Kara, my wife and drove California Highway One several years ago and took our time, I think spending about five nights meandering toward Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Definitely a route that you shouldn't rush, both for the excellent scenery, not to mention that it can get a little slow with all the sightseers. We stopped first at Santa Cruz, followed by Carmel, though I'd recommend you head straight for Carmel first. We stayed at the Pine Inn, which is a nice hotel in an easy central location. Lots of other options in Carmel as well as in nearby Monterey (a few more cheaper options here). Next stop from Carmel should probably be somewhere along the Big Sur coastline. We stayed at Ragged Point Inn, which was a great location though an average stay, I'd say. For something a little more rustic, Treebones Resort offers yurts as well as five campsites (there's also excellent camping in various state parks along the route including Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and the Ventana wilderness). For something a bit more spendy, Post Ranch Inn rolls out the romantic red carpet (though this is a little closer to Carmel). Things start to flatten out around Hearst Castle and Morro Bay; from here, I'd be inclined to push on to Santa Barbara, which is a lovely coastal town. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions!