Honeymoon West Coast US - best driving routes?
Discussion
Need to book our Honeymoon soon, and I've always wanted to go to the West Coast of the US. In the absence of any ideas my fiance has agreed, as long as I do most of the driving. We've got a maximum two weeks, a nice mix of relaxing and sightseeing would be good.
Originally I wanted to fly to Seattle and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, flying back from there. I'm now thinking there will be f
k all to see past Portland until we get to wine country in Northern California, and by flying back from San Francisco we'll miss most of California.
Now thinking we might fly to San Francisco, then head down to San Diego via Los Angeles. That way we can see all the sights, but I'm worried it won't be as relaxing as option 1.
It appears a better selection of cars are available if we start in California, looking to get something very American - a Mustang would be the dream.
On either of the routes, will there be plenty of motel/hotels to stay in? Is there anywhere we *have* to see? I'd quite like to surf in the Pacific at least once, do the proper DisneyLand and hopefully go to a couple of punk gigs.
Has anyone done a similar trip? Any advice on hiring cars, booking places to stay, things to see/do?
Originally I wanted to fly to Seattle and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, flying back from there. I'm now thinking there will be f
k all to see past Portland until we get to wine country in Northern California, and by flying back from San Francisco we'll miss most of California.Now thinking we might fly to San Francisco, then head down to San Diego via Los Angeles. That way we can see all the sights, but I'm worried it won't be as relaxing as option 1.
It appears a better selection of cars are available if we start in California, looking to get something very American - a Mustang would be the dream.
On either of the routes, will there be plenty of motel/hotels to stay in? Is there anywhere we *have* to see? I'd quite like to surf in the Pacific at least once, do the proper DisneyLand and hopefully go to a couple of punk gigs.
Has anyone done a similar trip? Any advice on hiring cars, booking places to stay, things to see/do?
How about 3 nights in SF, 2/3 days to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, 3 nights in LA, 2 days to drive via Death Valley to Las Vegas.
Rental companies are quite open to CA-NV rentals, not so happy about other state mixes. Get a good mix of cities and roads then.
There's plenty of must-do's but Hurst Castle near San Simeon is a must!
Rental companies are quite open to CA-NV rentals, not so happy about other state mixes. Get a good mix of cities and roads then.
There's plenty of must-do's but Hurst Castle near San Simeon is a must!
I found driving relaxing in the states, you can cover huge distances with ease. I did 3000 miles in 2 weeks and it didnt seem to be too much.
3 nights SF
2 nights driving down Hwy 1
2 nights Legas
1 night Grand Canyon
1 night Death Valley
1 night Yosemite
2 nights Lake Tahoe
2 nights Nappa Valley
3 nights back in SF
That was perfect for seeing the sights but I think if you really like a specific area then you need to stay there rather than drive through it. For instance I enjoyed the Grand Canyon so made a point of walking/hiking exploring, where as Death Valley we literally drive through it and that was that.
We got a Mustang (coupe not conv). Ordered a 2dr Intermediate level car and when I arrived was offered a Mustang or a big Buick. Unless you order a convertable in which case they might say it will be a Mustang, you just need to hope there is one free when you collect the car. For our trip this year I put in the special requests that I want a Mustang - they responded saying they would try but could never quote a specific car.
This year we are staying in Vegas of 6 nights to chill out, day trip to Bryce Canjon then driving through Death Valley across to the Pacific Coast, Carmel etc, Nappa Valley and back to SF where we fly out from.
3 nights SF
2 nights driving down Hwy 1
2 nights Legas
1 night Grand Canyon
1 night Death Valley
1 night Yosemite
2 nights Lake Tahoe
2 nights Nappa Valley
3 nights back in SF
That was perfect for seeing the sights but I think if you really like a specific area then you need to stay there rather than drive through it. For instance I enjoyed the Grand Canyon so made a point of walking/hiking exploring, where as Death Valley we literally drive through it and that was that.
We got a Mustang (coupe not conv). Ordered a 2dr Intermediate level car and when I arrived was offered a Mustang or a big Buick. Unless you order a convertable in which case they might say it will be a Mustang, you just need to hope there is one free when you collect the car. For our trip this year I put in the special requests that I want a Mustang - they responded saying they would try but could never quote a specific car.
This year we are staying in Vegas of 6 nights to chill out, day trip to Bryce Canjon then driving through Death Valley across to the Pacific Coast, Carmel etc, Nappa Valley and back to SF where we fly out from.
Hi I went to CA on honeymoon just over a month ago.
We landed in LA picked up the mustang convertible drove to San diego, we booked the hotel in SD for 3 nights no other hotels were booked.
It allowed us to stop wherever we felt like was amazing and very relaxing we liked the freedom to do what we pleased, sat nav is a must though!
Used best western's mainly and th trusty lonley planet guide.
We landed in LA picked up the mustang convertible drove to San diego, we booked the hotel in SD for 3 nights no other hotels were booked.
It allowed us to stop wherever we felt like was amazing and very relaxing we liked the freedom to do what we pleased, sat nav is a must though!
Used best western's mainly and th trusty lonley planet guide.
Cheers for all the replies, I think after reading them, and a similar thread about hiring cars in California we're going to do a triangular route ending back up at the place we flew into - this seems to be easier for flights and hire cars etc.
Thinking of flying out to either San Francisco or Los Angeles (depending on which is cheapest and has best availability of hire cars) then spending two weeks doing a triangle between LA, SF and Las Vegas.
How far is the Grand Canyon from Vegas?
We'll probably spend most of the time in and around San Francisco, heading north into wine country for a while, then down to Berkeley to catch some bands. I have some daft things I want to do, like cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County on a Marin bike, visit Christie Road, the Paint Factory, all the old Green Day haunts. Meet up with a mate who lives in Santa Cruz for a surf, that kind of thing.
I've ordered the Rough Guide, a road atlas of California and another guide about driving the Pacific coast.
What is this castle place? We have castles here. Why should I go to see one which will be at the most 150 years old?
Thinking of flying out to either San Francisco or Los Angeles (depending on which is cheapest and has best availability of hire cars) then spending two weeks doing a triangle between LA, SF and Las Vegas.
How far is the Grand Canyon from Vegas?
We'll probably spend most of the time in and around San Francisco, heading north into wine country for a while, then down to Berkeley to catch some bands. I have some daft things I want to do, like cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County on a Marin bike, visit Christie Road, the Paint Factory, all the old Green Day haunts. Meet up with a mate who lives in Santa Cruz for a surf, that kind of thing.
I've ordered the Rough Guide, a road atlas of California and another guide about driving the Pacific coast.
What is this castle place? We have castles here. Why should I go to see one which will be at the most 150 years old?
I spelt it wrong: http://www.hearstcastle.org/
It's the folly of a very rich Hollywood Mogul. It's basically fake (as a castle), but it is an extravagant home, built in various forms.
Think 1930's MTV cribs
I've heard the drive from LV to the Grand Canyon isn't too exciting (6-7 hours). I'd heartily recommend taking the chopper tour instead. We used Papillon for this. You get to see Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam too.
It's the folly of a very rich Hollywood Mogul. It's basically fake (as a castle), but it is an extravagant home, built in various forms.
Think 1930's MTV cribs
I've heard the drive from LV to the Grand Canyon isn't too exciting (6-7 hours). I'd heartily recommend taking the chopper tour instead. We used Papillon for this. You get to see Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam too.
Edited by Puggit on Monday 11th May 13:12
Fly into and out of SF. When you arrive at LA to fly home there is absolutely nowehere to go and nothing to do. SF airport is light and airy with plenty of places to sit.
We've usually stayed in Fishermans Wharf whilst there but have also stayed at The Clift. A lot of LA is avoidable. Normally stay at Newport Beach instead at The Bay shores (thebestinn.com)
San Diego we stayed at the Bay Club on Shelter Island Drive.
Normandy Inn in Carmel is very nice.
We've usually stayed in Fishermans Wharf whilst there but have also stayed at The Clift. A lot of LA is avoidable. Normally stay at Newport Beach instead at The Bay shores (thebestinn.com)
San Diego we stayed at the Bay Club on Shelter Island Drive.
Normandy Inn in Carmel is very nice.
What is this castle place? We have castles here. Why should I go to see one which will be at the most 150 years old?
[/quote]
Its built on top of a hill with a 5 mile long drive, the views to sea are amazing it cost 6m to build in the 20's it has features you couldnt buy today (even if you had the money) like 400ad italian ceilings, eygyptian statues, an amazing roman style outdoor pool. There are five seperate tours! apparently the dining hall was the inspiration for the dining hall at Hogwarts in Harry Potter, awesome place. We stayed in San simione at the best western with a room overlooking the sea with its own open fire about 100m from the sea was very nice.
The drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim is 275 miles each way. I don't think the helo trips from Vegas get that far. As it looked like the most scenic part of the canyon, we opted to drive there one day, spend the next day looking around and doing a 45 min helo flight around that part of the canyon (absolutely awesome - has to be done), and then driving back to Vegas the following day. We stayed at the El Tovar in Grand Canyon Village. It's worth staying locally as you can get up early to see the sunrise over the canyon.
Driving there isn't too bad as you can stop of at the Hoover Dam en route. Also, if you're not in a massive hurry, you can do sections of the original Route 66.
Driving there isn't too bad as you can stop of at the Hoover Dam en route. Also, if you're not in a massive hurry, you can do sections of the original Route 66.
HereBeMonsters - what were the titles of the books you bought? Planning on doing a very similar trip to you in July/August. We had originally planned to fly to Seattle and head south but we're reassessing that at the moment. It seems that would take a chunk of our time and mean we'd have to spend a lot less time in SF, LV and LA.
With a two week trip, how often do you plan to stay in each destination?
Cheers
Ben
With a two week trip, how often do you plan to stay in each destination?
Cheers
Ben
1 "California Road Atlas (Thomas Guide California Road Atlas & Driver's Guide)"
Spiral-bound; £13.50
Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.
1 "Road Trip USA: Pacific Coast Highway"
Jamie Jensen; Paperback; £4.19
Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.
1 "The Rough Guide to California (Rough Guide Travel Guides)"
Mark Ellwood; Paperback; £9.89
Those ones, and soon a US maps SD card for my TomTom...
Spiral-bound; £13.50
Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.
1 "Road Trip USA: Pacific Coast Highway"
Jamie Jensen; Paperback; £4.19
Sold by: Amazon EU S.a.r.L.
1 "The Rough Guide to California (Rough Guide Travel Guides)"
Mark Ellwood; Paperback; £9.89
Those ones, and soon a US maps SD card for my TomTom...
Right, flights are booked. Two weeks, now need to book hire car (most likely the convertible Mustang from Hertz fun collection) and sort out an itinerary.
Two questions now:
1. Is Disneyland actually any good? It looks a bit run down from what I can see on their website. I went to Disney World in Florida when I was a kid, but wanted to experience the "original". Is Universal Studios better? Any others I should know about?
2. Laguna Seca. Worth visiting on the way back up to San Francisco? Is there a museum there or anything? I notice there is an evening cycle ride around it one day we're nearby. Sounds good to me!
Two questions now:
1. Is Disneyland actually any good? It looks a bit run down from what I can see on their website. I went to Disney World in Florida when I was a kid, but wanted to experience the "original". Is Universal Studios better? Any others I should know about?
2. Laguna Seca. Worth visiting on the way back up to San Francisco? Is there a museum there or anything? I notice there is an evening cycle ride around it one day we're nearby. Sounds good to me!
HereBeMonsters said:
Right, flights are booked. Two weeks, now need to book hire car (most likely the convertible Mustang from Hertz fun collection) and sort out an itinerary.
Done it, booked (and pre-paid) for a convertible Mustang for the two weeks. £700 wasn't too bad I thought, cheapest thing we could have had was a Neon (or similar) for £400. Hardtop Mustang was £580, so well worth it I reckon.Got some travel books through from Amazon, looks like our route is going to involve Yosemite, Death Valley, then back to the coast through LA, back up to San Francisco. I think Universal Studios would be a better bet than Disney, but I definitely want to go to Laguna Seca. Anyone else been?
Anyone got any recommendations for a hotel in Las Vegas. Just looking to stay a couple of nights, very tempted by the Bellagio - $340 for the two nights we want, but I guess on this holiday we're more looking for a Hilton level hotel than something that pricey. No Hilton on the Strip though - any recommendations for similar?
I'm not much use on Vegas hotels, but I recently went to San Diego and San Francisco (with a flight in between), and found the Foder's guide really useful - more detailed than the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fodors-California-Fodor-Tr...
HereBeMonsters said:
Anyone got any recommendations for a hotel in Las Vegas. Just looking to stay a couple of nights, very tempted by the Bellagio - $340 for the two nights we want, but I guess on this holiday we're more looking for a Hilton level hotel than something that pricey. No Hilton on the Strip though - any recommendations for similar?
Cant go to far wrong with Ceasers Palace (not the economy suites), central on the strip too. If you can spare a day, go look at the Hoover Dam then hire a boat on Lake Mead, brilliant fun and not at all busy, at least not the times i've been.Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff