How to take a cheap beach vacation
When Hubby and I take a vacation we trade off between a lazy daisy beach trip and a museum-packed traveling trip. Three years ago we went to Paris so this summer we are going to the beach.
"But you already live in paradise," my brother-in-law said while visiting last week. Yes, the weather is mild and on most days you can smell the salty air. But being lucky enough to live near the beach does not absolve you of doing laundry, taking out the trash, and opening mail - things you must escape to be on vacation.
Hence, my dilemma. We live near the beach and yet, it does not seem possible to take a beach vacation unless we go somewhere else. They don't call it "getting away" for nothing.
We have a week offf and are on a tight budget. Here are our options:
+Splurge on Hawaii. Turquoise water and sea turtles can't be beat. If only the price tag were lower.
+Fly to Mexico. The international trip will feel like a real vacation and we can do it for a lot less than Hawaii.
+Vacation in San Diego. We will save a ton by driving, but will we get bored after three days?
+Head north to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Cambria, OR Carmel. It won't be as warm or exotic, but we may be able to snag a deal at a romantic B&B.
+Take a cruise. All our costs are upfront, though we end up being the youngest folks on board.
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About The Bargain Hunter
Daily News staff writer Julia Scott loves to find bargains on everything from groceries to Gucci. Her tips will help keep your hard earned cash where it belongs - in your pocket.
to save some money, i vote for cambria! went in june for a 3 night girls getaway trip. we stayed at cambria pines lodge which is not on the beach but is on a big property with a pool, hot tub, grassy area for playing volleyball, and lots of gardens w/ blooming flowers and plants. they also have a restaurant and offer free buffet breakfast w/ your room (eggs, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, biscuits & gravy, fruit, cereal, and drinks). the restaurant is good if a bit pricey (share an entree to save some $)--we ate dinner one night there and i think it was the best meal we had the whole trip. and there are a couple of outdoor tables next to a fireplace. there is also a steep path/stairway (about 1/4 mile) that allows you to walk into the small quaint town of cambria to shop or eat w/o a car. linn's has really yummy desserts and the french cafe had amazing sandwiches that we packed up for a picnic lunch. moonstone beach is a short drive away and has tons of pebbles instead of sand which is fun to dig through searching for moonstones or jade (both of which can be found, although they are small pieces). we watched the sunset over moonstone beach and it was beautiful! check w/ cambria pines for midweek specials--we got a suite (living room w/ fireplace & murphy bed, huge bathroom w/ whirlpool tub, bedroom w/ king bead and fireplace, and balcony) for $99 sun-thurs. weekends it's normally $300+. it might be more during july/august as high season starts in july, but they probably still have midweek specials.
nearby is morro bay (about 20 miles south)--we rented kayaks, about $18 for 3 hours, and explored the bay and stopped on the sandspit, hiked across it to see the ocean/beach on the other side. nice waves and really good place for seashell collecting. only a few miles south of cambria is the tiny town of harmony (population 18, i think) where you can visit artisans.
there's also hearst castle about 20 miles north and the elephant seal rookery (tons of elephant seals just lying on the beach doing elephant seal things) on the way to hearst castle. a bit further north (about 25 miles north) is ragged point (there's a hotel and restaurant there). we hiked a super steep path down to a black sand beach which we had to ourselves.
if you drive about 20 minutes inland to paso robles you can visit wineries and do wine tastings. tobin james has free wine tastings (most places charge about $5-10 to taste 5-6 wines) and has a really fun, laid back, non-stuffy atmosphere. a lot of the wineries also have picnic tables; so, you can pack a lunch, buy a bottle of wine, and have a nice picnic.
sure, gas is expensive, but still probably cheaper than a plane ticket to mexico or hawaii! and it's only about a 3 hour drive to cambria. along the way, you can stop in solvang and pick up some really good danish baked goods. also near solvang is clairmont lavender farm which is in bloom during the summer and free to walk around; they sell their products in a small tent nearby. other stops on the way up or down include san luis obispo, pismo beach, or santa barbara (they have a cute, small zoo).
My first choice vote is the same as anonymous #1 and for all the same reasons.
Vote #2 would be for the San Diego area - and you won't be bored - you're going to relax remember so you don't have to book every moment and there are plenty of great restarants.
Hawaii and Mexico are just too hot right now and not good hair days!!
american airlines is having a sale to mexico & the carribean for the fall that might make an int'l beach vacation affordable.
http://www.aa.com/apps/netSAAver/ViewNetSAAverFareSalesDetail.jhtml?saleId=&fileName=Carib.Mex.Sale.071508.xml&repositoryName=FareToolSpecialContentRepository
I think there are some interesting points here, but I wonder how this will all play out in the next few weeks...???