Pismo Beach and Points North - need help

[Isabel]

My DH and I are going to Disneyland in mid-September, but we also want to make a stop at Pismo Beach (DH watched too many Bugs Bunny cartoons as a child...) and tour the wineries. We would leave LA late Monday afternoon and return Wednesday morning.

I have two possible itineraries: 1) drive straight from LA to Pismo Beach (about a 4 hour drive?) and stay at Cottage Inn by the Sea, with a stop in Santa Barbara on the way back for lunch and to sightsee, or 2) drive from LA to Santa Barbara (2 hours?), stay at either The Franciscan Inn or Casa del Mar, drive up to Pismo on Tuesday for the day, and return to LA on Wednesday.

Anyone have any thoughts on either the trip or the hotels?

 

[travelgirl06]

LA to Pismo should be about 3.5-4 hours (not counting LA traffic, this estimate is based on leaving from the airport area, the time of day and location you leave from will dictate a lot). L.A. to SB should be about 2 hours, again assuming minimal traffic in the L.A. area (and the SB area too, for that matter).

Leaving L.A. on Monday afternoon and getting back Wednesday afternoon makes for a very short trip, so I would add a little time if you can, but if that's all the time you have, you will still have a great trip.

I haven't stayed at either hotel, but Cottage Inn has always looked nice in Pismo (SeaVenture and The Cliffs also look great, but I'm not sure how their rates compare...).

I think you may want to hit Pismo over the afternoon (September is usually warm, but mornings can still be a bit chilly), in which case I would go with the itinerary where you start in SB (Mon PM-Tues AM) then spend Tuesday afternoon (maybe have lunch at Splash Cafe near the pier?) and Wed. morning in Pismo before heading back to L.A.

I don't know if you are into wine tasting, but there are lots of great wineries nearby, and a lovely orchard in Avila (about 10 minutes away). The beach at Avila is great too, and there are a few nice hotels in the town.

Let me know if you have any other questions.