for example?

The fog is very weird. At the coast it completely blocks the view and makes it quite cold. Go half a mile inland and the sun is shining and it's roasting!

San Fran can be really chilly in the summer but it is my fave place. Muir woods are lovely. Hopefully the seals will be back on the pier !

I second San Diego too

Morro Bay is one of the nicest places I have EVER been to. Quiet, unspoiled, with nice rocks for climbing on, lovely cafes, and usually a few surfers to watch.

In general the Pacific Coast Highway is gorgeous, drive slowly, stop where you see something you like, and enjoy!

We had 3 days in San Francisco in August a couple of years ago.

It was so foggy that in all that time I never saw the Golden Gate Bridge - it was always shrouded in fog.

It was windy and cold, which made our trip round Alcatraz really miserable!

Another vote for Coronado. If you get that far south do also go to La Jolla it's a very nice (upmarket) coastal town north of San Diego. Oh and San Diego has a lovely Zoo as well as Sea World (if that's your kind of thing). No fog in San Francisco when we went in April. Have a fantastic time.

Monterey aquarium is great (or at least it was when I went in about 2002 or so).

I agree about fog around San Francisco - it does seem to come quite a lot.

San Fransisco was just beaufiful. We went in October/November. The fog lifted around 10.30/11.00am. Golden Gate Bridge was a fabulous sight.

Monerary/San Diego is supposed to be really lovely. Have a friend that went there a couple of years ago.

Thanks everyone!

Yes, Madam - have been told nby a friend about the madonna inn. Don't know if we;lkl go that far down but if we do we'll definitely pop in!!!

My top tips would be Santa Barbara - so nice, and Hurst Castle - amazing, not to be missed.

Oh be warned - at Hurst Castle his zoo are in big fields next to the road. I nearly crashed when I saw a couple of zebras cantering past

Santa Barbara is lovely and if you do make it as far as LA and beyond, the canals in Little Venice and Balboa are great for wandering around and around there and at Palos Verdes you will quite often see schools of dolphins and brown pelicans.

Oh be warned - at Hurst Castle his zoo are in big fields next to the road. I nearly crashed when I saw a couple of zebras cantering past

Santa Barbara is lovely and if you do make it as far as LA and beyond, the canals in Little Venice and Balboa are great for wandering around and around there and at Palos Verdes you will quite often see schools of dolphins and brown pelicans.

Silly me, Hearst, not Hurst (the power of Pinot Grigio to ruin spelling). I went there bc, but I have always taken my 3 dcs to stately homes and the like from the earliest days - whatever their age they always find something to marvel at (even a two year old might be astonished to see a gold-plated swimming pool).
btw, all the comments about foggy beaches, dh has just appeared by my shoulder and reminded me that we spent three hours on the beach at Santa Barbara in LATE APRIL and he got so badly sunburned he came out in blisters. No fog there!!