After visiting several regions of California (and honestly not loving it that much) we had one specific city we hadn’t visited but heard such wonderful things about: San Diego. Both of us have family in the area, and maybe there was some worry that we’d fall in love with it but never be able to afford to live there. We also seemed to be making it a habit to go out West in September. It turns out we had (and have) a lot of California left to see.
This was one of the most complicated trips that I’ve planned to date. It took a solid week to plan and execute everything back in May. It evolved from being specifically to take the train and spend time in San Diego to finding a dream points redemption at Alila Ventana Big Sur, to changing dates for fantasy football draft, then adding a car, 2 national parks and a layover in DEN. And in the end, between limited hotel availability, timing logistics and just travel in general we definitely hit some snags even with all that planning. So much of planning and executing these trips is about learning to be flexible, go with the flow and sharpening our problem solving skills.
We would drive to Atlanta, fly direct to San Diego, work the remainder of Labor Day week from Pacific Beach and then travel by train to San Luis Obispo, rent a car there, drive to Pinnacles National Park, actually drive some of the PCH to Big Sur, check out Monterey (ok mostly Pebble Beach), THEN since we had a car and a few extra days, why not throw Yosemite on there so that the National Park pass is 100% justified, drive back up to the bay area and fly out from San Jose since they have a flight laying over in Denver and HOPEFULLY go to the brand new Capital One Lounge. *deep breath*
San Diego
We started the trip with a bit of a snafu. We had the smoothest drive to Atlanta in 2.5 hours flat, to arrive to our parking reservation with rows of extra cars blocking in all the space. A computer system had glitched; they were overbooked and we would be required to leave our keys, valet style, and hope our car got to a spot safely when others returned. We abandoned the Fusion and hoped we could trust the employees to keep it exactly how we left it. Though not without some anxiety and words to their corporate office (they are apparently not a great company and are OK throwing their employees under the bus).
Putting it out of our mind since we couldn’t control it, we made a pit stop at The Club ATL lounge for lunch then continued our journey to SAN: The busiest one runway airport in the US. While 7p to us, it was still bright and sunny midday as we made our way to our first hotel experience. It was no surprise that all that extra sunshine made everyone around us seem extra cheery.
For the first night we used 15,000 Hyatt points to stay on the bay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The great thing about using points to stay at a Hyatt is they include all resort fees. This gave us a whole assortment of activities to do in the short time we would be there. Little did we know that the guy at the front desk would give us BOTH passes for all the activities. What we thought would be BOGO turned out to just be free.
- 1-Hour Kayak/Paddle board rental
- 1-Hour Bike Rental
- 1-Hour Harbor Boat Tour
- $10 Nightly Credit at Top of the Hyatt
While the lobby of the hotel was luxurious and super nice, the rooms were just ok. A little dated, thin walls and just felt like any other hotel room. Our upgraded high floor view though was fantastic! The facilities were great. A big pool and hot tub on the roof several stories up with views of the bay, basketball and pickle ball courts, several dining and bar venues for easy access and the location downtown was perfect for shopping and exploring. Since the last harbor tour of the night had already departed we walked down to their booth to see about trips for the next day. We were able to use our voucher for a sunset cruise the following night, after we would already be checked out of our hotel no less. Definitely a win!
The time change is always a battle for us. I don’t do well with changing my eating schedule, but waking up at 4am or wanting to eat lunch at 8a doesn’t work that well. Especially for 2 people who don’t like breakfast food all that much. Since it was Saturday of a long weekend, we decided to push ourselves to stay out to watch the sunset (~10:30 eastern). This turned into splurging on 2nd dinner and a drink at Top of the Hyatt. Someone finally got us to spend some extra money with their “get $10 off”. The food we had was great and the view we got of the sunset was beautiful.
It was still the middle of the night when I woke up. 3:30a and I was wide awake. I always find it interesting to watch people down below on the streets at such a late/early hour. We made it to the hot tub to watch the sun come up which was rather lack luster because of the marine layer, then stopped at Spill the Beans for some bagel sandwiches that sounded lunch adjacent. We took off on foot to explore the city before our 9:30a paddle board reservations. I can’t say it was all the exciting of a water excursion, you have to stay in the marina to avoid the big boats and wake in the bay but it was free so I can’t argue with that.
Since we had late check-out due to our Explorist status, we took this opportunity to relax in the room, catch up on some tv before we were allowed to check in to our next hotel. For this one I was using my annual 35,000 point Marriott Bonvoy Boundless night at Hotel Republic. I pay $95 a year to hold this credit card and the going rate for the room we stayed in was $414. Unlike Hyatt, Marriott does require you to pay the resort fee on points bookings. So we were on the hook for $25 + tax, but again it came with some perks:
- Bike Rentals for 2
- $25 credit to spend at the bar or restaurant
- Daily Morning Yoga
The entire hotel was very trendy and had a much cooler vibe. It was the first hotel room I’ve ever had with a window seat which was perfect for all the planes that would fly by. I was mesmerized watching plane after plane land all day long; flying so close to all the downtown buildings!
We took a walk to Little Italy for dinner before heading to our sightseeing cruise. We’re not usually ones for gimmicky tours or boat rides, but this was a great time! We stayed outside on the rooftop deck to enjoy the beautiful weather. We did the North Harbor Tour and the older gentleman was the perfect narrator. He gave us lots of information and had great stories. Plus we got to see another great sunset. On the way back we ordered a charcuterie board to-go with our room credit so we would have food to eat when we got up at 4am again. Best idea ever. I will eat brie, bread and honey for breakfast any time.
We purposely did not try and squeeze in bike rentals at the Hyatt because we knew we would have access to bikes the next day. And even better than a 1 hour rental is an unlimited amount of time. We could have even taken the bikes on the ferry to Coronado for a whole day. Not knowing this we made a plan on Labor Day to go to Balboa park, which could be done in an hour if that’s all we had. Instead we got to take our time over 2 hours taking in the architecture, eating lunch by the fountain and listening to the organ play.
Pacific Beach
Our next adventure took us to an apartment attached to a house in Pacific Beach for 3 days. I think this is the most we’ve ever packed into the afternoons when working and traveling. We would wake up in the dark for 8a eastern to start the day, make lunch from our hefty Trader Joe’s haul, take a walk during lunch, then do some serious exploring after work. The second night we took the host’s bikes for an 11 mile tour of the beach. Of course Adam’s bike picked up a staple and we had to find the nearest bike shop to repair it. But it’s hard to be to upset when you’re in such a beautiful, chill place.
On night 3 we went on a grand adventure to brave the Saigon/Ho Chi Minh trail in La Jolla. A trail down to the beach originally used by surfers, it has a very unique slot canyon that looks other worldly. We walked a mile, hopped on the city bus for 45 min, walked another mile to the trail head and then hiked/climbed another 3 miles on the trail and then did it in reverse. Was it worth it? 110%. Should most people do it? Absolutely not. Between living in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains and traveling frequently, we do quite a bit of hiking is all kinds of conditions. Now our boots are getting up there in miles and starting to lose traction, but when people say this trail is slippery, don’t take it lightly.
It was a particularly dry day. We had made it 3/4 of way down, across the plank bridge, through the slot canyon and suddenly the very narrow path angling into the ravine got very slick with sand. When the panic sets in it’s hard to remember things like grabbing the water bottle to add a little moisture to the ground or flat out taking my shoes off for more grip in my bare feet. After some time I managed to slide across while sitting down, but thin running shorts are not much help in the grip department. Once you reach the (nude) beach you can relax for a second knowing there IS another way back, you don’t have to go back the way you came.
We walked to the Blacks Beach stairs and made our way up to the Torrey Pines Gliderport. It is a bucket list item of mine to participate in a falconry lesson. I’ve tried with our backyard peregrine falcon (rooster) but it hasn’t worked out, yet. This happened to be the location of a falconry program I had looked up online before. Sadly we caught the tail end of the last session of the day. But we got to watch many paragliders take flight. The colors made for such a gorgeous scene. And Adam tried all the angles to get a glimpse of Torrey Pines Golf Course. The hike back took us over a ridge with stunning views, down quickly and we did experience one last slippery section but it was much less dangerous.
I’m still not a beach bum (and generally dislike the beach/ocean) but I really liked the chill vibe and wish we would have explored more of the local food offerings.
Train
I had Amtrak points left over after 2019s train trip that were supposed to be used in May 2020. I saved them from expiration once, because pandemic, and needed to plan something soon or else lose them forever.
The Pacific Coast Highway is something on most buckets lists, but I feel bad making Adam drive all the gorgeous routes we do. Lo and behold arguably Amtrak’s most scenic route runs along the pacific coast. This would give us both the ability to enjoy the views. The famous Coast Starlight runs from LA to Seattle over 35+ hours, but the most scenic section in California is between LA and San Luis Obispo. The Pacific Surfliner runs between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, BUT is scheduled for 30 minutes longer, has a very early departure or late arrival going all the way north and most importantly doesn’t include an observation car. We decided on a combination.
We woke up “early” to catch the 3 hour ride on the Pacific Surfliner to LA. What started as very hazy views right on the beach, turned into patchy clearings and sun with water and salt stained windows. It was a fun ride that I’m sure would have had better views a little later in the day. We made it on time to our layover at Union Station, found the restrooms, grabbed a snack and it was all-aboard the Coast Starlight for our second leg. This time we were assigned seats upon boarding. These seats were larger than the commuter trains and more like what we had experienced in the past on the Cascades from Seattle to Vancouver. We had plenty of leg room and storage for luggage, but between the curtains and small windows we had our sights set on the observation car. As soon as our tickets were checked we bolted up a car and grabbed a section of seats along the tall domed windows. Our excitement was short lived when the train stopped at the third station and didn’t start moving again. This was not my first Amtrak and if you remember from our Alaskan cruise, not our first run in with a delay.
I quickly took to social media and found a tweet about a pedestrian involved fatality a couple hours earlier. Although a little hot in the sunlit filled dome car we weren’t particularly bothered to wait. But I realized I had not left us a lot of wiggle room for picking up our rental car in San Luis Obispo. If we hit 2 hours late the rental car location would be closed for the entire weekend when we got there. We would have no way to get 45 min to our hotel or the rest of our destinations. Should we get off the train, get an uber to a nearby Hertz and drive the entire distance? It wouldn’t cost much more than our current rental. But the entire point was to ride the train. I made a quick call to the rental office and she assured me it was no problem to transfer the rental to their nearby airport location with later hours and there would be no extra cost incurred. She was so nice and I have to imagine that this happens often with Amtrak. Instant relief. With a logistical nightmare averted we spent our time waiting enjoying our books, talking with the train conductor and watching a never ending loop of Southwest planes flying to Burbank.
After 3 hours in all, we were given the ok, the back up of waiting trains was cleared and we were able to proceed. I was instantly grateful that we got to take the train. We went almost immediately into a very long tunnel and came out in what felt like the middle of nowhere; we were just in LA! We followed the coast, rode through areas where no cars are allowed, saw the Spaceforce base, many sea cliffs and bridges. It was hands down the best Amtrak route we have done so far. For the cost (~$33 one way per person) I would recommend anyone take the ride, even if just for fun, like a tour.
Unfortunately arriving late left us fighting sunset and fog so we had to scratch any plans we had for that area. We made it to our hotel and crashed; anticipating a sunrise departure to avoid the heat at our next destination.
Pinnacles
We got more excitement at this park than we may have even realized at the time. We woke up early in Cambria to catch the sunrise over the hills. As we stopped in Paso Robles for water and food we started to notice storm clouds and many bolts of lighting out in the distance. Radar showed it should end around the time we entered the park. We continued to drive. Maybe 30 minutes outside the park I began to think about all the bad things that could come from all these lightening strikes, namely wildfires. But as we arrived to an unmanned gatehouse there were many people there, parking lot was mostly full at the trailhead and it seemed our timing was just right.
The park was very interesting and cool when down the valley near the balconies, but hot and barren from the summer dryness when climbing. Some national parks you enter and you immediately understand why they are so special; this one I’m still not sure. It was very pretty, had somewhat unique rock formations and had some good hikes, but it couldn’t hold a candle to some of the other we’ve visited. Or, heck, even places we’ve visited in the Carolinas that are state parks. I wouldn’t go out of your way to go there, especially if you’re not a hiker. It’s not one that you can just drive through to see the sights.
Halfway through our hike we saw a helicopter fly over. It seemed to hover and then fly away. Not long after it came back and seemed to land and drop someone off. We passed the secondary western entrance to the park, climbed to the peak and passed by some people but not as many as I was expecting for a Saturday. We ate a snack, took in the views. Then we started our decent back to the parking lot. This is always the most taxing part. Doesn’t matter if we’re hiking 4 miles, 10 miles or something in between. When you know that most of the good sights are done and all that’s left to do is slog back to the car, everything gets harder, starts hurting more and take FOREVER.
Suddenly we smelled burning. We stopped for water looked around and sure enough a hundred or so feet above the trail we saw firemen. They seemed to be making a perimeter around a small tree or bush from what I could tell. We looked at them, they looked at us, and everyone just continued about their business. Odd, maybe it was a training or something.
About halfway down we ran into a park ranger. “Did you see the firemen? About where were they?” We explained where we saw them and he told us casually, albeit winded, that there had been a small lighting fire but it was contained now. We parted ways and continued down. When we got to the parking lot the road was blocked by multiple CalFire trucks with firefighters standing around. Still no one said a word to us. When we were in the car and got to cell service I was able to see that the park had ben CLOSED since about an hour after we started our hike to tend to an uncontrolled lighting strike fire.
We spent the night in a hotel I would NOT recommend in Hollister, tended to laundry and got ready for the part of the trip I was most excited for. The Alila Ventana Big Sur.
Pacific Coast Highway
The whiplash of temperature on this trip was a LOT to handle. My body doesn’t respond well to temperature shifts and in one week we had gone from 90 degrees in South Carolina to 80 degrees in San Diego, 50’s in Cambria, 90 at Pinnacles, and arrived to 60 in Monterey. Amazing how you can travel between coast, desert and higher elevations and see so much change in such a short distance.
We started in the gloomy fog visiting Point Lobos and by the time we finished our walks there it was sunny and beautiful! We grabbed lunch and a test copy of a new book I published while we were in San Diego from an Amazon locker nearby. From there we hit the PCH to head towards our luxurious mid trip break.
When planning our trip in May I saw that google kept rerouting me inland when going to Monterey instead of taking Highway 1. There was a slide in January that left a section of the road un-passable. I thought maybe they would have it fixed by September but out of caution we planned the trip around doing that whole stretch of the highway. This is what initially triggered our plan to go to Pinnacles. I’m so glad that we did because as of November it is still a long way off from opening to traffic.
As much as I don’t love the ocean, from afar, cliffs and sprawling overlooks have their redeeming qualities. The PCH did not disappoint. It’s interesting we compared the Pacific Coast Highway to the Blue Ridge Parkway a lot. The roads wind similarly and we couldn’t decide if the rolling mountains were more intimidating or the vast ocean. We saw the famous Bixby bridge and a couple others, drove down almost as far as we could to McWay falls and then turned back to Big Sur to check in.
Alila Ventana Big Sur
Originally built as a retreat to the stars, the Alila Ventana Big Sur is a Hyatt managed luxury property and one of the most sought after points redemptions. The resort is all inclusive of all food, non-alcoholic beverages, many activities and gratuities. It runs from 35K-45K points a night for 2 people in their most basic room vs $2,000 cash. After losing the first 35K room I was looking at, it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity to be there on a date when they had availability so we booked at 45K for one night. Before we even arrived we were upgraded to a Big Sur Suite which was 200 sq ft larger with a large patio, hammock and although we were on the ground floor still had some mountain/ocean views. This room would have cost about $2,800 for one night.
When we checked in they offered free wine, coffee or tea and told us that even though our room wasn’t ready to go hang by the pool and enjoy some snacks off the lunch menu. The main pool had gorgeous views of the ocean and mountains, an infinity hot tub and a sauna. And the guac was great! When our room was ready we made the very uphill trek. That’s one thing I will warn about this resort: it is spread out, peaceful and private but there is a fair amount of walking between room buildings, the restaurant and amenities and it is a lot of elevation. They offer golf cart rides to dinner, etc when nearby but not sure if they’re always available and it seems a bit much to ask them every time you want to go to the pool.
They provide you a refillable water bottle in your room to keep and have water filling stations all over the property. We had free happy hour drinks, dinner and breakfast at The Sur House and it was fantastic for both! Spectacular views from the patio, great food and wonderful service. It definitely felt like a special experience. We ate “early”, which still ended up being quite late for our stomachs and then had the resort to ourselves for sunset as everyone else did their dinner then.
I couldn’t tell you if the place was full or not. I think even with all the rooms full it is such a large spaced our property that you wouldn’t know. So peaceful. We did not make it to any of the activities because frankly 1 night just isn’t long enough. There are daily morning and afternoon hikes, yoga or meditation in the morning and daily special activities like foraging mushrooms, harvesting the onsite garden for donations or touring their beehives. Instead we slept in, relaxed and enjoyed the property. We got the chance to meet the gardener and he told us all about the things he was growing. I believe most of it is used for seasonal menu options on property.
Was it worth it? Emphatically yes, on points. If given the opportunity I would book 2 nights next time. One night was just not enough to feel totally relaxed and then have time to enjoy the included activities.
Monterey
Leaving paradise was hard. I made it harder by booking us at the Days Inn next.
Old Fisherman’s Wharf was invaded by seals and sea lions and I could have watched them for hours.
I probably haven’t covered much in any of these posts how important professional golf is in our household. It’s usually the short weekend trips in the summer or stoping while in Florida to attend tournaments that don’t tend to make the large write ups here. Draft Kings golf is a staple each week and, despite the incessant phone time, it earns it’s keep. Watching every week (and rooting for the winnings) have gotten me interested in watching too. So this trip turned into a bit of a golf trip in it’s own rite after seeing Torrey Pines and now going to Pebble Beach. We stopped for a walk at Carmel Beach, found a couple lost golf balls in the sand, then did the 17-mile drive through the Pebble Beach complex. It was a gloomy day and after driving the PCH I can’t say I was super impressed by the drive. But it was something I was glad we did and Adam got to see the courses, so no regrets.
Yosemite
The fact that I pulled this off on this trip makes me so happy. Often times when I try to add something wild to the end or rearrange things, it’s just too much. This fit in perfectly. We drove an extra 3.5 hours across the state and got to spend 2 full days in the park. And boy was it magical.
Yosemite is definitely a park you can enjoy without hiking, biking or climbing. I was a little terrified by the signs on the way in marking how far to the entrance when traffic is backed up. I saw one that said 2 hours from this point! Sounds like Disney World! Lucky for us this was more of off season and there was no waiting. The thing we did have to wait for was the bus up to Mariposa Grove. They have a nice new parking lot and a shuttle that usually runs every 10 minutes. However we were there on a weekday and crews were out cleaning up brush and trees to avoid fire, which that section of the park saw just last year. This added an extra hour to what was supposed to be a quick stop. We just did the Grizzly Giant loop. We were saving our mileage for hikes over looking and inside the valley. Definitely worth a stop!
Then we drove up to Glacier Point. Hands down must do. The view is incredible. This park feels like it was designed. The way the waterfalls peek out between the peaks and the symmetry. Just amazing. THIS is what a national park should feel like. On the way back down we lucked out with a late afternoon parking spot to do the Sentinel Dome & Taft Point loop. Absolutely loved this hike. If you can just hike out and back to the top of Sentinel Dome, do it! It’s worth the climb up the rock, do it slowly if you have to. If you’re going to do the loop 100% do it counter-clockwise, even if you start in the Taft Point parking area.
And we hadn’t even made it to the Yosemite Valley yet! Which was an experience all by itself. The hard park about the valley and staying the night down there is that parking can be hard and it is encouraged to walk, bike or take the bus. The bus was crowded when we were there, I can’t imagine when the park is full. And we didn’t have bikes, so walking after hiking all day just sounds miserable. This kept us from exploring more places like lower Yosemite Falls. However if you’re not hiking this amount of walking might be a great way to stretch your legs and still see great features.
Our accommodations for the night were in Curry Village in a canvas tent. I feel like these were older and more rustic than I imagined from the pictures online. It’s like camping but the tent stays there all the time and is mildew-y, you have to lock all food, drinks and smelly toiletries in a box to not attract bears and they ran power for 1 light bulb but not for an outlet to charge your phone. However it does the trick when you don’t want to drive an hour back out of the park or pay $100+ more a night extra to stay in the hotels in the park (assuming they’re not sold out). We both slept well and were able to hit the trail with the sun the next morning.
Our last hike was Nevada Fall. There was construction going on on the mist trail and despite our best efforts to get on the trail before the closure we had to skip Vernal Falls and take the John Muir Trail up and back. It was a lot of effort for a decent destination. I feel like when you’re in Yosemite you get picky with what’s worth the effort. I was also just pissy that we got up early, rushed and didn’t make it in time. And nothing adds insult to injury like a toddler. I called my nephew at the top since that’s the only place you get cell service in the park and showed him the water fall, half dome and said I was on a hike and asked if he wanted to join me. He said, “no that’s not where I hike.” 😂 Well, that’s fine, you enjoy hiking in flat Texas.
Wrap Up Travel
We drove highway 140 to Merced for the night. That was a very cool route! You follow a gorge for a large portion and it felt like a continuation of the park. It seems wild to me that we had so many airport options when leaving from the bay area. Initially we were going to leave from SFO so we could go to the museum there and I could finally get some Cafe X. Then I started chasing Hyatt Brand Explorer free nights. The cheapest JdV branded hotel was the Wild Palms in Sunnyvale. Our flight would also then layover in DEN where a new Capital One Lounge had been promised for months. Surly it would be open by September. I watched Reddit every day but as our tripped came to a close it looked like there would be no lounge for us. We did enjoy our time at the Wild Palms. It was very interesting. Like an old Quality Inn with a pool courtyard that was remodeled in a vintage style. I think it worked.
Final Thoughts
This trip was a lot of work and a lot of fun. It had some really high highs and not necessarily lows, but some flat points. We were exposed to so much more of California than just the cities. The drive across to Yosemite exposed me to things I didn’t even know were farmed in the US, let alone what their plant looked like (I’m look at you pistachio tree). The vast differences between climate, vegetation and people between the coast, interior and mountains. It is the only place we have gone in the US where it felt like we were in the minority speaking English.
I think we will still need to do a trip to Napa and Redwood National Park and have already tried to make plans for Palm Springs and Joshua Tree NP. Plus there are still 3 other national parks in California on top of those. We’ll be back.
Cost Breakdown
Part of the struggle to book trips in the last year has been the exorbitant costs of not just flights and cars, but also Airbnbs. There are places we stayed at in 2019 that have doubled in price for a week. I have a hard time feeling good about the cost of this trip (and had doubts when planning it too) when compared to ones in the past. We not only decided to travel in California, but also to use points and status to do some more luxurious, high end experiences we haven’t done in the past. $450 in points for one night in a hotel is pricey, but when they serve you $110pp dinner, sit down breakfast, snacks, evening cocktails along with the amenities and location the VALUE is certainly there.
I was surprised that while some thing like gas (OMG) were much much higher, the cost of food at the grocery store was pretty much the same as what we pay in South Carolina.
One other thing I was able to target on this trip were Hyatt brands for the brand explorer challenge. For every 5 Hyatts brands you stay at you get one Category 1-4 night for free. We went into the trip with 3 brands (Place, House & Regency) and left with 3 additional (Grand, Alila & JdV) and one shiny new certificate. The two certs we have redeemed this year averaged $650 each.
We did also use these flights to qualify for a promotional companion pass again in Jan & Feb. I’m still bitter about choosing the wrong flights to rebook and costing myself $100 I didn’t need to spend, but it’ll still be better than not having the pass.
