CA Coast??

[Deleted User] · October 2014

Hello, I am new here. Im getting married next august in California. I am thinking about taking a road trip for our honeymoon up the 1 and just stopping whenever we fell like it. no real plan. Anyone have thought on this?? have you done it??

jenijoyk · October 2014

I've done it! And it was a blast. We went from Orange County up to Fort Bragg and back. Our main goal was to hit a bunch of breweries because we are beer obsessed. What are you guys interested in? If it's beer with the occasional historic landmark thrown in, I can go on for daaayyysss with suggestions!

levioosa · October 2014

PCH is a wonderful and beautiful drive. It goes up the whole coast. I love Carmel and Cambria. Big Sur is beautiful. San Juan Capistrano is beautiful, and San Diego has a ton to do. What area in particular are you looking into? They all have very different feels. What are you and your FI into? You can detour into wine country, hit up small artsy towns, or even surf depending on what you would like.

[Deleted User] · October 2014

We r both beer drinkers, so beer would be fun. I am also a wine drinker, so we would have tons of options!

thisismynickname2 · October 2014

Knottie08537165 said:

We r both beer drinkers, so beer would be fun. I am also a wine drinker, so we would have tons of options!

You must stop for at least 1-2 days in Napa or Sonoma Valley! There are ways to save money on tastings too (phone apps with 2-for-1 coupons, credit card rewards, etc). For that matter, I hear Santa Barbara is great for wine too. It's obviously about an hour inland but so worth it.

jenijoyk · October 2014

Oh my gosh. If you like beer AND wine, you are in for a lovely trip!!!

We did Telegraph brewing in Santa Barbara and then hung out on the beach... in the Paso Robles area we did Firestone brewing and also some wineries (a lot cheaper than Sonoma and Napa, and still really fun). We did a night in Cambria. We did Hearst Castle, and some hiking around there. And stopped to see the elephant seals. We stopped again in Monterey and ate down on the pier and wandered around Cannery Row. We blew through the Bay Area because we're from there and have seen it all, but of course, you could spend days in San Francisco.

North of the bay we stopped at Anderson Valley brewing (but it's inland a ways, and you go up a really insane windy road, I was very ill by the time we got there). We stopped at Hog Island oysters on Tomales Bay (it's kind of like an oyster... outlet? that sounds bad, but it's so fun). It's basically just a stand and they hand you a big sack of oysters that just came out of the water and a tray and a shucker and you can sit on these little picnic tables overlooking the ocean and eat them (bring your champagne or beer). We also stopped at Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsberg (I think?? They all blend together in my mind). You can hang out there all day - such good beer! And the downtown there is adorable. And they are also known for cheese. If you are into cheese. The town, not the brewery.

The last place we stopped was North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg. SO. MUCH. FUN. That place. Delicious beer. Adorable nautical bar. Glass beach is right down the street from the brewery. There used to be a glass factory right there, decades ago, and they used to just dump the glass in the ocean. Over the years it's washed up on shore and all the sharp edges are rounded out so it is seriously a beach of sand that is a bunch of different colors of glass. Amazing!

The Skunk Train also departs from Fort Bragg, which is really, so, so amazing. We didn't do it on our trip, but I've done it in the past. It's a steam/coal train engine that still runs its historic route through the redwoods. I mean, it is INCREDIBLE. If you are into redwoods. Who isn't into redwoods?? I think there's another similar train up here that's a wine theme. Haven't done that one though.

slothiegal · October 2014

thisismynickname said:

Knottie08537165 said:

We r both beer drinkers, so beer would be fun. I am also a wine drinker, so we would have tons of options!

You must stop for at least 1-2 days in Napa or Sonoma Valley! There are ways to save money on tastings too (phone apps with 2-for-1 coupons, credit card rewards, etc). For that matter, I hear Santa Barbara is great for wine too. It's obviously about an hour inland but so worth it.

IT TOTALLY IS!

Sorry, I just moved out here about a year ago, and am always excited to brag about it--it's an absolutely GORGEOUS city, with both mountains and beach. (In fact, this past Sunday, I went rock climbing in the morning and boogie boarding in the afternoon. I am ridiculously spoiled.)

Santa Barbara also has an awesome area downtown called "The Funk Zone" which has a ton of tasting rooms, and a few breweries as well. If you want more info, feel free to PM me, I can tell you my personal favorites.

jenijoyk I was just at Telegraph this weekend!

jenijoyk · October 2014

slothiegal said:

thisismynickname said:

Knottie08537165 said:

We r both beer drinkers, so beer would be fun. I am also a wine drinker, so we would have tons of options!

You must stop for at least 1-2 days in Napa or Sonoma Valley! There are ways to save money on tastings too (phone apps with 2-for-1 coupons, credit card rewards, etc). For that matter, I hear Santa Barbara is great for wine too. It's obviously about an hour inland but so worth it.

IT TOTALLY IS!

Sorry, I just moved out here about a year ago, and am always excited to brag about it--it's an absolutely GORGEOUS city, with both mountains and beach. (In fact, this past Sunday, I went rock climbing in the morning and boogie boarding in the afternoon. I am ridiculously spoiled.)

Santa Barbara also has an awesome area downtown called "The Funk Zone" which has a ton of tasting rooms, and a few breweries as well. If you want more info, feel free to PM me, I can tell you my personal favorites.

jenijoyk I was just at Telegraph this weekend!

So fun! I was just at a conference on Monday talking to a guy from Santa Barbara, and I mentioned Telegraph and he was like, "OOOHHHH no, there are SOOOO MANY more now!" And then just started spouting off all kinds of breweries I haven't heard of yet!

So, clearly, a trip to SB is in my near future.

(You could do an entire honeymoon just in SB, obviously.)

canadianhearts · October 2014

You are going to love this! It was one of the best trips that FI and I took. Are you from CA? If you're flying in, I would advise going from SF down versus the other way as you will be driving right along the coast.

San Francisco - try to spend at least a few days here. It's one of the best cities ever. Go to Wilson and Wilson Detective Agency/Bourbon and Branch - book ahead of time. Yummy speakeasy that has some great drinks. We have yet to find a place that compares, and we've been to similar ones all over the world.

Leave a full day to drive through Napa - we had a lot of fun visiting wineries in the area. Most close very early in the day (just after 4:00 p.m. or so - make sure you plan this out properly) Or maybe we were there at a weird time.

Alcatraz was fun if you're into that kind of stuff - book ahead of time as tickets sell out very quickly.

Then just head south (in a convertible preferably).

Depending when you're going, I wouldn't even worry about booking hotel rooms except at certain points you want to spend the night at. We kind of were "homeless" for at least five days because we wanted to be able to drive as little or as much as we wanted and had no trouble finding hotels. Except in Santa Barbara -on a Friday everything was booked solid. But, otherwise, it was an adventure of sorts.

Must see places:
Hearst Castle
Big Sur
Carmel
Solvang
Santa Barbara
L.A. - maybe. You can splurge here on some hotel where you and future hubby get massages and drink on the rooftop pool with the "stars", though I personally wouldn't spend too much time in the city since the coast has so much more to offer. Maybe go to a few good bars/clubs, then head to Santa Monica or Venice Beach or somewhere else instead.
San Diego

Have fun! And take me with you!

JMS62415 · October 2014

I live up that way. I live in Paso Robles so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Personally, I wouldn't drive all the way to Napa. The central coast wineries are just as good and you won't have to travel hours out of your way.

JMS62415 · October 2014

oh and consider staying a night at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. It's pricey and books early but so worth it if you can swing the price. I HIGHLY recommend it. Each room if totally unique and you'll love SLO.

Viczaesar · October 2014

JMS62415 said:

oh and consider staying a night at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. It's pricey and books early but so worth it if you can swing the price. I HIGHLY recommend it. Each room if totally unique and you'll love SLO.

At the very least stop there and have a pee in the downstairs men's bathroom!

jenijoyk · November 2014

canadianhearts said:

You are going to love this! It was one of the best trips that FI and I took. Are you from CA? If you're flying in, I would advise going from SF down versus the other way as you will be driving right along the coast.

San Francisco - try to spend at least a few days here. It's one of the best cities ever. Go to Wilson and Wilson Detective Agency/Bourbon and Branch - book ahead of time. Yummy speakeasy that has some great drinks. We have yet to find a place that compares, and we've been to similar ones all over the world.

STUCK IN THE BOX

Ahhh - I love Bourban & Branch!!!!!!!!! Soooooooo muuuccchhhhh!!!!!! Even if you can't swing a reservation it is still worth going to and drinking in the "Library".... One of my favorite bars ever.

AuroraRose41 · November 2014

Hi OP- I live in San Diego, and PCH (Highway 101) is gorgeous! There are also a ton of breweries here (some notable ones are Karl Strauss, Stone, Ballast Point, but there are over 80 in the county), and the resorts in Del Mar, Encinitas, and Carlsbad are beautiful. Those beaches are also great for surfing and swimming. Temecula is also close by for great wine in Southern California.

JennyColada · November 2014

I can definitely ditto Solvang and Paso Robles.

Also, if you have time, near Napa is a little town called Yountville, it's where I got married! It has some AMAZING restaurants (including many that are Michelin rated!). It's a great little place to hang out and relax and shop and EAT. Definitely gotta check out Bouchon Bakery!

I'd also totally recommend Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach!

SBmini · November 2014

To throw into the mix, I would also add Hearst Castle and Monterey to the must see places. I really like the town of Pacific Grove right next to Monterey. It's very cozy. Big Sur has some amazing cabins you can rent, but I'm sure they are pricey. Carmel by Monterey is also really nice. It's a very luxurious little town with lots of good restaurants, wineries, etc.

goblue111315 · January 2015

My fiance and I have also thought about doing a trip like this! Sounds amazing, but I feel like it'd be crazy expensive! Does anyone have any insight into how much you could do a trip like this for?

JennyColada · January 2015

goblue111315 said:
My fiance and I have also thought about doing a trip like this! Sounds amazing, but I feel like it'd be crazy expensive! Does anyone have any insight into how much you could do a trip like this for?

It really depends on you. There are some nice beach camping spots, or you could stay at a luxary hotel for $600/night.

You could eat at Michelin rated restaurants at $800 a meal, or go to In N Out for $6.

CA Coast??

Re: CA Coast??

Choose Another Board

Search Boards