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Driving Highway 1
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Robert McFarland, Issue 46 – Autumn 11
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California, Los Angeles, San Francisco
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THE SPECTACULAR COASTAL DRIVE FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO LOS ANGELES IS A POPULAR TRAVEL WISH-LIST TRIP. ROBERT MCFARLAND TICKED IT OFF.
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As I lower the roof on our convertible Ford Mustang, I feel that tell-tale rush of excitement that accompanies the start of something memorable. I’m about to tick off an entry on my all-time travel wish-list: driving Highway 1, the spectacular coastal route that winds its way from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
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Over the next four days a friend and I are going to tackle 700 kilometres of some of the world’s most scenic driving roads, stay in some of the country’s most awarded resorts and feast on California’s finest food and wine. There’s only one small problem: we have wildly different music tastes. I’m a Bruce Springsteen kinda guy whereas he (let’s call him Charlie to save embarrassment) has a curious penchant for 80s soft rock. We agree on a compromise. Whoever isn’t driving has control of the iPod.
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Day 1 – San Francisco To Half Moon Bay – 40km
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We decide not to be too ambitious on our first day. Leaving San Francisco mid-afternoon, we thread up and over the Santa Cruz Mountains before descending into Half Moon Bay and the welcoming embrace of the Ritz Carlton. This country club-style resort sits on a dramatic section of coastline and is famous for having two of the finest golf courses in the state. Its parkland course has been rated No. 2 in North California after Pebble Beach and its St Andrews-style links course has ocean views from all 18 holes. We end our first day in style: sitting around one of the hotel’s roaring outdoor fire-pits under a star-studded sky with a hearty glass of Californian pinot.
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ritzcarlton.com
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Day 2 – Half Moon Bay To Big Sur – 200km
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We hit Highway 1 at 9am and with the roof down, the sun blazing and the roar of the Pacific just audible over Springsteen’s Thunder Road, it feels about as close to motoring nirvana as you can get.
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We pass Santa Cruz and Monterey before stopping for lunch at the impossibly quaint seaside town of Carmel. Carmel has long been a haven for artists and writers and it’s perhaps best known for having had Clint Eastwood as its mayor in the 80s. After a leisurely lunch on its pristine white sand beach, we drive past an endearing collection of Hansel and Gretel-style oceanfront houses on our way to Eastwood’s Mission Ranch Hotel in the hope that he might be mowing the lawn or helping out in the kitchen. He isn’t. Maybe it’s his day off. Instead, we have a look around Carmel Mission – the second of a string of missions built along the west coast by the Spanish in the late 1700s.
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Leaving Carmel, we enter arguably the most dramatic section of the drive – a sparsely populated, frontier-like region known as Big Sur. The road here clings precariously to steep-sided cliffs, leaps plunging ravines on exhilaratingly narrow bridges and offers a succession of ever more spectacular lookouts. Our destination is Post Ranch Inn, an award-winning boutique property whose 39 secluded retreats are scattered along a ridge between the Pacific and the Santa Lucia Mountains. After being checked-in with a glass of Taittinger champagne, I retire to my Pacific Suite with outdoor hot tub, wood-burning fireplace and hypnotic views of an endless horizon. Dinner at the in-house restaurant is sublime and I drift off to sleep wondering if the owners have a daughter I can marry.
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postranchinn.com
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Day 3 – Big Sur To Santa Barbara – 340km
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If there is one do-not-miss-at-any-cost attraction along Highway 1, it’s Hearst Castle. I have a low threshold when it comes to historic homes, but this sprawling, 56-bedroom Mediterranean-style residence built by publishing tycoon W R Hearst is nothing short of astounding.
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With its Roman-style outdoor pool, fairytale turrets and 22,000-piece priceless art collection, the house is a masterpiece. Even more staggering is that it was one of seven similarly opulent properties that Hearst owned around the world and that somehow, in between the art collecting and house designing, he ran 94 media companies.
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It takes us another three hours to reach the palm tree-fringed haven of Santa Barbara. We start on Highway 1 but veer off onto Highway 101 on the advice of locals who claim it’s equally scenic but more direct.
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It’s been a long day on the road and after checking into the stylish Canary Hotel, our reward is dinner at a property that was named No. 1 resort in the US by a travel magazine last year. Located 15 minutes south of Santa Barbara, San Ysidro Ranch is set on more than 200 hectares of undulating hillside and the patio of its Stonehouse restaurant must be one of the most romantic dining spots in California. We splash out on an indulgent feast of pan-seared scallops and butter poached Maine lobster and it’s worth every cent.
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hearstcastle.org
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canarysantabarbara.com
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sanysidroranch.com
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Day 4 – Santa Barbara To Los Angeles – 140km
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Wine tourism in Santa Barbara has taken off since the city was featured in the hit movie Sideways. We don’t have time to explore the 100 plus vineyards in the region, so instead visit a selection of the tasting rooms in the ‘Funk Zone’, a revitalised industrial area between the city centre and the beach. After a photo stop by Santa Barbara’s famous pier, it’s time to hop back in the Mustang for the two-hour push up over the Hollywood Hills to our final destination: West Hollywood.
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Charlie’s in charge of music today, which means that when we pull into the seriously swish Andaz Hotel on Sunset Blvd, it’s to the head-turning tones of Bon Jovi’s “You give love a bad name”. It’s been a memorable four days and my only regret is that we didn’t have more time. You could easily spend two weeks doing this trip and a more leisurely pace would have allowed more stops and more opportunities to explore. Of course, it would also have meant more Bon Jovi.
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andaz.com
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Getting There
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V Australia flies direct to LA from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Return economy fares start from A$1,457 and business from A$4,626.
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vaustralia.com.au
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When To Go
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It is sunny almost every day of the year in southern California, so there is never a bad time to visit. Summer (June to August) is the busiest season and popular attractions can be very crowded. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer less crowds, warm weather and plenty of California sunshine.
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