West Coast USA Road Trip
Discussion
12 months ago to the day I was on a flight to San Francisco for my holiday.
This is what we did as it may be helpful on the West Coast piece, with some good places to stay. We decided not to book big hotels with exception of Marriott in LA, where I had points to redeem - and went for quaint B&B's whicher were cheaper and more personable.
Note we did not do Yosemite, or Nevada (have done Nevada before, and want to do Yosemite another time).
1 San Francisco http://www.hoteltriton.com
2 San Francisco http://www.hoteltriton.com - Alcatraz
3 San Francisco http://www.hoteltriton.com
4 Napa Valley (Calistoga) http://www.stevensonmanor.com - Collect hire car (Dollar)
5 Carmel http://www.fireplaceinncarmel.com - Pebble Beach / 17 mile road
6 San Luis Obispo (Pismo Beach) http://www.gardenstreetinn.com - Laguna Seca/Big Sur etc
7 Santa Barbara http://www.agaveinnsb.com - Hearst Castle
8 Hermosa Beach http://gvinn.com - LA Galaxy Game
9 Los Angeles https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxrh-renaissance-hollywood-hotel-and-spa - Sixflags Magic Mountain
10 Los Angeles https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxrh-renaissance-hollywood-hotel-and-spa - Universal Studios
11 Palm Springs http://www.desertrivierahotel.com
12 Palm Springs/San Diego http://www.desertrivierahotel.com
13 San Diego http://www.hotelpalomar-sandiego.com
14 San Diego http://www.hotelpalomar-sandiego.com
15 Pool Airplane
To summarise - avoid LA aside from heading in there for a day. Stay on outskirts as far down as OC, or on coast Manhattan/Hermosa beach etc. LA was really not great as a tourist, unless you have specific things you want to see, or people to meet.
You have to get Palm Springs and San Diego on your route if possible. They were the best two places from all of the above.
If you want to review the hotels we stayed at - read this:-
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/members-reviews/Fats2...
Enjoy - I cannot wait to go back and fill in the blanks on another holiday.
One more thing - I was panicking about not getting the Mustang I requested before we went away (I booked through Dollar), and getting stuck with a Sebring. I even popped into Dollar in San Fran the day before we collected car to ask if there was anything I could do to guarantee a Mustang. He said there would be no problem as all of their "Or Similar" options - were Mustangs! We collected in San Fran and dropped off in San Diego 12 nights later.
Another thing!
If you can - drive from San Fran to LA - not the other way around. It sounds stupid, but driving this way the sea is on your RH side, so you can see all of the beautiful scenery from your side of the road without a great big truck being in the way. You can pull over at will to take photos without having to battle the traffic. Just makes life so much easier.
This is what we did as it may be helpful on the West Coast piece, with some good places to stay. We decided not to book big hotels with exception of Marriott in LA, where I had points to redeem - and went for quaint B&B's whicher were cheaper and more personable.
Note we did not do Yosemite, or Nevada (have done Nevada before, and want to do Yosemite another time).
1 San Francisco http://www.hoteltriton.com
2 San Francisco http://www.hoteltriton.com - Alcatraz
3 San Francisco http://www.hoteltriton.com
4 Napa Valley (Calistoga) http://www.stevensonmanor.com - Collect hire car (Dollar)
5 Carmel http://www.fireplaceinncarmel.com - Pebble Beach / 17 mile road
6 San Luis Obispo (Pismo Beach) http://www.gardenstreetinn.com - Laguna Seca/Big Sur etc
7 Santa Barbara http://www.agaveinnsb.com - Hearst Castle
8 Hermosa Beach http://gvinn.com - LA Galaxy Game
9 Los Angeles https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxrh-renaissance-hollywood-hotel-and-spa - Sixflags Magic Mountain
10 Los Angeles https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxrh-renaissance-hollywood-hotel-and-spa - Universal Studios
11 Palm Springs http://www.desertrivierahotel.com
12 Palm Springs/San Diego http://www.desertrivierahotel.com
13 San Diego http://www.hotelpalomar-sandiego.com
14 San Diego http://www.hotelpalomar-sandiego.com
15 Pool Airplane
To summarise - avoid LA aside from heading in there for a day. Stay on outskirts as far down as OC, or on coast Manhattan/Hermosa beach etc. LA was really not great as a tourist, unless you have specific things you want to see, or people to meet.
You have to get Palm Springs and San Diego on your route if possible. They were the best two places from all of the above.
If you want to review the hotels we stayed at - read this:-
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/members-reviews/Fats2...
Enjoy - I cannot wait to go back and fill in the blanks on another holiday.
One more thing - I was panicking about not getting the Mustang I requested before we went away (I booked through Dollar), and getting stuck with a Sebring. I even popped into Dollar in San Fran the day before we collected car to ask if there was anything I could do to guarantee a Mustang. He said there would be no problem as all of their "Or Similar" options - were Mustangs! We collected in San Fran and dropped off in San Diego 12 nights later.
Another thing!
If you can - drive from San Fran to LA - not the other way around. It sounds stupid, but driving this way the sea is on your RH side, so you can see all of the beautiful scenery from your side of the road without a great big truck being in the way. You can pull over at will to take photos without having to battle the traffic. Just makes life so much easier.
Edited by Fats25 on Tuesday 25th September 13:06
I did this trip a couple of years ago. Flew into San Diego for a couple of days, picked up a Mustang cabrio and drove up via LA, LV and the Pacific Coast HW to SF. Some highlights where:
http://www.casitasag.com/ - a lovely place near San Luis Opisbo. There's also a beach near here you can legally drive on - one of only 2 or 3 in the US I think (one of the others being Daytona..) It was a bit squeaky bum time taking the Mustang on it but there was no problem in the end.
http://www.crystalpier.com/ - in San Diego. Amazing location.
I'd echo what other people have said about maybe dropping the car off in SF a day or two before you leave. Works out well money wise as you can rent in week blocks for a good price rather than getting a car for a few days at a time. Plus interstate one way rentals are usually free.
http://www.casitasag.com/ - a lovely place near San Luis Opisbo. There's also a beach near here you can legally drive on - one of only 2 or 3 in the US I think (one of the others being Daytona..) It was a bit squeaky bum time taking the Mustang on it but there was no problem in the end.
http://www.crystalpier.com/ - in San Diego. Amazing location.
I'd echo what other people have said about maybe dropping the car off in SF a day or two before you leave. Works out well money wise as you can rent in week blocks for a good price rather than getting a car for a few days at a time. Plus interstate one way rentals are usually free.
Thanks in no small part to the uncertainty of the Tioga Pass being open in May, i've had a rethink and come up with a new plan!
Fly to SF, stay for 2 nights.
Pick up a Mustang convertible (hopefully) from Dollar at SF airport.
Drive to Monterey for an overnight stop.
Monterey to Santa Barbara for an overnight stop.
Santa Barbara to LA. 2 nights.
LA to San Diego. 1 night.
San Diego to Palm Springs. 2 nights.
Palm Springs to Las Vegas. 1 night.
Las Vegas to Death Valley. 1 night.
Death Valley to Las Vegas. Drop car. 3 nights.
Fly home.
Neither of us were too bothered about Yosemite and doing things this way will mean driving Highway 1 as per the suggestion above, ie on the same side as the sea. Not too sure what to expect from San Diego but it looks like there's plenty of places to eat and drink.
Been offered a good deal on a 5* resort at Palm Springs which is why we're doing 2 nights there and hopefully we'll be able to take our time and enjoy the drive down the coast from SF now that we've got a couple of overnight stops.
So...any thoughts/suggestions?
Cheers!
Fly to SF, stay for 2 nights.
Pick up a Mustang convertible (hopefully) from Dollar at SF airport.
Drive to Monterey for an overnight stop.
Monterey to Santa Barbara for an overnight stop.
Santa Barbara to LA. 2 nights.
LA to San Diego. 1 night.
San Diego to Palm Springs. 2 nights.
Palm Springs to Las Vegas. 1 night.
Las Vegas to Death Valley. 1 night.
Death Valley to Las Vegas. Drop car. 3 nights.
Fly home.
Neither of us were too bothered about Yosemite and doing things this way will mean driving Highway 1 as per the suggestion above, ie on the same side as the sea. Not too sure what to expect from San Diego but it looks like there's plenty of places to eat and drink.
Been offered a good deal on a 5* resort at Palm Springs which is why we're doing 2 nights there and hopefully we'll be able to take our time and enjoy the drive down the coast from SF now that we've got a couple of overnight stops.
So...any thoughts/suggestions?
Cheers!
Looks good itinerary.
Plenty to do in San Diego. We had two nights in San Diego and was not enough time. As above we stayed in gaslamp district, but other good locations in San Diego. If only one night I would go for gaslamp.
If you only take one of my recommendations of accommodation above - please take it for Palm Springs. Look it up on tripadvisor. Don't waste money on a 5 star hotel there - it won't be as good! Also please do not spend any nights in Hollywood, or LA central. Go in and see it - but stay outside at hermosa, or manhattan beach (basically not in the centre of LA)!
For Vegas if you want to party look at planet Hollywood - if you want to have some romance look at cosmopolitan.
You will have a great time - am very jealous!
Plenty to do in San Diego. We had two nights in San Diego and was not enough time. As above we stayed in gaslamp district, but other good locations in San Diego. If only one night I would go for gaslamp.
If you only take one of my recommendations of accommodation above - please take it for Palm Springs. Look it up on tripadvisor. Don't waste money on a 5 star hotel there - it won't be as good! Also please do not spend any nights in Hollywood, or LA central. Go in and see it - but stay outside at hermosa, or manhattan beach (basically not in the centre of LA)!
For Vegas if you want to party look at planet Hollywood - if you want to have some romance look at cosmopolitan.
You will have a great time - am very jealous!
Little thread resurection... no point starting yet another on same subject.
Main question is this, doing a similar trip as mentioned before, can anyone give a rough idea of hotel costs per night down the PCH? We're kinda thinking £100 per night, would this cover 3 adults? Also can you wing it and stop where you fancy or do you really need to book ahead?
Having never done a road trip like this we haven't a clue so thanks for the advice.
Main question is this, doing a similar trip as mentioned before, can anyone give a rough idea of hotel costs per night down the PCH? We're kinda thinking £100 per night, would this cover 3 adults? Also can you wing it and stop where you fancy or do you really need to book ahead?
Having never done a road trip like this we haven't a clue so thanks for the advice.
That depends on when you're going, how picky you are, and whether you have time to look for places! In the US it isn't usually hard to find somewhere to stay, but i personally will always pre-book, as i dont like to waste the time finding somewhere, and need to make sure it's a good place!
£100 isn't a lot though. Check out hotels.com/expedia.com/etc... for info.
£100 isn't a lot though. Check out hotels.com/expedia.com/etc... for info.
Andeh said:
I've emailed Dollar as someone on another thread suggested that all of their convertibles are Mustangs. There's still a glimmer of hope it seems!
ive had a quick look on flyertalk.com..dollar section and it suggests they have allsorts of convertibles , they certainly werent all mustangs last time i rented therewhen i last rented there youre told take a car from row a/b/c etc , obviously all the nicer cars will be grabbed first , if thats still the case you could sit there until they pull a mustang around
Edited by steveo3002 on Saturday 12th January 09:56
Edited by steveo3002 on Saturday 12th January 10:04
I'm back!
In short, it was the best holiday i've ever had!
Just thought i would bump this topic for the benefit of others who have made a similar journey or for those who are going through the tricky planning phase and may be struggling to decide on where to stay and for how long. Hopefully this (somewhat longer than expected) report will aid in your decision making.
Following an early start and some minor issues with traffic on the A1(M) and M25, we arrived at Heathrow with plenty of time to spare. Checking in was handled with typical ease and speed i have come to expect from Virgin. We'd paid a bit extra to have bulkhead seats as neither of us particularly relish being in a typical airline seat for such a long flight. We had done the same thing for our flights to and from New York last year and it was nice to have the extra legroom.
A nice unexpected treat came in the form of my g/f having booked us in to the No.1 Lounge (http://www.no1traveller.com/) so that we could while away the time waiting to board in relative luxury and enjoy some complimentary breakfast. I'd already had breakfast at home and knew there would be a breakfast on the flight, but i thought as i was on my way to the U.S.A it would be a good idea to show my stomach the work i would be putting it through!
Boarding the Virgin Atlantic 747-41R 'Cosmic Girl' we were directed to the upper deck and took our seats on the front just behind the bulkhead separating us hoi polloi from the upper class passengers enjoying their first glass of champagne and comfortable looking duvets and pillows. I'm sure it's much nicer to fly this way, but i certainly can't afford it. Unfortunately, we'd been allocated a midle and an aisle seat which is always a bit of a disappointment. We'd been lucky enough to get a window seat on the flights to and from New York but being the kind and loving gent' that i am, i volunteered this to the g/f. The fact that i spent most of take off and landing leaning all over her is another matter!
I'm sure you're all familiar with the sensation of being in a plane so i'll not go in to any great detail about the flight. It was the longest flight i've been on and i was bored. I was told on the flight home that the 747's out of Heathrow have yet to go under a cabin refit, whereas those flying out of Gatwick all have. The newer cabins have slightly more comfortable seats and a touch screen entertainment system as opposed to the older more clunky removeable controllers in the side of the seats. I did watch Django Unchained though, which was merely alright. On the plus side, it's over 3hrs long.
Arriving in San Francisco, we jumped on the BART to Powell Street on the edge of the Financial District. This cost $8 each for a one way ticket and it took about 30 minutes. We stayed in The Chancellor on Union Square which was a short uphill walk from the train station. The hotel was nice, but the general feel of the place was 'historic'. Union Square is a nice area, good for shopping and there are several tram routes nearby. Whilst in SF we visited Alcatraz and hired a Go-Car for a 2hr GPS guided tour of the main tourist attractions. If the weather is nice, i would really recommend the Go-Car as it was a lot of fun and nice to be able to do a tour at our own pace and without being part of a large group of people. The only crticism i have is that the (audio only) GPS guided tour system in the car is a bit basic and if you stray from the designated route it doesn't tell you that you've done so, it just stops speaking and you're left to your own devices to find your way back.
Leaving SF, we collected our hire car from Alamo at SF airport. The woman on the desk was a miserable as a wet wednesday morning and was completely unresponsive to my request for a Mustang. Fortunately, when we went in to the parking garage the woman there was more than happy to toss me the keys to one of several Mustang convertibles they had parked up at the time. To say i was both relieved and happy at this point is a massive understatement.
The car seemed to be base spec, but only had 1900 miles on the odo and as such was like new. There were no marks, no scuffs, no problems or issues at all. The boot was big enough to comfortably swallow my small-ish suitcase and my g/f's huge suitcase and still left room for our hand luggage and general gubbins. Initially it felt pretty large and cumbersome to drive but as my own car is an MX-5 i suppose that was to be expected. It didn't take long to get used to the car and it soon shrank around me. I'd driven on mainland Europe before so wasn't phased by driving on the right. The standard of driving over there seemed quite good. Other drivers were courteous and i can only assume were well accustomed to convertible mustangs being driven by tourists and know to give them the same patience and room you would to a learner driver. Being able to turn right on a red light is such a simple concept and works so well i don't know why the equivalent left turn can't be adopted here.
We travelled from SF to Monterey for an overnight stop at Hotel Abrego. Really nice hotel with chalet style accomodation. Quite modern and very clean. It had a pool and hot tub but it was a bit too chilly to make the most of.
From Monterey we made our way towards the 'PCH' but made a quick stop in Carmel for breakfast at Katies Place. Well worth looking up if you happen to be in the area. Carmel is a very quaint and rustic little place, where the roads and trees seem to be fighting each other for the same space. It's cliche but it seemed to be a slice of old America. Traditional wooden shop fronts and petrol station forecourts etc.
We made our way down the PCH, stopping briefly at the Bixby Creek Bridge which was pretty fogged over. The next stop was another overnight in Santa Barbara at the Inn By The Harbor. Initially what seemed to be a bit of a rough area actually proved to be really nice, once we'd gotten away from the hotel which seemed to be a 1950's motel placed conveniently next to the freeway. Santa Barbara itself is beatiful, with a huge beach and then State Street with it's bustling restaurants, shops and night life.
From Santa Barbara we travelled to Los Angeles to the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. A nice hotel, but probably just your typical Holiday Inn. I didn't really like L.A too much, and had been told by various people before leaving that i should expect it to be a bit of a pit. The nice bits such as Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills were really nice. I've never seen so many high end European cars just roaming around and never seen such huge palatial houses in one area. The rest of L.A was pretty grubby and certain areas felt a bit unsafe. We visited Universal Studios and planned to visit Disney, but got caught in Friday afternoon traffic on the freeway which is like nothing I've ever experienced. Suffice to say we abandoned our plans to visit Disney. We did Hollywood Blvd and visited the Hollywood sign as close as was reasonably possible without trekking up a mountain for hours. I can't remember the name of the road but it's the one all the guide books will lead you to. Just keep driving until you come to a dirt track with a sign advertising pony trekking. Go past this and park up. You should see a sign pointing you in the direction of where to go to get a good view of the Hollywood sign. It took about 5 minutes to walk up a dusty track and that was it.
My top tip for Universal Studios is to stump up for the 'Front of line' passes. It's a one time ticket to the front of the queue for each ride and i reckon it saved us a good couple of hours of standing in line. We had the whole park done in just over half a day.
Leaving L.A we travelled to San Diego for an overnight at the Hilton Resort and Spa. This was a great location in Mission Bay. The highlights of San Diego were the Gaslamp District for it's lively old world atmosphere and great restaurants and shops, and Belmont Park on Mission Beach for it's wooden rollercoaster and bustling beach. This had a really great, typically Californian feel to it. Very busy, but a really eclectic bunch of people all having a great time.
From San Diego we travelled along some of the best driving roads I've experienced to Palm Springs. We'd decided that a two night stop over at a luxury resort would be a nice way to break up the extensive travelling we'd done so far and it turned out to have been a brilliant idea. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells and for the time we were there must have seen a total of 10 to 12 other guests. It was a huge resort and boasted an area consisting of 8 swimming pools. To feel like we were the only people there only served to heighten the feeling of luxury and relaxation. The weather was absolutely scorching as is the norm for Palm Springs. I think the highest temp we saw on the readout in the car was 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which is around 43 Centigrade. We explored Palm Springs a little and found it to be a really affluent looking area and everyone we met was extremely warm and friendly. I managed to find the giant Marilyn Monroe, which i later found out is being removed soon. I was sad to leave Palm Springs but we had to make our way to...
Las Vegas!
I wasn't too sure what i would make of Vegas, and i suppose arriving there from the extremely tranquil Palm Springs was always going to be a bit of a shocker. We stayed one night at The Venetian and if i'm completely honest, once i'd gotten over the initial impression of seeing the suite the illusion began to fall apart. Various fixtures and fittings were showing their age and the plumbing was extremely noisy.
I'd heard various stories of people being stung by the weighted refrigerator items so i was cautious to stay away from it. However, what i didn't know was that on top of the dresser and in front of the tv was a little selection of sweets and several bottles of water. At the previous hotels we'd been staying in we'd had various complimentary items of food and drink. As such i examined these tempting little treats and discovered something in a plain black tin which simply had a label tied to it saying 'Intimacy Kit'. Being the curious idiot i am, i decided to take a closer look at this item to see what this mystery kit contained. Having picked it up and seeing a price tag of $45 on the under side along with a picture of a vibrating cockring, some lube and such stuff i glanced back at the unit and noticed that i'd picked it up from a subtle black container which had a cable protruding from its rear end. OH BALLS!!! I hastily returned the item to the container and made a call to the front desk to make sure that i wouldn't be charged. Luckily, i managed to get away with it. BE WARNED!
Having settled down for the night, we'd been asleep for a few hours when i was woken with a start. I could hear someone outside the room trying to use a key card to get in. All sorts of thoughts rushed through my semiconcious mind and i jumped out of bed in some sort of amazing ninja leap which was both speedy and subtle enough that didn't wake my g/f. I ran to the door expecting to have to force my bodyweight up against it and peered through the spyhole. I saw what can only be described as one of the most drunk people imaginable. A woman, around 40 years old who was desperately trying to operate the keycard with one hand and keeping herself upright by hanging off the door handle with the other. I watched her for a few minutes until i got tired of the amusing spectacle and decided that going back to sleep would be preferable. I opened the door and said "This isn't your room, go away". The woman staggered back several paces, looked me up and down with a very confused look on her stupid drunken face and said "Yeah, it is." Given that it was 3am and she was too drunk to have any hope of understanding me, i just repeated myself and shut the door in her face! What's least surprising about the whole incident was that she was... British!
We left Vegas the following day and drove to Death Valley where we had an overnight stay at Furnace Creek. The drive in to Death Valley was at around sunset and the views were absolutely spectacular. It has to be seen to be believed. On the way out of Death Valley we visited Rhyolite Ghost Town. There isn't much there but it was worth a visit for a couple of photos. On the drive back to Vegas the roads were so wide, straight and clear sighted that i chance to push the car a bit. It punched up to over a ton with ease and was more composed at speed that it had been cruising where it felt a little wallowy.
Arriving back at Vegas, we dropped off the car and booked in to The Vdara. This hotel is a non-gambling hotel and as such i hoped it would be a bit more grown up and relaxing. Initial impressions weren't great when the girl at check in couldn't figure out my name from my passport and when i confirmed it to her she seemed to doubt who i was. Once i'd corrected her, i had to make sure that the resort fee would not be payable on departure as it had been included in our initial booking. Again, this seemed to complicated for her and she got the hump with us. She then gave us our room key and didn't tell us what floor we were on, where the elevators were, how to get access to the wi-fi, where the pool was... nothing. Once we'd got to the room, i was feeling pretty annoyed about this. Everywhere else we had stayed, the staff had bent over backwards to make sure we were happy. I rang the manager and told him what had happened, and was relieved to hear that he was more akin to the previous hotel staff we'd had dealings with and was sincerely apologetic. To make amends for our distaste at the service we received a lovely bottle of champagne!
Whilst in Vegas we walked what felt like several hundred miles up and down the strip and through the various hotels and casinos. We made a trip to the Stratosphere and took a ride at the top which was really exhilerating. We ate at Serendipity 3 at Caesers Palace a few times and also at The Cheesecake Factory as both offered a good choice of food and were reasonably priced. We didn't gamble much, just a few goes on the slots which we failed miserably at. Getting about seems to be easiest by The Deuce bus, for which you can purchase a 24hr ticket for about $8. The monorail is quicker and less busy but not as direct as the bus.
I think that about sums it up as succintly as possible. I'm sure i could drone on for ages but it would be more boring that this probably already is.
If there is anything anyone would like to know or if i can answer any questions just let me know and i'll do my best.
Here's (hopefully) some photos :
Edited to try and sort the photos!
IMG_0084 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0133 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0143 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0184 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0202 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0211 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0261 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0291 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0313 by Andeh82, on Flickr
In short, it was the best holiday i've ever had!
Just thought i would bump this topic for the benefit of others who have made a similar journey or for those who are going through the tricky planning phase and may be struggling to decide on where to stay and for how long. Hopefully this (somewhat longer than expected) report will aid in your decision making.
Following an early start and some minor issues with traffic on the A1(M) and M25, we arrived at Heathrow with plenty of time to spare. Checking in was handled with typical ease and speed i have come to expect from Virgin. We'd paid a bit extra to have bulkhead seats as neither of us particularly relish being in a typical airline seat for such a long flight. We had done the same thing for our flights to and from New York last year and it was nice to have the extra legroom.
A nice unexpected treat came in the form of my g/f having booked us in to the No.1 Lounge (http://www.no1traveller.com/) so that we could while away the time waiting to board in relative luxury and enjoy some complimentary breakfast. I'd already had breakfast at home and knew there would be a breakfast on the flight, but i thought as i was on my way to the U.S.A it would be a good idea to show my stomach the work i would be putting it through!
Boarding the Virgin Atlantic 747-41R 'Cosmic Girl' we were directed to the upper deck and took our seats on the front just behind the bulkhead separating us hoi polloi from the upper class passengers enjoying their first glass of champagne and comfortable looking duvets and pillows. I'm sure it's much nicer to fly this way, but i certainly can't afford it. Unfortunately, we'd been allocated a midle and an aisle seat which is always a bit of a disappointment. We'd been lucky enough to get a window seat on the flights to and from New York but being the kind and loving gent' that i am, i volunteered this to the g/f. The fact that i spent most of take off and landing leaning all over her is another matter!
I'm sure you're all familiar with the sensation of being in a plane so i'll not go in to any great detail about the flight. It was the longest flight i've been on and i was bored. I was told on the flight home that the 747's out of Heathrow have yet to go under a cabin refit, whereas those flying out of Gatwick all have. The newer cabins have slightly more comfortable seats and a touch screen entertainment system as opposed to the older more clunky removeable controllers in the side of the seats. I did watch Django Unchained though, which was merely alright. On the plus side, it's over 3hrs long.
Arriving in San Francisco, we jumped on the BART to Powell Street on the edge of the Financial District. This cost $8 each for a one way ticket and it took about 30 minutes. We stayed in The Chancellor on Union Square which was a short uphill walk from the train station. The hotel was nice, but the general feel of the place was 'historic'. Union Square is a nice area, good for shopping and there are several tram routes nearby. Whilst in SF we visited Alcatraz and hired a Go-Car for a 2hr GPS guided tour of the main tourist attractions. If the weather is nice, i would really recommend the Go-Car as it was a lot of fun and nice to be able to do a tour at our own pace and without being part of a large group of people. The only crticism i have is that the (audio only) GPS guided tour system in the car is a bit basic and if you stray from the designated route it doesn't tell you that you've done so, it just stops speaking and you're left to your own devices to find your way back.
Leaving SF, we collected our hire car from Alamo at SF airport. The woman on the desk was a miserable as a wet wednesday morning and was completely unresponsive to my request for a Mustang. Fortunately, when we went in to the parking garage the woman there was more than happy to toss me the keys to one of several Mustang convertibles they had parked up at the time. To say i was both relieved and happy at this point is a massive understatement.
The car seemed to be base spec, but only had 1900 miles on the odo and as such was like new. There were no marks, no scuffs, no problems or issues at all. The boot was big enough to comfortably swallow my small-ish suitcase and my g/f's huge suitcase and still left room for our hand luggage and general gubbins. Initially it felt pretty large and cumbersome to drive but as my own car is an MX-5 i suppose that was to be expected. It didn't take long to get used to the car and it soon shrank around me. I'd driven on mainland Europe before so wasn't phased by driving on the right. The standard of driving over there seemed quite good. Other drivers were courteous and i can only assume were well accustomed to convertible mustangs being driven by tourists and know to give them the same patience and room you would to a learner driver. Being able to turn right on a red light is such a simple concept and works so well i don't know why the equivalent left turn can't be adopted here.
We travelled from SF to Monterey for an overnight stop at Hotel Abrego. Really nice hotel with chalet style accomodation. Quite modern and very clean. It had a pool and hot tub but it was a bit too chilly to make the most of.
From Monterey we made our way towards the 'PCH' but made a quick stop in Carmel for breakfast at Katies Place. Well worth looking up if you happen to be in the area. Carmel is a very quaint and rustic little place, where the roads and trees seem to be fighting each other for the same space. It's cliche but it seemed to be a slice of old America. Traditional wooden shop fronts and petrol station forecourts etc.
We made our way down the PCH, stopping briefly at the Bixby Creek Bridge which was pretty fogged over. The next stop was another overnight in Santa Barbara at the Inn By The Harbor. Initially what seemed to be a bit of a rough area actually proved to be really nice, once we'd gotten away from the hotel which seemed to be a 1950's motel placed conveniently next to the freeway. Santa Barbara itself is beatiful, with a huge beach and then State Street with it's bustling restaurants, shops and night life.
From Santa Barbara we travelled to Los Angeles to the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. A nice hotel, but probably just your typical Holiday Inn. I didn't really like L.A too much, and had been told by various people before leaving that i should expect it to be a bit of a pit. The nice bits such as Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills were really nice. I've never seen so many high end European cars just roaming around and never seen such huge palatial houses in one area. The rest of L.A was pretty grubby and certain areas felt a bit unsafe. We visited Universal Studios and planned to visit Disney, but got caught in Friday afternoon traffic on the freeway which is like nothing I've ever experienced. Suffice to say we abandoned our plans to visit Disney. We did Hollywood Blvd and visited the Hollywood sign as close as was reasonably possible without trekking up a mountain for hours. I can't remember the name of the road but it's the one all the guide books will lead you to. Just keep driving until you come to a dirt track with a sign advertising pony trekking. Go past this and park up. You should see a sign pointing you in the direction of where to go to get a good view of the Hollywood sign. It took about 5 minutes to walk up a dusty track and that was it.
My top tip for Universal Studios is to stump up for the 'Front of line' passes. It's a one time ticket to the front of the queue for each ride and i reckon it saved us a good couple of hours of standing in line. We had the whole park done in just over half a day.
Leaving L.A we travelled to San Diego for an overnight at the Hilton Resort and Spa. This was a great location in Mission Bay. The highlights of San Diego were the Gaslamp District for it's lively old world atmosphere and great restaurants and shops, and Belmont Park on Mission Beach for it's wooden rollercoaster and bustling beach. This had a really great, typically Californian feel to it. Very busy, but a really eclectic bunch of people all having a great time.
From San Diego we travelled along some of the best driving roads I've experienced to Palm Springs. We'd decided that a two night stop over at a luxury resort would be a nice way to break up the extensive travelling we'd done so far and it turned out to have been a brilliant idea. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells and for the time we were there must have seen a total of 10 to 12 other guests. It was a huge resort and boasted an area consisting of 8 swimming pools. To feel like we were the only people there only served to heighten the feeling of luxury and relaxation. The weather was absolutely scorching as is the norm for Palm Springs. I think the highest temp we saw on the readout in the car was 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which is around 43 Centigrade. We explored Palm Springs a little and found it to be a really affluent looking area and everyone we met was extremely warm and friendly. I managed to find the giant Marilyn Monroe, which i later found out is being removed soon. I was sad to leave Palm Springs but we had to make our way to...
Las Vegas!
I wasn't too sure what i would make of Vegas, and i suppose arriving there from the extremely tranquil Palm Springs was always going to be a bit of a shocker. We stayed one night at The Venetian and if i'm completely honest, once i'd gotten over the initial impression of seeing the suite the illusion began to fall apart. Various fixtures and fittings were showing their age and the plumbing was extremely noisy.
I'd heard various stories of people being stung by the weighted refrigerator items so i was cautious to stay away from it. However, what i didn't know was that on top of the dresser and in front of the tv was a little selection of sweets and several bottles of water. At the previous hotels we'd been staying in we'd had various complimentary items of food and drink. As such i examined these tempting little treats and discovered something in a plain black tin which simply had a label tied to it saying 'Intimacy Kit'. Being the curious idiot i am, i decided to take a closer look at this item to see what this mystery kit contained. Having picked it up and seeing a price tag of $45 on the under side along with a picture of a vibrating cockring, some lube and such stuff i glanced back at the unit and noticed that i'd picked it up from a subtle black container which had a cable protruding from its rear end. OH BALLS!!! I hastily returned the item to the container and made a call to the front desk to make sure that i wouldn't be charged. Luckily, i managed to get away with it. BE WARNED!
Having settled down for the night, we'd been asleep for a few hours when i was woken with a start. I could hear someone outside the room trying to use a key card to get in. All sorts of thoughts rushed through my semiconcious mind and i jumped out of bed in some sort of amazing ninja leap which was both speedy and subtle enough that didn't wake my g/f. I ran to the door expecting to have to force my bodyweight up against it and peered through the spyhole. I saw what can only be described as one of the most drunk people imaginable. A woman, around 40 years old who was desperately trying to operate the keycard with one hand and keeping herself upright by hanging off the door handle with the other. I watched her for a few minutes until i got tired of the amusing spectacle and decided that going back to sleep would be preferable. I opened the door and said "This isn't your room, go away". The woman staggered back several paces, looked me up and down with a very confused look on her stupid drunken face and said "Yeah, it is." Given that it was 3am and she was too drunk to have any hope of understanding me, i just repeated myself and shut the door in her face! What's least surprising about the whole incident was that she was... British!
We left Vegas the following day and drove to Death Valley where we had an overnight stay at Furnace Creek. The drive in to Death Valley was at around sunset and the views were absolutely spectacular. It has to be seen to be believed. On the way out of Death Valley we visited Rhyolite Ghost Town. There isn't much there but it was worth a visit for a couple of photos. On the drive back to Vegas the roads were so wide, straight and clear sighted that i chance to push the car a bit. It punched up to over a ton with ease and was more composed at speed that it had been cruising where it felt a little wallowy.
Arriving back at Vegas, we dropped off the car and booked in to The Vdara. This hotel is a non-gambling hotel and as such i hoped it would be a bit more grown up and relaxing. Initial impressions weren't great when the girl at check in couldn't figure out my name from my passport and when i confirmed it to her she seemed to doubt who i was. Once i'd corrected her, i had to make sure that the resort fee would not be payable on departure as it had been included in our initial booking. Again, this seemed to complicated for her and she got the hump with us. She then gave us our room key and didn't tell us what floor we were on, where the elevators were, how to get access to the wi-fi, where the pool was... nothing. Once we'd got to the room, i was feeling pretty annoyed about this. Everywhere else we had stayed, the staff had bent over backwards to make sure we were happy. I rang the manager and told him what had happened, and was relieved to hear that he was more akin to the previous hotel staff we'd had dealings with and was sincerely apologetic. To make amends for our distaste at the service we received a lovely bottle of champagne!
Whilst in Vegas we walked what felt like several hundred miles up and down the strip and through the various hotels and casinos. We made a trip to the Stratosphere and took a ride at the top which was really exhilerating. We ate at Serendipity 3 at Caesers Palace a few times and also at The Cheesecake Factory as both offered a good choice of food and were reasonably priced. We didn't gamble much, just a few goes on the slots which we failed miserably at. Getting about seems to be easiest by The Deuce bus, for which you can purchase a 24hr ticket for about $8. The monorail is quicker and less busy but not as direct as the bus.
I think that about sums it up as succintly as possible. I'm sure i could drone on for ages but it would be more boring that this probably already is.
If there is anything anyone would like to know or if i can answer any questions just let me know and i'll do my best.
Here's (hopefully) some photos :
Edited to try and sort the photos!
IMG_0084 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0133 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0143 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0184 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0202 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0211 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0261 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0291 by Andeh82, on Flickr
IMG_0313 by Andeh82, on Flickr
Edited by Andeh on Friday 31st May 23:54
Edited by Andeh on Friday 31st May 23:56
Edited by Andeh on Saturday 1st June 00:02
Edited by Andeh on Saturday 1st June 00:04
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