Our family is heading to CA for a trip in July. Yosemite, Sequoia, the coast and San Fran (1 day for Golden Gate and Alcatraz). We are spending 3 nights on the coast and need some recommendations on places to stay. Between Monterey and Big Sur. We will see all of the area but don't know the best place to position or if there is a type of "resort" in the area etc. Thanks in advance for the input.

Since it is a family trip, probably want to stay in Monterrey at one of the hotels. Maybe look at VRBO. Great places in both Monterrey and Carmel. The good inns/motels in Carmel book up way in advance.

Whale watching has been really good in Monterrey Bay this year. I highly recommend a whale watching trip out of Monterrey Bay. Unless one or more of you has a bad problem with sea sickness. We did it last trip our and it was great.

Sunday Brunch at Mission Ranch is unbelievable. That is Clint Eastwood's place. And it was, last time we were there, very reasonable. Might want to check the price since this will be a family affair. Beautiful setting for any meal.

I would stay in Carmel or Pacific Grove, not Monterey proper. They are a bit more accessible and walkable. The car show may be in town at pebble Beach, but the tix are absurdly expensive from what I remember. The absolute one must do is go to the wharf and get a bread bowl of clam chowder at Old Fisherman's Grotto. I still dream of that stuff. 17 mile drive is good, or just drive south along the PCH and get out wherever it seems good to take a quick hike. Careful though, those roads are awfully narrow and congested.

We stayed at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands about 10 years ago with our then 2yo son. Great time.

Eat at Pacific's Edge and say a little prayer for clear weather and enjoy the view.

Plenty of options in the Monterrey / Carmel area. If Yosemite is after San Fran, the drive in to Yosemite from San Fran taking the more northen route is to me the prettiest drive in.

Enjoy!

Also its cold in July. We were stationed there for 2 years and had heavy sweatshirts and jackets in for 4th of July. It's is cloudy all day but for about 4 hours each day- noon till about 4pm, the sun might pop out. Just enjoy. Every Friday afternoon, we would get ice cream and go sit on the rocks at pacific Grove and watch the sunset. Miss it

I'd stay in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's charming and is a great place to stay but is also is a good base for driving up to Monterrey or down to Big Sur, and you can head inland and hit some good wineries with a short drive as well.

Be prepared for cooler air and water temps than you might be expecting. I'd look for places with fireplaces in rooms and/or fire pits in the outside commons areas.

I can give you some more recommendations if you give more details about your group's ages, budget and what you want to do. I've done that area both as a romantic getaway and as a family trip with young teens.

DTP02 said:

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I'd stay in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's charming and is a great place to stay but is also is a good base for driving up to Monterrey or down to Big Sur, and you can head inland and hit some good wineries with a short drive as well.

Be prepared for cooler air and water temps than you might be expecting. I'd look for places with fireplaces in rooms and/or fire pits in the outside commons areas.

I can give you some more recommendations if you give more details about your group's ages, budget and what you want to do. I've done that area both as a romantic getaway and as a family trip with young teens.

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Great advice.

As for a destination dinner, don't miss Nepenthe.

https://www.nepenthe.com/menu

The road just south of Big Sur was closed a few weeks ago - washed out from the rain.

Not sure when it is due to reopen, but be sure to find out.

We had a great time at the aquarium.

Depending on your kids interests and how old they are, I recommend reading Cannery Row and watching the movie before you go...

Depends on what you can afford. Was there in April, we stayed on base, so not a good reference. The closer to Big Sur, the more expensive on average. Carmel is pricey. Budget? Look at Seaside or Marina.

Monterey has a nice aquarium, there's a historic state park downtown, marina has clam chowder, but Big Sur is my happy place. From Seaside, you can still be in Big Sur in 30 minutes. Took us about 35 minutes from La Mesa to River Inn. But we stopped a lot, so it was over an hour.

I like the River Inn because of their backyard. Grassy area right on the river. Take an Adirondack chair and plop it in the river. Restaurant there is good, but I prefer getting some food from their grocery store and having a picnic. Ice cream from the bus there is a must.

Road was closed south of the community of Big Sur, north of Pfeiffer Beach. They are making progress, but two big slide areas still need repair.

North of there, Garrapatta has a lot to offer. Beach to mountains. Andrew Molera if you like hiking in the mountains.

Back north, tide pools in PG are cool. Sunset at Asilomar is a must.

But it's July, so it'll just be foggy the entire time!

saw this on Roadkill

Classic & Vintage Car Rentals | Monterey Touring Vehicle (montereytouringvehicles.com)

would be on my list

To piggy back on this thread, my family is also looking at a trip in July for the San Fran area. Plan to spend a couple days in SF, so any hotel/lodging recommendations are welcome. My son is also interested in taking surf lessons while out there so any experience from others with this would be helpful too. Saw some companies in Santa Cruz but willing to explore options.

Any recommendations for a good place to grab lunch in Monterey or Carmel to go? We're going to be hiking through Point Lobos and I wanted to grab something on the way down to eat as a picnic. Local places with unique sandwiches or something easy to transport for a couple miles of hiking would be good.

FortWorthF3 said:

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Any recommendations for a good place to grab lunch in Monterey or Carmel to go? We're going to be hiking through Point Lobos and I wanted to grab something on the way down to eat as a picnic. Local places with unique sandwiches or something easy to transport for a couple miles of hiking would be good.

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What we did one time, and would recommend for an outing like you're describing, is a one-stop shop at the Cheese Shop in Carmel. Great cheese selection, with all kinds of meats and other gourmet picnic snacks. It's on the lower level of a two-tiered plaza center, but just Google the Cheese Shop to find it.