California holidays: Why Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara make the perfect road trip
There’s more to California than Los Angeles and San Francisco – try Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara, says Richard Franks
America is the land of the road trip, and its Pacific Highway is up there with its most iconic. Hugging some 656 miles of rugged Californian coast between San Francisco and San Diego, the mere thought conjures images of slicked-back haired dudes cruising in vintage Chevrolet Bel Airs to the sound of The Beach Boys. Admit it: California Girls is now stuck in your head. And while the likes of San Francisco and Los Angeles often take the spotlight – and all the parking spaces too – it’s time we focused on some of its lesser renowned destinations: Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara, all of which are within a two-hour drive of each other and offer laid-back alternatives to those aforementioned big-hitters.
Let’s begin in Monterey, one of the burgeoning small cities you’ll first encounter when heading south from San Francisco. “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise,” said John Steinbeck, in his 1945 novel named after this part of town. “[Cannery Row] is the gathered and scattered… chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whorehouses,” he continued. Once home to those honky-tonks, flophouses and indeed sardine canneries, Monterey’s famed centrepiece Cannery Row has, thankfully, cleaned up its image.
Today, it’s a colour-popping stretch of trendy bars, seafood restaurants and trinket shops; its main pull, however, is the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium (montereybayaquarium.org) – an attraction very rarely knocked out the top three in any ‘best US aquariums’ lists. At the south end of Cannery Row is San Carlos Beach, a popular spot for sea kayaking and scuba diving. Monterey’s waters are often calm, so wildlife watching is especially easy – look out for sea otters and sea lions. Or, book a sea view room at Monterey Plaza Hotel for an undisturbed view of that gorgeous Cali coastline – and, occasionally, otters bobbing below your window.
This revitalised street wasn’t originally called Cannery Row. Steinbeck’s work proved so popular that in 1958 the street changed name from Ocean View Boulevard. A film would later be released, followed by a theatre production. Don’t sleep on the wider Monterey County, either. Drive just ten minutes from Cannery Row for the world’s longest continually-running jazz festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, which takes place at the end of September. Legendary acts like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Herbie Hancock and BB King have graced its stage through the years, and the festival continues to attract stars.
Swing by Carmel-by-the-Sea for boutique shops, a healthy concentration of wine tasting rooms, and an even healthier concentration of quirky galleries – almost 100 are packed into this one square mile town. The village welcomes a much cooler, cloudier climate than many Californian coastal towns, making it a popular summer retreat for those fed up with the heat. It’s also proved popular as a home for celebrities – none more so than Clint Eastwood, former mayor of Carmel, and more recently Brad Pitt.
If wine is your thing, you’ll want to head a couple of hours south of Monterey County and dip off the coast for Paso Robles. This burgeoning wine region – the fastest in California – boasts around 300 wineries sprawling some 40,000 vineyard acres. Once those bottles are empty nothing goes to waste: Sensorio’s Light Towers feature beams shimmering through 17,000 empty wine bottles. Come for the wine, stay for the light show. Wineries like Justin (justinwine.com) and Tobin James Cellars (tobinjames.com) are two of the area’s most highest rated; Justin’s Downtown Tasting Room offers perfect food and wine pairings.
Meanwhile, Paso’s quirky downtown sprawls around City Park, famed for its buzzy flea markets and food festivals, with craft eateries, farm-to-fork restaurants and hip coffee spots. Irish pub Pappy McGregor’s (pappymcgregors.com) knows how to throw a good party, too. Then, head back to the coast for a two-hour drive towards Santa Barbara, an understated playground for the rich and a beauty spot dubbed The American Riviera. The likes of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Jennifer Aniston call this county their home – go for brunch in their trendy neighbourhood of Montecito to enjoy some celebrity spotting.
There’s no better way to see Santa Barbara than by two wheels. Its 18- miles of designated coastal cycle path connects Pacific Grove in the south with Castroville in the north; you’ll ride through Montecito, passing Beanie Babies founder H Ty Warner’s mansion, and roll beside the west-facing Butterfly Beach, one of the county’s most popular whale and dolphin spotting locations. Hire bikes from Santa Barbara Bikes to Go (sbbikestogo.com).
Something would be amiss if you were in Santa Barbara and didn’t get on the water. A catamaran cruise with Santa Barbara Sailing (sbsail.com) provides the best view of the city and its mountainous Santa Ynez backdrop, and there’s a bar on board too. Keep an eye out for seal lions clinging on to outcrops, and the magnificent sight of pelican pods flapping above. While Santa Barbara adopts a chilled vibe by day, it comes alive at night. As with much of California, craft beer is involved, as is wine. Head to the Funk Zone district for boutique tasting rooms along the Urban Wine Trail (urbanwinetrailsb.com); nearby craft tap rooms like Brass Bear and Finney’s are also local favourites. Still thinking of a trip to LA or San Francisco? Didn’t think so.
HOW TO GET THERE Fly with Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow – daily flights operate to Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports. Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara are positioned along the coast between both airports.
WHERE TO STAY Monterey – Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa montereyplazahotel.com Paso Robles – Oxford Suites oxfordsuitespasorobles.com Santa Barbara – La Playa Inn laplayainn.com