To tag onto what Rick suggested for Flagstaff: Hubby and I have overnighted there a few times. Sleep Inn is a pretty good place, for instance, but I wouldn't recommend the Travelodge. It's just way too old and run down.
Donna
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To tag onto what Rick suggested for Flagstaff: Hubby and I have overnighted there a few times. Sleep Inn is a pretty good place, for instance, but I wouldn't recommend the Travelodge. It's just way too old and run down.
Donna
Thank you all for the feedback, I'm gonna regroup and try to close this itinerary.
I'll get back to you on that.
Cheers!
Wow, that goes on the top of my want-to-stay-at-list, what a cool view from there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Quinn
Mark
Notwithstanding, AZ Buck's excellent advice, for the rest of the journey, I am going to jump back in here for a moment. Bakersfield or Tehachapi are far better options for overnight lodging than Barstow these days. I wouldn't recommend any of the lodging choices in Barstow at this point.Quote:
Originally Posted by AZBuck
And for the time intervals, I still think you have a time to go to Death Valley on your east east.
Alternatively, instead of staying in Barstow, if you are determined to travel on I-15 -- I do have a suggestion that won't easily find on your own.
Stay on I-15 and go north on CA-Hwy 127 at Baker, California and stay at the Shoshone Inn in Shoshone, California. From the outside, you'll wonder why---but the owners have fixed up this old roadside motel into something special.
And directly across the street is the Shoshone Museum.
The Crowbar restaurant is across the street -- nice, friendly, western town.
and just down the street to the north is the Shoshone Pupfish Habitat.
Mark
Hi all, first off I want to thank you for the great advices and apologize for having so many questions.
I realized that the strech between Yosemite NP and Flagstaff (so I can make the trip to the Grand Canyon the next day), must be done in 3 days, rather than 2.
For it to be done in 2 days, I would have to drive a lot each day and we want to enjoy a bit of the road and to stop at one or two village/cities. Not just drive and drive. Although it's fun.
So, this itinerary has one more day before GC, and one less day after GC.
Thank you in advance!
19th April / Day #1
Leave Yosemite / Sleep in Tehachapi | Average 4h away
20th April / Day #2
Leave Tehachapi, heading to Las Vegas / Sleep in ? | Average 4h away
If possible, make a side trip to Meteor (Berringer) Crater.
Question: City to stay in. Las Vegas? Henderson?
21th April / Day #3
Leaving ? / Sleep in Flagstaff | Average 4h15m away
22th April / Day #4
Leaving Flagstaff, heading to Grand Canyon / Sleep in Sedona | Average 4h30m away
23th April / Day #5
Leaving Sedona, heading to Verde Valley and Jerome / Sleep in Wickenburg | Average 2h45m away
Question: In order to reduce the travelling time for the next day, I could drive a bit more this day instead of sleeping in Wickenburg, but where should I stay the night?
24th April / Day #6
Leaving Wickenburg or ? / Sleep in Palm Springs | Average 4h away
Last, any advices on renting a car? We want to pick it up in SF and leave it in LA.
I have to ask, what's your reasoning for that, Mark?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
Obviously, you go through there far more often than I do, and it's been many years since I stayed in Barstow, but Barstow has a huge number of hotels to pick from. There's everything from the old Route 66 motels to several Marriot run chains. Pretty much any hotel brand you'll find in Tehachapi you can find in Barstow.
If you want to go through Vegas, I think that's a wise move. At that point, spending the night in Vegas would make the most sense. If you're spending the previous night in Tehachapi, then going through Death Valley really wouldn't even be too much of a detour.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie
Another option to consider here would be to stay in Williams instead of Flagstaff. It's a bit shorter drive to get there, and it's also actually a bit closer to the Grand Canyon.Quote:
21th April / Day #3
Leaving ? / Sleep in Flagstaff | Average 4h15m away
Actually, factoring in your timeline and plan to get back down to Sedona on the same day you visit the Canyon, I'd look at just spending the night at the Grand Canyon itself - if not right within the national park, in the Village just south of the park entrance. It will cost more than spending the night in Williams or Flagstaff, but it will save you at least an hour of driving, and if you head into the park early, it could also potentially save some time waiting to get into the park itself.
Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon back to Sedona certainly can be done, but there's a lot to see at the Grand Canyon and that really could make for a long day. Based on your other plans, I think you might feel rushed.
I don't find a huge difference between the major companies - and there's really only about 4 main companies that each own several different brands - so I primarily focus on price. Signing up for the loyalty program of whichever company you do rent from should make the pickup process faster and could get you better options what model you can take off the lot.Quote:
Last, any advices on renting a car? We want to pick it up in SF and leave it in LA.
Ah I had forgotten about the new hotels built in the last couple of years:Quote:
Originally Posted by Midwest Michael
Home2 Suites by Hilton and Fairfield Inn by Marriott
The Route 66-type motels provide superb photographic subjects--but there isn't one that I would recommend. And even the IHG member establishments (like Holiday Inn Express) are not up to the standards I support.
Mark
Hertz - Avis - Enterprise - Dollar - Alamo - Budget - Sixt - Payless - Fox - others
There are roughly ten major car rental companies in the U.S. They range from full-service to somewhat cheaper renters that save money by operating older fleets of cars and having their lots off the main airport (with shuttle service). I've rented from most of them and have never had a problem with any of them.
All of those I've listed operate at both San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX) airports, so one-way rentals are possible, However, be prepared for a substantial one-way drop off fee to be added to your bill.
With so many competitors and so many variables, including travel dates as well as the date you book on, prices are in constant flux so we can't give you an absolute "Use company X" answer. Just keep an eye on prices, check on several companies for a week or so to get a feel for the price range. If you see a good deal and it has free cancellation, grab it but keep watching for an even better price.
AZBuck
You could also check out car rental agents, who sometimes offer better deals than the actual rental company. We have done well with Rentalcars.com in the past.
There are so many lodging options available in Las Vegas, anyone with any budget can find something. I could give specific recommendations if I knew your preferred budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie
But WRT to Henderson versus Las Vegas -- it all depends. Most of the hotels in "Las Vegas" are not in the city of Las Vegas. For instance the only Strip hotel that is in Las Vegas is the Strat. All of the famous hotels are in unincorporated Clark County.
Off-strip properties have some great deals. So, what is your budget range?
Mark
Hi Mark, at booking.com I always search for a score of 8 or more and take in consideration the location, breakfast and the score of the place.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
The bookings I've made are between 120 € and 225 € a night for two persons.
I'm not there yet in this stretch of the trip, first I want to close the itinerary and the cities where we're going to sleep. That's why I'm asking if we should stay near Vegas, Henderson or another town.
Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, are essentially seamless to the average visitor. It's all one geographic city location. There are about 3.2 million residents here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Cookie
Given that range, i would recommend the Southpoint Hotel -- cost is about 106 €. in mid-April. The rooms are very nice, great location. It's off the Strip, but lovely.
Closer to the Strip, but still off -- my recommendation is The Tuscany Hotel -- About the same, maybe a tad more expensive
On the Strip, I have many favorites. But perhaps the best deal would the Paris Hotel. Rates are always better midweek.
There are nice places in Henderson, but I don't see the attraction.
Mark
Hmm, in their entertainment they have a Sinatra experience, but not a Jerry Lewis experience? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
Billy, the Southpoint is very "old school" in its approach. Check out the showroom in this photo!Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyGr
Quite often there are performances from groups that got their start in the 1960's!
It is also the home of an inside equestrian center which is busy with events throughout the year.
Mark
That was, of course, a joke being that Jerry held the last few years of his telethon from that hotel (before he left MDA and then they cut back and discontinued the event).Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
I never knew that. So, learned something new today.Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyGr
Mark
I'd focus on either the Arizona/Nevada route (Jerome, maybe a quick Vegas drive-by) or a more California-centric route, skipping Vegas entirely. If you choose the Arizona route, you'll likely need to sacrifice Benton Hot Springs to make the timing work. Four days is just not enough for everything you've listed. Prioritize! Maybe choose between Jerome and Benton Hot Springs, or even skip both to have more time in other places.