Big Sur, California
This part of our California Road trip included what quickly became one of my favourite places in the worldā¦ Big Sur. This stretch of coastline is just spectacular and the views are continuously magnificent the whole route. Itās an easy route to navigate and fun to drive (in a safe way!) and it can be done by simply following the Pacific Coast Highway/Route 1.
Route 1
Essentially Route 1 is one long road, where you can stop off in a number of lay-bys to take in the scenery. At one point we had exerted some self-control with stopping, otherwise, we would never have made it to Cambria. In this instance, a picture says a thousand words, so there are some pictures and videos below.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park & McWay Falls
In this section of the trip, we also visited Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and McWay Falls. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a great place for a walk and breaks up the driving on your road trip. Here, you can explore the Redwood forests and you may even spot some deer.
Iād also recommend the Big Sur Deli as a place for lunch. They offer inexpensive but sizable sandwiches which will keep you going on the drive through Big Sur. In fact, my sandwich was such a generous size I couldnāt eat it in one go!
San Simeon
Iād recommend one last stop before you push onto Cambria. Just outside San Simeon is Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve, where you can watch hundreds of Sea Lions laying and playing on the beach. This is nice stop before reaching Cambria if you also choose this as a stopping point on your California road trip.
Cambria
Cambria is a small friendly town and also a good place to stop for petrol on your California road trip. There is a very convenient Chevron petrol station in the town. This was one of 2 places we filled up on our road trip and the other wasnāt until we headed for the airport in Los Angeles.
Our AirB&B on this occasion was a āPeaceful, Private Garden Studioā. For Ā£92 for the night, it was spot on perfect in terms of location and comfort. If I did this trip again Iād stay here for 2 nights minimum. After a day of travelling, we arrived reasonably late and found a pretty affordable Chinese restaurant called Dragon Bistro.
Hearst Castle
The next day we had pre-booked some tickets to see Hearst Castle and I would say this is a must-see for any California road trip.
Formally named by its original owner William Hearst as āLa Cuesta Encantadaā, which translates to the Enchanted Hill. It was originally purchased in 1865 by William Hearstās father and the estate eventually grew to 1,012Ā km2, with a āCastleā of forty-two bedrooms, sixty-one bathrooms and nineteen sitting rooms at its heart. Extravagant features such as Neptuneās pool are just some of its luxuries available to see.
Celebrity Guests
In the 1920s and ā30s, it became the go-to place for celebrities to dine, relax and play games. They also came to see the many collections of art and history that Hearst purchased from all over the world, but mainly Europe. Famous guests included Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin.
Ticketing At Hearst Castle
There are a number of different tickets which give you guided access to the castle and grounds. We opted for the āGrand Roomsā tour at $25 per person to get a flavour. For this you are guided around; the Assembly Room, the Refectory, the Billiard Room and the Theatre. It also included a tour of the gardens where we saw the Neptune Pool and the Roman Pool.
The tour guide was very engaging and the information was interesting enough to hold anyoneās attention. With this ticket, you also had as much time as you wanted to take in the views surrounding the site, photos below. The winding 10 minute bus ride up to the top of the hill is also an attraction in itself!
Day 6: Morro Bay
Where To Stay In Morro Bay
Morro Bay was more of the typical seaside town we are used to in the UK, a small fishermanās town, with lots of little shops selling souvenirs. Morro Bay had more of an air of minimalism and community. This was summed up by local grocery shops and a street market selling local goods.
Our motel, the Harbour House Inn (Ā£94 per night), wasĀ situated on the corner of a busy main road. This prompted me to air my concern to reception about noise from traffic. He proceeded to almost laugh away my concern, indicating that everything would stop by 7pm. He was right.
Places to Eat In Morro Bay
If youāre looking for a bite to eat after arriving at this motelor one nearby, Iād point you in the direction ofTaco De Mexico. In my mind, this is a truly authentic Mexican dining experience (having not yet been to Mexico). Cheap as chips but delightfully tasty so Iām surprised this only gets a 4 on TripAdvisor. I wonāt mislead you, itās a pretty low-budget dining experience with paper plates and cups but the food is fantastic. The tacos I had here were much better than the upmarket House of Ju Ju by the Bay.
Things to Do In Morro Bay
One of my favourite places in Morro Bay, oddly enough, was theShell Shop.This isĀ basically a shop/part museum that only sells shells and was a great place to buy some gifts for family and friends.
Sub Sea Tours & Whale Watching
Before setting off for Santa Barbara, we booked a whale watching excursion with Sub Sea Tours. If you have read my earlier travel post on Boston, youāll know that whale watching has been one of my favourite experiences of all time.
This time being on the west coast of the US, I couldnāt turn down the opportunity to do it again. I was split between doing this activity in Morro Bay or Santa Barbara. However, Sub Sea Tours were half the price at $94.40 for two, so I opted for Morro Bay.
The tour guide was experienced, passionate and knowledgeable about all the species in Morro Bay; sea otters, sea birds, dolphins, whales etc. The boat was only a small vessel which allowed for an intimate viewing of a humpback whale and itās calf.
In an ecological way, we tracked the two whales for 2-3 hours. It was both relaxing and exciting at the same time. I could have quite easily done this all day as whales are such fascinating creatures. We were also lucky enough to see dolphins, sea lions and otters too. The sea otters would lay on their backs and open clams with a rock before eating and swimming off.
Day 7: Santa Barbara
The drive to Santa Barbara took about an hour and a half. Our Airbnb, a āPrivate, Cozy, Detached Studioā was situated a little outside of Santa Barbara (Ā£83.52 per night).
The Airbnb was easy to find and just a 5-minute drive from the Boathouse at Hendryās Beachwhich is a fairly up-market restaurant right on the beach. We had a pretty spectacular meal here, including seafood chowder, the largest fillet mignon Iāve ever seen and never-ending seafood pasta.
I was delighted when the waiter offered to box up the remaining 1/3 of the dish away with me. It was so full of fish, scallops, prawns, etc that I would never have finished it in one sitting.
The Next Morning In Santa Barbara
The next morning we drove into the center of Santa Barbara, this is another place that I need to go back to as one morning was not enough time to explore. Santa Barbara was a jump to a more Mexican influence, especially in terms of architecture. We walked along Sterns Wharf and along State Street before stopping for a tasty, easy lunch at Natural Cafe.
Day 8:Ventura Pier & Malibu
Following our lunch at Natural Cafe, we set off for the last place we would stay in California and one of my favourite places; Santa Monica. With two very brief stops in Ventura and Malibu along the way. These were nice enough stopping points but wouldnāt recommend you spend any longer than 20 minutes at these unless you fancy a beach day.
Santa Monica
Santa Monica is yet another fantastic place to visit on a California Road Trip, however, it is not an easy place to describe. Itās a city with a beach town feel and the beach stretches for miles (3.5 to be exact). Itās relaxed but has an energetic atmosphere.. itās smart but there are lots of hipster cafes and relaxed restaurants are never too far.
Santa Monica Pier
We spent our first afternoon and evening strolling along the beach and taking a walk to Santa Monica Pier. On the pier, there was a particularly vibrant atmosphere and we had a ride on the ferris wheel for what seemed like a long time. The ferris wheel gives you a great aerial view of the beach.
Sunset In Santa Monica
After taking in the rest of the pier we strolled back along the beach watching the sunset. This stretch of beach is a great location for any InstagramĀ enthusiasts, with people on electric scooters and roller skates gliding along and people working out in open air gyms.
We walked from Santa Monica to Venice Beach. In the space of a road crossing the atmosphere switches from upmarket to more of a Brixton, London vibe infused with the Caribbean, if you can picture that.
Evening Meal & Drinks In Santa Monica
The first evening we ate at the Santa Monica Food Truck Lotwhich is a street food truck market that takes place every Tuesday.Ā This was very conveniently across the road from our motel. Apparently, there areĀ a number of food truck markets, which you can find on this link here.
Happy Hour At The Victorian In Santa Monica
Lobster rolls and tacos are just two examples of what you can choose from. Once youāve picked up your food, you can either eat on the grass or like us make your way over to The Victorian,where you can sit outside in the quaint garden and enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail.
The added bonus is that they haveĀ half happy hour 5-8pm. Street food in a luxury Victorian hotel, makes for an interesting mix of dining experiences.
Accommodation In Santa Monica
Iād say the one let down of stay in Santa Monica was the quality of the room at Sea Shore Motel. This motel could be really great if it just refreshed the rooms, added some nice finishes and replaced the air conditioning with something less noisy. This being said the motel was in a perfect location, parking was easy and it was only Ā£100per night so I canāt complain too much!
Breakfast Spots In Santa Monica
There were also a couple of great breakfast places including Earth Caffe and Ameliaās, which was right next door. If you visit Earth Cafe, Iād recommend theĀ Urth Bread Pudding Breakfast, which will keep you fuelled up for the day. One extra thing to mention is that apparently, Urth Caffe is a good place to spot celebrities, although we didnāt see any ourselves.
Final Thoughts On Our California Road Trip
I imagine Iāve said this already but I loved California. From its epic scenery to its understated food. Wildlife was in abundance and there was so much to do in every place we visited. This is a place I will visit again for sure.
For those wary of a long road trip and the idea of endless planning. This California road trip did not need either. Itās easy to plot a very simple route, with easy stopping points along the way. The only problem is deciding which of these great places to stay in.
Californian Road Trip On A Budget
The one caveat is that your money does not go far in terms of accommodation. However, if like us you just need a bed for the night in most places this is not a problem.
There is also no need to splash out on expensive cabins in Big Sur. Itās very feasible to stop either side as we did and not have to rush the experience. You can take your time, breath in the scenery and enjoy everything this place has to offer.
Your Thought & Comments
I hope this post has inspired you to plan or California road trip adventure. MaybeĀ it has helped with the planning or maybe you have visited already. Either way please feel free to comment below, so we can compare notes! If you want to read more on California, read about our Day In LA Post.
- Accommodation: 7/10
- Food: 8/10
- Environment: 10/10
- Local People: 9/10
- Value for Money: 8/10
- Weather: 10/10
So many interesting spots and things to do. Glad you had this opportunity. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Iām glad you enjoyed reading it.