Here are my recommendations from tigerswood's recent Central Coast thread:
If you're taking 1 from Paso Robles to Carmel, there's great hiking at Julia Pfeiffer and Garrapata in Big Sur. Be sure to check out McWay Falls. If not, Point Lobos is right outside Carmel. It's great, as well, but a bit more crowded. In Big Sur, Nepenthe and the restaurant at the Ventana hotel are both good and have great views. Deetjen's is a really cool place as well, but I'm not sure if it ever reopened after the mud slides.
Restaurants: Roy's and The Bench in Pebble Beach, Mission Ranch, Katy's Place (breakfast), Dametra, and Grasing's in Carmel.
Things to do: 17 Mile Drive, Monterey Bay Aquarium (you have to buy tickets in advance and show your vaccine card), Ocean Ave. in Carmel. Laguna Seca is an amazing track, but I doubt anything will be happening in January. Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey is good for little kids. I have plenty of golf opinions if you're planning on playing. We like to rent kayaks at Elkhorn Slough and check out the otters.
En route from Monterey to San Francisco, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk on the way to the Bay Area is a lot of fun if you have kids. Alternatively, the outdoor bar at the Half Moon Bay Ritz is fun.
There are tasting rooms on every other corner in Carmel. Alvarado Street Brewery in Carmel Plaza and Folktale Vineyard in Carmel Valley are both fun.
