Is 8 days in CA reasonable
 

Hi all: first post in the California boards...

My girlfriend and I are in the discussion stages of doing the PCH drive, and both an FT search and a Google search didn't help that much. The theory so far is to fly into SFO, enjoy the city for a day or two and head south. On the potential list of things to do:

-Yountville for dinner...I want to go to French Laundry, girlfriend likes Bouchon. I'll take either, just to say that I ate at a Thomas Keller place.
-Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, etc. - famous golf, to stop in and get a polo for me.
-The cheesy downtown LA/Hollywood stuff...Hollywood sign, etc. It's been way too long since I saw any of that stuff.
-Cap it with a day or two in SAN before flying home.
-I'm a photo nut, so the more photo ops of the coast and wildlife, the better.

Having said all this:

- Is 8 days in CA reasonable? Ten days total - travel day on either end.
- How bad are the drop charges on rental cars, if any?
- Any recommendations in general? Time of year, etc.

The FT details:

- I'm HH Silver, she's Gold. Stops would be Hilton if at all possible.
- Air is easy: EWR or PHL are both doable.

Any and all help is much appreciated - I would love to do this late this year or early next year. Thanks in advance!!

Unless the French Laundry has changed its policy, you call for reservations two months to the calendar day in advance. The times I tried to get reservations for weekends, the phone lines were busy the entire time. Weekday reservations may be easier.

Jan, early Feb is the rainy season in the Bay area. I'd avoid it.

I love Monterey. Big Sur is also wonderful. Hearst Castle is an interesting stop.

Years ago I did the drive from SF to LA with one overnight.

I also love San Diego but I haven't spent much time there, just several business/conference type trips.

Eight days is not unreasonable, but I would caution you to consider the route carefully. "PCH" varies from scenic cliffside road to 6-lane freeway to surface street at various points, and does not follow the ocean for substantial stretches in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. It also terminates in South Orange County, not San Diego, although I-5 does follows the coast south of San Juan Capistrano.

Just remember that you're only going to see part of CA. A significant part of the state is north of SF and there is even some away from the coast to the east.

Regarding driving the coast from SF to SD - good luck. I suspect you'll get tired of it before you get there and head for the closest freeway (yes, they're called freeways in CA).

All that said, it should be a nice week. I suggest doing it in the spring or the fall.

Indeed; was planning on a weekday. I'll take Bouchon if I can't get into the French Laundry, but I'll give myself a fighting chance at TFL.

That was another thing I had in mind: is there a definitive route, and if so is it published anywhere? I've done LA to SD before on the 5, but never involved anything further north.

Having said all this and asking these questions, I should say that I've been to CA close to 15 times already, but I've never done this itinerary that I'm thinking of...Big Sur and Hearst Castle from the previous post are also excellenti deas, heard a lot about both. I've been to SFO, LAX/SNA a bunch of times, and SAN I think twice. I'm toying with the long drive idea for my girl: she's never done SF or LA.

Many thanks so far - keep the thoughts coming!

French Laundry is a great idea...and when you try to get a reservation and cannot, then give Cyrus a call.

It gets the flyinryan seal of approval.

I have yet to experience TFL, but my friends who have been to both maintain Cyrus is superior. I would drive up there just for the truffle risotto.

I would advise PCH until you get to San Lois Obispo then hop onto the 101 (through Hollywood) to the 710 that ends in Long Beach to PCH that intersects with the 5 which will take you all the way down to San Diego. You'll still get much of the coast as well as other nice areas inland and it gives you much more time to spare as it cuts down on the portions of PCH that goes through places like Oxnard. Doing this will also take you through Hollywood which is something you mentioned you would like to do anyway. Happy driving!

I'll tell you what.... I was bored at work.

Here would be my route

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=e...2,5.141602&z=8

Outstanding, sir - thanks very much. I'll be coming back to this many, many times. :):)

I definitely second the stop at Hearst Castle. Absolutely fantastic place. Monterey area is great too, as is a potential stop at Stanford/Palo Alto along the way south. In SoCal, I recommend stopping in Laguna Beach, as well.

One thing to keep in mind is how unscenic this route can be...one minute we were looking at amazing cliffs and the beautiful deep blue ocean...the next we were covered in intense fog. Just be warned.

Since Yountville is north of SF, you would want to make the reservation for one of the days that you will be in SF.

Yes, that's a reasonable minimum. My suggestion is 2 days in SF, 1 day in Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur/Pebble Beach, 1 day in the south-central coast (anywhere between San Simeon and Santa Barbara), 2 days in LA, and 2 days in SD.

You can get a rate without an itemized drop off charge, but it is about $200 more than the rate you get when you return to the same location. Hint: do not get a car at SFO, plan the Yountville visit (where you will need a car) for as late as possible during your stay in SF, and then pick up the car at a location within SF when you need it. A car is nothing more than a pain in SF, especially if you're not familiar with the city. Parking is scarce and expensive, so I recommend walking or using taxis, cable cars, and Muni to get around. By waiting to rent the car, you will save time, headaches, a day of rental charges, and maybe more - checking Avis showed the rate to be $200 less when picking up in the city of SF compared to picking up at the airport.

The best time of the year is early Fall, September or early October. The weather is usually good (it's the warmest time of the year in SF) and it very rarely rains then. The hills will be brown instead of green, but along the coast there's very little difference. Kids are back in school so there's not many vacationing families, rates are down, and availability is up.

There's 3 Hiltons in SF, all reasonable choices depending on where you want to be and what you want to do. There's a Garden Inn in Monterey, and an Embassy Suites outside of town in Seaside - I would suggest the Garden Inn because of the location. There's an Embassy Suites in SLO and a Doubletree in Santa Barbara - I would suggest the Doubletree, again due to location. There are lots of choices in LA. My suggestion is to stay near the coast, with the Doubletree in Santa Monica looking like a reasonable option. In San Diego, the Hilton La Jolla borders the Torrey Pines course.

The rest of your post was superb, thanks very much...but on the car thing specifically, is it fairly safe to say that the savings of renting off-airport are balanced out/cancelled, etc. by the rise in the rate incurred from dropping in a different location?

I would recommend checking out the Hearst Castle website (http://www.hearstcastle.com/) to check out the tour options. There are several tours available, and if this is a "one and only" visit, you should allow yourself a full day. You might also consider staying in Cambria or San Simeon overnight, both of which are fairly close to the castle.

Since you will be so close, I really think it would be worth a 3 mile detour off 101 to visit the Danish town of Solvang. Yes, it's touristy, but it's also fun, interesting, and lots of really good food. Just outside of Solvang in a little town of Ballard is the Ballard Inn. This is one of the best restaurants in the entire area. Try to have dinner there.

www.ballardinn.com

And while you are at it, I would suggest an alternate route between Solvang and Santa Barbara. Take Hwy 246 east out of Solvang and then follow highway 154 over San Marcos Pass pass Lake Cachuma into Santa Barbara. Along the way stop for lunch at the Cold Spring Tavern on Stagecoach Road.

www.coldspringtavern.com

This whole area around Solvang, Los Olivos, and Santa Ynez is fantastic wine country. You may remember that it was featured in the move "Sideways." There are some terrific wine shops in Los Olivos.

I would also recommend a stop in Santa Barbara. Personally, I think this is a much more interesting city than many of the places further south that have been mentioned above. And again, as you are interested in good restaurants, Santa Barbara has a number of excellent ones.

By the way, don't look for signs saying PCH or Pacific Coast Highway anywhere in central or northern California. Hwy 1 is only called that in southern California.

The answer is no, but this is based on a sample size of one. Checking Avis for a 1 week rental in September with a pick up in San Francisco and drop off in San Diego, the price for picking up at SFO was about $250 more than if picking up in SF downtown. No drop off charge for either rate, both unlimited miles. There was no change in rate by dropping off at San Diego downtown versus the airport, but the pick up location seems to make a significant difference. But as I say, this is a sample size of 1. It would be worthwhile to see if this is true on your particular dates of travel and with other rental companies.