| california travel advice please 10:35 - Jan 15 with 1378 views | BlackCrowe |
planning a trip with the family (kids aged 12 and 9) for July Aug.
Know most of our itinerary but a couple of gaps that i could do help with.
Monterey - should we stay in the town or is there a smaller town/village we should stay in nearby?
Beachy bit at the end - Huntingdon, Newport or Laguna? Leaning towards Laguna at the moment as it reads as being a bit more laid back and my kind of place but I'm guessing really.
Ta in advance. |  |
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| california travel advice please on 11:38 - Jan 15 with 1330 views | TearsOfaClown |
be sure to wear a flower in your hair |  | | |
| california travel advice please on 11:45 - Jan 15 with 1321 views | Kendo_Nagasaki |
stay off the brown acid |  |
| Psycho killer Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
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| california travel advice please on 11:55 - Jan 15 with 1314 views | spencer |
Hi - did the West Coast thingy couple years back....Started at Anaheim /LA/SF Oakland - Mariposa -Yosemite Vegas.....We had a great stay at Monterey but think we stayed in B/B just oustside as a bit pricey...but that depends on who you are travelling with...There is a great whale watch centre there, and the fishermanswharf is worth a visit and plenty of seals ...in fact too many... |  | | |
| california travel advice please on 13:30 - Jan 15 with 1261 views | warwickhoop |
Cali is an amazing place, so much going on for families. California Highway 1 is about 750 miles top to bottom and touches all the places you'll want to see.
Fantastic ocean road with scenery that will make a photographer out of anyone.
it can be expensive! First time I did it, was myself and a mate so digs weren't that important. Therefore, cheap. With the family, I recommend an RV. 6 Berth camper goes about $1000 a week. But travel and accommodation all thrown in I think its great value. There are RV parks every 10 miles or so, plots ranging from free to$20.
Of course you also have the choice of spoiling yourselves with a hotel every now and then.
I think you get to see more, have more freedom, not held over a barrelled for family rooms or having to book 2the rooms.
Have a crackling time
Not at all jealous |  | | |
| california travel advice please on 13:52 - Jan 15 with 1243 views | 1MoreBrightonR |
monterrey is really nice but i ended up staying on the outskirts as we hadnt booked anywhere online (pre-internet days) and it was expensive in town. If you can find somewhere reasonable, stay int own. Take the kids to Monterrey Aquarium too...i loved it when i was little. | | | |
| california travel advice please on 15:18 - Jan 15 with 1198 views | DylanP |
Lived in California for 6 years and still have a house out there. Here's my suggestions:
The drive down the coast is beautiful. Be sure to stop at the Madonna Inn ( http://www.madonnainn.com/) which is roughly halfway between Monterey and Los Angeles. You don't have to stay there but its a sight to see and well worth stopping for lunch, if only to break up the drive. Also see Hearst Castle, which is worth seeing and is also about halfway. My wife loved it -- I thought it was a bit over the top. Obviously, see the redwoods up north, but I don't suppose I have to tell you that. The wineries in the Napa Valley are great fun. Yosemite is one of the country's greatest national reasures. You need a day or two to appreciate obviously.
As for beachy, I wouldn't do Huntingdon, Newport or Laguna. I would either stay in Santa Monica or Venice. Huntingdon, Newport or Laguna are nice beaches but are a little more isolated and expensive. I spent a lot of time in Laguna an dNewport and they are lovely, but if you are only there for a day or two, I think Santa Monica is a better option (or even Venice, if you are up for a bit more craziness). There is lots to do in Santa Monica -- the pier, the boardwalk from Venice to Santa Monica (rent a bike/rollerblades and ride from one to the other), the 3rd St Promanade. Hotels in Santa Monica will be cheaper than Huntingdon, Newport or Laguna (although still not cheap) and closer to the action. Santa Monica is a bit more adult than Venice. Venice is still hanging onto its hippy/flowerpower roots (although it was commercialized decades ago) -- kind of like the difference between Portobello Market and Camden Market, if you see what I mean. |  |
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| california travel advice please on 15:23 - Jan 15 with 1196 views | stansleftfoot |
Monterey, is a rare Historic gem for the Americans, it sits on the edge of a Maritime national sanctuary and park. The port itself is famous for John Steinbeck and Cannery Row. Get the Kids reading Steinbeck if old enough, get some peace....
Get yourself some distance away from the place and visit it, i've been a number of times but on my own with partner. So just followed Highway One which is spellbinding.
My advice is not to cram too much in, it's BIG! Plan well!
It's all on-line, Laguna Beach for sure, but take care, its expensive.
American B&B is world class and bears no resemblance to the UK. | | | |
| california travel advice please on 16:59 - Jan 15 with 1169 views | BlackCrowe |
Many thanks all. Very helpful. Monterey sounds a must. 3 nights in S.Monica already factored in. Laguna still frontrunner for the end bit. All sounds horrendously pricey - camper van sounds worth investigating and fun. | |
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| california travel advice please on 17:09 - Jan 15 with 1159 views | StratfordBoy |
My wife took me to Cali for my significant birthday, maybe this tip sounds a bit simplistic but the view of the ocean going from the north to the south is better than from south to north as you don't have the other carriageway in the way of the view! |  | | |
| california travel advice please on 17:20 - Jan 15 with 1149 views | BlackCrowe |
| california travel advice please on 17:09 - Jan 15 by StratfordBoy |
My wife took me to Cali for my significant birthday, maybe this tip sounds a bit simplistic but the view of the ocean going from the north to the south is better than from south to north as you don't have the other carriageway in the way of the view! |
Nice - we're going North to South by luck not design. | |
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| california travel advice please on 17:36 - Jan 15 with 1138 views | BklynRanger |
I think the RV is a nice idea. Not cheap at all but worth comparing to the price of hotels (though car hire in CA is pretty reasonable).
I was there again over Xmas but not really doing what you're planning for a lot of it.
If you do rent the RV I can recommend a couple of camp sites to consider - El Capitan State Beach is about 2-3 hrs NW of LA and one of my favourites - fine for medium/small RVs and you can sit with your chair at the top of the cliffs watching the sunset.
Kirk Creek further North is also great but books up quickly (and you should check about RVs, it's been a while. If that's full there's Plaskett Creek 6 miles south of there which is very solid too.
Yosemite is spectacular but make sure you're not trying to drive too much given that you're also going to Santa Monica. |  | | |
| california travel advice please on 17:48 - Jan 15 with 1129 views | DylanP |
If you already have days in Santa Monica, why not nip down to San Diego for your beach days. San Diego is my favoutrite city in the USA. The beach there is gorgeous, the weather is always perfect -- never too hot or too cold, there is lots of stuff for the family. Its about another hour south of Huntington. Plus you could go over to Tijuana for an afternoon, which might just end up being the highlight of your holiday. | |
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