It is on the list of the "must see" before you die, and they say it is one of the most recommended and scenic roadtrips there is........ the coastal route from Santa Barbara to Monterey, CA. Our expanding Grover family was excited to take one last family vacation before turning into a Family of Four. It was our special time to bond with our eldest son, and our very first roadtrip as a family! We did a 4 day tour and visited 6 cities, all while our home was fumigated for termites (great timing right?! We had no other choice but to hit the road!)
And so our coastal adventure begins...... our 1st stop: Lunch in downtown Santa Barbara, at no other than my personal favorite Andersen's Bakery (we came here with my sister last year when I shot a wedding at the Bacara Resort). Taj split the french dip sandwich with me and couldn't get enough :)
2nd stop: the quaint little town of Cambria, where we arrived in the evening and checked into a wonderful Bed & Breakfast (The Burton Inn). We love the comforts and personalized attention we get at B&B's and I was so happy to find a family friendly one, since most are very romantic.
We got the King Suite, a 2 bedroom spacious suite perfect for a family with a young child! Taj had plenty of space to run around and jump on the bed!
On our first evening, we dined at the Zagat-rated Sow's Ear Restaurant, a very nice restaurant known for their pork and chicken dishes. We were nervous to dine in such a quiet and small restaurant, especially after 8pm (past Taji's bedtime), however, the little guy made us proud by being on such good behavior and ate what we ate.
And so our coastal adventure begins...... our 1st stop: Lunch in downtown Santa Barbara, at no other than my personal favorite Andersen's Bakery (we came here with my sister last year when I shot a wedding at the Bacara Resort). Taj split the french dip sandwich with me and couldn't get enough :)
2nd stop: the quaint little town of Cambria, where we arrived in the evening and checked into a wonderful Bed & Breakfast (The Burton Inn). We love the comforts and personalized attention we get at B&B's and I was so happy to find a family friendly one, since most are very romantic.
We got the King Suite, a 2 bedroom spacious suite perfect for a family with a young child! Taj had plenty of space to run around and jump on the bed!
On our first evening, we dined at the Zagat-rated Sow's Ear Restaurant, a very nice restaurant known for their pork and chicken dishes. We were nervous to dine in such a quiet and small restaurant, especially after 8pm (past Taji's bedtime), however, the little guy made us proud by being on such good behavior and ate what we ate.The next morning, we devoured our yummy breakfast that was included at the B&B, and explored the little town of Cambria. They were in the midst of a Scarecrow Festival for the fall Halloween season, so we got to see many funny and unique paper mache scarecrow characters, such as this one:
we drove by the beaches of Cambria in the foggy crisp morning after checking out....
and drove up the coast to our 3rd stop: the famous and spectacular Hearst Castle (where we saw zebras grazing in the grass on our way up) The history of the castle goes like this, it was originally a massive ranch turned mansion and the owner, the late Mr. Hearst designed it to look like a chateau, bringing in beautiful wild animals, and creating a fairytale-like grounds with gardens and imported art work throughout. Now it is a museum, and can only be accessed through a private tour bus that takes you to the top where the castle resides:
The inside of the Castle:
The Hearst Castle sits perched on top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It has immaculate gardens, both a greek roman style outdoor swimming pool and indoor pool, intricate European art and amazing architecture throughout, as well as breathtaking views....
On our way to our 4th stop, Brad and I couldn't resist hopping out of the car to take a few pics of the majestic coastline while our little guy snoozed away in the backseat. Did I mention what a good traveler he was, he literally took his 1-2 hour naps in the car on our way to our destinations!
Baby Jax was with us as well, comfortably relaxing in my belly :)
So we made it to our 4th stop, Big Sur, and just in time for a remarkable sunset happy hour at Nepenthe Restaurant, overlooking the ocean!
This place was incredible!!! They had live music, a fire pit, and this sensational view! We sat at one of their long tables facing the ocean, snacked on soup and a great cheese plate, and a refreshing beer in hand (actually Root beer for me, and juice for Taj) :)
Just check out this view, crazy beautiful right?
Big Sur sunset:
We then hit the road again and arrived at our 5th stop, Carmel by-the-Sea, checking in to the Carmel Mission Inn, where we stayed 2 nights. Since we got in late, we decided to just chill at the hotel and have a late dinner at their lounge. Little did we know that because it was a Friday nite they had a live band! Let's just say that Taj got his groove on, he danced the whole time while I fed him his dinner. He even made it to the dance floor and the band gave him a shout out! He was the star of the night, can't believe how much energy he had and how late he stayed up :) (practically every night except for the last, his bedtime was pushed to 10pm...... I guess that's what they call vacation time!)
After a great late breakfast at Katy's Restaurant (here Taj pigged out on my spinach omelette, this guy absolutely loves hollandaise sauce..... he ate most of my omelette and it was a big one!) And after a stroll and beach play, we headed to our 6th stop of the trip: The Monterey Bay Aquarium! This aquarium is the grandest of them all, so many amazing aquariums, exotic fish and animals.....
Cannery Row in Monterey:
Dinner at the FishHopper Restaurant (who just won an award for the best Clam Chowder on the entire West Coast!), so naturally we had to have some, and here is Taj licking up his bowl, he loves Clam Chowder!
By the end of dinner, the whole family was exhausted so we drove back to our hotel and crashed early, (we slept almost 12 hours!). On our final morning we made one last stop on our coastal adventure, we paid a visit to our dear friend, Clint Eastwood. His ranch turned B&B and fabulous restaurant that is....... what a wonderful conclusion to our trip, this awesome ranch boasts a Buffet Brunch overlooking the Carmel River and beaches. We feasted on eggs, waffles, salmon, breakfast burritos, fruit, salad, and lots of dessert! (Taj was a big eater on this trip, he ate everything we did, and on this particular morning his favorite was eggs benedict!)
The farm house B&B...... wish we could say this was our home and ranch! :)
Driving through the residential streets, most homes you could not see because of all the nature and tall mature trees..... a far cry from where we live now (on a side note someone should shoot the Irvine Company ..... who owns practically the entire Orange County, and have cut down so many trees and replaced the natural beauty with massive concrete shopping malls and ugly tract home communities! And I know, because I grew up in Orange County (Mission Viejo) and it definitely looks different now than it did and is way too crowded :(
last family portrait on the beach in Carmel before heading back down South.....
we drove by the beaches of Cambria in the foggy crisp morning after checking out....
and drove up the coast to our 3rd stop: the famous and spectacular Hearst Castle (where we saw zebras grazing in the grass on our way up) The history of the castle goes like this, it was originally a massive ranch turned mansion and the owner, the late Mr. Hearst designed it to look like a chateau, bringing in beautiful wild animals, and creating a fairytale-like grounds with gardens and imported art work throughout. Now it is a museum, and can only be accessed through a private tour bus that takes you to the top where the castle resides:
The inside of the Castle:
The Hearst Castle sits perched on top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It has immaculate gardens, both a greek roman style outdoor swimming pool and indoor pool, intricate European art and amazing architecture throughout, as well as breathtaking views....
On our way to our 4th stop, Brad and I couldn't resist hopping out of the car to take a few pics of the majestic coastline while our little guy snoozed away in the backseat. Did I mention what a good traveler he was, he literally took his 1-2 hour naps in the car on our way to our destinations!
Baby Jax was with us as well, comfortably relaxing in my belly :)
So we made it to our 4th stop, Big Sur, and just in time for a remarkable sunset happy hour at Nepenthe Restaurant, overlooking the ocean!
This place was incredible!!! They had live music, a fire pit, and this sensational view! We sat at one of their long tables facing the ocean, snacked on soup and a great cheese plate, and a refreshing beer in hand (actually Root beer for me, and juice for Taj) :)
Just check out this view, crazy beautiful right?
Big Sur sunset:
We then hit the road again and arrived at our 5th stop, Carmel by-the-Sea, checking in to the Carmel Mission Inn, where we stayed 2 nights. Since we got in late, we decided to just chill at the hotel and have a late dinner at their lounge. Little did we know that because it was a Friday nite they had a live band! Let's just say that Taj got his groove on, he danced the whole time while I fed him his dinner. He even made it to the dance floor and the band gave him a shout out! He was the star of the night, can't believe how much energy he had and how late he stayed up :) (practically every night except for the last, his bedtime was pushed to 10pm...... I guess that's what they call vacation time!)Saturday morning we took a scenic drive throughout the charming town of Carmel by-the-Sea. The homes, the beach, the nature, the town itself was a dream. We toyed with the idea of living here, it reminded us of our own little Corona del Mar (take away the hustle and bustle, the traffic, the crowds, and the commercialism). Carmel is what you get when you take the best of California (the coastline, the climate, the custom rustic homes, the cute boutiques and cafes) and the best of New York (the trees, the nature, the slow pace, the privacy and small town feel). It was the East Coast meets West Coast, with the white sand and turquois ocean of Florida!! And if you think Corona Del Mar is the most expensive beach town in Orange County, this gorgeous town is probably twice to three times as expensive to live in, but for obvious reasons!
After a great late breakfast at Katy's Restaurant (here Taj pigged out on my spinach omelette, this guy absolutely loves hollandaise sauce..... he ate most of my omelette and it was a big one!) And after a stroll and beach play, we headed to our 6th stop of the trip: The Monterey Bay Aquarium! This aquarium is the grandest of them all, so many amazing aquariums, exotic fish and animals.....
Cannery Row in Monterey:
Dinner at the FishHopper Restaurant (who just won an award for the best Clam Chowder on the entire West Coast!), so naturally we had to have some, and here is Taj licking up his bowl, he loves Clam Chowder!
By the end of dinner, the whole family was exhausted so we drove back to our hotel and crashed early, (we slept almost 12 hours!). On our final morning we made one last stop on our coastal adventure, we paid a visit to our dear friend, Clint Eastwood. His ranch turned B&B and fabulous restaurant that is....... what a wonderful conclusion to our trip, this awesome ranch boasts a Buffet Brunch overlooking the Carmel River and beaches. We feasted on eggs, waffles, salmon, breakfast burritos, fruit, salad, and lots of dessert! (Taj was a big eater on this trip, he ate everything we did, and on this particular morning his favorite was eggs benedict!)
The farm house B&B...... wish we could say this was our home and ranch! :)
Driving through the residential streets, most homes you could not see because of all the nature and tall mature trees..... a far cry from where we live now (on a side note someone should shoot the Irvine Company ..... who owns practically the entire Orange County, and have cut down so many trees and replaced the natural beauty with massive concrete shopping malls and ugly tract home communities! And I know, because I grew up in Orange County (Mission Viejo) and it definitely looks different now than it did and is way too crowded :(
last family portrait on the beach in Carmel before heading back down South.....
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