look at El Capitan canyon. It’s near Santa Barbara and easy access to the beach, hiking, etc. They have cabins in a few different configurations and some with kitchens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't go to SD for your "nature" component. There is plenty of nature but it's a big developed suburban setting by the beach. Lots to do, of course, but it doesn't seem like it's what you were asking for? For more solitude and a more natural setting, I would head north after your LA part.

Go to the Central Coast. Pismo Beach, Cayucus, Cambria, Morro Bay, see Hearst Castle. I've only stayed in hotel/motels, so I'm not sure about houses or cottages.

You can come back to LAX to depart, or, just stay there one night and head on up highway 1 like someone else suggested for more neat stops.

Have fun!

Ditto this recommendation. For a couple summers we rented a beach house in Morro Bay for a week for a trip with my extended family. Very relaxing although the beach there tends to be very cool/foggy. It's more consistently sunny in Pismo Beach/Avila Beach.

Some nature/outdoor things to do in addition to the beach...
Whale watching cruises out of Morro Bay
Drive up the coast to see the elephant seals in San Simeon
Hiking in Montana de Oro state park, make sure you visit the tide pools
Hiking in Poly Canyon, behind the University -- there is a great assortment of old experimental architecture projects called the "Architecture Graveyard" https://www.sanluisobispo.com/sports/outdoors/article138352358.html

The only resorts I'm familiar with don't have kitchens (as far as I know) if you want more space/kitchen your best bet is probably to rent a condo/house. But for a regular hotel, I'd recommend The Cliffs in Pismo Beach

NP, who has seen nearly all of the CA coast. I agree with this. That area is beautiful!

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't go to SD for your "nature" component. There is plenty of nature but it's a big developed suburban setting by the beach. Lots to do, of course, but it doesn't seem like it's what you were asking for? For more solitude and a more natural setting, I would head north after your LA part.

Go to the Central Coast. Pismo Beach, Cayucus, Cambria, Morro Bay, see Hearst Castle. I've only stayed in hotel/motels, so I'm not sure about houses or cottages.

You can come back to LAX to depart, or, just stay there one night and head on up highway 1 like someone else suggested for more neat stops.

Have fun!

Ditto this recommendation. For a couple summers we rented a beach house in Morro Bay for a week for a trip with my extended family. Very relaxing although the beach there tends to be very cool/foggy. It's more consistently sunny in Pismo Beach/Avila Beach.

Some nature/outdoor things to do in addition to the beach...
Whale watching cruises out of Morro Bay
Drive up the coast to see the elephant seals in San Simeon
Hiking in Montana de Oro state park, make sure you visit the tide pools
Hiking in Poly Canyon, behind the University -- there is a great assortment of old experimental architecture projects called the "Architecture Graveyard" https://www.sanluisobispo.com/sports/outdoors/article138352358.html

The only resorts I'm familiar with don't have kitchens (as far as I know) if you want more space/kitchen your best bet is probably to rent a condo/house. But for a regular hotel, I'd recommend The Cliffs in Pismo Beach

Anonymous wrote:I would do San Francisco, Monterey/ Carmel and Big Sur. Did a road trip down the PCH from San Francisco to San Diego a few years ago and those were my favorite parts.

Hit submit too soon. Also did San Francisco, Napa Valley and Yosemite on another trip - was fantastic too! We flew in and out of SFO.

I would do San Francisco, Monterey/ Carmel and Big Sur. Did a road trip down the PCH from San Francisco to San Diego a few years ago and those were my favorite parts.

I wouldn't go to SD for your "nature" component. There is plenty of nature but it's a big developed suburban setting by the beach. Lots to do, of course, but it doesn't seem like it's what you were asking for? For more solitude and a more natural setting, I would head north after your LA part.

Go to the Central Coast. Pismo Beach, Cayucus, Cambria, Morro Bay, see Hearst Castle. I've only stayed in hotel/motels, so I'm not sure about houses or cottages.

You can come back to LAX to depart, or, just stay there one night and head on up highway 1 like someone else suggested for more neat stops.

Have fun!

Catalina is a 1 night trip. 2 if you must. There's not much there.

Why not Yosemite? Though it's probably booked. I'm a Southern California girl, but the northern part of the state has far more dramatic nature.

For the beach options, there are some nice towns with great beaches north of San Diego: San Clemente, Encinitas, Solana Beach, La Jolla Shores. Torrey Pines State Park is also great for hiking, with spectacular views. Those will be a little more laid back if you want a break from cities.

Catalina is also fun--you take a ferry from Long Beach.

I would say Joshua tree and Palm Springs but they are probably very hot in August

Op here. Thank you for these great suggestions. I have not been to California since 1988! As I research some of these options, it’s really overwhelming how many choices there are. That is good because it won’t be all booked up like the east coast vacation spots I was exploring! And many will be nicer/more modern in california.
I might just stick to the LA/San Diego part of the state so I don’t have to rush around and cover as much ground as if I were also trying to take in SF this time too.

Fly in and out of LA. See LA. Then for the “nature” drive down to San Diego and stay in Mission Beach. You have the beach right there plus there are a ton of other activities in San Diego.

If you haven't driven the California coast before, it's a wonderful experience--that's what I'd recommend.

You can either fly into LA and out of San Francisco/Oakland or vice versa.

Do a one-way car rental and drive along Highway 1 and 101 (no need to go Highway 1 the entire time, IMO, as it's not for the faint of heart and is slow going, but definitely spend some time along it for the views).

Some possible stops I like between the two areas:
- Santa Cruz (beach boardwalk, family-friendly)
- Monterey (aquarium, more beach, pricier than SC)
- Big Sur (natural beauty! and glamping...)
- Catalina Island

Plus some time in LA and SF on either end.

I'd do longer stops on Catalina Island and Santa Cruz/Monterey where you can lounge and explore. The good news is that many California schools are back in session by the end of August, so many local families who make these trips will have come and gone already. The bad news is that LA and SF traffic will be back to normal (lightens considerably in the summer), so plan drives in/out of the cities accordingly.

Not sure exactly the upper limit but I'd aim for <300 per night....

What is your budget?

I'm going to try to convince DH that for our 2 week vacation in end-August we should take the kids (9& 11) to California. We normally do a driving vacation as he hates to fly and I'm always last minute about planning. However, I just could not find any destination on the east coast that really does it for me this time.
We typically like to combine a place with sightseeing with a nature destination. Often that means 2 stops (example: one summer we went to Montreal and then stopped for a couple of days at Lake Placid on the way back; another time we went to Boston and then Lake Winnepesaukee (though I found that destination lacking in things to do TBH)
I'd be interested in suggestions on where to go for our 'nature' part. We would want a place to stay put for ~5 days and just chill, but the destination would need to have some activities, like a hotel/resort that rents boats, or one that's on a beach, etc. We could fly into SF or LA (Ideally LA since I found some reasonable flights!), see some sights for a few days, then drive to a different place to stay put for a few days. (on the way we could check out a few stops, perhaps overnihght). At our nature destination We would ideally want a place where we could have a kitchenette and 2 separate rooms; someplace vintage-y but modernized, and a pool (shared would be fine). Any ideas where to look, with less than a month to go?