350 miles of world-class coastline for you to explore
California’s famously lovely Central Coast stretches an endless 350 miles from Ventura County, just north of the bustling city of LA, to Santa Clara County just south of San Francisco. The gorgeous Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey Bay regions are at your fingertips, each different, each unique and each with its own take on natural splendour, California-style. If you love big country, walk this way and discover the sunny, always beautiful, wonderfully-wild West.
With some of the world’s premier golf destinations at your fingertips, the Central Coast is perfect for testing your mettle on the green.
Fancy spoiling yourself? Massage, skin and body treatments await you, rich in natural materials from the land and ocean for a fresh, reinvigorated you. Marine conservation, historic sites, museums, galleries and a thriving cultural scene makes the Central Coast special.
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Visit the excellent Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary, including 100+ historic shipwrecks
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Fall in love with Big Basin Redwoods State Park, breathtaking and unforgettable
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Enjoy year-round whale watching on the super-fast Condor Express catamaran
There's sport fishing, the Gilroy Garlic Festival, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park plus literally hundreds of lush vineyards and world-class wineries to explore.
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City Streets to Southern Beaches
From £2139.00 (inc flights and hotels)
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All these regions have one thing in common: they're unforgettable. A thriving wine scene, beautiful architecture, fascinating history, contemporary dining and excellent shopping... plus endless outdoor pursuits. Unspoiled, bountiful countryside. Surfing and kayaking, cycling and fishing, and the famous Santa Maria-style barbecue. Plus farmers’ markets, rolling hills, incomparable beaches and verdant forests. Here are just three cool things to do while you're there.
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Visit the famously arty Ojai Valley, framed by rugged mountains
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Enjoy the sheer natural drama of the Big Sur coast
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Take in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a town with more top galleries than almost anywhere in the state
Variety is the spice of life on California's central coast. Mix and match your activities for a real, full-bodied flavour of this spectacular region.
“Soon it got dusk, a grapy dusk, a purple dusk over tangerine groves and long melon fields; the sun the color of pressed grapes, slashed with burgandy red.” - Jack Kerouac
There are plenty of internationally renowned attractions in this spectacular region. The tip of the iceberg includes the spokily fascinating Hearst Castle and the hugely popular Monterey Bay Aquarium. But there are loads of lesser-known hidden gems to discover. There's the brilliant Santa Barbara Zoo, the seaside playground of lovely Ventura Harbor Village and the fabulous Santa Cruz Boardwalk, the perfect way to experience old-time California complete with a genuine wooden roller coaster. Quirky Solvang village is built in authentic Danish style, complete with windmills, traditional Scandanavian food and a slew of cool Danish-inspired events. The Pinnacles National Monument offers some of the finest camping, hiking and rock climbing in the area. And there are loads of historic 'missions' to discover, each unique.
Do you adore nothing better than a massive, clean sandy beach that stretches for miles and miles? Pismo Beach is your ultimate destination, the best in coastal California living, ideal if you fancy stepping back in time to experience a friendly and remarkably laid-back beachside community. If you're a shopaholic, even better. You're going to adore the central coast region’s cities and villages, each famous for its one-of-a-kind historic district. Antique shops rub shoulders with stylish contemporary boutiques and world-class galleries to deliver something to suit every taste, and the locals are lovely and welcoming.