Please critique my West Coast itinerary!

[smithlane]

Personally I would take a night or two off of LA and one off Anaheim and add one onto Monterey and one as a stop off between Monterey and Hollywood.
We had 3 nights in San Fran and we got to see everything (although if time allowed we could have spent at least one more night!)
On the way to Monterey we stopped off at Santa Cruz and had a lovely day on the beach then got to our Air BnB in Monterey early evening.
First full day we did Whale Watching (a must!) then explored the town. Second full day we visited Carmel, spent some time on the beach, drove the 17 Mile Drive and visited Pebble Beach Golf Club. Even if you're not into golf it’s a beautiful place to stop and get a drink.
The next day we left early and spent the whole day driving down the PCH stopping off at various points on the way. You simply must stop at Pfeiffer Beach, the most stunning one we visited the whole 3 week holiday!
We stopped for dinner in Morro Bay which had a nice atmosphere to it and wished we’d had more time there so could be a good option to stop overnight.
We had 2 nights in LA and that was enough for us. Admittedly we didn’t do Universal or Six Flags but did Santa Monica and Warner Bros Studios (another must!). You could do Six Flags on the way into LA, Universal and Hollywood sign (recommend Griffiths Observatory) one day, Santa Monica and Hollywood sights the next day and Warner Bros the morning you leave so 3 nights would be enough.
We had 3 nights in Buena Park which is next door to Anaheim but only did Knotts Berry Farm and had one day at the pool. We went to the Citadel Outlets whilst there which were good but not as good as the Premium Outlets on the border of Mexico. Might be a bit far to go just for shopping though.
Have a fab time, we’ve all got serious post holiday blues from the summer

[flossdaisy]

Originally Posted by smithlane

Personally I would take a night or two off of LA and one off Anaheim and add one onto Monterey and one as a stop off between Monterey and Hollywood.
We had 3 nights in San Fran and we got to see everything (although if time allowed we could have spent at least one more night!)
On the way to Monterey we stopped off at Santa Cruz and had a lovely day on the beach then got to our Air BnB in Monterey early evening.
First full day we did Whale Watching (a must!) then explored the town. Second full day we visited Carmel, spent some time on the beach, drove the 17 Mile Drive and visited Pebble Beach Golf Club. Even if you're not into golf it’s a beautiful place to stop and get a drink.
The next day we left early and spent the whole day driving down the PCH stopping off at various points on the way. You simply must stop at Pfeiffer Beach, the most stunning one we visited the whole 3 week holiday!
We stopped for dinner in Morro Bay which had a nice atmosphere to it and wished we’d had more time there so could be a good option to stop overnight.
We had 2 nights in LA and that was enough for us. Admittedly we didn’t do Universal or Six Flags but did Santa Monica and Warner Bros Studios (another must!). You could do Six Flags on the way into LA, Universal and Hollywood sign (recommend Griffiths Observatory) one day, Santa Monica and Hollywood sights the next day and Warner Bros the morning you leave so 3 nights would be enough.
We had 3 nights in Buena Park which is next door to Anaheim but only did Knotts Berry Farm and had one day at the pool. We went to the Citadel Outlets whilst there which were good but not as good as the Premium Outlets on the border of Mexico. Might be a bit far to go just for shopping though.
Have a fab time, we’ve all got serious post holiday blues from the summer

See more...

Some fab tips there, thank you! More research to do today!

[Buzz n' Piglet]

Definitely stop somewhere between Monterey and LA for the night. We stayed in Morro Bay. It took 4 hours from Monterey and that was with about 30 mins of stops and then a further 4 hours to Anaheim the next day.

I wish we had more time for the Big Sur area. It is stunning.

[tinkerbelll]

I would cut some off LA and try to do Yosemite at least 2 nights but 3 if you can and cut back onto pch. Then a stop towards Santa Barbara, last time we just chose a highway hotel at Santa Maria for cost reasons as Santa Barbara is expensive and that worked really well. Even a wee detour up into wine country to see Solvang. Seems a long way to go just to do the same as you would in Orlando? So much else to see on the west coast.

[Fudge123]

We're planning a similar trip next year, so following with interest 😊😊

[dvc]

If you’re going to Santa Barbara I’d also recommend a night in Solvang. It’s amazing - so quaint and interesting

[flossdaisy]

We can't fit a night in Solvang into the itinerary now but is it doable for a day trip?

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by flossdaisy

We can't fit a night in Solvang into the itinerary now but is it doable for a day trip?

See more...

Absolutely, it’s only 40 mins from Santa Barbara.

[megaflyer]

Originally Posted by flossdaisy

We can't fit a night in Solvang into the itinerary now but is it doable for a day trip?

See more...

Yes but there isn’t much to see - a bit samey and touristy - I have worked out of Santa Barbara a few time and it’s an absolutely stunning spot - we used to to Ventura (a sleepy fishing town) and they have whale watching trips without the crowds and only a few boats and certainly get to see some very close up 👍