baillieul

Will be flying into San Francisco from March 19-26. Our budget has taken a hit lately with the Canadian dollar in freefall. Have approx 75000 Marriott points, and want to stretch them , but the Marriott room categories are crazy in California. Just my wife and I travelling, would like to do some photography type of things in SFO and possible spend a couple nights in Paso Robles. Any pointers, and perhaps some lower category Marriott recommendations?

kef0913

Can't really help with the Marriott - hotels are generally expensive in SF. Some photography ideas (depending on what you are in to): Golden Gate Park, the Botanical Gardens, the Presidio. If you like capturing life any of the major areas are fun for people watching/photography - again depending on what your interests are.

Paso Robles is a good distance from SF. Are you thinking wine tasting or something else for Paso Robles? Napa and Sonoma are prettier and closer. Just my two cents. Others may disagree.

abmj-jr

Paso would make a good end-point for a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and there are many, many beautiful spots for photography along that route. If that is your intent, I would urge you to take more than one day for that trip. Plan on an overnight stop, perhaps at or near Monterey, continuing down the PCH to San Luis Obispo and then over the hill to Paso Robles the next (or subsequent) day. As the previous poster mentioned, there is not much to see and do in Paso Robles except the winery tours and tastings. It IS only a half hour or so inland from the coast and usually offers accommodations at a lower price point than some of the coastal communities. San Luis Obispo is a good alternative, much closer to the shore, which can also be a good point to start the wine trail.

Just be aware that driving all the way from San Francisco to Paso Robles on the PCH will be pretty much an all day effort and permit little opportunity to enjoy the prettiest drive on the coast of California. If you need to go to Paso and don't care about the scenic drive, the alternative route down Highway 101 would get you there hours faster at the expense of not much to see at all.

baillieul

We had stayed in Paso Robles during a previous trip and enjoyed a 3 day stay. My thought was that the Napa area would be cooler than Paso Robles. So coming from Canada, we wanted to be warm. I did find a reasonably priced Marriott near NAPA. Would Napa be warm during the end of March?

jtav559

Well I think Napa will be warmer than most of Canada at that point! Thing with napa is that it can get windy from time to time and that will zap out any heat. However, most winery's accomodate with indoor tasting rooms or standing heaters out side for use by patrons.

I went to Napa in both May and in October of last year. Weather was more or less the same, save for one day that it was pretty toasty in May. I never felt cold or like I would need additional layers beyond a long sleeve shirt.

abmj-jr

It might or might not be. We are in an historic weather upheaval and I don't think anyone can predict 2 or 3 months in advance.

If you have already been to Paso Robles and enjoyed it, I think you would again. It is a little less upscale than Napa but there are several quite nice older wineries and a few new ones that are making a name. The main concern I have in recommending Paso is that it is a lot farther from San Francisco. If you have that time available, Paso and the coastal hills nearby ought to be quite nice in March. If you have time for a nice drive through the hills, it will be wildflower season.

JerryFF

There is a decent Fairfield Inn in Capitola, just south of Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz Wharf, Henry Cowell Redwood Park, Capitola Village, and the coastline around Monterey Bay are all very photogenic.

The Marriott in downtown Monterey is a very respectable, though uninspiring, hotel that would give you a base for the Monterey Peninsula.