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Anniversary trip to CA - need advice on a B&B or Hotel for actual Anniv Night
Hey Guys - I am a poster on the Phila nest board who is taking a trip to CA!
Our first anniversary is coming up and we are flying into San Diego and then driving north to San Fran to fly home. I would ideally like to plan our stop for our anniversary night at something really romantic/scenic/relaxing. Are there any hotels/B&B's you would recommend?
The night of the 9th which is our anniversary we would have spent the previous day in LA and be heading north... so anywhere between LA and Santa Barbara would work out for us based on our itinerary. Thanks in advance for your help!
PS - If anyone wants to chime in on my itinerary, let me know? I havent booked anything so if anyone feels we should spend more/less time in any one location, let me know? We are ideally looking to relax, do a few touristy things, wine taste and eat good food. We don't want to be on a hectic schedule. Right now we have it as:
Oct 5-7: San Diego
Oct 8: LA
Oct 9: Anniversary stop (Santa Monica? Malibu?)
Oct 10-11: Santa Barbara area
Oct 12-13: Monterey/Carmel area
Oct 14-16: Stay in San Fran but take day trips to Napa/Sonoma
Re: Anniversary trip to CA - need advice on a B&B or Hotel for actual Anniv Night
Happy almost Anniversary!
I highly recommend the Westlake Village Inn for your anniversary night. It's between LA and Santa Barbara. It's actually where I was married. DH and I stayed there for Valentine's Day this year and we stayed there on our wedding night too. If you reserve a mini suite, there's even a fireplace! Amazing jacuzzi tub, beautiful grounds (tuscan feel), amazing beds, lovely decor. I would live there if I could afford it.
The Bacara in Santa Barbara is great too, and they have amazing spa treatments.
Solvang is a cute Danish town that's worth a stop along your way up the coast. Good cafes, ice cream, fudge, and bakeries!
If you need to take a bathroom break, stop at the Madonna Inn. Go downstairs to the restrooms just past the pink restaurant. Go into the men's restroom. Hilarious.
I don't think that many of the hotels in Monterey are fabulous just b/c it's such an old town. The Embassy Suites up there is where we stay - they have free happy hour every night, hot cooked breakfast, and huge rooms. The Monterey Plaza hotel is right on the water if you're looking for that. Make sure that when you're in the area that you spend time in Carmel. Take the 17 mile drive (it'll take a while) - it's so worth it! We actually took photos together at all of the stops and used them as table numbers at our wedding. It's where the Pebble Beach Golf course is located. My favorite place to eat in Monterey is the Old Fisherman's Grotto. It's right on the water.
Sorry, I can't help much with San Fran. I haven't been there for a while. I'm jealous you're going though because I could eat their clam chowder and sourdough bread every day of the week.
Have an amazing trip and let me know if you need anything else!
We have a gift certificate for Mediterraneo but haven't been. I've heard great things about it though. The food at our wedding there was fabulous - great filet mignon and fish.
When we stayed there over Valentine's weekend, we ate at Bocaccio's. It's about a mile away and it's overlooking Westlake (a lake, not city).