I am planning a trip to California in 2007.  Flying in to San Francisco from New Zealand.  This will probably be a once only trip.  Due to time and family demands there has to be a choice between the two destinations.  What would you guys recommend?  You could look at it strictly from the golf/architecture point of view or the whole experience.  Really appreciate your choice and reasons.

Ash -

You should be aware that you can drive to the Monterey Peninsula from San Francisco in an easy 2 1/2 hours. From San Fran to Bandon, it is roughly 9 hours on the road, some of it on 2-lane roads.

DT  

Ash -

You should be aware that you can drive to the Monterey Peninsula from San Francisco in an easy 2 1/2 hours. From San Fran to Bandon, it is roughly 9 hours on the road, some of it on 2-lane roads.

DT  

David - very true - but can't we assume he can fly into Portland and either fly/drive from there?  That makes Bandon more doable.  But it is a good point anyway - coming from NZ no matter how he does it, Bandon will be much more difficult to get to.

TH

I second everything in Tom's post above..if you have access to Cypress..then it is Monterey, if not head up to Bandon...but both would be great

Tiger - good call adding in Pasa, especially now.  As a local I don't tend to think of it as part of "Monterey" but for visitors it surely should be.

So the question then becomes

Pebble/Spyglass/Pasa/Spanish Bay

v.

Bandon Dunes/Pacific Dunes/Bandon Trails/Sheep Ranch(assuming that still exists in 2007).

THAT is a much tougher call.  I'd call it a tossup.  What might make me lean back toward Monterey then is only the travel ease.

Once again though if Cypress/MPCC are a part of it, no way one goes farther north.

TH

We must also ask about your travelling companions ... will they be golfing too?  Or would they prefer sightseeing, wine tasting, shopping?

Bandon is a no-go if you have non-golfers ...

SF/Monterey/Carmel is a go if you have non-golfers ...

Mr. Benham makes perhaps the best point of all.  Oh yes, if there are non-golfers along, then absolutely no way do you choose Bandon over Monterey/Carmel/San Francisco.  

Bandon is all about golf.  That's not to say there aren't other things to do, nor that it would be awful to spend non-golfing time there... But once again for tourist purposes, there is only one Carmel, only one San Francisco.

TH

Ash:

I can't stress this strongly enough:  go to Monterey.  Unless your wife has absolutely no interest in shopping and doesn't care a whit about the fantastic restaurants and sights to be sampled in the greater SF Bay Area, then you will never live down the time you forced her to spend in Bandon.

There really is little there besides the golf - at least little compared to the incredible wealth of ways she can occupy her time in California.

Re costs, although the golf in Monterey area is very expensive, Bandon isn't exactly cheap.  You're also going to spend a lot more to get there no matter how you do it.

But the bottom line remains this:  for a non-golfer there is absolutely no comparison to be made.  Save yourself.  Save your marriage.  Go to Monterey, and make sure and allow at least a day to spend in San Francisco.

TH

It depends on what your nongolfing wife values.
If cities are interesting, then I suppose SF would be worth a visit.
If nature is interesting, then you can't beat the scenic beauty of the southern
Oregon coast (Big Sur pales in comparison).
North of Bandon is the Dunes National Recreation area.
Near Bandon are jet boats rides up scenic rivers into wilderness.
If you fly into Eugene, winerys making Oregon's famous Pinot Noir wines are
nearby.

Country boy a heart. (I'll let you guess what I would choose).

Garland

Garland does make a good point.  BUT, it's not like the Monterey area is lacking for natural beauty, nor is San Francisco.  Anything you can do or see there, you can do or see in at the very least equal measure in Monterey.   Having been to both places several times, I have to beg to differ that Big Sur pales compared to south Oregon coast.  But even if it does, the point remains what you can't find in So, Oregon are the restaurants, shopping, urban culture, etc.  And Garland, do you forget the wine we have here?  Heck if Ash was so inclined, it's not all that far to Napa/Sonoma.  

So yes it would turn on what interests the non-golfer, but he or she would REALLY have to be into river rafting to make her or he favor Bandon.

Eric - good call.  I've done Alaska Airlines from San Jose to Portland, which connects to Horizon Air flight to North Bend.  it's a pretty easy morning.  I have no doubt that Ash could get himself to San Francisco or San Jose or Oakland and find ways to make this work.  Heck, odds are he could also skip all that and get to Portland directly, or maybe even Eugene.

So it's not THAT bad.  It's just always going to be a bit more difficult than getting to Monterey.

TH

Garland:

Gotcha.  Yes, if river rafting is the goal, then Bandon is the call.  I'd just have to guess that wives of golfers who are river-rafting aficionados themselves are a unique breed.  

And I understand that some don't like cities.  But do you consider the entire area from Monterey to SF and beyond one big "city"?  I'd say it does have some natural scenic value.  Just a little.

As for wine, the point is that a little over an hour north of SF, they could find themselves in Napa or Sonoma.  No offense, but for wine aficionados this is Cypress Point and Southern Oregon is Bayonet (a fine public golf course).

Hey, I love Southern Oregon - I have relatives in Grants Pass, I've done rafting on the Rogue River several times, it's great fun.  The coast is beautiful, also.

I'd just have to guess the vast majority of visitors would prefer Carmel-SF-Napa.  That is unless they are 100% river rafting only.  In that case, while they still could find some fun around here, well, the Rogue River would be better.

 

Quote from: Tom Huckaby on November 09, 2005, 03:52:12 PM

Go to Monterey, and make sure and allow at least a day to spend in San Francisco.

I'm sure Ash could find some golf diversions in SF (assuming he doesn't come the same time as the US Am).

VERY good point as well.  Very, very good point.  But sadly there is no river rafting.

Sorry about that Garland, just having fun with this.

 

Garland:


And I understand that some don't like cities.  But do you consider the entire area from Monterey to SF and beyond one big "city"?  I'd say it does have some natural scenic value.  Just a little.

As for wine, the point is that a little over an hour north of SF, they could find themselves in Napa or Sonoma.  No offense, but for wine aficionados this is Cypress Point and Southern Oregon is Bayonet (a fine public golf course).


 

I agree there is "some natural scenic value. Just a little."

Tom, the topic has been Pinot Noir. Napa and Sonoma Pinot Noir pale in comparison to Oregon or California North Coast.

Since Ash is coming from NZ, Pinor Noir or Sauvignon Blanc are the appropriate wine topics.

Garland