Getaways with an Infant

2001

My husband and I would like to get away in December with our baby, who will be 6 months old. We're tired new parents who have been working hard to keep up with everything and want some serious family time. What we're looking for not too far of a drive (< 2 hrs), scenic area, don't want to rough it but needn't be posh, not too expensive -- just want to get away from it all for about 5 days to a week. Ilana

You might want to check out the Sea Ranch ... [see recommendations for Sea Ranch for the rest of this review]

We've stayed in both Pacific Grove (near Monterey -- 3hours if you avoid San Jose's rush hour) and Santa Cruz. Both are pretty and tend to be a little warmer and a lot dryer than Pt. Reyes Station or Mendocino. Santa Cruz has a little more to do, Pacific Grove has an old fashioned feeling and is near the Monterey Aquarium. CDorf

I would recommend two things that are good. When our almost 4 year old boy was a baby, we would go hostelling ... (see Hostels for the rest of this review).

Another suggestion is to RV it. I used to think it was for mostly retired folks, but the largest growth the industry is experiencing are young families who like economy, freedom, and convenience when travelling. We are planning our first week long rental RV trip for next May using http://www.tracks-trails.com/ to make sure our trip is routed well and age/activity appropriate for the three of us. Rue

When my daughter was about 9 months old, we stayed at the Ripplewood cabins in Big Sur for a few nights.... [see Big Sur recommendations for the rest of this review]