My husband and I are flying into and out of San Jose to attend a wedding in Los Gatos. We%26#39;re both in our Sixties, and usually don%26#39;t take vacations in the summer due to crowded conditions and long waits. This time we%26#39;re going in late June/early July because of the wedding. We have about 8 days to travel before; my current plan is driving from San Jose airport, spending the night near San Juan Bautista Mission, then going on to San Simeon 2 nts.; Big Sur 2 nts., Pacific Grove 1 nt., Ben Lomond/Santa Cruz 2 nts. Then on to the wedding. I want to see all these places, but would get too stressed out if there are traffic jams, no parking, lots of families with children, etc. Please let me know what conditions there might be in the above areas in summer, and whether it would be better to go to the northern coast. I definitely want to see Redwoods and dramatic coastlines. Where we live in Florida is lovely, but flat aand too hot to take walks in nature in the summer? HHHEEELLPP!!!
Summer trip to central coast %26amp; beyond??? Hate crowds
You%26#39;ll have to take a deep breath and prepare for traffic, though not necessarily traffic ';jams';. You%26#39;ll have to plan your drives wisely to avoid certain areas between 7:30 and 9:30am and between 4:30 and 7:30pm. One plan that might work would be to try to keep your body clocks on Florida time...meaning that at 5:30am you could be on your way before most of California wakes up. Dinner at 4:30 while you sit out the traffic, etc.
San Simeon is pretty quiet for a 2-night stay in my opinion...I%26#39;d add a night to Pacific Grove as Monterey and Carmel can occupy your time more impressively. Santa Cruz I wouldn%26#39;t consider on a weekend if you don%26#39;t want kids and crowds. Maybe Avila Beach for a night instead? Or Half Moon Bay?
Summer trip to central coast %26amp; beyond??? Hate crowds
In early July you may get the 4th of July crowds at the coast. I like the idea of Avila Beach, there is also nearby Shell Beach you may want to explore, they will be much less populated than Pismo or Morro Bay on the central coast. www.centralcoast.com Where are you staying in San Simeon? :)
Cambria is also very near the places the others have mentioned but very laid back. We really enjoyed our stay there.
Most of the coast will be crazy with visitors around the July 4th holiday. Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Morro Bay, Cayucos %26amp; Cambria all fill up quickly.
My preference would be Cambria over San Simeon. San Simeon is two rows of hotels on either side of the highway. Cambria has more lodging options: ocean front inns, budget hotels %26amp; B%26amp;B%26#39;s, etc. www.cambriachamber.org
Big Sur, while more remote than the other locations you plan on visiting, is a VERY popular destination, especially among transient young people looking to re-trace the steps their parents (or even grandparents) took in their youth.
Pacific Grove is my favorite California town. Even when Carmel and Monterey are over run with people, you can always find a quiet place in town or along some of PG%26#39;s shoreline. Bed %26amp; Breakfast inns are your best bet for quieter, less crowded conditions.
Santa Cruz is only 45 minutes from the Monterey Peninsula. I also recommend adding a day (or 2) to Pacific Grove over staying in Santa Cruz.
Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I like the idea of our body clocks staying on Florida time. I will try to find a reasonably priced place in Cambria to be near Hearst Castle. From the pics on Trip Advisor, Avila Beach looks nice, but I don%26#39;t want to go any farther south than Cambria. I%26#39;ve made a reservation for 2 nights at a cabin resort in Big Sur called ';Ripplewood';; the scenery there looks amazing in that area. I%26#39;m looking forward to Pacific Grove. We%26#39; re thinking of a whale watching trip out of Monterey. Do you think I%26#39;ll see whales or orcas at the end of June???
The Half Moon Bay pics on TA look very good. Are there any old growth Redwood forests nearby??? Originally,my plans were to stay at the Quality Inn in Ben Lomond, to be near Henry Cowell and Big Basin State Parks. However, I like idea of being near a scenic coast,like Half Moon Bay, as long as I%26#39;m not to far from Redwoods. Any feedback about whale watching,seeing Redwoods,etc. would be greatly appreciated..
For your Cambria stay, look into San Simeon Pines Lodge, Bluebird Hotel or Creekside Inn for affordable lodging options.
I%26#39;ve heard good things about Ripplewood. Big Sur looks amazing after sunset. Go down to Deetjens for dinner. I loved the look of Deetjens after sundown when we traveled through in January. The place is lit up very nicely at night.
Henry Cowell Redwoods and Big Basin Redwoods are two forested groves between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. I believe Henry Cowell is the most accessible, but will allow the locals to give you the best advice between the two.
I was excited to find a wonderful Homestay B%26amp;B in Cambria that was very affordable for us. Thanks for encouraging me to stay in Cambria instead of San Simeon. Thanks for the restaurant recommendation in Big Sur as well. I will try to figure out the distances to the State parks with Redwoods, from Half Moon Bay versus Santa Cruz/Ben Lomond.
While you%26#39;re in Big Sur, in addition to dining at Deetjens for dinner, be sure to have lunch at Nepenthe. The views are incredible!
www.nepenthebigsur.com
Half Moon Bay is in the wrong direction but if you go consider this place. tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32469-d117836-鈥?/a>
If you are going to be on Highway 1 in the Santa Cruz area, Henry Cowell Redwoods is only 7 miles off the highway, on Highway 9 in Felton. It would make an easy stop.
I am interested that you considered Ben Lomond for a stay. I know you don%26#39;t want to be around crowds or children. I would think that Ben Lomond would fill that bill nicely, but you have so many choices.
Have a nice trip.
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