I’ve always wanted to take a road trip from LA to Big Sur, I’m just fascinated by all the rugged landscape and the rocky cliffs. There’s just so much to see. If you’ve looked up the hotels in the Big Sur area you would know that they’re NOT CHEAP!! So I was trying to balance out the budget by staying for 2 nights using Airbnb and one night at the fabulous Ventanna Inn and Spa…”Save a little, Splurge a little”
Here’s my Itinerary, I hope it’ll help you plan your own trip:
Day1: Channel Islands and Santa Barbara
- Wake up early and drive north on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway
- Thirty-five miles from Malibu, at Oxnard, head towards the Oxnard to catch a boat out to the Channel Islands National Park for a day of hiking. There are a few islands you can choose from, we went to Anacapa and it was gorgeous. Make sure to pack lunch and snacks and lots of water for the day:
- Make reservation with Island packers.
- Leave the harbor at 9AM come Back at 3:30PM
- Return to Oxnard Harbor and take U.S. 101 north to Santa Barbara
- Spend the night in Santa Barbara. We used Airbnb which was a great deal. Try to have dinner at Olio, it’s an amazing Italian restaurant.
Day 2: Highway 1 Drive to Monterey
- Drive 1.75 hours (92 miles) north of Santa Barbara on U.S. 101 to San Luis Obispo’s Madonna Inn (cookie hotel worth checking out, we must spend the night at the CAVE MAN room)
- Head north on Highway 1 for what might be the most scenic day of driving on the whole trip
- make multiple stops to take in the scenery at places like Salmon Creek Falls, Sand Dollar Beach, and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Simply Gorgeous!!
- Keep driving past Big Sur to Monterey and have dinner at one of the restaurants in Carmel, it’s a cute beach town that’s worth checking out.
- Spend the night in Monterey, we again used Airbnb.
Day 3: 17 Mile Drive then Big Sur
- Have breakfast somewhere in the fisherman’s warf then head towards the 17 mile drive, it cost $10 per car to get through the gate. Make sure to stop at every spot, it is worth it.
- One of the stops was The Lodge at Pebble Beach, which is a beautiful hotel overlooking the ocean, try to stop there for lunch and sit outside to take in the whole view.
- Head back on the road and finish the drive and then on your way to Ventana Inn.
- Across from Ventanna there’s another splendid hotel called Post Ranch, try to make reservation for dinner there right before sunset, you won’t regret it. The view is out of this world, SO DREAMY!!!
- FYI, Ventanna has a pool that’s clothing optional in case you want to take a lap swimsuit free 😉
Day 4: The drive home
- The Ventana has a continental breakfast that’s included with your stay so take advantage of that and enjoy it outside at the Terrace overlooking the beautiful ocean.
- Make time to go for a quick hike around the hotel, you’ll get to see some Red Woods and maybe a wild Turkey.
- start driving back at around 10:30 or 11AM South (44 Miles) to Hearst Castle and make sure you have have a reservation prior to your visit as the tours are often sold out.
- Have a meal at one of the beach towns such as Cambria.
- Drive home
Hope this will inspire you to plan your own trip to Big Sur 🙂
Kiss Kiss
FBK
moroccaninla 