Big Sur we have been to. It's Central Coasty, so more wooded and green than the SoCal for sure and a nice place to spend a couple days. It's also somewhat expensive. We stayed in yurts at a wonderful place called Treebones. The yurts were very comfortable, but gave you a sense of being out in nature too. We had a beautiful ocean view the first day, but got fogged in the next few which we understood was par for the course (we were there in August, tho.) They've got the Henry Miller museum, if that's your cup of tea and a number of hikes, both gentle and more strenuous. Also beaches, but they are sandy, so natch. Restaurants were okay, but more pricey then good. If we went back, we'd probably bring our own food.