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