This is California’s best road trip
The stretch of Route 1 south of San Francisco is, quite possibly, the best place for a family road trip.
Consider starting in Half Moon Bay, around 45 minutes from the city, and taking a drive down the gorgeous Pacific Coast Highway. Against the majestic scenery of one of America’s most beautiful stretches, there’s loads to see and do, from wildlife-watching to restaurant-hopping, all within striking distance of the ocean.
We — my husband, two kids under 10 and I — cruised the 90 miles from Half Moon Bay to Carmel via Monterey and Santa Cruz with frequent stops during our 2½-day tour to ease the dreaded choruses of “Are we there yet?”
Here are the highlights.
Cliff hangers
Perched on a rugged bluff facing the ocean, the luxurious Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay (from $619) is great for families because it offers babysitting, a kids’ club, scavenger hunts and fun activities like roasting s’mores over an open fire on the terrace floor. There are communal fire-pits for those not staying in the ground floor rooms which come equipped with a private one. I had a custom facial in the spa (from $175) while my children enjoyed the sizable indoor pool. Golfers can tee off at one of two championship courses with unforgettable views. We took a stroll down to the windswept public beach before dining at the hotel’s friendly Conservatory restaurant, where we felt at home dining next to a table of new parents and their infants. The staff didn’t bat an eyelid when we ordered plain spaghetti with butter for the young ones, while my husband and I feasted on a chilled seafood platter of oysters, tuna and hamachi ($45) and grilled local trout ($34). Breakfast was in the slightly more formal, seafood-centric Navio restaurant where the “coastal” benedict ($28) — poached eggs with Dungeness crab, artichoke spread and roasted potatoes with Hollandaise — proved a tasty choice for the grown-ups. The kids were content with the extensive farmers’ market buffet ($32).
Explore the town
Half Moon Bay has a cute historic center where we found old-school diner Main Street Grill, which has been serving up breakfast staples for 25 years. It also offers more unusual dishes, like the Cubano omelette with sautéed bananas topped with melted jack cheese and home fries ($13). It’s a good place to build up an appetite for the great outdoors, including a visit to the free Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. This small but fabulous park is a dreamy warren of tidepools. Our pint-sized duo — Daisy, 9, and Bobby, 7 — were enchanted by the anemones, starfish, limpets and crabs they spotted as well as the adorable harbor seals resting on rocks in the distance.
Boardwalk empire
The next stop south was Santa Cruz. Our kids couldn’t resist the beach boardwalk’s amusement park, a famous seaside attraction that dates back to 1907. General admission to stroll the boardwalk is free but the best-value deal is an all-day wristband for the rides starting at $29.95 per person. It features more than 40 attractions, including a 1924-built wooden roller coaster and the charming 1911 Looff Carousel. We spent an inordinate amount of time (and money at $3 a pop) on one particular game — a crawl-along rope bridge — that kids need to delicately negotiate without falling onto the mattress beneath. The whole experience will remind New Yorkers of a less gritty version of Coney Island.
Under the sea
If, like my brood, your offspring are suckers for Disney’s “Finding Dory,” you’ve got to visit the (admittedly loose) real-life inspiration for the movie’s enormous aquarium. Admission is pricey (adult tickets are $50, kids’ $30) but it’s worth every cent to see the stunning exhibits. There’s a living kelp forest where scuba divers hand-feed fish — from a leopard shark to a giant sea bass — every day. Other highlights include the “open sea” section (its jellyfish perform a graceful ballet) and the thrilling “splash zone” (where waves crash over colorful corals). Then there’s the crowd-pleasing sea otter tank, with rescued California native Selka. Lately, she has been raising her first set of pups, teaching them how to groom fur, find food and crack rocks on shells on their stomachs to open them.
Shop & sightsee
Some 5 miles south on Route 1 is Carmel-by-the-Sea, where you can hang out on a perfect expanse of sandy beach right in the city, ogle the fairytale cottages in the village-like center or visit the historic Carmel Mission. We practically had the latter’s Spanish colonial church to ourselves, stopping by very early in the morning because we were still operating on New York time. Then it was time to browse the upscale stores, including more than 40 outlets in the courtyard setting of Carmel Plaza, where, sans sticky-fingered youngsters for a moment, I shopped at Beachwood Home, an eclectic interior design boutique, and tasted the goods at Carmel Honey Company, founded by a high-school entrepreneur. As you’d expect, Carmel’s restaurant scene is equally upmarket, but we were lucky to happen upon the cozy, cash-only Katy’s Place, which resembles a Swiss chalet. It prides itself on its generously portioned pancakes, waffles and crepes, but our lunch consisted of a traditional fresh Greek salad ($14.95) and tasty hamburgers (from $13.95).
Great outdoors
Another 10-minute drive later, we arrived at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. This breathtakingly beautiful spot affords spectacular views over the Pacific. With the naked eye, you can spot sea otters, harbor seals and even gray whales during their December-to-May migration. If, like us, you accidentally left your binoculars at home, give your car keys to one of the rangers as collateral to borrow a pair. Another high point for Daisy and Bobby was an exhibit where they could touch the skins of every animal in the park, from field mice to cougars. (Don’t worry, they all died of natural causes.) Next, running along the beach in the tracks of the sandpipers was a great way to let off steam before reluctantly climbing into the car for the journey home.
The author was a guest at the Ritz-Carlton.