Hey guys,

Been a while since I've posted on here but I drove my V8V up from LA to pebble beach last year for my first experience and it was amazing.

I plan on doing it again this year but perhaps stumbled upon a hotel by freak accident last year as I paid 250.00 per night at the comfort inn downtown Carmel.

Anybody going to PB this year and can suggest any ideas that won't set me back absurd prices? Also does anyone have any info on what Aston is planning on doing this year??

Thanks!

 

Isn't $250 a night pretty cheap for PB during concours week? I think I'd be glad to pay that.

 

Perhaps I should have insinuated that by "freak accident" I got a room for only 250.00. This year the same hotel is 549.00 which is getting a bit greedy if you ask me for a comfort inn.

 

That's supply and demand for you. We paid $500/night for a Super 8 in Austin for the F1 Grand Prix last year. At least it was clean and the staff was nice.

 

unfortunately you have to pay to play, Monterey is such a great car experience it's worth every penny.

 

We have been talking about attending Monterey. What do you recommend doing? There seems to be lots of different events. Are there packages available to attend them? Are there certain events you'd recommend?

 

I will be attending this year.

 

Have you tried airbnb.com? You might be able to find some good deals.

 

If there are any packages they will be run by tour companies and hideously expensive I imagine.

Everyone should attend the PB Concours (Sunday) and The Quail (Friday) at least once in their lives (the latter tickets only in advance, sold by lottery, good luck!). The PB Tour ending in Carmel at lunchtime Thursday is a great way to see many of the PB Concours cars actually moving (and it's free!). At least one auction of course. The McCall Motorworks Revival at the Monterey Jet Center on Wednesday is very good (but pricey, like The Quail). Tuesday is the Carmel Concours on the Avenue (also free). Another Friday event is the Legends of the Autobahn show (free), for BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche fans. So that leaves Saturday, which this year is the day for the Concorso Italiano (used to be on Friday). Then of course over the weekend is also the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca.

Best to pick one event per day, and maybe an auction in the evening. Traffic is horrendous too, so trying to get between events on the same day is a recipe for frustration.

The Sports Car Market magazine Monterey Supplement published every year is a great guide to all the events. Here's a link to last year's,

http://www.chubbcollectorcar.com/sit...uide-chubb.pdf

 

I went last year and it was a ton of fun....did the Italian Concourso, one of the auctions, the Historics at Laguna Seca, the Aston event, and Pebble Beach. They were all great!

We booked Monterey Resort and Spa 6 months ago to make sure we got hotel reservations. They go quick and prices get higher.

I want to go to the RM Auction this year as well as Quail.

If anyone plans on caravaning up in the Aston, I may be game....let me know what day you plan on departing.

 

We go almost every year as PB is the best Car Week on the planet. We have driven up from LA on Hwy 1 several times and highly recommend it. We have also participated in the Aston On Tour program. It is a first class event with a first class price! You really need to do PB a few times to get the full scope of all that's going on. Hotel and event prices are high but everyone should experience PB. If you are an AMOC member you will also have access to the AM Estate on Thursday or Friday. They always have a club function. One of the benefits of membership.
Get the SCM magazine and make plans ASAP. It's already very late to book it for this year.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. Great info. I have booked a car and a hotel (2 stars!) and I'll be getting tickets at least for the Italian Concorso and PB. We'll be there Thurs thru Mon. Will likely drive down Hwy. 1 on Thurs and hit Big Sur and the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Looking forward to it!

 

The best driving road opens up right after Hurst Castle. You might check if there is any construction. They were working on a new bridge the last two years. Made for some interesting scenic drop offs right outside the drivers door. Have a great time.

 

Resurrecting this thread to seek more advice for Monterey. We have made arrangements for every day of our stay but Friday. Looking at the schedule (see http://www.montereycarweek.com/Events.html), we are considering doing ONE of following Friday:

1. RM Auction
2. Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Leguna

If you had to choose one of these, which would you go with? On one hand, I'd love to see classic cars on the track at Leguna and I've never been to Leguna. On the other hand, we don't have plans yet to attend an auction at Monterey.

 

If you're not attending Laguna Seca on Saturday or Sunday, I would definitely do that on Friday. While the best racing is on Saturday, Friday is less crowded with many practice sessions and of course the pits are wide open for the entire weekend. If time is available I'd also recommend walking to the most iconic sections of the track, like the "corkscrew".