Hello Friends,

In September we took a trip where we drove the stretch of the California coast, San Fransisco to Los Angeles. This trip was 9 days and 7 nights. When driving the coast I recommend going North to South so you will be driving on the side with the most dramatic views.

Stop 1: San Fransisco (3 Nights) 

• Stayed: Stanford Court Hotel
• Favorite Eats: Just got baked (Great bakery), Foreign Cinema (Fancy restaurant that plays old movies) Nob Hill Cafe, Swensen’s Ice Cream, Ghirardelli Square, Chinatown
• Tourism: Golden Gate Bridge via Marin Headlands, Bernal Heights Park, Painted Ladies, Kirby Cove, Lombardo Street, Ferry Building, Cable Car, Socalito & Tibron (2 small towns over the golden gate bridge) 

Bernal Heights

Painted Ladies (Full House)

Bernal Heights Park

Painted Ladies (Full House)

Swensen’s Ice Cream

Tibron

Golden Gate – Marina Headlands

DRIVE: (San Francisco to Carmel) 

We went from San Fransisco to a little town in Big Sur known Carmel along the way we made 3 scenic stops known as Half Moon Bay (Ritz: 1 Miramontes Point Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 & Shark Fin Cove (Shark Fin Cove, Davenport, CA 95017)

Half Moon Bay

Shark Fin Cove

Shark Fin Cove

Stop 2: Big Sur (2 nights)

Pebble Beach is an amazing gold course in Big Sur that costs $500 to play, naturally we opted out of hitting a round of golf but we were able to enjoy some cocktails and lunch on the 18th hole. We drove on the 17 mile drive and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. In Big Sur there also is a town named, Carmel, that has a French and Spanish flare to it.

• Stayed: Tickle Pink Inn (view from our hotel room pictured)
• Ate: Tickled Pink Inn, Hyatt, Hog’s Breath Inn (Clint Eastwood’s restaurant), The Bench (Pebble Beach)
• Tourism: Point Lobos, Montery, exploring the city of Carmel, Pebble Beach

Lunch at the 18th hole in Pebble Beach

View from our room at The Tickled Pink hotel

DRIVE (Carmel to Cambria)

From Carmel we head to Cambria, this is the most scenic stretch of the drive so we opted to stop in Cambria for a night to get some rest before heading to Santa Barbra. We wanted to do the scenery of Big Sur justice and not rush through it. Now people do ask, whats in Cambria? and I’ll tell you, not a whole lot.. However, it is by Hearst Castle & it is the last stop before a stretch of nothingness to Santa Barbra so it is a great rest stop should you need one.

• See: Bixby Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach, Mc Way Falls 
• Eat: Nepenthe

Bixby Bridge

Bixby Bridge

Pfeiffer Beach

Pfeiffer Beach

Mcway Falls

Lunch at Nepenthe

Stop 3: Cambria (1 night)

Not much here, get yourself some Z’s

• Stay: Ocean Point Ranch
• Eat: Ocean Point Ranch Restaurant
• See: Heart Castle

Hearst Castle

DRIVE: (Cambria to Santa Barbra) One Stop

This drive you are going to see a lot of country, vineyards and will pass some pretty great dunes, on this portion of the drive we stopped at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, there is an option to rent ATV’s here so if you want to do that I suggest planning ahead! 

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes

Stop 4: Santa Barbra (1 night) 

• Stay: Santa Barbra Inn
• Eat: Bella Vista (Four Seasons)
• See: Four Season’s hotel, Red roof tour at the court house, 1000 steps, State Street shopping, the beach by the cliffs

Bottom of 1000 Steps

Four Seasons

Santa Barbra Court House

(DRIVE) Santa Barbra to Los Angeles

Our big stop on this drive was Malibu, I could not recommend more stopping for a bite a Malibu Farms. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Stop 5: Los Angeles (2 nights)

• Stay: La Mondrian
• Eat: Catch LA, In and Out, Venice Beach
• Do: Laugh Factory, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills Hotel, Hollywood Hills, Griffith Observatory, Venice Canals, Rodeo Drive

Griffith Observatory

View from Griffith

Hollywood Sign

Beverly Hills Hotel

Venice Canals

La Mondrian Hotel

Catch LA