US Trip- Next month 2.5 weeks Pacific West Coast

themacdaddy

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are going to the US next month and still have a lot unplanned.

Doing the West Coast for 2.5 weeks and will be doing a good bit of driving.

What we are thinking is:

Day 1 to 3: Vegas (no car) Flight booked
Day 4: Fly to San Francisco (no car) Flight booked
Day 5 to 6: San Fran (no car)
Day 7: Drive to Lake Tahoe (possibly) and then on to Yosemite (renting a car for the rest of the trip)
Day 9 to 10: Yosemite
Day 11: (Undecided) Drive to Carmel by the Sea
Day 12 to 17: (Undecided)Possibly Santa Barbara, LA (one day)
Day 18 to 20: San Diego
Day 21: Home Flight booked

I am looking for any advice on :
-places to go,
-things you would change or advise me to go to (can't change things like flights booked),
-advice on who to hire a car from, what to look out for, extra insurance needed
-get a sim for a few weeks?
- we have done a good bit of research but loads of things we are not sure of also.

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance.

él statutorio

themacdaddy wrote: »

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are going to the US next month and still have a lot unplanned.

Doing the West Coast for 2.5 weeks and will be doing a good bit of driving.

What we are thinking is:

Day 1 to 3: Vegas (no car) Flight booked
Day 4: Fly to San Francisco (no car) Flight booked
Day 5 to 6: San Fran (no car)
Day 7: Drive to Lake Tahoe (possibly) and then on to Yosemite (renting a car for the rest of the trip)
Day 9 to 10: Yosemite
Day 11: (Undecided) Drive to Carmel by the Sea - Go to Carmel it's beautiful
Day 12 to 17: (Undecided)Possibly Santa Barbara, LA (one day) -SB is beautiful also but can be pricey, Pismo is worth a stop as is San Luis Obispo. I wouldn't do more than a day in LA unless you're going to do Disney or California Adventure (but I think LA is a kip anyway)
Day 18 to 20: San Diego
Day 21: Home Flight booked

I am looking for any advice on :
-places to go,
-things you would change or advise me to go to (can't change things like flights booked),
-advice on who to hire a car from, what to look out for, extra insurance needed Check with your credit card to see if it has car insurance included, some Irish ones do, if not you can check with your own insurer to see if they have a policy. All the big firms are fine, I like Dollar & Enterprise but it doesn't matter really.
-get a sim for a few weeks? - Yes, T-Mobile or AT&T, I find T-Mobile cheapest, make sure your phone is unlocked before you go
- we have done a good bit of research but loads of things we are not sure of also.

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance.

Some thoughts above.

Hurrache

I'm going to go against the grain and say spend more than 1 day in LA, I actually like it. You can spend a day around Venice or Santa Monica, and use it as a launch pad if you're interested in amusement parks, Universal Studios is great, as too is 6 Flags which is not too far a drive away. Disney would be near the bottom of my list for parks to visit.

tricky D

Get some whale watching in around the Monterrey/Carmel/Santa Cruz area. Well worth it.

Heli tour over the Grand Canyon is pricey but well well worth it. Prices from around $250pp.

All the best and good value stuff Yosemite gets booked up well in advance so accommodation will likely be very expensive or you'll have to position outside the park. I only managed to get a day's drive through Yosemite, but next time the plan will be to stay at least 3 nights as the place is just spectacular. I would suggest giving more time to Yosemite and/or Lake Tahoe which is probably as good as Yosemite.

LA, most though not all, find it disappointing. I would move a few more days to SF from SB/LA.

Book as much as possible in advance: Alcatraz, Hearst Castle...

I would recommend keeping most of your driving to day light for safety and scenery. Another is to load up your Offline maps for Satnaving.

I fit was me with those flights booked, I would do
3 nights Vegas then drive thru Death Valley dropping the booked flight
1 night between DV and Lake Tahoe or Yosemite
4 nights in LT
4 nights in Yosemite
4 nights in SF
1 night on PCH - Big Sur/SLO/Pismo/San Simeon
2 nights in SB
1 night in LA
1 night San Diego though maybe up to 3 if you knock a day off one or two 4 nighters above.

Check out the search function here and also in the Travel forum. There is shedloads of info.

Fathom

Consider wine tasting in Napa valley?

Savage_Henry

Let me know if youre into:
Nature
Hiking
Amusment parks

The Nal

I think you my be trying to do too much. I did a three weeker there last yer.

San Fran, Sonoma and then down 101 to San Diego via Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Pismo, Santa Barbara, LA, Dana Point, huntington Beach, Temecula, San Diego.

I think trying to get in Tahoe, Yosemite and Vegas isn't really a runner. Way too much time in the car.

I only did two days in LA and wish I did a week. Loved it.

Fathom

The Nal wrote: »

San Fran, Sonoma and then down 101 to San Diego via Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Pismo, Santa Barbara, LA, Dana Point, huntington Beach, Temecula, San Diego.

Route 1 between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Morro Bay is cool. But takes time with twists, turns, and awesome views. 144.7 miles. Go by day, not night.

The Nal

Fathom wrote: »

Route 1 between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Morro Bay is cool. But takes time with twists, turns, and awesome views. 144.7 miles. Go by day, not night.

Yeah took way longer than I thought but stopped for lunch in Nepenthe to take in the views!

Fathom

The Nal wrote: »

Yeah took way longer than I thought but stopped for lunch in Nepenthe to take in the views!

Awesome views!

themacdaddy

Thanks very much everyone, 1 week to go, some of it booked, parts still to book as we travel down the coast etc. Really appreciate everyones contribution to date.

madds

Stumbled across this thread 2 weeks ago & have to thank all the contributors for helping me to plan my family's trip to Cali next August. We're 2 families, 4 adults, 6 children ranging between 9 and 15. Here's how it's lining up:

San Fran - 4 days
Lake Tahoe - 3 days
Yosemite - 2 days
Monterrey - 1 day
Santa Barbara - 1 day
LA - 5 days (Disney, Star WarsLand, Universal)

Starting to book accommodation now. Cannot wait.

Enjoy your trip themacdaddy!

keano25

The Nal wrote: »

I think you my be trying to do too much. I did a three weeker there last yer.

San Fran, Sonoma and then down 101 to San Diego via Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Pismo, Santa Barbara, LA, Dana Point, huntington Beach, Temecula, San Diego.

I think trying to get in Tahoe, Yosemite and Vegas isn't really a runner. Way too much time in the car.

I only did two days in LA and wish I did a week. Loved it.

My thoughts exactly on Tahoe and Yosemite.. was just too far out.

We did San Francisco all the way down the 1 and onto San Diego, absolutely brilliant we loved it. Drove to Vegas then to finish it off all over two weeks. You'll love it enjoy.

keano25

madds wrote: »

Stumbled across this thread 2 weeks ago & have to thank all the contributors for helping me to plan my family's trip to Cali next August. We're 2 families, 4 adults, 6 children ranging between 9 and 15. Here's how it's lining up:

San Fran - 4 days
Lake Tahoe - 3 days
Yosemite - 2 days
Monterrey - 1 day
Santa Barbara - 1 day
LA - 5 days (Disney, Star WarsLand, Universal)

Starting to book accommodation now. Cannot wait.

Enjoy your trip themacdaddy!

Monterey and Santa Barbara are beautiful

él statutorio

keano25 wrote: »

Monterey and Santa Barbara are beautiful

I do like Monterey, just as well I like Santa Barbara as I live there!

Third_Echelon

Day 1 to 3: Vegas (no car) Flight booked
Day 4: Fly to San Francisco (no car) Flight booked
Day 5 to 6: San Fran (no car)

>>> Great first week!

Day 7: Drive to Lake Tahoe (possibly) and then on to Yosemite (renting a car for the rest of the trip)

>>> It can still be quite wintery in Lake Tahoe in March and snow is expected. Make sure that you rent an AWD or 4WD for this portion as rental companies do not allow you to use snow chains. The drive from SF to Tahoe is beautiful once you get past Sacramento, but in bad weather the road can be quite congested and slow as a lot of weekend skiers from the Bay Area head up there. Google Maps will say 3 and half to 4 hours, but if the weather gets bad, you could double that. In certain areas they close the road and only AWD/4WD or cars with snow chains can pass until the road is cleared of snow. Just something to be aware of.

I'm heading up there for the last week of March (I live in Bay Area) and I'm dreading the drive up to be honest! Traffic!!!! :eek:


Day 9 to 10: Yosemite
Day 11: (Undecided) Drive to Carmel by the Sea

>>>> Carmel and Monterrey are lovely! Spend a few days here if you can. Lovely beaches.

Day 12 to 17: (Undecided)Possibly Santa Barbara, LA (one day)

>>>> I would personally tag on more days for San Diego if possible... A beautiful city with lots to do. Beaches, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo...

Day 18 to 20: San Diego
Day 21: Home Flight booked

keano25

él statutorio wrote: »

I do like Monterey, just as well I like Santa Barbara as I live there!

Lucky you, it's a lovely place feels like only yesterday we were strolling down State Street!

Jimbob1977

If you are in the Nevada and California area, I would suggest Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Park.

The Pacific Coast Highway is great also. Places like Santa Cruz, Bodega Bay, Half Moon Bay, etc.

In San Francisco, consider renting a bike at Fisherman's Wharf and cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge into hilly Sausilito. A ferry can take you back to Fisherman's Wharf.

él statutorio

keano25 wrote: »

Lucky you, it's a lovely place feels like only yesterday we were strolling down State Street!

It's a lovely place, very much has a small town feel to it.

The downside is that all that small town feel has a price to it. Housing is horrendously expensive here. That said, I don't see myself leaving here.

keano25

él statutorio wrote: »

It's a lovely place, very much has a small town feel to it.

The downside is that all that small town feel has a price to it. Housing is horrendously expensive here. That said, I don't see myself leaving here.

What brought you out there if you don't mind me asking? Herself says if we win the lotto were moving there lol

The Nal

keano25 wrote: »

What brought you out there if you don't mind me asking? Herself says if we win the lotto were moving there lol

We were sitting in the Lama Dog brewery down in the "funk zone" after a walk on the beach and my missus said the same thing!

él statutorio

The wife was born and raised here.

She did about 9 years in Ireland with me and we decided to give it a go here while the kids were small. Here since 2014, just bought a house and don't see us going back to Ireland permanently any time soon.

themacdaddy

Hi all, just an update on our progress and a further question.

Having a great time and blessed with good weather so far. Did Vegas, San Fran, Yosemite, Monterey, and currently on our second day in Carmel by the Sea (which is stunning). Very happy with what and how much we got to see in all areas so far. Cycled & walked our legs off and really feel we got value in each place so far. Going to the Big Sur tomorrow and staying for one night before driving down to Santa Barbara. We are going to San Diego on Monday for 3 nights and then home.

Question: We essentially have 3 nights to play with (albeit one, at least planned for Santa Barbara and possibly two for L.A). however we are very torn on what to do. There is a one day tour we could do in L.A which would cover a lot of areas so maybe that could work? L.A seems massive and hard to get around from what I am reading, guess I am looking for advice on what you would do or suggest with the time we have?

Thanks again for all the comments to date.

Seems a pity not to spend some time in LA when you are there. We did 2 days there, got the old hop on hop off bus tour one day & did Universal Studios the next. I was sorry I didn't spend another day just to look around a bit more.

The Nal

Go to LA. See if theres a gig on in the Whisky-a-go-go or the Roxy and go into the Rainbow. Have a walk around Hollywood Blvd, Chinese Theatre etc. Drive up Mulholland to the Hollywood Bowl.

If you're looking for things to do during the day in San Diego, surfing at La Jolla is an option. Maybe a day trip out to Temecula too and Stone Brewing in Escondido (30 mins out from SD) is a cracking place to go for lunch.

Fathom

The Nal wrote: »

Go to LA. See if theres a gig on in the Whisky-a-go-go or the Roxy and go into the Rainbow. Have a walk around Hollywood Blvd, Chinese Theatre etc. Drive up Mulholland to the Hollywood Bowl.

Chateau Marmont's Bar Marmont to see stars.