Feedback on West coast trip route

Ooops ! - one of my links seems like that COMFORT Inn is now relabled as
a " La QUINTA Inn"

so here's the official site:
http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/prop...95&propId=6095



"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
http://www.monterey.the-hotels.com/c...onte-beach.htm

I've stayed here several times for cheap money (in off season) - it's
right on Rt1. Don't misunderstand - this is NOT FANCY AT ALL. But if
you want handy/not expensive it's fine. The continental breakfast is
bagels/donuts/muffins in a plastic tray with a lid and
cereal/oatmeal/coffee and a few tables/chairs, BUT I'm not there for
the breakfast/ambiance - I'm there for a cheap room. Down the street
DO go to the Monterey Fish House for dinner.
I know you said that you use hotels.com , so:
http://deals.hotels.com/Hotel-Detail...t elID=129424


Bobb


"Danny Liberty" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yes but according to Google maps the drive between Carmel and Montery
is only 7 minutes, and since we won't be in the hotel most of the
time
anyway we could just throw our bags in Monterey and head back to
Carmel
to enjoy it
Correct me if I'm wrong here...

wrote:
Danny Liberty wrote:
Is there any reason to prefer a stay in Carmel over Monterey
(outside
Carmel)? I noticed Monterey hotels can be cheaper so if it
wouldn't
make a difference I'd probably prefer to book there...


Biggest advantage to staying in Carmel is that it's fun to walk
around
and visit all the shops there, but parking is sometimes hard to
find.

Danny Liberty wrote:
Hi,

I think I've finalized my West coast trip plan, just wanted to get some
feedback / comments on it. Any suggestions or improvements would be
greatly appreciated...

1. Depart from New York, arrive at Las Vegas. Stay for 3 days (2
nights).
2. Flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Rent a car, spend 4 days in LA
(including 1 day of Six Flags).
3. Leave LA in the morning, drive to Santa Barbara, stop there for 2-3
hours.
4. Drive to Hearst Castle, 2-3 hour visit.
5. Drive to Carmel, stay for the night.
6. Leave Carmel in morning, take the 17-mile drive.
7. Drive to Gilroy, stop for some outlet shopping.
8. Drive to San Fransisco (arriving at night), stay an additional 4
full days in SF.
9. Back home

This trip was planned with an average of 12 days available. I can
squeeze another 1-3 days if a nice improvement / addition can be
made...

Thanks in advance to all who can help.

Danny

Danny:

One thing I didn't see anybody recommending is that as long as you're
going to be in San Simeon for the Hearst Castle, you may want to see if
the Elephant Seals will be around. If you're going to be there in
August, there may not be a lot of seal activity at that point, but it
might be worth finding out about. The URL to the "Friends of the
Elephant Seals" website is: http://www.elephantseal.org

I saw these guys (the elephant seals) the first time when I was driving
down the coastal highway back in 1995. An absolutely great site. Saw
'em again about two years ago.

Something else to keep in mind is that I believe the Hearst Castle
requires reservations, but somebody correct me if I'm wrong. If you
don't reserve, you may get stuck in a line of God knows how many people
waiting to see if somebody cancels.

Have fun, the coastal highway is beautiful.

Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com