California’s Central Coast is a cool summer destination

The Central Coast of California stretches for nearly 300 miles, from about 50 miles south of San Francisco to about 60 miles north of Los Angeles. You can see the Central Coast with no million people staring back, since the vast area is just not home to any of California’s twenty largest cities. It can be generally cooler than inland Central California

The Central Coast is thought for its scenic beauty, temperate climate, wine and food, the roaring Pacific Ocean and its forests, wildlife. The elephant seal colony on Route 1 in Piedras Blancas, near Cambriais all the time value a visit.

The Central Coast is made up of 4 regions, starting within the south with Ventura County. To the north and west is the Santa Barbara area. Further north you’ll visit the San Luis Obispo area and at last the Monterey region.

Each region consists of long stretches of coastline, hills and farmland. Ventura County is thought for its browsing, outlet malls and strawberry farms, Santa Barbara for its historic pier, Spanish mission, beautiful homes, olives and wines.

San Luis Obispo (SLO) is thought for its wild beaches, its wine from nearby Paso Robles and its many agricultural products, reminiscent of the meat tri-tip served on the famous Thursday night farmers market.

Monterey is thought for its aquarium and the chance to observe whales and marine mammals. The history of Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf was immortalized by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck.

Many itineraries are possible, but should you plan to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) through Big Sur, you should definitely check online Road closures.

We began our four-day trip with a visit to The Hilt Estate Winery in Lompoc, California. Although our joy was marred by one in all the perils of a road trip (a speeding ticket), a visit to the trendy winery’s tasting room washed away our worries. We sampled estate wines including Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay, that are characterised by the fruit and flavors of their southwest corner of the Santa Rita Hills. The Hilt also has Bordeaux varieties reminiscent of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Rhône varieties reminiscent of Syrah from its sister winery, JONATA.

Hilt Estate hosts day events for as much as 150 people on the winery and hillside vineyard.

After the Hilt, we made a fast detour to the rugged Lompoc Beach near the Amtrak station. The beach was empty apart from a number of signs half buried by wind and sand warning of great white shark attacks.

We headed inland toward the more welcoming Solvang, referred to as Danish Town after the Danish immigrants who settled in the world. There are Danish pastries, restaurants, souvenir shops and Viking statues galore.

Solvang, while touristy, is a great base for exploring the encircling wine country of Santa Ynez, Buellton and Los Olivos, which can be known for its olives. Some of the larger inland wineries, reminiscent of Hilt Estate and Eberle In Paso Robles there are huge artificial caves during which the wine barrels are continuously cooled to 58 degrees. Eberle’s “spirit animal” is a wild boar, one in all which, wearing aviator goggles and a helmet, hangs above the bar within the tasting room.

In Solvang, we stayed at the cheap Hotel Corque (pronounced “Cork”). Our room was clean and cozy, with two desks, a table, and a patio overlooking the swimming pool.

The Corque even has a wine vending machine. Simply select a wine, scan your room key and hold a wine glass under the faucet. Since the hotel has neither a bar nor a restaurant (although the adjoining restaurant Crafts House is owned by the Chumash Tribe, which owns the hotel and a close-by casino) The wine vending machine is handy for a day drink or nightcap.

Solvang was surprisingly empty after we visited, but come summer the tourist traffic and Danish-oriented shops shall be back in full swing. Luckily, 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 a superb bookstore, The Book Loftwith a wide 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. The drive inland took about three hours because Highway One south of Big Sur was closed as a consequence of a rockslide. We visited Big Sur by driving south from Carmel, fairly than north from LA.

Carmel’s major street, Ocean Avenue, descends steeply to the ocean. On the option to the beach there may be a small park with rustic benches where you’ll be able to sit and watch the spectacular sunsets. To get to the beach we needed to slide down a steep sand hill to get near the water. The beach was affected by driftwood from distant shores.

Carmel-By-The-Sea has placed a park bench on every block on the best way back to town so you’ll be able to stop and rest while having fun with the view.

Carmel is thought for its strange ordinances, reminiscent of one which prohibits the wearing of high heels without permission. The municipal regulations prohibits the wearing of shoes with heels over 2 inches or sole heights lower than one square inch unless the wearer has obtained a permit to achieve this. Violations may involve asking the query “Are you lucky today?” Director and movie star Clint Eastwood was once mayor of Carmel.

Carmel has the texture of a wealthy, sophisticated East Coast town. Although Carmel has a Tiffany and a Rolex store, most stores close at 5 or 6 p.m. We burst into a night art show at an actual estate office and admired the art, wine and cheese. There is a big farmers market on the third Thursday of each month with local musicians and entertainment.

Our hotel, the brand new Stilwell, felt like staying in an exquisite, ultra-modern home, from the white partitions and furnishings to the shiny latest electric vehicle chargers. The Stilwell is a boutique hotel with 42 beautifully designed rooms with luxurious linens and fluffy bathrobes, positioned in a quiet a part of Carmel Village. Shops, restaurants, galleries and Carmel Beach are inside easy walking distance. Handcrafted breakfast is included. Parking is free, as is high-speed WiFi.

After a day of exploring the Central Coast, calm down within the evenings at Stilwell with its outdoor fire pits and water features. There are comfortable chairs, fire pits and blankets for evening cooling off. The cafe, open from 4-9pm, has a wood-fired oven for pizza and in addition offers salads, charcuterie and drinks.

The hospitality of the staff, including the triplets who worked there throughout the summer, was enchanting.

We ended our trip with the Pebble Beach 17-mile ridein Monterey, about quarter-hour from Carmel. The drive is well worth the $12 admission fee, even should you’re not a golfer and do not care about iconic golf courses. (The admission fee is refundable with a $35 purchase at Pebble Beach Resort restaurants.)

The entrance fee features a tranquil drive through trees, moss, beaches, hills and delightful houses. There are huge trees in Crocker Grove, the roaring sea at Point Joe and seabirds, seals, sea lions and the occasional sea otter frolicking on the rocks. On the 17-mile drive we strolled over the white sands of Spanish Bay, where the explorer Portola camped together with his men in 1769.

The Lone Cypress is a well-liked stop. This Central Coast landmark sits on a rock overlooking the Pacific Ocean, bent and twisted but withstanding the wind.