If you’ve heard of Monterey and Big Sur, it’s probably from Big Little Lies. Dramatic coastal drives, seafront coffee shops that ooze quiet luxury, and lots of brilliant wine are just some of the reasons Monterey County needs to be on your must-visit list. So lean into your coastal grandmother era, throw on some 'Cold Little Heart' by Michael Kiwanuka, and get booking.
This region is PEAK 'living the road trip dream', so I’d highly recommend hiring a car. You might want to do a one-way drive down the coast – you can often get ‘open jaw’ flights and car rental, where you fly into one location and fly out of another. If you go with this option, there are plenty of places to stay along the way – from Treebones to Post Ranch Inn, there’s a bit of something for everyone, no matter your budget. We didn’t want to have to keep packing and unpacking though, so decided to explore Monterey for a couple of nights and then use Carmel-by-the-Sea as our base, driving out to Big Sur and down the coastal Highway 1 route from there.
Monterey
Where we stayed…
Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa
Monterey isn’t the hippest of locations – you’re not going to find The Standard or a Moxy or Ace Hotel here. Please see earlier endorsement of leaning into your not-so-secretly-loaded coastal grandmother era. Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa is a great option though if you’re looking for somewhere with a brilliant location and good quality rooms and dining. The hotel sits at the top of Cannery Row, making it super easy to walk and explore that area, but also a doable 20-minute walk towards Fisherman’s Wharf.
Rooms are luxurious if slightly corporate feeling, many with stunning views of Monterey Bay. Plush bedding, marble bathrooms, coffee machine, bathrobes, flat-screen TV set-up with major streaming services… you get the idea. Sadly, rooms do not come with the cream-hued wardrobe and golden retriever to walk on the beach that the Monterey version of you will crave, but it fulfils most other needs.
Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, we’d thoroughly recommend stopping buy to sample the spa or restaurants. With a rooftop terrace boasting hot tubs and views of Monterey Bay, the stunning spa is a total oasis and great place to soak up any sun. They also have an extensive treatment menu – I went with a deep tissue massage to soothe my long-haul flight aches and pains, and it helped my jet-lag massively, meaning I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore the next day.
Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa rooms start from $329 per night in a Inland View King.
What we did…
You only really need a couple of days to get some good exploring done, but obviously the longer you’re there, the more you’ll discover. We had a three-night stay, giving us two full days.
After an essential stop-off at Tidal Coffee for much-needed caffeine, we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on our first morning – which, fun fact, inspired Finding Dory. You’ll recognise the huge Kelp Forest tank and the outdoor Great Tide Pool which borders the waters of Monterey Bay from the film, as well as the Touch Pools and coral reef tanks. The Aquarium is definitely worth a visit – the Jellies and Into The Deep exhibits will low-key blow your mind, with other-worldly sea creatures that light up like disco lights and float like little aliens. Just bear in mind this is a family attraction, so avoid visiting during peak periods, and steer clear of the scheduled feeding times and talks near certain tanks, if you want a more relaxed experience. Allow around two hours for your visit and skip the queues by buying your tickets online before (Adult passes cost $59.95).
Duck out before the lunch time rush and wander down Cannery Row (made famous by John Steinbeck's novels). It’s quite touristy, but still worth a look. Wave Street Café is a lovely spot to stop off for lunch and slightly out of the way of the main strip, making it a bit more chilled. Or similarly, round the back of the aquarium you’ll find Happy Girl Kitchen, serving delicious veggie and vegan options (and check out the super cute shop, too).
If you’ve got the energy, grab a coffee to go and walk off the jet-lag on the 25-minute stroll to Lover’s Point Park. There’s nothing specific to see, but it’s a really nice scenic spot which, FYI, featured a few times in season 2 of Big Little Lies. Or take advantage of the morning mist lifting and get out on the water on a kayak or paddleboard. Female-run Adventures By The Sea offer numerous activities along the coast. Power nap now fully earned before dinner.
Alejandro’s on Alvarado Street is a must. Not only is the decor aesthetically pleasing but, more importantly, the Mexican-inspired food and drink is delicious. We had the taquitos and queso fundido to start, followed by pollo asado and cochinita pibil taco, washed down with multiple margs, obviously. Then it was a brief Uber back to the hotel, stopping off at the female-run Pearl Hour cocktail bar on the way for a nightcap.
Whale watching is a must if you’re in Monterey – with a huge portion of the coast covered by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, boasting more than 30 species of marine mammals. Humpback whales and blue whales can be found there year-round, but your best chance of sightings are from May through mid-December, when they feed in the bay, often spending several days in the same spot and a lot of time near the surface. For gray whales, mid-December to April is the best time to visit, as they migrate through the Monterey Bay area. Pacific white-sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins, and Dall's porpoises are also often seen year-round in the bay, along with sea otters and numerous species of seabirds.
We went whale-watching with Princess Monterey Whale Watching, which departs multiple times a day from Fisherman’s Wharf for tours lasting 2.5 - 3 hours. The boats are clean, comfortable and spacious, with toilets and a snack bar on board. If you can afford to upgrade to VIP it’s worth it, with upper-deck seating giving you the very best views of the wildlife. We were lucky enough to see sea lions, sea otters, a humpack whale and a pod of Risso's dolphins. While it’s not impossible to spot all of them from the shore, nothing compares to seeing them close-up in their natural habitat.
Princess Monterey Whale Watching excursions start from $70 (adult) or $90 (VIP Upper Deck Seating) for a 2.5/3 hour cruise.
Fisherman’s Wharf is a fun spot to wander around for a while before or after whale watching but is, as you’d guess, also quite kitsch and tourist centric. If you’re looking for a change of scenery, head back up to Alvarado Street where Alejandro’s is based. Grab a coffee at Alta Bakery or Parker-Lusseau Pastries, and peek in the shops along the way. The 15-minute walk from Fisherman’s Wharf back to Cannery Row is also worth it just for the sea lion watching.
On our last morning, we drove up to Moss Landing for Monterey Bay Eco Tours’ electric-powered catamaran ride along Elhorn Slough, one of California’s largest tidal waterways. The 1.5 hour tour gives you the chance to spot otters, sea lions and birds, and is a shorter, more sedate option than whale watching with basically zero chance of any sea sickness thanks to the flat, calm waters. Woodward Marine Market is a decent lunch spot afterwards before you set back off.
Monterey Bay Eco Tours excursions start from $43pp for a 1.5 hour Elkhorn Slough Tour or Sunset Tour.
Carmel
If you’re driving between Monterey and Carmel, be sure to take the scenic 17-Mile drive along the coast past Lovers Point Park, Asilomar State Beach and Pebble Beach. There are some lovely scenic stop-offs.
Where we stayed…
Carmel Beach Hotel
Neutral tones, sea views from your outdoor deck, blue-hued furnishings, natural woods, free-standing bathtub, rain shower… the décor alone is enough to make you want to move into the newly opened Carmel Beach Hotel. Then there’s the location – just one block from Carmel Beach (part of Carmel Bay State Marine Conservation Area). Oh, also the freshly baked cookies that arrive to your room every afternoon. In fact, after an early evening glass of local wine on my balcony looking out at the sea, I legitimately started googling Carmel house prices. Sadly, you’re looking in the multi-million dollars, so my brief hotel stay would have to suffice. Sad times.
I need to shout out the food as the jewel in the crown of Carmel Beach Hotel, though. And no, not just the cookies. (Did I mention the cookies?!) Overseen by Chef Justin Cogley (Executive Chef at the Michelin-starred Aubergine in L'Auberge Carmel), the breakfast alone is *chef’s kiss* While the menu is limited, I swear you will never have a more delicious plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in your life. Add a side of freshly baked pastries, and waking up quickly became the highlight of my day.
Carmel Beach Hotel rooms start from $475 per night in a Standard King.
What we did…
As brilliant as Big Sur is (more on that below), make sure you leave an afternoon to explore Carmel-by-the-Sea. This place is straight out of a fairy-tale and one of the most picturesque locations I’ve ever been to. Even driving around the stunning backstreets with their beautiful houses, crooked roads, well-kept flowerbeds and curving trees felt like stepping in to some sort of neighbourhood designed by adult Disney fans (and I mean that in the best way possible, as an adult Disney fan myself).
Sweet Rebas Bakery and Wrath Wines are both female-run and well worth checking out. Wrath Wines also has a tasting room, and it would be rude not to. The Tuck Shop and Cottage of Sweets are straight out of a storybook and worth a photo even if you don’t stop. Be prepared to part with your cash at chocolate shop The Xocolatl Garden, which has probably the most clued-up chocolate expert I have ever met and yes, I spent £60 I didn’t have on chocolate as a result. Stationæry is a must for brunch - the food is based around what is in season, and locally-sourced from Monterey & Santa Cruz County. And seeing as most of these recommendations are food I might as well move on to…
Where we ate…
Everywhere. All the time. Take your appetite with you to Carmel because the food here is so good you need to be resigned to being in a constant state of ‘I’m so full’-ness. It’s hard to pick a favourite as the four meals we had here were honestly some of the best I have had. In my life.
La Bicyclette focuses on ‘European country cuisine’ (mainly French and Italian). The menu is updated weekly to make the most of seasonal local ingredients, but I just hope for your sake the Parisian Gnocchi (spinach gnocchi baked in parmesan cream) is on there because it’s the sort of thing you want to take a bath in it’s so delicious. I had a lobster linguine for main, which was also top class, and am incredibly glad I then forced myself to make room for a strawberry and rhubarb tarte Tatin for pudding because holy crap it was good.
Michelin-starred Chez Noir’s (European-influenced) coastal Californian cuisine is also so good you will hope the meal never ends. Chef Jonny Black visits local markets, forages, and works with local producers to create plates that are fresh, colourful and almost as good to look at as they are to eat. The brioche à tête, fantasme de légumes, sweet corn agnolotti and spring chicken were stand-outs. And leave room for the ‘sounds weird, but tastes like pure heaven’ sheep’s milk ice cream with honey and sea salt.
Still hungry? GOOD. Because you absolutely must go to Cultura Comida y Bebida too. Mexico-meets-California with world-class margs, ceviche, tacos, chips and guac, and the absolutely delicious Cultura Mole (smoked pork cheeks, sesame, orange, and saffron tortillas). Make sure you try the alcoholic homemade hot chocolate, too.
And, last but not least, 7th & Dolores steakhouse. (And I must reiterate all four of these restaurants are on par for absolute top-class, must eat everything, dining experiences.) It’s not cheap, but this has to be up there with the best steak I’ve ever had and, add a side of triple-cream potato puree and blistered broccolini, and you’re in sheer heaven. Unless you’re a vegetarian, of course. The mocha crème brûlée was also so good, but I’m running out of ways to describe delicious food, so you’ll just have to trust me.
Big Sur
What we did…
Carmel is the perfect jumping off point for the breath-taking Big Sur and Highway 1 coastal drive. We had three full days in Carmel and spent it all exploring the parks and viewpoints along the way.
If you’re tight on time, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a must and was my personal favourite of the trip. And tbh, it’s not just me – this place is popular, so get there when it opens at 8am if you want to snag parking in the Reserve itself. If you get there much after 8.30am, you’ll most likely need to park up on the road which is fine, but it’s a 20-30-minute walk down to the park's main coastal trail. It costs $10 to park, but this will be good for parking at any State Park on the same day (the same applies for all the parks – pay once, and your parking is paid anywhere for the day).
We walked the Sea Lion Point loop, down the South Shore Trail to China Cove and Bird Island. We saw sea otters bobbing around the shore and diving for food, a seal family teaching young pups to swim, and hundreds of sea birds. Plus, the coastline is just stunning. Rugged rocky outcrops with crashing waves, the idyllic Gibson Beach, and all just a ten-minute drive out of Carmel. Depending on how long a hike you want, and how long you want to spend staring at seals (a long time, if you’re me), I’d allow around 2-3 hours here.
15 minutes down the road is Bixby Creek Bridge – a stop you won’t want to miss, and another spot you’ll recognise if you’ve ever watched Big Little Lies, or pretty much anything set along Highway 1. It’s the exact sort of view you imagine when you picture a coastal drive in this part of the world. While I wasn’t fussed about stopping off for pictures (which many folks do, so be mindful of heavy pedestrian traffic right on the highway), you’ll naturally end up driving over it if you head further down towards Big Sur. Which you most certainly should…
Andrew Molera State Park is another favourite of the locals, and just a 25-minute drive down from Point Lobos. We did the pretty easy going Creamery Meadow Trail to the beach. Note: the beach is stunning, but more the 'dramatic and windswept' kind of vibe, not the ‘sunbathe for the afternoon with a picnic’ vibe. Unless you don’t mind sand in your sandwiches.
My second favourite was probably Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, though – another 15 minutes down the road (45 minutes from Carmel). This is more inland, so expect that lovely pine smell, towering trees and - weather-dependent - still, hot days with little-to-no breeze (especially if you’re stupid enough to hike at midday, like we did – in which case, take a change of clothes because you’re about to get sweaty). We did the Pfeiffer Falls and Valley View Trails. They’re not long mileage wise, but are almost entirely uphill. A steep hill. So take plenty of water and take it slow. If you’ve been to bigger national parks like Yosemite or Yellowstone, the views won’t exactly blow your mind, but it’s still a lovely hike, worth the effort. Plus, you can reward yourself with a wander round the gift shop (the biggest in the area) and a beer at Big Sur Lodge.
And my final State Park shout-out goes to McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Whether it’s worth the drive is debatable if you’re returning to Carmel, but if you’re stopping off on a drive further south, definitely give it a look. Just a short, flat, 0.5 mile walk from the roadside car park, McWay Falls is a much-photographed 80-ft waterfall that falls directly into the Pacific Ocean, or onto a pristine little cove (tide-dependent). It’s pretty, but was just my least favourite of the four State Park stops we made. But if waterfalls are your jam, you’d probably much prefer this to the inland hike we did in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
Where we ate…
If Point Lobos was my favourite Big Sur experience, lunch at Nepenthe was a close second. And, similarly to Point Lobos, it’s accordingly busy. At peak times, be prepared for a wait of up to an hour for walk-ins, and for car parking to be pretty hectic (in fact, if there’s two of you, one should jump out and go wait for a table while the other parks). But get a front-row seat at the bench overlooking the coast, munch on a jumbo shrimp BLT sandwich and sip on a Monterey Iced Tea and the chaos will leave you behind. If you’re staying nearby and don’t need to drive, I can’t imagine anything more dreamy than a lazy afternoon here with a bottle of wine.
Big Sur Bakery is another must with its delicious brunch food, fresh-baked pastries and cookies, good coffee and homemade marmalades and biscuits that make perfect gifts. Also, the cutest little rural Shell garage you will ever get petrol from. Just make sure you park here and not outside Big Sur Taphouse, or the angry man patrolling the car park will shout at you. But hey, it’s all an experience.
If you do head further south towards McWay Falls, make sure you stop off at Coast. With Executive Chef Nick Balla (of Bar Tartine fame) you can expect gorgeous organic and locally sourced food, including the most moreish homemade ice creams. All that along with a lovely gift shop and panoramic views of the… er, coast.
How we got there…
Monterey isn’t the easiest place to fly to directly from the UK, so your best bet is San Francisco, which is around a 2-hour drive away. Norse Atlantic have opened new routes to San Francisco and the value is incredible. Not only in economy, but particularly in their Premium Class cabin which, when you’re flying long haul is always tempting.
If you can afford to, it is well worth it. While the lounge experience, food and in-flight entertainment options aren’t anything special in comparison to other airlines, the seat has to be the best value Premium seat I’ve flown in (and I’m lucky enough to have flown Premium on most of the major airlines). With 19-inch seat width, 43-inch pitch (i.e. legroom), adjustable headrest, generous recline, and an extendable footrest, it’s the most spacious and nearest you’ll get to horizontal of any Premium Economy seat I know, and for less money (dependent on route and flight selected). So, if a welcome prosecco and jazzy airport lounge mean ‘value for money’ to you, you might want to look elsewhere. But if getting as close to a lie-flat Business Class bed as your budget will allow is the priority, Norse Atlantic are your best bet for sure.
We went with Sixt Car Rental and picked the car up at San Francisco Airport. Just be aware that passport control at San Francisco is pure hell, there’s luggage to collect, and the car rental centre is a bit of a schlep (turn left out of International Departures, take the lift or escalator up to the AirTrain and take the blue line towards the ‘Rental Car Centre’). It took us nearly two hours from the flight landing to actually getting the keys to our car, and then another 15 minutes or so to load the car, learn the controls, set up the GPS and actually get on the road. The journey down to Monterey can usually take anywhere between 2 – 2.5 hours dependent on traffic.
FYI
- Pack layers! The weather on the coast is so changeable, you can go from hiking in a state park in blistering heat, sweating your butt off in just cycling shorts and a ports bra, to throwing on a long-sleeve thermal and a fleece on an early morning hike at Point Lobos. If you’re out on the ocean whale watching, you’ll certainly need lots of warm layers that you can add or remove as needed.
- Wear sun cream! With bright sunny days and cool coastal breezes, you can easily burn before you’ve realised it. Lotion up.
- Keep it chilled! It’s rare you’ll see anyone in Monterey or Carmel in heels or dresses. Laid-back Cali style means smart-casual quiet luxury. Smart trainers, Birkenstocks or ankle boots will serve you fine, a kitten heel if you must. But most folks are sporting dressed down style (that, sure, probably cost several grand from Prada, but dressed-down nonetheless).
- Take trainers! If you’re planning on doing anything remotely active, you’ll want proper trainers or hiking shoes. Even if you’re hiking to a beach, trust me when I’ll say you’ll regret flip-flops.
- Fore more tips, visit See Monterey!
