When you think of California, perhaps the glitz and glamour of Hollywood spring to mind, but California, specifically its coast, offers so much more. You could easily take a quick flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco, but why not take your time driving along the iconic, cliff-hugging Pacific Coast Highway instead?
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Built in the 1930s, the mostly two-lane, Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most popular road trips in the U.S. as it runs from San Diego to San Francisco, via Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Solvang, Morro Bay, Big Sur, and Santa Cruz. This rugged road is over 650 miles (~1000 kilometers) long, which, to put that distance into context, is about the length of the United Kingdom.
Driving the length of the Pacific Coast Highway, in one continuous drive, would take around 10 hours, but if you can, spend a few days meandering, stopping, and soaking in the beauty of this coast. If you can’t spare the time, you can condense the stops or reduce it even further by mixing in sections of the Pacific Coast Highway with inland Interstate 5, but I highly recommend that you take your time and stop and really see nature at its best.
The City of Angels, LA, Los Angeles, home of Hollywood, whatever you know this star-filled city as, Los Angeles is home to over 4 million people, but ‘Los Angeles’ is often used to collectively describe the neighboring parts of the Greater Los Angeles region such as Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Long Beach, Anaheim, Calabasas, and Malibu. Rich in diverse cultures, with its warm and balmy weather, Los Angeles is one of the most popular tourist destinations as it gives you the opportunity to see mountains, deserts, and the ocean all in one trip. Getting around LA is easy; if you are moving from one area to another e.g. Santa Monica to Sunset Boulevard (a 30 min drive without heavy traffic), a car or cab is recommended, but if you’re staying in the same spots, e-scooters, e-bikes are an easy way to get around and are readily available in places like Santa Monica and Venice.
Los Angeles has something for everyone:
Cranking up the Fleetwood Mac and Zero 7, take a 3-hour drive out of Los Angeles via Santa Monica, Malibu, and Santa Barbara (three places where it’s beach casual and at the same time glamourous) to Solvang provides Pacific Ocean views in all their glory. It’s worth checking ahead for the road conditions, given this is a popular route any issues can cause major delays.
Stop at Malibu to see Point Dume and its rock formations and the white sands of Zuma Beach, both of which you may recognize as they have starred in many films and tv shows.
Solvang, is under two hours from Malibu, is set inland from the Pacific Coast Highway and it’s perhaps a little strange to see homes styled with Danish facades in California, but Solvang was founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants so its roots are authentic. Solvang is famed for its quaint architecture (see the city’s Danish windmill on the main street), its wineries (over 100), and craft beers, but Solvang’s true star of the show is how it celebrates farm to table dining which can be sampled at the newer modern restaurants, such as Mad & Vin and at the wineries. Perhaps the most popular tourist location is the Solvang Bakery where you can sample Danish pastries all within eyeshot of the windmill. As with most places on the Pacific Coast Highway, Solvang has been featured in many films such as the 2004 story of wine and friendship, Sideways.
Open up the windows and let the salty ocean breeze in and in an hour and a half from Solvang you’ll find the quiet seaside village of Cambria, where time has almost stood still. It can get quite lively at the Friends of The Elephant Seal Visitor Center in San Simeon, (just outside of Cambria) as this is where elephant seals migrate from Alaska to breed.
Once you’ve got your seal photos, it’s just under two hours to the Big Sur and you’ll see some of the world’s most breath-taking views of redwood trees, mountains, ocean, and endless blue skies. You might notice the temperature drop the further north you drive so wrap up.
Big Sur is famed for its rugged coastline and dramatic waters and what makes this section so special? The fact that it is underdeveloped and with limited light pollution, you can see nature uninterrupted both in the day and at night. The waters of Big Sur are there to be admired, but not sampled as its cliffs are jagged and its waters cold and wild. Not surprisingly, this stretch of road is one of California’s most popular tourist destinations, be warned in peak time this can lead to heavy traffic.
As Big Sur is so underdeveloped, real estate is at a premium and so you’ll see that reflected in some of the hotel’s price points. Very much in the spirit of when in Rome, we opted to stay at one of the world’s greatest hotels, the adults-only, Post Ranch Inn. This eco-resort is nestled on the clifftop and is set in 150 acres of lush green grounds home to many local species, including providing a safe haven for endangered butterflies and frogs. [Disclosure: Shweta’s stay at the resort was sponsored but the opinions are her own].
The hotel is made up of a series of wooden cabins and treehouses, which are rustic and sympathetic to the landscape and either face the woodlands or the ocean. The ocean rooms have sweeping and uninterrupted views of the Pacific Ocean and even the beds are positioned so you can watch the nighttime shooting star show. A handful of the rooms also have outdoor bathtubs, perfect for a dip with a glass of wine. Naturally, local wines are another leading lady in this show.
The ethos at The Post Ranch Inn is to switch off and enjoy nature and whilst tech is not banned, this is the place to put the phone to one side and take a walk instead.
The Award-winning Sierra Mar restaurant is a glass box that appears to be suspended above the cliff and serves locally sourced fine dining Californian food and wines. There is an outdoor bar too if you want to watch the sunset outside.
This luxurious and unique resort is romantic, restorative, and exclusive. Whilst the uniqueness of this resort is reflected in the price tag, The Post Ranch Inn offers some of the best views of the Big Sur, daily yoga, guided nature walks, meditations, tours of the chef’s garden, and stargazing as you’ve never seen before, all included when you stay.
Heading north on the Pacific Coast Highway from The Post Ranch Inn, you’ll arrive at Bixby Creek Bridge, just before Carmel by the Sea and Monterey (Monterey is famed by the 2017 TV series Big Little Lies). Built in 1932, the Bixby bridge offers ocean views and prime sunset viewing and has featured on countless TV shows, commercials, and movies. You’ll gaze at the architectural brilliance as Bixby Bridge connects two cliff edges and stands tall over the valley below.
From Bixby, it is views from the car seat as you journey on to San Francisco. San Francisco is a city where you can free your inhibitions and dream big, even the weather has its own microclimates, so everything really does go. It is rich in culture, history, and entrepreneurship, however, it’s hard to miss some of the harder edges and realities of inner-city living. Undulating hills meet industrial and revival style design, this city is also one of the most important in the history of LGBT rights and activism (Harvey Milk served as the first elected gay official in California in 1977)
Having visited San Francisco before, we decided to take it easy and wander the streets versus tick off the main to-dos, but we stayed at The Clift Royal on Geary Street. This highly styled, trendy Phillippe Starke designed hotel and glamourous Redwood Room bar is close to
If you haven’t been to San Francisco before, then
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