(TGA) - We have never been to California. I will be attending a conference in Huntington Beach. Here is our planned itinerary, we need some guidance. I know the weather will not be great but what can we expect? We are open to any suggestions in route from Huntington to San Fran. Where to stay, what to do (must see and do's) where to eat.
We would be leaving Huntington Beach on Saturday the 16th of Jan around noon. Will need to stop somewhere for the night and we were thinking around or near Hearst. The next day tour Hearst in the morning and either go into San Fran (if reasonable) or stop somewhere like Monterey. That would be on Sunday the 17th and for sure be in San Fran on the morning of the 18th and not leave SF until morning of the 20th. If we stay in Monterey than what is to do there for the day and and where should we stay? OR should we get to San Fran. Should we stay in the Union Sq, Fisherman's Wharf or Emacadero area and recommendations. We are not adverse to staying in nice places but not outrageous.
We will be leaving San Fran for Portland, OR on the Morning of the 20th.
Thanks in advance for all the responses.
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I see you are wanting to take the coastal route.
OK. Weather is unpredictable. You may run into some rain. Or not. If we have heavy rain (not really likely) sometimes there are slides and the road is closed. So before you head north check the road conditions.
The first night I would stay in Cambria. There are nice motels on Moonstone beach and the area is very pleasant. (do some searches here, this trip is well documented).
This is just a few miles south of San Simeon which is where you will find Hearst Castle. Be sure to make reservations for the first tour the next morning, which you can do online.
The Monterey area is an excellent second night stop. This gives you plenty of time to explore the coast and the Big Sur area and enjoy the stupendous views.
What to do there? Be sure to visit the Point Lobos Preserve, just south of Carmel, which has some trails and stupendous views and sealife sightings.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is not just a fish watching place, but a world class research institution. It has floor to ceiling (several stories high) fish tanks. If you are there at feeding time you can watch the staff swimming around in scuba gear, tossing out food.
There is a wonderful sea otter section. Sometimes they house a great white whale, or some other fantastic creature, which is then returned to the ocean.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
I will let the destination expert for the area talk to you about where to stay. I live only 45 minutes away, so don't often spend the night there.
For San Francisco. I do stay there several weekends a year because we have theater tickets. I would choose the Union Square area, which has all of the available public transportation easily available. My second choice would be the Embarcadero. We do not usually suggest the Fishermans Wharf area unless people have children with them. It is over the top "tourist".
If you are flying to Portland after San Francisco, definitely ditch the car as soon as you get to SF. Hotel parking is outrageous, driving around the city is not fun, and San Francisco is quite compact and the public transportation system is excellent. You might even turn the car in and rent again if your plan is to drive to Portland.
For hotels. One of our favorites on this forum is the Chancellor, which is a smallish, historic boutique hotel half a block from Union Square. Please check the reviews here. It has a fantastic management and a staff which has obviously been trained in guest relations. They all smile and greet you...which may sound silly, but it is very pleasant. The rooms were all redecorated a year or two ago in a classy manner. They have a small but pretty restaurant, Luques, where you will find fresh flowers on your table at breakfast, and a nice small bar tucked behind the lobby where the barista is fun and you may find yourselves trading travel stories with strangers.
http://www.chancellorhotel.com/hotelinfo2.htm
A way to get a discount on hotels. There is a consolidator which the hotels use which can often offer good rates. I use them all the time. The website is hotelres.com. You can get all kinds of information about the hotels there...their amenities, parking prices (if you need to keep the car), etc. and even maps, as I remember. This is not a pay-up-front site with no cancellation privileges. They just make the reservation for you and then you deal with the hotel. I would suggest also checking with the hotel's own website to see if they have any "in-house" specials.
Besides the Chancellor, we like the Donatello, half a block from Union Square and the Adagio, two blocks.......and if we can get a good rate or want to splurge, the JW Marriott, my favorite in the city, with a marble bathroom to die for, including a tiny TV in the vanity area to distract you from your shaving or makeup.
The Donatello has large rooms, with a sitting area, a wet bar, microwave, fridge, etc. And a fitness center on the top floor and a lounge with a fireplace and two terraces.
shellhospitality.com/hotels/…index.html
I have not stayed in the Embarcadero area, but have visited the Hyatt Regancy, which is very nice, from a lobby perspective.
…hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
This is a larger hotel, however, but may have some bay views.
The San Francisco people will be able to give their perspective.
Have a great visit.
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Wow ~ as usual, puter is thorough and eloquent! I want to go to her favorite hotel just so I can be treated so well and have flowers on the table!
To get specific San Francisco feedback from the SF folks, repost on that forum. There is a great "Top questions about San Francisco" link in the upper right corner of the SF page. (Do you know how to find that forum?)
And just a tip ~ when you repost your question on the San Francisco forum, most folks will be happiest to see their beautiful city referred to as "San Francisco" or in writing as "SF." Other nicknames like SanFran or the dreaded Frisco make some folks cringe.
Happy Planning.
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Just stayed at the Hyatt Embarcadero last weekend. It does have views of the Embarcadero from one side. We had a city view, which was also cool as we could see the cable cars.
Location was fine to tour from.
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There are some excellent prices on Monterey and SF hotels on the Travelzoo website.
Regarding weather-- not sure I would make advance reservations, that can't be cancelled, in Cambria, or even Monterey. If the weather is bad, I would just drive up 101 the whole way, without stopping for the night. You'll miss the gorgeous Big Sur coast, and Hearst Castle, but... there isn't much to see in awful weather. And the 101 has many miles of nice coastline and rolling hills with oak-dotted hillsides, as well as nice towns to stop in.
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If you want to stay right on the beach, there is the Best Western Cavalier Resort you may want to check out. In Monterey, we love the Monterey Plaza Hotel, a very nice property which is walking distance to the aquarium. Have fun! :)
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