Our 25th anniversary is coming up soon (September 21). Since we are preparing our house to sell and then move to a different state soon after, we are not planning a big party or anything. What I would like to do is plan a little intimate weekend getaway to the CA Central Coast. I would especially like to do this since Renee REALLY likes the coast and we will be moving farther inland.
All you Cental Coast People, what have ye got? Anyone else with ideas please chime in as well.
I spent my honeymoon in Pacific Grove not too long ago. It’s close to Carmel (a beautiful little town with great restaurants), Monterey (Cannery Row, the Aquarium) and we got a B&B right on the cliffs above the ocean. This was the view from our room.
Well, our anniversary is today, and my lovely wife and I are going to a movie. Specifically, to M. Night Shyamalan’s (sp?) new movie “The Village.” It doesn’t open until Friday, but my wife happens to be in it, as an extra (she’s a dancer in the wedding scene – watch for it!), and they’re having a special early screening for the extras tonight.
Last year on our anniversary (our first), we moved into our new house.
However, it doesn’t sound like you planned ahead to have Renee be in a movie that was opening on your anniversary, so I can’t really help you there, and you’re not moving into your new house until it’s built, and I don’t know that part of CA at all. Sorry! But I hope you have fun and have a great anniversary.
I can’t give you any advice either on where to go in CA for a nice time, since I haven’t been there since I was a child. I just wanted to tell you Happy Anniversary!
My wife and I love the Big Sur Lodge (Julia Pfeiffer State Park, just north of Nepenthe/Phoenix Store on Hwy. 1).
They’ve got some nice cabins, some with kitchenettes. No phones, no TVs, just quiet & romantic. I think numbers 46-51 are the ones whose porches look out into the redwoods.
The restaurant at the park is as good (and as reasonably priced) as anything you’ll find in the Big Sur area – hamburgers are actually LESS THAN $15!
I’ve heard good things about the Ragged Point Inn, too, down at the lower end of that stretch of Hwy. 1.
Steve, Rene, Congratulations. (We’re a year behind you.)
Any particular reason Central coast vs more northerly? Mendocino is nothing to sneeze at. We prefer it because it’s not so crowded. The drive into town, whether up Hy 1 or across from Ukiah is phenomenal. Earlier this year, we stayed at the Victorian Farmhouse a mile or so outside of Mendocino in a converted chicken coop. We walked down to a tiny rocky beach 100yds from the place and climbed over a small island. The host booked us dinner reservations at a restaurant with all the tables looking out at the ocean. We timed it so we could watch the sun set on the ocean. (Luckily, there were no clouds that eve.) Later, a jazz band was warming up, but we had other plans involving a jacuzzi. Next morning, they delivered breakfast up to the place. I waited out on the porch playing whistle, of course. Next day, we did the tourist town thing, dropped in on Lark in the Morning, and after lunch, checked out the rhododendron gardens up the road. You can walk out to sea bluffs. We saw whales.
So, not to disparage Central Coast…maybe is seemed busy because it was a weekend. Have a great time. Nothing like the ocean. Kinda nippy for swimming, though.
Tony
And, Steve, thanks for the easy instructions on uploading photos. I put them where I’ll find them.
Having just spent the weekend in Monterey, it seems unnecessary to point out the beauties of that place. But if you want a less crowded kind of experience, I like the town of Cambria. They are within a few miles of Hearst Castle, which is always fun. Its a quiet little town, sort of like Mendocino but with less traffic. You can rent bikes and ride inland or spend time on the beaches nearby. I think its changed a lot, but I liked the Cambria Pines Lodge okay.
Drawback is driving down 1, which seems like the slowest route in the world when you are driving home.
If you want to get away from the towns, you might consider the Big Sur River Inn: http://www.bigsurriverinn.com/ (No, that’s not me with the guitar in the picture.)
I’ve never stayed there, but I’ve performed (Bluegrass) on the deck there.
I like Cambria, too. Be sure to have lunch at Robin’s if you go there! If you bring us souvenirs, I’d love one of the glass jellyfish from Seeker’s!!
Between Cambria and Ragged Point there’s also the elephant seal colony, which is quite an experience if you’ve not seen it before. I doubt it will be so easily accessible to the public after another couple years.
Did 1 once, with my family, but both wife & #2 daughter get carsick. Then I found that it’s faster/easier (if not so pretty) to go down 101 to Paso Robles and cut across.
If you are more into “Central California” than “Coast”, you might want to consider Solvang. Funky faux-Danish architecture, lots of nifty shops to browse through, wonderful Danish bakeries . . . We overnighted there last weekend on our way back from Southern California and had to tear ourselves away.
If you do mean “Coast”, it’s hard to go wrong with either Cambria or the Monterey/Carmel area, though.
Thanks for all the information peeps, it is starting to come into focus.
I do mean coast. I will probably settle for the Monerey/Carmel area. That is where we spent the first night of our honeymoon in a Carmel campgroung. Hey, I was an E3 in the Navy on my way back to my ship. No time or money for anything fancy. I’d like to do it on a more fancy note this time, but not REDICULOUS either.
Would like to do THE Aquarium without rug rats. WON’T do 17 mile drive again. MUST do clam chowder and sour dough on the wharf!. There are also a couple of C&F friends down that way that I would like to meet/visit with before we relocate to Eye Dee Hoe.
Please keep the ideas coming. I really appreciate it.
If it were me…hmmm. Well, someone already mentioned Pacific Grove, which is without a doubt my favorite place on the Central Coast. There are a couple of wonderful B&Bs there…Seven Gables is one I’ve heard a lot of good things about.
If you’re looking more up Santa Cruz way, maybe a stay at Chaminade, with dinner at Shadowbrook? That would be extremely romantic. Or if it’s a stay up in the redwoods you fancy, Brookdale Lodge is nice (and the Brook Room is lovely!).
