Need a little help planning.

Hi,We are just in the process of planning our holiday for the beginning of June 09.Basically we will be flying into San Francisco maybe staying a night or two after the flight and then plan on hiring a car for about 8-10 days and driving down to LA stopping off at various points along the way.

My questions are-

1)would this be sufficient time to enjoy the scenery?

2)We would like to spend only about $80 a night for accommodation,therefore are there plenty of places for that kind of money?

Any other bits of information would be most welcome.Many thanks Mark.

Need a little help planning.

Hi Markibak,

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

1) Yes, 8-10 days is plenty of time to take a leisurely trip from San Francisco to LA.

2) Unfortunately, I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll find a single motel for $80 per night. Between SF and LA are some of California%26#39;s most beautiful and desired areas, such as Half Moon Bay, Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur, Cambria, Santa Barbara and Malibu. And June is one of the most popular times of year. So demand is high, and you%26#39;ll need to budget at least $125 - $200 per night.

Since you posted this on the Big Sur forum, I%26#39;m guessing you%26#39;re interested in that area. So I%26#39;d like to share with you my Big Sur Go list:

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i16489-Big_Sur_…

I%26#39;d be happy to answer any other specific questions about Big Sur, and there are some terrific Destination Experts on TA for the Monterey Peninsula, Cambria, and other areas on your route. We all love this part of California, and we%26#39;d love to give you all the tips and suggestions you need. Let us know if you%26#39;ve already decided on where to stop and spend the night, or if you want advice on that. If it were my trip I would do:

3 nights in Carmel to explore the Monterey Peninsula

2 nights in Big Sur

1 night in Cambria

2 nights in Santa Barbara

Hope that helps as a starting point.

Need a little help planning.

You may want to check out some of the motels on Munras in Monterey, there is a TravelLodge there that may meet your budget. Monterey is a gorgeous place to base and you will have a better selection of lodging than you would in Big Sur. Have fun! :)

Oh yes, Syrah Girl makes a good point. I shouldn%26#39;t have mentioned staying overnight in Carmel when the objective is to get close to $80 per night. Munras Avenue in Monterey is a long, main road that has dozens of small, reasonably priced motels. I just did a quick search on Expedia, and one called Del Monte Pines Motel came up for $92 per night.

Just so you know the geography, Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel are three small towns on the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula. You can make Monterey your base and explore Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf, the Aquarium, Lover%26#39;s Point in Pacific Grove, the quaint boutiques and art galleries of Carmel, wine tasting in Carmel Valley, and Point Lobos State Park, just to name a few attractions. You can do all that and never drive more than 20 minutes in one direction per day. It%26#39;s all very close together.

As for Big Sur, yes the accommodations will be more expensive, and even though you could do it as a day trip from Monterey, I would recommend staying overnight 1 or 2 nights to really get the feel for the area. It%26#39;s such a special place. There%26#39;s nothing quite like it. Big Sur Lodge is a good place to stay, and pretty reasonably priced for the area. But not the absolute lowest priced. Here is a link to a list of lodging options in Big Sur:

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/lodging.html