The drive is not 1.5 hours. If you take the faster, non-scenic route, it's about 2 hours if you avoid rush hour traffic in SF and San Jose. If you take the more-scenic route--Hwy 1--all the way, with stops (including lunch), it can take 3 to 4 hours. I'm not an expert on the towns along that route. Half Moon Bay is a nice town, but too close to SF for a lunch stop. I'm going to give you a link to another thread on a similar topic. Pay special attention to advice by Puter: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g33048-i271-k3987205-l29040886-6_hours_between_SFO_and_Monterey-Santa_Cruz_California.html#29040886

Half Moon Bay is very pretty, you could go to the Ritz-Carlton there and have a drink or lunch. The views are spectacular and the hotel is gorgeous. We spent our anniversary night there in December. We also really enjoyed Pasta Moon in downtown HMB for lunch. Have a nice trip! :)

There are tons of great places to stop and things to see along the way. I'd head straight up Hwy 1. There are scenic stops on the way to Santa Cruz, although the highway isn't particuarly scenic. Capitola Village and Santa Cruz make nice stops.

If you want redwoods, you can make a detour from SC up to Felton and check out Henry Cowell state park, or if you have a bit more time, head further up the hill to Big Basin.

Once you get north of Santa Cruz on Hwy 1, you leave civilization behind and the route gets very scenic. For lunch I'd probably head up to Pescadero to Duarte's Tavern - this is a family-run place that has been there for ages. They make a great artichoke soup - and their ollaieberry pie is famous. Pescadero State beach is nice - there are many state beaches along the route - great for beach combing, views, and generall wandering.

Half Moon Bay is a nice town - we go over there regularly. Not to the Ritz because it is way out of our budget, but there are a lot of good places that are easier on the wallet.

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