Manhattan Beach and beyond.......

I hope someone out there may be able to help. I am flying over to LA in July for a 2 week holiday. I am staying in Manhattan Beach for 4 nights, I then plan to travel up highway 1 to San Francisco, stopping off at various attractions and places of interest.

Could anyone recommend family run B%26amp;B%26#39;s suitable for me and my twin boys (16 years old).

I plan to visit Hearst Castle and the Monterey peninsula, but I don%26#39;t know much more about the area. Any Idea%26#39;s?

Also, When I return home, I plan to leave SF at 8 in the morning to get to LAX for a 7PM flight, going the motorway (not highway 1). Am I leaving enough time?

Manhattan Beach and beyond.......

Before I forget, I have a suggestion for you. The ride from SF to LA will take about 7 hours (barring any traffic jams). Add a little time to drop the car off and get into the airport, say 30 minutes.

As an alternative to that 7-1/2 hour event, rather than worry whether you will ';make it in time'; on the last day of your holiday, why not spend a little bit more money and fly from San Francisco to L.A.?

Here are the details:

Southwest airtlines (southwest.com) has seats priced around $59 (presently, they are selling seats through June 9th only; they should be releasing the ';summer seats'; soon. About $59 each, the cost including taxes is around $208.

You stand to save some money if you fly:

Since you won%26#39;t need a car in San Francisco, you can give the car back sooner, saving several days of rental + plus hotel parking + parking at attractions as well as the gas used driving around the city and the gas on the road back to Los Angeles.

In addition, the ride is 1 hour and 10 minutes (instead of 7-1.2 hours). It will take about 30 minutes to get from your hotel to the airport. BTW, Southwest leaves from Oakland Airport, not San Francisco airport. You can take a cab or you can take the B.A.R,T. metro system or a shuttle bus.

Think about it!

When visiting Cambria, don%26#39;t miss Ian%26#39;s Restaurant.

If you need accommodations in San Francisco, I recommend the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square

Enjoy your holiday. Cheers!

Manhattan Beach and beyond.......

Still, though, the ride up the coast is nice, even though it takes most of the day.

If I were sixteen, however, I might not enjoy the long car ride.

Hi there,

Sounds fun.

Since you have teenagers, I definitly recommend a stop in Santa Cruz, CA. A great place to stay is the Guesthouse Pacific Inn. It%26#39;s inexpensive and the couple that runs the place is really really nice. I%26#39;ve always recommended it to my own family. In addition, though it%26#39;s a ';cheap'; hotel, it has a pool and jacuzzi. Nice.

Santa Cruz has a great area (Pacific Ave) with teens, adults, everyone hanging out. Shops, street musicians, etc.. Also, Santa Cruz has the Beach Boardwalk with many people, arcade games, rides, roller coasters. It%26#39;s fun. You%26#39;ll like it, and so will your kids.

I hear the Kon Tiki in Pismo Beach is nice and decent priced. (though a sleepy town for teenage boys).

Seriously consider driving back the day before your flight and staying at one of the hotels near LAX. They are a lot of big ';chain'; hotels right near the airport that are clean and safe. You can drive back the night before - check in late.

Then, you could spend the next day (before your flight) at the beach in Manhattan (close to airport). Fun for you and your kids.