Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > San Francisco - Oakland
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-30-2011, 04:09 PM
 
Location: Kennewick - Tri-Cities WA
82 posts, read 325,147 times
Reputation: 41

Advertisements

Please help! I'm trying coordinate an affordable family vacation for my sister's family. They've never been able to get away so this is a big deal. I am looking to get them in a very reasonable place that has at least 2 queen beds, a fridge, and microwave. Easy driving distance to everything, so just the Monterey area please. They'll be going to the aquarium but I'm open to what other family activities are around that I can coordinate those for them as well. Also what restaurants you'd recommend that maybe have a kid's eat free deal, also any really awesome restaurants period, we're all foodies. Any coupon sites specific to the area. It's always better to have local insider info for the best deals. Also if anyone has a place, I can do swap with them for the vacation rentals I own in Kennewick, WA, eastern WA wine country. The dates will be April 7-10, 2011. Thank you in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-30-2011, 04:45 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,080,225 times
Reputation: 2958
Monterey is a pretty expensive place and I expect the hotels there are mostly very resort-ish. Maybe look at Salinas, I know they have a Motel 6, lol.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-30-2011, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Northern California
3,722 posts, read 14,725,748 times
Reputation: 1962
Try the Seventeen Mile Drive (toll road - there is a charge for this) Pebble Beach Resorts - Very scenic!

There isn't much around Monterey that is "affordable". The area is up-scale. Entrance into the aquarium alone is about $25 per adult. I don't think you're going to find a kids eat free restaurant except maybe for a Dennys.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-30-2011, 05:07 PM
 
Location: Kennewick - Tri-Cities WA
82 posts, read 325,147 times
Reputation: 41
So far I was able to find a $71/night room that is in a decent place according to recent reviews, it's on Munras Rd. Next stop trying to figure out how to get discounted aquarium tickets. Also still looking for more family stuff. And will do restaurants.com to see if I can get some discounted restaurant gift certificates. So far found out El Torito has kids eat free on Wed. (not the right day for this trip) and yup, there's Denny's lol. I'll check out 17 Mile Drive, thank you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-30-2011, 05:08 PM
 
Location: Bay Area
3,980 posts, read 8,989,754 times
Reputation: 4728
Quote:
Originally Posted by ourrousehouse View Post
Please help! I'm trying coordinate an affordable family vacation for my sister's family. They've never been able to get away so this is a big deal. I am looking to get them in a very reasonable place that has at least 2 queen beds, a fridge, and microwave. Easy driving distance to everything, so just the Monterey area please. They'll be going to the aquarium but I'm open to what other family activities are around that I can coordinate those for them as well. Also what restaurants you'd recommend that maybe have a kid's eat free deal, also any really awesome restaurants period, we're all foodies. Any coupon sites specific to the area. It's always better to have local insider info for the best deals. Also if anyone has a place, I can do swap with them for the vacation rentals I own in Kennewick, WA, eastern WA wine country. The dates will be April 7-10, 2011. Thank you in advance!
You didn't really mention what your sister can afford, but when I travel I usually find the biggest bargains with renting a house. You can cook your own food (which is a huge money saver) and dine out when you want to splurge. Also, to save on food expenses with children I usually just have my kids split an adult meal or just order them appetizers since everything else usually gets wasted. Here's a website that might have a rental available for your dates...VRBO® is Vacation Rentals By Owner (http://www.vrbo.com/ - broken link)

You can probably do a google search for coupons (but usually places that offer coupons tend to be pretty gross, imo)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-30-2011, 05:16 PM
 
Location: Northern California
3,722 posts, read 14,725,748 times
Reputation: 1962
Quote:
Originally Posted by ourrousehouse View Post
Also still looking for more family stuff.
Well, this isn't Monterey, but since you have kids, check out the beach and boardwalk at Santa Cruz - about 40 miles north of Monterey. The kids would like this! Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - Millions of Memories at California's Beachfront Amusement Park There is also a municipal pier at the boardwalk with about half dozen seafood restaurants on it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-30-2011, 06:38 PM
 
Location: Kennewick - Tri-Cities WA
82 posts, read 325,147 times
Reputation: 41
I checked home rentals on vrbo and craigslist but they are more expensive than the $70 hotel rate I found that had good reviews. I find the same thing for coupons so I'm cross-checking coupons etc with current reviews but I'll post the final restaurant list on here to get some feedback.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2011, 12:17 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,456 times
Reputation: 10
Glad you found a reasonable hotel rate! Here are some more ideas for family friendly activities in Monterey and nearby Carmel: Kid-Friendly Monterey – Exploring Monterey Bay and Carmel Peninsula with Kids | Red Tricycle
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-03-2011, 01:06 PM
 
115 posts, read 327,116 times
Reputation: 68
One of my favorite things to do is hike Point Lobos. You can park along Hwy 1 and walk in for free.
Point Lobos Foundation | Supporting Point Lobos State Natural Reserve


I agree that Santa Cruz would be a lot of fun for kids. Roller coasters on the beach! There would be a lot to do but you have to pay for it.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - Millions of Memories at California's Beachfront Amusement Park


You will have to pay to do the 17 mile drive but if you eat at a restaurant it is waived. I think a unique experience is watching the bagpiper play at Spanish Bay. He/she plays every day starting at 5:45. I believe you can watch for free. Or have an appetizer outside by the fire pits.
The Inn at Spanish Bay: Accommodations at Pebble Beach Resorts, California


There are lots of places to horseback ride, but again it will cost money.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-05-2011, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Kennewick - Tri-Cities WA
82 posts, read 325,147 times
Reputation: 41
[SIZE=3]KIDS EAT FREE AT COLD STONE CREAMERY with adult purchase their address is -1470 Del Monte Center Monterey, CA 93940. Just found another kids eat free ad: Dona Marias Authentic Mexican Resturant serves daily Lunch Specials only $5.95 Monday-Friday 11am-4pm = Also Kids eat Free 4pm-9pm Monday through Friday. 831-207-3348. Also kids eat free at IHOP, Dennys, & Carrows for dinner right now. Some other places I found too, but not the right days for the weekend trip. Also got $270 worth of restaurant gift certificates for $27. Found Aquarium coupons too but only for $8 off, so instead will by from someone selling extras they have for cheap. So far so good.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California > San Francisco - Oakland
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:55 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top