When to do Hearst Castle?

Hi, hoping for a bit of advice about Hearst Castle.

We will be staying in SF for a few days and plan to leave about 1pm to head to Monterey. This will give us the late afternoon and evening to check things out and also the following morning. We plan to leave Monterey about 11am and take our time heading down Highway 1 through Big Sur. We will be staying in Cambria the following evening.

Should we book a late tour of Hearst Castle for the same day as we leave Monterey or should we go the morning after having stayed in Cambria. This would of course mean retracing our steps a little.

After Cambria we are heading to Santa Barbara via Solvang and maybe SLO and a vineyard.

Thanks

When to do Hearst Castle?

If it were I, I would prefer booking the first morning tour the night after Cambria. This way you would not be rushed driving through Big Sur, worrying about making the appointment, and could feel free to tarry if you find something especially interesting.

When to do Hearst Castle?

The morning tour would be nice, where are you staying in Cambria? :)

Another advantage of the morning tour is that your view of the ocean won%26#39;t be into the sun. If you take one of the tours that gets you up to the top of Hearst Castle (we really enjoyed tour 2), there are some great views down to the coast.

You didn%26#39;t mention what time of the year you%26#39;re going, as that makes a difference. Much of the area you plan to visit is rural and pitch dark at night. Not only do you miss all the great views after sunset, it%26#39;s a little dangerous driving on winding, unfamiliar roads, and tourists have been known to come to grief. Try to drive during the day when you%26#39;re there.

I agree with others that you should book a morning Hearst Castle tour. You do not want to rush through Big Sur worrying about making your tour time. Cambria is just a few minutes away from the castle so it%26#39;s not much of a backtrack. Also, plan on the tour taking about 2 hours, because in addition to the castle tour itself, there%26#39;s a long bus ride up and down the mountain. While in Big Sur, this GoList may give you some ideas.

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i14592-Big_Sur_…

Cambria, by the way, is an excellent choice. It%26#39;s a very walkable, charming town with great locally-owned shops and galleries. Robin%26#39;s is my favorite restaraunt there.

SLO is 66 miles north of Solvang. SLO itself has a handsome, tree-lined downtown once you get off the highway and stoll along Higuera Street, where most of the actiion is. I like many of the towns around SLO, especially Avila Beach, which is a beautiful little hamlet on the sea, with high hills hemming it in on all sides.

Others may have different opinions, but I visited Solvang once in 2004, and have not wanted to return on any of my trips since then to the central California coast. The town seemed contrived and tacky.

Thanks everyone. Morning it is then. Hopefully it also won%26#39;t be too busy.

We aren%26#39;t taking the trip until March but I%26#39;m trying to work out most of the itinerary now so I can ensure we allow ourselves sufficient time between stops. Also, it will mean once all the reservations are made I can sit back and relax!

I looked up sunrise and sunset times, and the sun sets about 6:30pm at that time of year but dusk is obviously before that.

Thinking of staying at Cambria Pines Lodge. Will definately check out Robin%26#39;s.

Still unsure of what to do between Cambria %26amp; Santa Barbara

%26gt;%26gt;Thanks everyone. Morning it is then. Hopefully it also won%26#39;t be too busy.%26lt;%26lt;

Do make this reservation ahead of time. You, of course would not want to do it this early for next March, but you can do it online when you are ready....

http://www.hearstcastle.org/

Cambria Pines Lodge is a very pretty property, if you want something with oceanviews, check out the Fireside Inn or the Pelican Cove Inn. Robin%26#39;s is a nice suggestion for a meal, we like their outdoor patio area there. The Sow%26#39;s Ear Cafe %26amp; the Black Cat Bistro are all very good. :)

Here are some suggestions for what to do between Cambria and Santa Barbara:

Morro Bay- a quaint fishing village with a nice embarcadero area with shops and look outs overlooking the boat filled bay. Morro Rock sits proudly at the entrance of the harbor and looms large over town. You can see ';The Rock'; at a distance when the ocean comes back into view just north of Cayucos.

Montana De Oro- a lovely state park with some of our most dramatic local coastal views. The drive to Spooner%26#39;s Cove (Montana De Oro%26#39;s beach) is lovely through eucalyptus trees and other natural fauna. Just above Spooner%26#39;s Cove is a parking area and a trail the leads out to the headland where strong ocean waves crash against the jagged cliffs. If you look closely, you%26#39;ll see some stairs that lead down to a small beach area where the tide pools rest. The trail continues in a loop back to the parking area.

scooterboss already mentioned San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach, but Pismo Beach is also nearby and has one of the longest beaches in the state. There is even a section where you can drive on the beach for a small fee. It%26#39;s the only beach in California you can drive on.

The Village of Arroyo Grande is another place you could check out. Located just to the north of Pismo Beach off the Grand Ave off-ramp (left turn) sits a western themed town with shops, restaurants and a park complete with gazebo and swinging bridge.

I agree with scooterboss that Solvang is highly over rated, but if you enjoy hiking and waterfalls, there is the lovely Nojoqui Park on Alisal Road just west of town. The hike isn%26#39;t too long and you can get right up next to the waterfall (even under it, if it%26#39;s a warm day).

So there is plenty to do between Cambria and Santa Barbara. You just have to decide what interests you from the options given. Have fun planning.

www.centralcoast.com is a great website to help acquaint you with the area! :)