Also going to post on Bay area board..
H and I are planning an anniversary trip in July, spending 4 days in San Fran and 2.5 days in the Carmel/Monterey area. I was hoping for some input from people familiar with this region.
Will 2 full days and a partial day be enough time to spend in Carmel/Monterey? We'd be driving down from SF probably mid-day Wed. We'd have to leave bright and early Sat morning to catch our flight. So really we'd be looking at Thurs. and Fri. We wanted to do some scenic hikes in Carmel, possibly do the 17 mile (?) drive, do some shopping and maybe some beach-going (I know it isn't a swimming type beach but we'd still like to enjoy it). Would two full days be enough? We really didn't want to stay a third night for cost issues.
Also, do you think Sat. afternoon-Wed. morning is enough time in SF? We've never been before. We wanted to do some touristy things like Alcatraz, Muir Woods, bike the bridge and explore Sausalito and we also really wanted to do a day tour to Napa wineries. I don't mind being on-the-go, but also don't want to miss something I had my heart set on.
Any advice on our itinerary? Would you spend more or less time in either of those locations? Any other must-dos in Carmel/Monterey that I didn't mention?