Hotel Accomodation San Francisco - Los Angeles

dingding

I will be traveling between SF and LA over a few days next summer. Just wondering should I book the holels beforehand or just book hotels as I go, also which would be cheaper. Also any suggestions for car hire for 3 weeks picking up SF and returing to Las Vegas.

Thanks

daveg

We stayed at the Sheraton Universal a few weeks ago. Nothing but good things to say about it tbh. Ideally located for Universal Studio's and City walk. Nice clean comfortable hotel which we found to be very good value. We booked through trailfinders.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=83

We booked car hire through Alamo as it was the only one we could find that rented GPS as well (albeit it was a bastardised GPS setup but it worked fine). Unless you know L.A. GPS is a MUST HAVE. We didn't get lost once. Even headed out to a cinema one night and went straight from hotel to cinema (about 20 miles away) without one wrong turn. Try doing that with a map.

Another option for GPS is to hire the unit at home before you go.

L.A. is one hell of a cool place. We loved it. Highlights were shopping (outlet mall North L.A.), famers market, Santa Monica & the peir, Venice beach, tour of hollywood/movie stars homes, long beach.

Ro-76

I did that same journey with my GF 2 years ago, except the Las Vegas leg. In SF, we stayed in the Marriott Courtyard in SF. Very central and not too expensive. We did notice that there was a big variation in prices down the coast. Monterrey is very expensive - stayed in a fairly average motel for a lot of cash there - wouldn't recommend it. In fact if you have a car, you could stay in Santa Cruz nearby which would be a bit less expensive I suspect, and probably a bit more lively. We stayed in a very nice place in Santa Barbara - the Santa Barbara Inn, I would recommend it. It's right on the beach, with a reasonably good restaurant. There's a great seafood/crab restaurant and Bar on the pier in Santa Barbara - you should definitely go. LA is a bit of a disaster for tourists. The worst traffic I have ever experienced. It took us 3 hours to travel 60 miles on an 8-10 lane freeway one afternoon. It'll make you miss the M50! The other issue is that it's so big, that it's hard to decide where to stay. We stayed a night in Santa Monica, which is nice, and near the sea. We then stayed on Sunset Boulevard in a really cool hotel that my cousin, who lives there, recommended. It was the Argyle. Part of The Italian Job was filmed there. We got a good rate just by telling them that we were from Ireland, and wanted to stay there becauase we heard about the movie! We even got a tripple upgrade to a suite on thw 14th floor with Black marble jaccuzzi etc - the highlight of all the hotels.

When in LA, I would recommend the Getty Centre. I'm not big on museums or art galleries, but it is excellent, even from the point of view of the architecture and engineering used in the construction. They even do an architecture tour if you're interested. You do need to book tickets in advance, though.

We booked our carhire through http://www.fastcarhire.co.uk/ . It sounds a bit dodgy, and they have no phone number on the site, but they were a lot cheaper than anyone else, and worked out very well. We even were able to change the collection dates a few days before we travelled, with no penalties. I would recommend pre-booking, and make sure that the rate is all-inclusive, so that you don't get to the car rental desk and find that you have to pay about 5 extra taxes and surcharges. We rented a Chrysler Sebring Convertible. It was alright, but last summer in the States we rented a Mustang Convertible - much nicer, and still the same class of vehicle. I think Hertz are the only ones with the Mustang - they're owned by Ford.

What time of the year are you going?

Ro

stevemc39

Thanks for the info. Ro. Will check out website.
I'll be in SF in July, hoping to hire a 4x4 and head east up to Tahoe and Josemite, back into AF via San Joaquim valley. Any suggestions for good digs along this route/and/or the best place to pick up a motor in SF to get out of town easily?
Cheers.

6ix

I've stayed at the Handlery on Union Square in SF, was smack bang in the centre of the city. Nice hotel.

In LA I stayed in Santa Monica, the Huntley Hotel. This was a gift, so I'm not sure of the cost, but was a really nice hotel, near the beach. As there's no real 'city centre' in LA, its hard to know where to say, but Hollywood/Beverly Hills aren't far from Santa Monica by bus (public transport is a good 'cultural experience') and you've got the beach near you for when you dont want to travel around the city.

La is absolutely huge - LA county is 88 cities which just form a huge agglomeration that we know as Los Angeles -- so be prepared for travelling around it.

SF is a more manageable size, but the weather's not as warm.

Ro-76

stevemc39 wrote:

Thanks for the info. Ro. Will check out website.
I'll be in SF in July, hoping to hire a 4x4 and head east up to Tahoe and Josemite, back into AF via San Joaquim valley. Any suggestions for good digs along this route/and/or the best place to pick up a motor in SF to get out of town easily?
Cheers.

I was travellingsouth, so picked up the car at SFO. No point having it in the city. I have been to Tahoe, but accomodation was arranged by relatives, and it was 10 years ago. IMO you really don't need a 4X4, even for Yosemite or Tahoe. It will cost you a premium, and is not as easy to drive, or drive fast. If you need the space with kids etc, then worthwhile, but otherwise I would recommend spending the money on a convertible instead. Driving down Highway 1 with the top down is unbeatable.

I would echo the coldness of SF. Mark Twain is quoted as saying

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

When the fog comes in, it gets very cold.

dingding

Ro-76 wrote:

What time of the year are you going?

Ro

End of june, and the first couple of weeks in July.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice so far.

idontknowmyname

I did that trip about 3 months ago, we picked our car up from Enterprise Rent A Car in Anaheim, then we drive to San Fran, stayed a few nights, straight to Vegas, then back to LA for a few nights. Stayed in the Days Inn on Santa Monica Boulevard, pretty okay if you're on a budget, we dropped the car off at the Enterprise down the road.

peeps78

i stayed in the farmers daughter in LA 2 months ago. its an old motel (parking)thats has been given a funky renovation, has a pool (but no one swam in it when i was there). its opposite the farmers market (where james dean had his last breakfast before crashing) which has lots of diff food stands so if ur v tired from travelling u can just pop across the road and grab something to eat. its near to beverlly hills so as LA areas go its a decent one.
www.farmersdaughterhotel.com
i found www.hotels.com or www.tripadvisor.com a good way of finding hotels. more often u will get a cheaper deal there (or a similar site) than from the hotel itself.
if u want to go to alcatraz when ur in SF u should book ur ticket before hand http://www.blueandgoldfleet.com/ as in summer theyr booked out weeks in advance. it is well worth the viset.

Alejandro

I live near San Francisco. Why go to LA? Many of us in Northern California don't think much of LA. Having said that, I've made the trip many times. Usually we head down I-5 because it is the fastest route, but there isn't anything much to see along the way. The coast (Hwy 1) can be fun, but it is a long way. Should allow a few days to do it. I don't like to spend a lot of money when on road trips, so I usually stay at Motel 6 or similar chain motels. Cheap, but clean. Never been disappointed with the value.

There is a cheap car rental near the San Francisco airport, but I can't remember the name. I'm in Dublin now, so I'll need to check it out when I get back home. I was just tellin someone that the weather here in Dublin now is not a lot different than the weather in San Francisco in the Summer. Maybe it's a shade cooler here now, but when the wind blows off the ocean in San Francisco in the Summer, it feels the same. You can tell the tourists in San Francisco because they are wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts while the locals always carry a jacket. It is wierd, but parts of San Francisco can be 30 degrees F warmer than other parts at the same time. Depends where the sun shines and the wind blows. Still prefer it to LA. Just a short 1/2 hour drive from the City and it can be HOT. I'll leave work with the air conditioner on in my car (100 degrees F) and get home were it is 60 degrees and foggy.

I always make reservations ahead of time. Especially if you want to get value for your money. I hate hunting for a motel when I'm tired from driving all day. Tahoe and Yosemite can get very crowded in the summer. Las Vegas can get very hot. You must have air conditioning for your car. I would avoid a 4x4. I know gas is cheaper there, but it really adds up when you have a gas eating SUV.

Happy to answer any questions if you have them.

Well, it looks like it just started to snow here in Dublin. Hasn't done that in San Francisco for about 20 years.

Zaph

As mentioned previously, Monterey is pretty expensive to stay in, but we did happen to come across the colton Inn, which was really nice and great value, as well as being in a decent location. Here's a link http://www.coltoninn.com/

In San Francisco, try the Commodore Hotel, which is also very well located and great value. Here's a link for it http://www.jdvhospitality.com/hotels/hotel/4

Salmon

Sorry Dinding, I'm gonna hi-jack yer thread for a sec, but it might benefit both of us. I am going to be in Sanfrancisco and LA next week. Problem is I only have about 6 hours in each (working the rest of the time). So I have a question for anyone who has been to these two locations, what three (or four) things would you do if you had 6 hours in each city!

Thanks in advance for your advice!!!!!!!

6ix

SF -- If you haven't been before, Alcatraz?

LA -- Universal Studios/Disney if that's your thing? It's good fun.

Not sure where else, in good weather Santa Monica/Venice beach would be a great place to chill. Hollywood BLV, the stars, Kodak Theatre etc, are pretty boring.

dingding

Bump !!!

jackofalltrades

I stayed in both LA and SF. I would recommend booking well in advance as you usually get a better deal. When I was in LA I stayed in the Radisson LAX for 2 nights, good hotel, cheap prices and a stones throw away from the airport.

In San Fran I was staying in the Green tortoise hostel
http://www.greentortoise.com/san-francisco-hostel/index.php

Nice place, loads of other travellers to talk too and quite cheap.

If your gonna rent a car, make sure u get one with satellite navagation, its a lot easier than trying to figure out the crazy 10 lane freeways.

If you want to see LA, I'd recommend seeing it from the sky and get a helicopter tour, you really get a sense of how massive the place is.

peeps78

the green tortoise is good but keep in mind that during the summer SF is gonna be full to the brim with J1 students who mostly stay in hostels till they get an apartment. ur better off with a cheap hotel.