To stay or not

My husband and I are flying to San Fran next summer and we are wanting to visit Monterey/Carmel. We only have 5 days and want to make the best of our time in CA!!!! Should we make Moneterey a day trip of spend the night and take in some sights? My husbands fav book is Cannery Row, so that is going to be in our plans? If we stay, where? Where to eat? Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!

To stay or not

Since he%26#39;s such a Steinbeck fan, I would stay in Cannery Row. The Spindrift Inn is very nice, right in the heart of Cannery Row, go for an oceanview room here. There is also the Monterey Plaza Hotel %26amp; Spa which is a luxury property right on the water. The Sardine Factory or the Whaling Station would both be nice places for more formal meals. The Duck Club @ the Plaza is also very good. For casual meals, go to Old Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf and dine at Cafe Fina, Domenico%26#39;s or Isabella%26#39;s. Try the Monterey Bay Sand Dabs, a specialty in this area.

Enjoy Monterey and welcome! :)

To stay or not

I think it depends on what you enjoy doing. If city delights are more important to you, then make Monterey a day trip. You can take Hwy 1 all the way and be in Monterey in 3 hours. Then you can take the faster route (1 N to 156 to 101 N) back--2 hours. However, if you%26#39;d like some time to enjoy the Monterey Peninsula, then, by all means, stay. Things to do: Point Lobos State Reserve, just south of Carmel on Hwy 1. Gorgeous trails overlooking the ocean--the views are amazing. Cannery Row is pretty much just a commercial row of shops and restaurants now, but the excellent Monterey Bay Aquarium is there and worth visiting. A very nice place to stay in the Monterey Plaza Hotel, on the quiet end of Cannery Row. It%26#39;s a beautiful hotel right on the water--not inexpensive, but worth it. There are also many wonderful small inns and B%26amp;Bs in Carmel and Pacific Grove. The only problem you might run into is the two-night minimum required in the summer. This is more the case on weekends, and during the week you should be able to find something. Rather than start naming places now, I%26#39;ll ask: what is your price range? would you prefer a hotel or a B%26amp;B? There are so many excellent restaurants. One of my favorites is Red House Cafe in Pacific Grove (especially for lunch). I also like Massaro and Santos on the Coast Guard Pier in Monterey (every table has a harbor view), Tarpy%26#39;s Roadhouse in Monterey, Grasing%26#39;s Coastal Cuisine in Carmel. It%26#39;s a good idea to book early as the summer is very busy here.

You may want to include Salinas into your Itinerary. That%26#39;s real Steinbeck Country.

PS I am also a big fan.

I forgot to mention that you should definitely schedule time for the amazing Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey. :)

Peddler is right! You would probably enjoy the Steinbeck Center in Salinas: www.steinbeck.org. Salinas is not a nice place to stay. I suggest that when you leave Monterey in the morning to return to SF, you take 68 East out of Monterey. It%26#39;s a 30-minute drive to Salinas. In Salinas, you can get on 101 and it%26#39;s a straight shot back to SF.