California’s Central Coast stretches almost 300 miles, from about 50 miles south of San Francisco to about 60 miles north of Los Angeles. One can see the Central Coast without a million people staring back, as the vast area contains none of California’s twenty largest cities. It is also generally cooler than inland central California
The Central Coast is known for its scenic beauty, temperate climate, wines and food, the roaring Pacific and its forests, flora and fauna. The elephant seal rookery on Route 1 at Piedras Blancas, near Cambria, for example, is always worth a visit.
The Central Coast consists of four regions, starting in the south with Ventura County. North and west is the Santa Barbara area. As you continue north you will visit the San Luis Obispo area and finally the Monterey region.
Each region consists of long stretches of coastline, hills and farmland. Ventura County is known for its surfing, outlet malls and strawberry farms, Santa Barbara for its historic pier, its Spanish mission, beautiful homes, olives and wines.
San Luis Obispo (SLO) is known for its wild beaches, its wine from nearby Paso Robles and its many agricultural products, like the beef tri-tip served at the famed Thursday night farmers market.
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Monterey is known for its aquarium, whale and marine mammal watching. The story of Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf were immortalized by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck.
Many itineraries are possible, but if you’re thinking of driving up the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) through Big Sur, be sure to check online for road closures.
We started our four-day trip with a visit to The Hilt Estate winery in Lompoc, CA. Although our enjoyment was tempered by one of the dangers of a road trip (a speeding ticket) the visit to the tasting room of the modern winery washed our cares away. We tasted estate wines, including pinot noir, Syrah and chardonnay, defined by the fruit and flavors of their southwestern corner of the Santa Rita hills. The Hilt also has Bordeaux varietals such as cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and Rhône varietals such as Syrah from its sister winery JONATA.
The Hilt Estate hosts day events of up to 150 people at the winery and hillside vineyard.
After the Hilt, we took a brief detour to check out the rugged beach at Lompoc, near the Amtrak train station. The beach was empty save for some signs half-buried by the wind and sand, warning of white shark attacks.
We headed inland towards more inviting Solvang, known as a Danish town after the Danish immigrants who settled in the area. There are Danish pastries, restaurants, gift shops and Viking statues galore.
While touristy, Solvang makes a good base to see the surrounding wine country in Santa Ynez, Buellton and Los Olivos, also known for its olives. Some of the larger inland wineries, like the Hilt Estate and Eberle in Paso Robles, include giant man-made caves to keep wine barrels chilled to a constant 58 degrees. Eberle’s ‘spirit animal’ is a wild boar, one of which hangs over the bar in the tasting room, wearing aviator goggles and a helmet.
In Solvang, we stayed at the affordable Corque (pronounced “Cork”) hotel. Our room was clean and comfortable, with two desks, a table, and a terrace overlooking the swimming pool.
The Corque even has a wine machine. Just pick a wine, scan your room key and hold a wine glass under the tap. As the hotel doesn’t have a bar or restaurant (although the adjoining restaurant Craft House is owned by the Chumash Tribe, who own the hotel and a nearby casino) the wine machine is handy for an afternoon drink or nightcap.
Solvang was surprisingly empty when we visited, but in summer tourist traffic and the Danish-oriented businesses catering to it will be back in full swing. Fortunately, Paula’s Pancakes was open, serving omelets and plate-sized thin Danish pancakes with real maple syrup and apples in cinnamon sugar. Solvang also has an excellent book store, The Book Loft, with a good selection of puzzles, games and even a Hans Christian Andersen museum.
From Solvang we drove to our next Central Coast destination, Carmel-By-The Sea. It was about a three-hour inland drive, as the Highway One was closed south of Big Sur due to a rockslide. We did visit Big Sur, driving from Carmel south rather than from L.A. north.
Carmel’s main drag Ocean Avenue tilts sharply downhill to the sea. As one walks towards the beach, there is a little park with rustic benches to sit and watch the spectacular sunsets. Getting to the beach for us meant slipping down a steep sand hill to get close to the water. The beach was dotted with driftwood from far-off shores.
Carmel-By-The-Sea thoughtfully put a park bench at every block for the uphill climb back into town, so one can stop and rest while taking in the view.
Carmel is famous for its odd ordinances, like one barring the wearing of high heels without a permit. The municipal code bans wearing shoes having heels more than 2 inches in height or with a base of less than one square inch unless the wearer has obtained a permit for them. Violators might be asked “if you feel lucky today;” director and movie star Clint Eastwood was once Carmel’s mayor.
Carmel has the flavor of a rich, refined East Coas town. Although Carmel has its own Tiffanys and a Rolex store, most shops close by 5 or 6PM. We did crash an evening art opening in a real estate office, admiring the art and the wine and cheese. A big farmer’s market with local musicians and entertainment takes place on the third Thursday of the month.
Our hotel, the new Stilwell, was like staying in a beautiful home that’s up to the minute modern, from the white walls and furniture to the gleaming new electric vehicle chargers. A boutique hotel with 42 nicely designed rooms with luxe bedding and plush robes, the Stilwell is in a quiet part of Carmel’s village. It’s an easy walk from shops, restaurants, galleries and Carmel Beach. Breakfast, which was hand-made, is included. Parking is complementary, as is high-speed Wi-Fi.
After a day of exploring the Central Coast, evenings at the Stilwell are relaxing, with its outdoor fire and water features. There are cushy chairs, firepits and blankets for the evening chill. The Café, open from 4-9PM, has a wood-fired pizza oven and also offers salads, charcuterie and drinks.
The hospitality provided by the staff, including the college kid triplets working there for the summer, was charming.
We wrapped our trip with the Pebble Beach 17-Mile-Drive, in Monterey about 15 minutes from Carmel. The drive is well worth the $12 entrance fee, even if you’re a non-golfer who doesn’t care about iconic golf courses. (The gate fee is reimbursed with a purchase of $35 at Pebble Beach Resorts restaurants.)
The entrance fee buys you a reflective drive amongst the trees, moss, beaches, hills and beautiful homes. There are giant trees at Crocker Grove, the roaring sea at Point Joe, and rocks with sea birds, seals, sea lions and the occasional sea otter. We strolled the white sands of Spanish Bay, where the explorer Portola camped with his men in 1769, on the 17-mile drive.
The Lone Cypress is a popular stop. Perched on a rock overlooking the Pacific, this icon of the Central Coast is bent and twisted but stands strong against the wind.
