jackal

In my experience, it's about 5-10 minutes shorter and nearly INFINITELY more beautiful (all right, slight exaggeration), especially coming down into Santa Barbara (gorgeous views of the city and ocean from the mountainside). I've driven between SLO and LA probably 200 times. About 75% of that was over the pass, and the only reason I did it the other 25% of the time was because a family member wanted to stop in Buellton for lunch at Andersen's for pea soup (OK, but not really all that--much better food in Santa Barbara). I see virtually no reason to choose 101 over 154.

JerryFF

It's not really worth a big argument, but my personal experience on 154 is quite different. The only traffic light I can think of is actually in Santa Barbara as you get back onto 101. The speed limit is 55 nearly all of the way except near the entrance to Lake Cachuma, where it is 45 for about a mile or so, and for about a mile at the northwest end just after getting off 101 before Los Olivos. The road is quite straight from the northwest end until the top of San Marcos Pass and only then it is a bit windy as it descends into Santa Barbara. And there are a number of places along the road where there are passing lanes.

I personally find traffic on 101 to be more of a problem than on 154. My experience is that the drive on 154 takes about 40-45 minutes.

eeeee

I've stayed at the Carmel Valley Ranch several times (only once post renovation). The rooms I've stayed in are two room suites with two fireplaces and a big balcony. The grounds are beautiful. Some of the best room service dining I've ever experienced. It's a lovely hotel, but unless you are golfers, I would recommend staying closer to the coast.

If you do plan to golf, you can get very affordable golf packages.

Splittin' Aces

Hi LCG - from a local's point of view, as far as staying in Monterey a lot depends on what type of places you enjoy. +1 The Monterey Plaza is very nice and walking distance to the tourist areas in Monterey (Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf). Great spa there too. There is also the relatively new (~ 1 Yr Old) Clement Monterey which is an Intercontinental hotel. The Hyatt Regency Monterey and Hilton Garden Inn are fine - nothing spectacular. Here is Ric's review of the Hyatt Regency in MRY (the Loyalty Traveler blog) http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyalt...y-photo-album/

Over in Carmel, I agree that the Highlands Inn (a Hyatt) is stunning. Great restaurants too (I think both restaurants are on restaurant.com for a discount). The La Playa is old time Carmel in the middle of town. And of course if you are into golf, you've got Pebble Beach & Spanish Bay.

Carmel Valley Ranch is very nice (I'd also highly recommend Bernardus Lodge for a Carmel Valley stay), but if you are only going to be here for a couple days then I think you'd enjoy staying on coast instead of inland.

Big Sur places (Ventana Inn, Post Ranch) if you want to be more secluded and have great views/scenery. Pretty expensive.

BTW, Travelzoo is listing a great rate at Asilomar for $79, but only through May. http://hotels.travelzoo.com/los-angeles-hotels/746988

If you are talking traditional honeymoon, perhaps the Monterey Plaza or the Highlands Inn are the way to go. Of course we had our wedding reception at the Monterey Plaza 20 years ago, and both my folks and my grandparents honeymooned at the Highlands Inn, so I may be a bit biased

Weather in June - we call it the "June Gloom". 2 or 3 days of fog in the mornings/sunny afternoons in the 60's by the coast, followed by 2 or 3 days of sun along the coast. Natures air conditioning. Shorts & Sweatshirt weather. No rain and no heat waves in June.

As far as heading south down to Santa Barbara, the coast drive from Carmel southbound really is beautiful, but as mentioned in earlier posts it will add a couple of hours to your travel time. IMO it is definitely worth doing once. +1 on Hearst Castle - that tour is pretty fun if you are in the neighborhood down there. If you take the coast route on the way to Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach is an option to stay (near Hearst Castle). It is a real old time California beach town - not a lot of luxury. Avila Beach, Morro Bay and Cambria are nice - as JerryFF mentioned a lot of small, cute boutique places to stay.

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding!

Kettering Northants QC

We travelled up the coast last June and had pretty poor weather - hope you have more luck!

We stayed at The Clement Intercontinental - quite up market and not a bad hotel but if a pool is important then avoid avoid avoid - One of the worst excuses for a pool ever - no view, TINY (think minuscule lap pool) - any more than 4 people in the pool area and it will seem crowded - it felt very much like they were building the hotel and then someone said "I don't see the pool on the plans, $hit squeeze it on that roof ledge, oh and put a big wall round it so no one can see how rubbish it is"

We actually preferred Carmel to Monterey and said next time we're up that way we'd look to stop there. We have stopped in Solvang before and found accommodation pretty average and have also stopped near San Simeon at the southern end of The Big Sur - lots of pretty tatty Motels but for 1 night it wasn't too bad.

Xelint

One thing to remember is that Monterey and Carmel are really two different cities with two diffent personalities and they can each take a day. If the weather is off you may want to consider a visit to the aquarium in Monterey as it is truely amazing.

This is one of the most amazing drives in the world so take your time and enjoy the beauty and take time to pull off and just watch the Ocean.

X

londonclubguy

When you say the weather was poor - did it impact on the drive? Or was it just foggy mornings?

I too have a reservation at the Clement Intercontinental - we were going to try one of the ranch resorts but I don't golf and I don't want her running up a 2 day spa bill!!!!! Seriously though we just felt the ranch resorts might be a bit far from the action. We aren't too worried about a lack of pool at the Clement as we have time in LA at the end of the trip.

My only concern is if there is anywhere we are missing out on in Carmel instead.

With regards the drive down and 101 v 154, if we take the 1 down from Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur, where do we cut inland to take the 154 to run into Santa Barbara? Is it like any monotonous freeway - we have no time constraints and so really just want to do the most beautiful journey.

jackal

Highway 1 will rejoin 101 in San Luis Obispo. At that point, you will take 101 south through the Five Cities (Pismo Beach, et. al) and Santa Maria before heading into the hills. Just before Buellton, you will see the exit (overpass) for 154.

This will be your route:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...54&ie=UTF8&z=8

It is possible to split from 101 in Pismo Beach and follow Highway 1 again through Guadalupe and Vandenberg Air Force Base before rejoining 101 just before Gaviota, but doing so puts you well south of the 154 split-off (that would be doing this), but while I've never done it, I'm not sure I'd say it's nearly as interesting a route as 154 and probably not worth the extra time it would take--it just takes you through the rolling hills of the Central Coast that you'll have seen more than enough of by that time and doesn't really put you anywhere where you would see the coast. (I suppose if you REALLY wanted to spend a LOT of time driving and see everything interesting possible, you could do this--that would allow you to see this, this, and this, and it actually would only add a little over an hour in pure driving time.)

I-5 would be the one that's "like any monotonous freeway." Completely uninteresting, at least until you get to the Grapevine. 101 is a much pretter, more interesting route--curves, hills, [small] canyons, etc. And I wouldn't say that the stretch of 101 between the 154 cutoff and Santa Barbara is not pretty, just that 154 is prettier. (So, actually, the last link I gave above would kind of be the best of all worlds if you have the time, since it would let you see the coast by Gaviota [which is very representative of what you'd see between Gaviota and Santa Barbara], the Gaviota Gorge, Buellton and Solvang, and then [IMHO, the crown jewel of this part of the state] San Marcos Pass [154].)

londonclubguy

Thank you so much for that - I really appreciate the advice.

Can I ask what the speed limits are on Highway 1/101/154? I appreciate that they will vary between towns and on the coastal stretches but we are trying to figure out how long each section of drive will take and what we can fit in in between.

LCG

jackal

101 is going to be mostly 65, with some possible 55 (or even slower) areas in the gorge. (In Monterey County, it's 70mph, but you won't be on that stretch if you're taking Highway 1.)

154 is mostly 55, though it's possible some of the straighter stretches are 65. Once you get up towards the top of the pass and start coming down the windier south side, it may be 45 with some even further reduced speeds at corners.

Haven't done 1 all the way up to Monterey, but I'd imagine it's a mix of 45 and 55.

D1andonlyDman

101 vs. 154 from Santa Barbara to Los Olivos: IMHO, its 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I generally take 154, because I am normally going wine touring in the Santa Ynez - Los Olivos area (but one can also stop at fine wineries off of the 101 as well just south of Buellton on the 2 roads that go toward Lompoc).

The 154 route is more scenic, and less prone to traffic tie-ups. Traffic does tend to average 50-55, vs. 65-70 on the 101. IMHO, if you're just passing through without stopping, you might as well stay on the 101, barring some sort of traffic tie-up.

And you can always stop for split pea soup along the way.

The Route 1 coastal route takes MUCH longer than the 101 - but it is also quite a bit more scenic. Not only is it slower, it is much more winding. IMHO, this route is one that you should only consider if you are planning some leisurely sightseeing along the way.

moneeman

I realize this is an old thread and the OP probably isn't checking for updates, but I have been researching Monterey hotels and noticed that two highly rated options were not listed. In addition to Monterey Bay Plaza which was mentioned on Cannery Row, there is also Spendrift Inn. It's a luxury boutique hotel which brings your breakfast to your room (a nice option for honeymooners). The second option, if you don't mind going just north of Monterey (in Pacific Grove), is Seven Gables Inn. Neither of these places are inexpensive, but they are also much less than Post Ranch Inn. Seven Gables is very popular (as is Spendrift), so if the OP is still checking this thread, you should check your options immediately. Even if you aren't looking to change, you should still gander at the rooms in Seven Gables Inn. We finally decided on Julia's Room in Seven Gables.

JerryFF

I guess this is my thread for respectfully disagreeing with some posts. While both of these Inns are quite nice, it's a little hard for me to consider either as a luxury property, not of the caliber of Post Ranch Inn. For example, AAA gives Spindrift 3 Diamonds (luxury = 5 diamonds). Indeed, Seven Gables has a great view, but in my opinion, it is basically a very nice B&B. To be even more picky (sorry), Pacific Grove is actually just west of Monterey, not north. This point is not trivial as the coastline west and south of Monterey (Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and Carmel) is a lot nicer than the area north of Monterey (Seaside and the old Fort Ord).

moneeman

Thanks for straightening out the directional issue, that's good information. I wouldn't think either property would fit the AAA definition of "luxury" (and I value AAA highly) because they don't have 24 hour room service or a concierge desk. Neither, as you say, is the caliber of Post Ranch Inn, and their prices at less than half Post Ranch reflect that. Seven Gables IS a B&B, and a very nice one at that. I listed these as additional options for the OP, as both are the highest rated in their respective categories for the Monterey area by reviewers (with hundreds of reviews) at TripAdvisor.com. They are also highly regarded on the message boards at fodors.com by individuals who have stayed there. I suppose the people who want the 24-hour room service, concierge, club level benefits, etc. would gravitate away from some of the smaller boutique hotels and B&Bs. It just all depends on what you the traveler value. There's nothing wrong with either style of accommodation, and hopefully the OP will choose based on what is important to him/her.

JerryFF

Well said - I agree 100%. ^