Santa Monica - End of the Journey

Next Santa Monica - I loved this place! Another 2 hours south from Santa Barbara, we stayed at Shutters on the Beach - another fab hotel and definitely the best in Santa Monica. The hotel is right on the beach so we could do lots of celeb spotting! The rooms are homely with books and a library and have balconies although they are quite small; Shutters is one of the few hotels in Santa Monica that actually offer balconies. Some views though are over the car park and back streets. The hotel hosts many weddings/events and often the lower terrace by the pool will be closed for private functions from 4pm each day. I loved it as I got to watch some great weddings whilst sunbathing by the pool!

I would also recommend Casa del Mar that is next door. It's a bigger, formal, quite grand hotel with good rooms and big bathrooms, no balconies though. There's also a good sushi bar in the restaurant. For young couples, I would recommend The Viceroy which is across the road (so not right on the beach) but very cool and trendy. It has a real buzz to it and it's where the music execs and producers/TV people etc all stay.

Melissa@collettstravel.co.uk
Tel: 020 8906 0542

Driving the Californian Pacific Coast

The drive from Napa Valley to Carmel should only have taken about 3-4 hours but we got lost in San Fran and it took us 6 hours. We stayed in Quail Lodge which isn’t by the sea but great if you like golf. It's a lovely hotel and we stayed in a gorgeous suite that Arnie had stayed in before us!

For a hotel nearer the beach in Carmel I would probably recommend either La Playa or Highlands Inn.The drive from Carmel down the coast is INCREDIBLE - the best drive I have ever done. The scenery is amazing and constantly changing from woodlands to coastline, all literally right at the edge of the Pacific. It was all very dramatic and the drive was one of the highlights of our holiday. I'd recommend ‘Nepenthe’ for lunch on the Big Sur; a great place to stop with fab views. The Post Ranch Inn next door is one of the best hotels on the Big Sur but gets fully booked way in advance so it's very difficult to get rooms here. I'd also suggest a visit to Hearst Castle en-route to San Luis Obispo - you get a great tour of the castle. Next we stayed at Madonna Inn. This place is insane, like nothing you could imagine. One night is enough here. All the rooms have different themes and the restaurant is like someone puked up pink everywhere. Good food though.

Next day it was about a 2-hour drive to Santa Barbara and the Four Seasons The Biltmore, a great hotel where we stayed in total luxury. It's owned by Ty Warner, the zillionaire who made his fortune from the Beany Babies and has a very Mexican/Spanish-country feel to it. The rooms are lovely but mainly garden views and not all rooms have terraces/balconies. The food is fantastic but highly over-priced although the Sunday Brunch is great with every possible choice of food you can imagine from sushi to crepes to waffles to salmon, champagne etc. Very yummy! The hotel has its own beach club that only F.S guests and members of the club can use (membership is $250,000 per year). So you can imagine the type of people you see sitting round the pool, 80-year old women that look 20.

I'd recommend Santa Barbara for a stopover. It's a lovely place - loads of shopping and restaurants… but that’s pretty much it! It's flat though so good for cycling and you can rent bikes for free at the hotel. We also visited the San Ysidro Ranch, a stunning hotel but up in the hills so no beach. Probably used more for a romantic/peaceful weekend getaway from LA…

Next up... Melissa reaches Santa Monica

CT

More from Melissa in the Napa Valley, USA

We spent 2 nights in Napa Valley – well worth it if you like your food and drink. It's only about an hour’s drive from San Fran and the weather totally changes. It's amazing, blue skies and endless views of rolling vineyards - so beautiful. There are only 2 main roads running parallel through the wine region with all the vineyards dotted along either side. Most of them you can just pop into for wine tasting sessions (some exclusive ones are by appointment only). I'd recommend William Cole vineyards - family owned.

Restaurants - well, there is Thomas Keller's ‘French Laundry’ although that has a 2-month waiting list as it is one of the most famous restaurants in the USA. I had been recommended ‘Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen’ by a client of mine and this was fantastic, too. Also, Thomas Keller's ‘Bouchon’ is great for lunch and half the price of his other restaurant.

Hotels - the Auberge du Soleil is arguably the best hotel in Napa; great location, beautiful views, amazing food, pool etc., very private. Also the Calistoga Ranch (sister to the Auberge) looks fantastic - a bit less pompous maybe and still as beautiful/private. I stayed in Solage Calistoga that is in the same group as the others. It's a new hotel, all open-plan and a little strange looking when you arrive but it's actually a great hotel for less than half the price of the other 2 properties. It has a very young feel to it but the rooms are stunning and the food fantastic. Good for young couples I would say…

Melissa@collettstravel.co.uk
Tel: 020 8906 0542

CT