Help me plan my California honeymoon.....

[SammyKid11]

Hey guys...

Getting married next weekend in La Jolla, CA. We love the whole San Diego area, so we'll be staying there until the following Tuesday. So SD recommendations would be great (we were planning on doing the SD Zoo...is it still really awesome like it was when I was a kid?) But from Tues-Sat, our plan is to drive up the coast. Any recommendations would be helpful.

Notes...we've both been to LA and don't really want to include that in our trip. We may do as much there as stop and have lunch or dinner there, but that's probably it. Nothing against LA, but we're looking for more relaxation. I've heard that places like Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo are both fantastic. We'll be spending our final two nights in San Francisco, so any recommendations there are great, as well.

Cool restaurants, can't-miss local attractions, nice beaches, good bars...anything you guys can think of that might be fun for us to see or do while we're there.

We'd also like to stop off in the wine country, maybe do a vineyard tour at some point. Pointers from those in the know?

Thanks in advance for your help...2p2 never disappoints.

[inside??]

Here is a nice place to have breakfast in Laguna:

http://www.lasbrisaslagunabeach.com/

Often voted best brunch. If you are there later in the day have lunch at Javiers.

I really like Croce's in the Gaslamp for dinner. Best french onion soup ever.

[firstyearclay]

The beaches are amazing this time of year, especially mid-week when its a little bit quieter. Hermosa, Redonand, Manhattan Beach are all cool little beach towns/cities.

Thats a start...

fyc

[inside??]

I see that you are also thinking about going up to SLO. Have breakfast at the Apple Farm Inn. It was voted as one of the top 10 breakfasts in the US. There are many vineyards up by Cambria. It is fun to tour these and try the different wines.

[SammyKid11]

Good suggestions...though I'll add we're typically not breakfast people (I mean, we like breakfast, but not waking up early enough to actually get to a breakfast place). But hearing how good the places you've suggested are, we might try to get out to do that.

What we really like to do together is go have dinner then find a cool bar where we can have a few drinks and talk in a nice environment. We love seafood (including, but not limited to sushi), steakhouses, mexican, italian, pizza, burgers, chinese...and we both are typically beer/shot drinkers but can also enjoy a nice night of wine as well.

[inside??]

There are lots of nice clubs in the Gas Lamp. The is a jazz club just down from Croce's along with more college type places nearby. I went to a really good sushi place on Coronado Island but I can't remember the name.

Javier's in Laguna is great Mexican. Make sure to get the homemade guacamole.

El Diablo has a good thead in his forum about things to do in SF so I would check that. In SF I really enjoyed the Alcatraz tour. If you go make sure you by the headsets and you can go along at your own pace. Doing anything on the wharf is great. Clam clowder in a sourdough bread bowl is awesome. I didn't really hit the night scene there so I would check with El D.

I have been to SD and LA many times. Last summer, for a change we decided to hit the beach cities in between. Laguna, Newport and Huntington were all great. They have fire pits on the beach in Huntington and having a bonfire was great. The pits usually have to be staked out though so I doubt that is something you would want to do on your honeymoon. The is a nice beach bar in Newport called Mutt Lynch's that you might enjoy if that is the kind of evironment you are looking for.

[SammyKid11]

Awesome...thanks bro.

[Los Feliz Slim]

If budget is not an issue, I cannot recommend the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur highly enough. Among the best and most romantic places to stay in the country, with an amazing restaurant. Failing that, someplace in Carmel is a good idea. The Highlands Inn is very nice, fireplaces in every room, etc. This is all around 2-2.5 hours south of SF. If you want to venture a little north of SF, try Mankas in Inverness (although they had a fire last year, not sure if they've rebuilt). Congratulations.

[revots33]

I'll second Los Feliz, if you're going as far north as San Francisco you should definitely try to hit the Monterey Peninsula for a day or 2. Great aquarium in Monterey, the 17 Mile Drive has incredibly beautiful coastal scenery, Carmel Beach is perfect at sunset, and Point Lobos park has beautiful hiking trails with lots of sea lions, otters, birds, etc. to see. The entire area is very romantic and perfect for a honeymoon.

[ElliotR]

While in SD, try a dinner at the Marine Room.