What is it like to travel during this pandemic? Well I decided to see how it would go.
My Itinerary:
- Fly from Orange County to San Fransisco on United
- Rent a car to drive to Napa
- Hotel stay at the Marriott Napa
- Winery visits
- Car rental return
- Dinner at French Laundry
- Travel down to Carmel
- Hotel in Carmel
- 17 mile drive - Pebble Beach
- Drive to San Lius Obispo
- Hotel stay at the Madonna Inn
- Dinner at the Madonna Inn
- Drive home
I started my trip at the Orange County Airport, very interesting with so few people traveling. I had to check a bag at the United counter, went smoothly, United had a few people helping and minimizing contact with other people. Headed to TSA pre-check security and no one was in line. In the boarding area, United boarded the plane from the back of the plane. No boarding groups. The plane was 75% full, many rows had people sitting in a middle seat. I was luck enough to have no one in my row. When you walked onto the plane, they handed you a cleaning wipe, I used it to clean my seat area. I can tell you, that many people did not use the wipes. Drinks were provided during the flight, but no snacks.
I rented a car from Enterprise rental car and had no issues getting my car. I headed out of the airport to Napa.
My hotel stay at the Marriott was great. The hotel was at about 30% capacity, not many people are on vacation.
I visited a few wineries, Duckhorn and Caymus. Now you need to make a reservations to go to the wineries. This limits the amount of people at each winery.
Dinner was planned at French Laundry. Great service and fabulous food. Here are a few pictures of our meal.
In the morning we headed from Napa to Carmel. We took the scenic route.
In Carmel, we stayed at La Playa Carmel. It a small boutique hotel. Be aware, the rooms don't have air conditioning. Your stay includes breakfast. Which is done very well, includes yogurt, granola, 2 tangerines, a ham and cheese croissant and 2 slices of cheese.
This hotel is walking distance into town, so no need to drive. Also walking distance to the beach.
In the morning we drove the 17 mile drive. The gate to enter is about 1 mile from the hotel. There is an entrance fee of $10.50 to enter the area.
The drive is beautiful. Take the time to stop at all the view points to enjoy the scenery. A must stop is at the Pebble Beach Visitors Center and shop area. Its a good place to stop and have lunch.
We stopped in Santa Cruz and looked at these old houses. Loved the architecture.
We stayed in Carmel for 2 days.
Our next stop was San Luis Obispo. We had dinner at the Madonna Inn, and of course had the Pink Champagne Cake.
The famous bathrooms
