Big Sur was beautiful! We flew in to San Fran airport so picked up our car from there! It was really easy to sort (cheeky tip - we booked it using a UK card and it was hella lot cheaper doing it that way!) got the car and off we drove.
It's about a 1:45 hour journey from San Fran to Monterey but we wanted to take the scenic route, which I'd definitely recommend! Scenic route took about 2 and a half hours in total but we made a few stops on the way.
TIP: A big area of Big Sur (hwy 1) is currently closed - do check your route before you go.
Our first stop was Half Moon Bay, a short 45 minute drive got us there. Starving after our flight from Raleigh, we popped in to this really cute sandwich shop called San Benito Deli. It had a really pretty outdoor seating area and was packed, mainly with locals. After filling up, we took a stroll down the high street and snuck our heads into a few of the boutiques.
The drive was especially beautiful after Half Moon Bay, as it's all on the coast. There are so many coastal walks that you can do! We found ourselves stopping at turnout to take pictures - we soon realised the whole coast was incredibly picturesque. If we could, we would have stopped at every single one!
Next up was Santa Cruz, I'd heard a lot about Santa Cruz from the television but didn't know anyone that had actually been there. Parking was easy to find and we didn't need to pay. We did have to walk about 20 minutes to the beach but it was worth it to see the city. The centre was nice - a few high street shops and nice places to grab a coffee. We took our time wandering as there were so many murals (I love a good mural hunt), stopped for a Starbucks and walked down to the beach. The walk to the beach is about 20 minutes down a river path. The areas aren't quite as nice on the walk but it gave us an insight into the place.
We found the boardwalk really easily (kind of hard to miss) you can see some of the taller rides from quite far back. The beach was pretty to walk along - one of my favourites was the lifeguard huts. Santa Cruz was a great place to stop to break up the journey.
Feeling pretty tired after our early flight, we headed on to our final destination; the hotel we stayed at was just outside of Monterey called The Stage Coach Lodge. We really weren't expecting very much as it was a last minute find but it was great! Spacious and clean rooms with helpful staff on standby to give recommendations. We were torn between two ideas of what to do the following day - we asked the person at reception and I'm so glad we did!
After a busy day, we decided to treat ourselves to Tapas for dinner. There are Ubers and Lyfts around the area so we booked one for the drive to Estéban Restaurant - about a 10 minute drive from our hotel and close to the centre. The restaurant is part of the hotel called Casa Munras - they had a really nice outdoor seating area and big fire pits which were perfect to sit beside and drink some Sangria. However, the food was pretty pricey. The waiter said we would need only 2 plates each and this was nowhere near enough food for us (maybe we were feeling greedy).
Surprisingly, it was pretty cold - even by the fire pits - so we made a sharp exit to find a local bar. The streets were very quiet but we raced to the first one we saw as we were so cold. Bull and Bear Whiskey and Tap House was quaint and was decent priced for a drink or two.
Day 2
We got an early start and breakfast courtesy of the hotel then headed to the 17 Mile Drive (Pebble Beach) based on yesterday's advice. The drive was around 15 minutes to get to - we took the entrance just off Forest Lodge Road - there's a few but that was the closest coming from Monterey.
The drive was filled with white sandy beaches, golf courses and dramatic cliffs.
There are 21 stops in total and it probably took us around 2 - 3 hours to complete the trail. We stopped at every point, as well as stopping at extra places of interest. At stops 13 and 14 we were lucky enough to see the new baby seals. Something to be aware of is that those stops are closed between April 1 and June 1. Seeing as we arrived on 13th June, the rocks and beaches were filled with seals.
The next place on our agenda was Carmel by the Sea. Finding a parking space was pretty difficult, we ended up driving a few blocks away from the village and walking in. Walking through Carmel, I was fascinated by the houses and fairytale feel that it had. There are loads of boutiques and cute stores - well worth going. For lunch, we found a place called the Tuck Shop - they pride themselves on their English scones - being from England they were pretty damn good and a decent size too! The salads were also delicious.
The place I was looking forward to the most was Bixby Bridge, it's time had finally come...
We were obviously very excited and at any bridge we came to we slammed on the brakes, stopped, climbed out the car and took some snaps. Don't be like us - when you come to Bixby Bridge - you'll know! It took us 25 minutes from Carmel to the bridge, the drive was exhilarating. Crank up the tunes, put down the windows and enjoy the views, they are phenomenal!
From Bixby Bridge, we drove back to Monterey, which took 30 minutes - if needed there is a small gas station called Carmel Highlands station and General Store selling supplies and souvenirs.
Later, we headed to Cannery Row, Monterey to check out some of the local bars/ restaurants. We started at Cannery Row Brewing Company, cheap eats and a huge beer menu. We tried some other places in that area but they weren't really our scene. Instead, we tried downtown Monterey, here we started at The Britannia, it was karaoke night and a British themed bar. Being British, it wasn't our 'cup of tea. We moved to the next place, which funnily enough was also a British Bar. The Crown and Anchor was much more chilled and had a very decorative and British themed interior (it was quite cool). We were able chat, as well as meet some of the locals - who were really welcoming and gave us awesome suggestions for our next destination. . . San Francisco.
