I live in the Monterey Bay Area, but if I was coming here I'd fly into any of the SF Bay Area airports and rent a car -- whichever one (SFO/OAK/SJC) has the best fare from where you live. Monterey airport is usually a premium and not worth the 90 minutes you'll save. As for lodging, I hear it's pretty dear. Once you're off the Peninsula (Monterey/P-G/Carmel) the outlying towns (Seaside/Marina/Salinas) are a combination of dull and nasty. Don't expect much there. You're either a high-roller or a lettuce-picker in Monterey County. I highly recommend being in Carmel on Thursday at lunchtime for the arrival of the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance. You'll see cars like this one on the road where they belong instead of parked on some golf course:
