Honeymoon in CA??

I've been to San Diego with my FH and it's beautiful. And I'm pretty sure that you are going to enjoy every second of it. Ps do some research on different cities u will get a hang of it.

How many days are you planning to be out in California for? I would suggest Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego.

You will find plenty to do in SF, LA, and San Diego. Santa Barbara and Big Sur are between them. I highly recommend Sycamore Mineral Springs for a romantic get away. It's right along the route you would be driving and every room has its own hot tub. Even if you're just passing through you can make a reservation for one of their hillside hot-springs hot tubs that you can book by the hour. I live in LA and it's our favorite romantic get away place.

If you like off roading you can rent a 4 wheeler at Oceano Dunes near Pismo beach and then hit up the hot tubs at night. That's a typical day in that part of the state for us.

Oh, and look up Limekiln state park. Beaches and Redwoods. Awesome place to camp, or just take a short hike and have a picnic!

Cambria and San Luis Obispo are two of my favorite places in CA. And Santa Barbara. I love in Ventura so none of that is too far from me, but they are BEAUTIFUL. plenty of sight seeing, small boutiques, hiking amazing food (yes there is some great wine and beer in the area as well)

I seriously recommend a drive along the central coast. San Luis Obispo (see Hearst Castle) down to Valencia and then tour LA and maybe even San Diego. San Francisco is fun but, the central coast is the most beautiful. I live about 2 hours away from Cambria and Cayucos and could stay there forever.

http://www.centralcoast-tourism.com/

The Central Coast is absolutely fabulous. If you want Big Sur you could fly into San Francisco, then start driving down the 1. You'll go through Monterey which has a great, world famous aquariam and cannery row is historic and quaint. This is also wine country so plan for some winery stops on your way down. Next, you'll hit Carmel by the Sea, Big Sur, Cambria (Hearst Castle and elephant seals), Morro Bay, and then drive right into San Luis Obispo. DH lived in SLO for 2 years, and you could say it's wear we fell in love. Hike Bishop's Peak for some beautiful sunrises, explore the beautiful and historic downtown, and then drive to Pismo, Shell Beach, or Avila for some beach time. Shell Beach has a park that overlooks the water and you can get some sunsets to die for.

If you want to start in LA, fly into San Diego or LAX and drive up the 101. You'll hit Ventura, Santa Barbara, Solvang (my all-time favorite town on the Central Coast), and end in San Luis Obispo.

I'm a California native and have spent lots of time exploring California, especially the Central Coast from Santa Barbara to Monterey.

Come to San Diego!!! The weather truly is always amazing here. (Although be aware that it is an el nino year and all of the west coast will be effected). I've also heard that Santa Barbara is gorgeous, but I've never been.

I love San Diego. It's the perfect weather and there is tons to do.the times I visited, I loved walking around the Gaslamp district, seaport area and going to the Zoo, but there is so much to do there. LA and SF were super fun to. You could also swing by Disney Land which isn't that far from LA.

If you love cities that are walkable and have tons of good food, I'd definitely stop in SF. There are so many restaurants and bars to explore. Then you could drive down the 1 and stop for some hikes in Big Sur. I've only ever camped there, but there are some hotels too. Depending on how much you would want to drive per day, you could go all the way to Santa Barbara or stop in a smaller city along the way. Pismo Beach has some great places with chowder and Morro Bay has great seafood places. If you are interested in it, several locations also have whale watching tours, but I don't know which whales you can expect in that season.

Santa Barbara is really cute, has great food and the mission is interesting. You will probably have to fly out of an airport in the LA area, or you could drive further down to Orange County to see some of the great beaches there.

San Diego is nice. The weather is great and there is lots to do. The problem is, is that it's far. If you want to go anywhere besides San Diego and Los Angeles, you will have to drive a long ways. I live in Fresno, which is essentially the halfway point in California. It takes me 6-7 hours to get to SD depending on traffic.

I'm in the LA/OC part and I LOVE it here. How far down the coast are you willing to drive?

Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and Solvang are all beautiful places to visit. I live in Santa Barbara and there is an abundance of restaurants here as well as a lot of fun hiking trails!

Nicole, I forget that you and I are in the same town.

Big Sur, Monterey Bay, Carmel Beach area is beautiful!

Laguna Beach is a great mix of restaurants, rooftop bars (you can't beat the view at Rooftop...that's actually what it is called), and hikes with a view of the ocean! Laguna has some of my favorite beaches in the world. A fun one is called "Thousand Steps". It's not as touristy as the main beach and is quite beautiful.

Another fun area is Balboa Island. One of my favorite things to do there is rent a duffy boat and tour the bay. You can bring your own food and drink and it can be quite romantic at sunset!

Personally, I would stay away from LA. It's sooo busy and too touristy for my liking. Although a fun hike there is the hike to the Hollywood sign.

You could totally road trip from Big Sur to Orange County to San Diego!

@Beth - Go Dogs!

There are a ton of great cities in CA, but if you are sticking coastal then Monterey and Carmel are beautiful and have really great restaurants and would be a romantic spot for a HM. Carmel has this 17-mile drive that has the most beautiful scenery and you'll get a map at the start and there are a lot of stopping points a long the way. You go through Pebble Beach and if you start in Monterey you can finish in Carmel for lunch and explore all the cute little shops. Great time!

Half Moon Bay is also a great place to visit. Wonderful beaches and great place to bring a blanket and bottle of wine and watch the sunset. Several great restaurants with ocean views and fire pits to relax by and HMB is short drive to San Francisco. I won't even go through all the things there are to do in SF.

ETA: But I will add there is some amazing hiking in SF (Angels Island is one of my favorites) and everyone should walk the Golden Gate bridge at least once in their lifetime.

Personally, FH and I always love going to San Clemente (: It's only an hour from us and is like a stay-cation. It's so relaxing and peaceful over there (unlike beaches like Santa Monica, Venice, etc.) and EVERYONE is super happy and nice. You can also visit the mission while you're over there, as well as Dana Point.

Laguna Beach is also really really beautiful, and close to San Clemente if you go for Southern CA beaches (which are nicer in my opinion.. sorry Nor Cal!). You'll find lots of rock formations and mini tide pools over there.

If you go to San Diego, visit Del Mar.

Palos Verdes is really great too. Cliff beaches and some decent hikes as well.

For hiking:

Laguna Beach = Top of the World

Newport Beach = Crystal Cove (hike AND a beach to relax/swim afterwards)

Palos Verdes = Donald Trump Golf Course hiking trail

Malibu = Solstice Canyon

*Griffith Observatory* in Los Angeles. Planetarium AND hiking to the Hollywood sign

There is also the Getty in LA as well as the Huntington Library Gardens in San Marino that is BEAUTIFUL and one of my most favorite places to go.

The Redwoods are beautiful and a great place to walk/hike.

Wow you are all so wonderful!! Everything sounds amazing, and I can't wait to go over all of your suggestions with FH! It sounds like we have a ton of planning to do, but that we can't really go wrong! Thank you all so much! I cannot wait to explore California, and all of your suggestions just made me so excited!