California Here We Come

Thirteen nights from San Francisco to Los Angeles, self-drive, down the Pacific Coast Highway by way of Napa and Big Sur.

The Post Ranch Inn is the centrepiece and an unusual one: an adults-only hideaway on the cliff edge at Big Sur with no television in any room, which is either the point or the problem depending on the guest.

Three nights at the Ritz-Carlton open it in San Francisco, with Alcatraz, a cycle over the Golden Gate and a cable car. Napa follows for two at the Auberge du Soleil, for the tasting and the cooking. Big Sur comes next for two, reached through wetlands and cypress forest on the most famous stretch of Highway 1, with grey, blue and humpback whales possible offshore depending on the month. Santa Barbara follows for three at the Rosewood Miramar in Montecito, with the elephant seal viewpoint and Hearst Castle optional on the way. Three nights at the Beverly Wilshire close it, with the Warner Bros studio tour, a walk up to the Hollywood Sign and a private guided bike tour through Beverly Hills and Bel Air.

The rental car, the named luxury hotels, the Alcatraz tour and the Beverly Hills bike adventure are included; the Warner Bros tickets, Hearst Castle admission and the whale watching are not. No wildlife sighting can be promised. Spring and autumn are the best of it, since the Big Sur coast fogs in during summer mornings and Highway 1 closes for landslips often enough to be worth checking.