Watching the Californian sun set over the Pacific while eating freshly prepared sushi, it’s hard to reconcile that just yesterday I was in a quaint little town sipping “Cowboy Cuvee” in a boot-shaped armchair, discussing Clint Eastwood’s former mayorship with Buck the bartender. And tomorrow, we’ll be switching scenes again: to Big Sur’s mighty redwood forests.

My husband Jamie and I are travelling Monterey County’s stretch of the newly-reopened Highway 1 – or the Pacific Coast Highway. Trading has been tough for the hospitality businesses along the iconic road trip route these past few years, and we’re visiting some of the area’s most unique lodgings and dining spots to get a feel for the destination as it welcomes the world back in. We’d flown out with hazy, azure-tinted coastal snapshots in our minds, but hadn’t anticipated such an eclectic adventure.

After a comfortable flight from Heathrow to San Francisco with Virgin Atlantic (think mid-movie surprise pizza and a perfectly-timed afternoon tea), we seamlessly collect our car from “Rental Car Centre” on the airport’s AirTrain line and head towards the coastal city of Half Moon Bay to pick up Highway 1.

Cruising on water

As San Francisco's luscious greenery falls away, it's not long before we’re cruising south along the coast, passing lighthouses and small sandy beaches. Two hours later we pull up at the Spanish revival-style Kimpton Mirador Pacific Grove Monterey – quaint Pacific Grove serves as a gateway to the wild Big Sur region, together with the adjacent tiny cities of Monterey and Carmel. 

Arriving jet-lagged and in need of a good meal and night’s sleep, the sumptuously furnished Kimpton hotel, which opened in January, proves to be the perfect launchpad for the first two nights of our road trip. After a perfect shrimp cocktail and a “Prickly and Posh” nightcap at the hotel’s stylish The Caledonian restaurant and bar, we meander up to our pitch-black suite for a long-awaited slumber.

We are up and out early on our first morning – Kimpton picnic breakfast in tow – for a trip out on the water with Princess Monterey Whale Watching. I’d been doubtful that my eyes would agree to open that morning, given the time difference, but sunshine and fresh sea air turn out to be the perfect reset. 

While Kristen, the knowledgeable marine biologist onboard, keeps us informed of all the sea life popping up around us, the trip is enriched by the thrill of spotting a baby humpback, a sea lion doing sun salutations atop a buoy in the harbour and swooping albatrosses. 

Jamie is also captivated by the view of Cannery Row from the water – a historic sardine-canning spot made famous by the iconic John Steinbeck novel he is reading during our trip.

Strolling back down Old Fisherman's Wharf, we stumble upon Old Fisherman’s Grotto. It’s touristic for sure, but it's charming with tables overlooking the water, so we head in for a hollowed-out loaf filled to the brim with clam chowder. Scraping out the chewy, soupy sourdough from the inside of the “bowl” is a culinary highlight of the road trip.

Walking and wine tasting

After a wander around the beautiful farmers’ market that’s appeared outside the hotel in our absence, we freshen up and jump in an Uber to Carmel. In this quaint, fairytale-style community we take a sunny self-guided walk around some of its renowned tasting rooms. 

We start at Dawn’s Dream, where we sit at the bar and chew the cud with proud Californian Jimmy, the bartender, sipping on the brand’s Juniper Jane brut rose. After five generous pours we stroll around the block to the picturesque little courtyard of the Western-themed Galante Family Winery – run by Dawn’s husband Jack. A hearty al fresco dinner at Nora’s helps us soak up all that wine, before we head back to our little Pacific Grove sanctuary. 

Next morning, keen to stretch our legs before our drive south, we borrow complementary bikes and cycle along the city’s pretty stretch of coast, spotting some beautiful historic homes as we go.

Bohemian Big Sur

We’re keen to visit some of the Monterey Peninsula’s most famous ocean lookout spots en route to Big Sur, so we take a slight detour and pay $12.50 to enter The 17-Mile Drive – an indescribably scenic toll road which features the historic Lone Cypress. 

Jamie’s delighted to stumble upon the Pebble Beach Golf Links, too, where we stop off for a light lunch at the visitor’s centre. Before long, we’re out on the open road in Big Sur, headed towards Treebones Resort, keeping our eyes peeled for more famous viewpoints. 

(Credit: Jennifer Morris)

We pull up to take a look at Bixby Bridge, which we recognise from the opening credits of the Big Little Lies TV show, and spend some time at the stunningly beautiful Pfeiffer Beach ($15 per car) – poking around in tidal pools and marvelling at its unusual rock formations. It’s worth noting that neither Jamie or I have mobile phone reception for some stretches of the drive, so road-trippers should download their music and podcasts. Navigation isn't really a problem though, with clear signage throughout.

Glamping by the ocean

Turning off the highway and winding up the hill to Treebones Resort, a premier “glamping” experience, we’re met with expansive coastal views in all directions. After a quick change in our cosy – but surprisingly roomy – yurt and a dip in the panoramic pool – where we naturally meet a Hollywood screenwriter – we sit down to an intimate 15-course omakase dinner at the resort’s Wild Coast Sushi bar.

Chef Yancy and his sidekick DJ are charming and I’m mesmerised as they metronomically prepare seafood sourced from nearby bays, along with locally harvested seaweed and produce from the resort’s organic garden. 

That night we drift off to sleep to the sound of the sea below and a view of the stars through our tent’s skylight window: Big Sur is a Bortle 2 dark sky-rated area. The resort reminds me of luxury safari lodges I’ve stayed in: naturally not immaculate because of the wild nature of such accommodation, but clean, stylish, very comfortable and extremely special.

Into the (red)woods

After a leisurely – and delicious – breakfast of home-made granola, yoghurt and mugs and mugs of coffee, we saddle up and wind our way north, back towards the region’s most spectacular redwood forests. After a stop off at the crescent-shaped Sand Dollar Beach and a visit to the wonderfully eccentric Henry Miller Memorial Library, we pull in for lunch at the popular, elevated Cafe Kevah. Gazing south at the dramatic headlands and bays we’ve just driven, we eat cobb salad and drink iced coffee in the sun.

(Credit: Jennifer Morris)

We check into Big Sur River Inn later that day. I’d expressed a desire to stay in the forest, and I wasn’t disappointed. Whilst more basic than some of your clients may be used to, and located right on the highway so not quite as quiet as other spots – it is a motel after all – the inn offers a delightfully authentic immersion in the region. We eat delicious traditionally American fare at the lively inn before retiring to our wooden deck.

Next morning, we buy cream cheese bagels from the on-site bodega and flat white coffees from the adjacent The Village, and head down to the inn’s famous wooden river seats. Up earlier than most, it’s a serene way to start our day in nature. 

Keen to hike – but with limited time – we head out on the nearby Pfeiffer Falls and Valley View trail, which takes us deep into thick redwoods, up to a pretty waterfall and on to a ridge with views out to the ocean. It takes a couple of hours, and after a quick drive down to the secluded Partington Cove, we head back to the inn. 

We grab loaded chicken wraps from the on-site burrito bar for lunch and head back to our happy little spot in the river to while away a few hours in the sun, reading our books and watching rafters float by. 

High above the Pacific

That night, we take in a little live music before driving to the nearby Nepenthe restaurant, renowned for its panoramic coastal views. Upon arrival we realise it’s a popular spot to watch the sun set, but we’re lucky enough to nab an intimate table indoors facing the sun, to feast on steak frites and an almighty slab of traditional apple pie.

Belting up the next morning for our return to San Francisco, I savour my last inhalations of the earthy, herbal scent which has pervaded the trip. As we reflect on our American adventure, I’m left with a strong sense of the place. My previous impression of California had been born of the movies – LA, Palm Springs – but this feels completely removed from all that. 

I’m half-Cornish, and Monterey County’s stretch of Highway 1 has felt somehow reminiscent of home, if a little more affluent. This special region shares a thread that connects many coastal communities of the world: it's bohemian, wild and full of creative types. 

Thoughts of Donald Trump and his bizarre behaviour couldn’t be further from my mind as we throw the car into reverse and head north towards breakfast at Carmel’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen cafe. 

(Credit: See Monterey)