West Coast Road Trip

Hello All,

I have been reading multiple topics here and i feel a bit guilty to open a new one about something similar. However i couldnt completely find the answers I needed, and i am sure that they are here :).

We are a young Belgian couple that are planning a 3 week road trip through the West-Coast. We will fly out from Brussels on 14/sept, and we'll have to fly back on the 4th of october. This means we have about 20 days (flights excluded). About three years ago we visited Las Vegas on a 8 day trip, and there is where we got bitten to go back whenever we can, but now we just want to see alot more :).

Basicly i feel like organising my trip around LA, SF & LV. I am searching for some advice in what order we should do it. I still have to book my flights, so we can still choose. So far i have been thinking to start in LA, drive the 101 to SF, and end in Las Vegas. We realy like to stop our trip in LasVegas, as this is a place "we know" and where we would like to finnish this amazing trip. However, by reading this forum, i understood it is a bit of a waste to have a hiered car in San Francisco. What would you suggest if you would like to combine these 3 city's in the trip, and if you prefer to end in Las Vegas?

So far, this how it looks like:

4 days LA (flight day included)
4 day trip to SF
4 day SF
- Trip SF => LV: not sure yet (about 6 days left), has to include [Yosemite,Dead Valley] - Is Monument Valley a must? Bryce?
4/5 days Vegas (flight day included)

When we visited Las Vegas we did a one day trip to the Grand Canyon. I was told this was the less crowded side (south side?). We drove there and we saw an amazing sunset. We are not sure if we should visit the other side aswell. What do you recommend?
We do love beautiful scenery and pure nature, but i have to admit that we quickly have the idea "we'v seen it". I don't mean this contemptuous at all, i just don't realy now how to explain it better. We do not intend to spend 2 or 3 days in one National Parc, unless it is that breaththaking :).

We hope to avoid long driving-times so we can enjoy each day to the maximum.

All sugestions are more then welcome, and i thank you in advance! I'll buy you a Belgian beer if i run into one of you experts during the trip ;-).


Kind Regards,

Dimi

The north rim of the Grand Canyon is far more remote than the south rim. Therefore it's less crowded and a bit more "primitive". I'm not sure whether you will have access issues in September or not -- it will depend on the weather -- as the road to the North Rim can be shut down early on. Someone else here will be better equipped to answer that question.

Yosemite is gorgeous and so is Bryce. The two parks are so different. Have you been to Zion? That is another park within a day drive of Las Vegas.


Donna

Bienvenue sur les forums de RoadTrip Amérique. Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
(Sorry, my Flemish is non-existent.)

Yes, your general itinerary is one of the most heavily discussed on these forums, so if you haven't read them yet, check out this collection of some previous planning sessions. But it's also true that everyone's concerns are at least a bit unique, so let's answer some of your specific concerns and questions.

Three weeks should give you plenty of time to enjoy both cities and parks as well as the drives between them. None of you major points is more than a day's drive from one another, although San Francisco to Las Vegas is probably more than you'd like to do in one session. Fortunately, there are great places to see in between to break up that leg including Death Valley and Yosemite National Parks.

The time of year you've chosen is almost ideal, as the heat (and the tourists) of summer will be but a memory and even the deserts and major attractions will be quite enjoyable. Another frequent suggestion you'll see here is that you do a loop trip, flying into and out of the same city and then driving to/through all your destinations and finishing up back in your arrival city. The advantage to this is that generally round-trip flights to/from a single city are cheaper, as is the car rental. If you make San Francisco your gateway city, then you can save a bit more money by not renting the car until you are ready to leave that city, as you won't need one there.

As to specific things to see. I'm not sure where you saw the Grand Canyon. The 'less crowded' side would be the North Rim, but that's difficult to get to as a day trip out of Las Vegas. Typical day trip excursions by plane or helicopter go to the West Rim which is actually on an Indian reservation closer to Las Vegas and not in the national park proper. The best views of the Canyon are from the several rim overlooks along the 25 mile long Rim Drive which follows the South Rim east from Grand Canyon Village.

One other loop you might want to consider would be out of Las Vegas, over Hoover Dam, to the South Rim, then northeast to Monument Valley (a Navajo Nation tribal park, and worth the drive) then back west using AZ-98 to cut to US-89 up to Bryce Canyon and then UT-9 over to Zion and then back down to Las Vegas. Done over three to four days, such a loop would let you see some of the best of the Southwest without either driving too hard or spending too much time at any one park.

AZBuck

I would do a "loop" trip starting and ending in Las Vegas. This would avoid a "one way" dropoff charge on your rental car and possibly wind up cheaper for your international airfares. Go from LV through Death Valley, then over Tioga Pass into Yosemite. From there, go to SF, then south along the coast to LA. Go from there direct to the Grand Canyon, then through any other areas you want to see before terminating in LV. Driving the coast from north to south will keep the scenic turnouts on your side of the road, avoiding crossing traffic to get in and out.

Thank you all for the feedback

So basicly your main reason to do a loop trip is that it should be cheaper? Our tickets only differ €10,00 pp, but i do not know what the fee in the rental company will be, thank you for informing there is one :).
Basicly i wasn't planning on a loop so far cus i was not convinced the drive between LA & LasVegas was worth the time. Since you suggest to go straight from LA to the Grand Canyon, i assume my assumption was correct? Or do i get it wrong?

About the Grand Canyon: We saw it on a one day trip from Vegas, including Hoover Dam and a lil town (Boulder?), kinda looked like Cars^^. U think we should visit it again somewhere else, or should we spend the time on something else? Maybe better to take Bryce or Zion instead :o.

Your suggestion to drive from north to south sounds like a good idea though :P

I'll work a bit on my map tomorrow evening and i'll post it here. If you could all could give some feedback on that, that would be amazing.
Any comments on the Whale Watching from Monterey? It's on the top of my gf's list :P, i already talked her out of SeaWorld, so i am hoping this is a much better alternative :D


thank you very much!

Regards,

The Grand canyon NP is a scenic wonder of the world and it would seem that you went to the west rim on Indian lands, which is the common destination for day trips out of Vegas. You have the south rim and north rim areas in the National Park, both offering wonderful views of the canyon, the north is less visited and the south is more geared towards tourists, although during Sept/October it won't be difficult to find quiet spots.

You have a nice amount of time for your trip, but it will soon disappear if you have multiple days planned as you have in the Citys, so it comes down to your priorities. If you went to the north rim you could invest some of that time in Zion or Bryce canyon, or better still both ! These National parks are all wonderful in there own unique way and you don't have to spend days there to enjoy them, but I would recommend a full day at the GC and Zion, at least half a day for Bryce canyon and 2 full days for Yosemite as it's a large park to get around. From Vegas you could do the 'Grand loop' and travel to Zion, Bryce, Monument valley and the South rim back to Vegas before heading towards Yosemite.

Hello Guys,

We have been working a bit more on our trip, but i am a bit stuck right now. We deceided for ourselves we'd prefer to fly to LA, and fly back from Vegas. We realy like to finnish our amazing trip with some straight days in Vegas before we go back to our normal life :). So far this is what i got:

Attachment 3577

Attachment 3576

As you can see, I am pretty stuck between the 26th and the 1th of october. I would like to use these days to visit the NP's you recommended (Bryce, Zion, ?), but i am not realy seeing the best solution. Should we head straight to Vegas and use that as a base for a 2 (or 3?) day trip to Bryce/Zion? Or is there a different route that is definitly worth it? We still have the four days Vegas planned, so there is no direct need for us to arrive there earlier, but if so its definitly not a disaster :P.

Next to that i have some small questions:
1) 2 stops between LA & SF seems perfect? I read in a previous thread u suggested SantaMonica, SanSimeon & Monterey. I was thinking to skip SanSimeon to gain a day. What to do in SantaMonica? We don't mind a beach day if so :).
2) How many days do u suggest (minimum) to discover SF? I have been reading alot about that city, and how more i read about it, the more days i seem to need :).
3) I read in a another thread on this forum to drive through Sequoia/King's NP on the way from Yosemite NP to DeathValley, as you can enjoy the amazing trees & views directly next to the road. What road should we take to see this? On the map I attached it looks a bit strange so far.
4) Someone told me the waterfalls might be dry in our period in Yosemite. Is this true?


A huge thanks!

Greets,

Dimitri & Sandy

Two stops will work well along the coast and should make a relaxed enough journey. A lot of people just have the one.

The same goes for San Fran, you could easily spend a week there exploring, but you could get a good overview with 2.5 days which would give you the opportunity to head for Yosemite on the 23rd. It's all about making the time you have to work for you and your tastes.

It's not possible to get a clear picture from your map as it's so small, but you won't be able to get from Yosemite to Death Valley and visit Sequoia NP same day. There is a big distance between the two as you have to go around the mountains that stand between them. I would visit Mariposa Grove of giant trees in Yosemite and travel over the Tioga Pass to Mono Lake and down 395 towards Death valley.

The waterfalls will most likely be all but dry when you visit, but fear not, you will not be dissapointed with what you find. Be sure to drive up to Glacier Point !

From Death valley I would head to Springdale UT to visit Zion NP and then head for the North rim, Bryce canyon or both ! I would recommend both, but use an extra day [or half] which you could save along the coast, or from any of the City stops.

Hello Dave,

Thank you. I'll work on it. Maybe i can remove Santa Maria or a day in San Fran.

Do you have some experience with renting a car? We have never done it, and i am wondering if it is a good idea to rent one from LA to the first day of San Fran, and then rent a new one the last day of San Fran when we leave for Yosemite. I noticed in San Fran you pay alot for a parking spot, we wont use the car much, so maybe it is worth stopping the rent for a few days. However i do not know the troubles it takes to get it all running, so maybe it's just not worth the money you save?

Can u visit LA (including Universal Studios) easily with the metro, or is a car rather usefull in the wide city?

I'll work a bit more on the planning and give you an update. Thanks for the feedback!

With regards to the car rental, it's worth checking what the cost will be for 2 rentals against keeping the one the whole way and work out if it's worth it. Sometimes one way drop off fees are not charged between these major City's, but can add up if they are charged on 2 rentals, plus you might find the rental more expensive if you are just having it for a few days, rather than at the weekly rate. There are a few Motels in SF that do not charge extra for parking the car. I know there are 2 or 3 around Lombard/Gough street of which there is one called the Buena Vista Motor Inn which isn't too far from the Piers and transport links.

The flight tickets have been booked, so now i have the feeling i need to rush my NP overnight locations. It seems i am bit late with everything, and alot is already fully booked.
Do any of you have any experience with the HouseKeeping Camp of Yosemite? We go camping every year, so we definitly dont mind the camping part. How is the location to explore the Yosemite NP? Is it good on our route between San Fran & Death Valley? My mapping device is doin something tricky and it seems it wants to send me through Fresno & Bakersfield instead of Mono Lake, but that is adjustable.

Any comments on the Housekeeping Camp?

Your mapping program might be sending you through Fresno etc as the Tioga Pass is closed for the winter season, but Tioga Pass is the way to go !

Housekeeping camp is in the heart of the valley and a good base from where you can explore the park. I don't have first hand knowledge of staying there as we travel in an RV so can't help you with that, but it's a budget friendly option in a great location. Are you sure everything is getting booked up and it's not a case of the booking window not being open for October yet ? I know the campgrounds have booking windows and for early October you can't make a reservation until May 15th, but I'm not sure if that applies to other lodgings, maybe not.

The Housekeeping Camp can be booked now, it's about $100 a night. There's nothing cheaper in the park without having your own camping gear - standard campgrounds, some require reservations, some are first come first served.

I couldn't book it y'day from 23rd to 25th. We booked the Camp Curry (love the name) instead. I assume its something similar :), we got it pretty cheap (€150 for 2 nights).

it's getting in shape, time to start making my map :D
Thanks alot for the efforts guys!

Hey Guys,

I read in another thread the good stops between LA & SF are SantaMaria, SanSimeon & Monterey. I have been checking them a bit, and Monterey looks perfect for us, but i am not realy convinced about the other ones. What's a good spot to spend half a day & sleep between LA & Monterey? I noticed Santa Maria is alot about Winery, but thats not realy our cup of tea. I guess San Simeon is better then, as we will have the biggest part of the read behind us.
Just a day at a nice beach would be an option aswell =). Driving directly from LA to Monterey will take about 6h i guess, so that could be our last option.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Regards,

Dimi

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DasDimi

I read in another thread the good stops between LA & SF are SantaMaria, SanSimeon & Monterey.

---

Monterey is only two hours from San Francisco, and most of us wouldn't really consider it more than daytrip from SF. But it is a lovely city. But the mid-point choice for me would be Cayucos - good value, very nice beach town, nice people.

Another tip -- if you like seafood -- one of the very best "locals" places is Phil's Fish Market at Moss Landing!

Mark

Hey Guys,

I am breaking my brain over the last part of our trip. So far this is what i got:

Attachment 3579

I can't really figure out the most optimal way to plan in the free days. Would you suggest an extra day in Yosemite? I realy think Zion is something we cannot miss, and we were wondering if it was possible to do Bryce only by car, without spending the night there.

My idea was to go straight from Death Valley to Zion, without stopping in Vegas, as this will be the end of our trip anyway. However i am not sure if this will give us enough time to enjoy Death Valley, as we will only spend the night there (in Beatty?) whilst driving both days (from Yosemite & to Zion). Or can you enjoy Death Valley best by car and by driving through?
Anyway, this would make us arrive in zion on the 26th, Giving us the chance of staying there 2 nights (found an amazing looking lodge :D), and then drive back to Vegas on the 29th, hopefully by seeing some of Bryce (possible?).

It somehows feel strange to spend 2 full days in Zion and only one in Yosemite :).
Any suggestions here?

My gf is hoping to pass through a Ghost Town, any suggestions what might be close on our route? I found something called "Bodies Ghost Town", is that worth the visit? Is it even that place above Mono Lake? (tried to find it on Google Maps). Then it's not that big of a detour :) whilst we are driving from Yosemite to Death Valley.

As always, thank you very much for your time & efforts!

Regards,

Dimitri

The trip between Monterey & San Fran: Would you suggest to continu taking the calif 1 coastal route, or the 101?

I noticed that going from Yosemite straight to Death Valley might be a bit ambitious. I read in some other threads that Bishop is a recommended stop in the middle. Any other suggestions? So far i have an idea every overnight place will be a remarkable location, and i don't know anything about the Bishop Area. Would u suggest to stay there, or go straight to Death Valley and suffer a day full of driving?

The section of ca-1 south of monterey goes through big sur and is one of the most scenic coasal highways in the world.

Driving to death valley isn't too bad in a day, but if you want to limit y
our driving days bishop is a good choice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

The section of ca-1 south of monterey goes through big sur and is one of the most scenic coasal highways in the world.

---

And norht of Monterey (towards San Francisco), still the ca-01 i assume, or would you suggest to go inlands?

Bishop is a great little place, and you being from Brussels will love the bakery there. It is a decade ago now, that I was there, but I was thrilled to be able to pick up Dutch/German bakery products. Don't miss it!

Lifey

Quote:

---

Driving to death valley isn't too bad in a day, but if you want to limit y
our driving days bishop is a good choice.

---

Hmm, this might save us a day so we can spend more time on an epic location like Yosemite or Zion. I am trying to convince my gf to remove 1 day of Las Vegas so we got extra time between San Fran & Vegas.
The more posts i read in your forum, the bigger my dillema's seem to get :P.

Anyway, maybe i am posting my questions a bit quick, but what would you suggest:
1) 2 days Yosemite or 2 days Zion?
2) Yosemite over Tioga to Death Valley in one day = 7h drive? Where would you suggest to stay? Furnace Creek? Any cheaper options where you can see all Death Valley has to offer in 1 evening/morning? I would consider leaving the next day to Zion, but i am not sure if you enjoy Death Valley the way you should that way. Or is the car drive itself already overwhelming?

For a Belgian, that is a bit hard to fully understand. Driving here is with 0 scenery, extreme traffic & no nature :P. This gives me the feeling a day of 8h driving is a lost day, but i might get this completely wrong.
3) If we would go Zion after Death Valley, spend 2 or 3 nights at Zion, is there a way back to Las Vegas that is doable in 1/2 day where you dont do the exact same route as you came?
4) Any historic ghost towns on the path between SF & LV that would not cause a big detour?

Huge thanks with your amazing input & website!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lifemagician

Bishop is a great little place, and you being from Brussels will love the bakery there. It is a decade ago now, that I was there, but I was thrilled to be able to pick up Dutch/German bakery products. Don't miss it!

Lifey

---

:D, it might be nice to get some good European Food after 2 weeks in the States ;-). Just another dillema :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DasDimi

I read in some other threads that Bishop is a recommended stop in the middle. Any other suggestions? So far i have an idea every overnight place will be a remarkable location, and i don't know anything about the Bishop Area.

---

There are several choices of places to spend a fun night between Yosemite and and Death Valley. Bishop is the place I usually recommend and if you have the budget for it, I'd recommend staying at the Joseph Inn (more about it) and the bakery that Lifey mentioned is Erik Shat's Bakkery. For a real road trip treat, you might consider a detour for the Pie-in-the-Sky cafe! But you can also find nice accommodation at Mammoth Lakes and June Lakes.

Quote:

---

Would u suggest to stay there, or go straight to Death Valley and suffer a day full of driving?

---

Suffer a day driving???? That's what most of us here at RoadTripAmerica.com consider heaven!

Mark

Bodie ghost town is north of Mono Lake but it's quite a time consuming detour and part of the road into Bodie is unpaved which would most likely be in breach of your rental contract.

Going with the idea of staying in Bishop would mean that you can spend some of that morning in Yosemite and have time to stop and take in the views over Tioga Pass. So the day you travel from SF, if you leave at a reasonable time, could leave you a half day to explore Yosmite, the whole of the following day and a good part of the day as you make your way to Bishop. That would be the best way to maximise your time in Yosemite. If you travelled from Bishop to Death Valley it would give you time to explore parts of Death valley and then you could head straight to Zion, arriving on the 27th. That would give you a similar amount of time to what you have in Yosemite before heading back to Vegas. With the time you have it will be a case of heading back down I15, but I would continue to try and persuade your girlfriend to shorten the Vegas stay and head to Bryce canyon for a night, it's another amazing park but doesn't take quite so long to explore. You could head direct to Bryce from Death Valley and spend the night there, visit the viewpoints the following morning and head back to Zion after lunch. The drive is wonderful as you make your way through Red rock state park on the edge of the Dixie National Forest, along Checkaboard Mesa and through the Mt Carmel tunnel into Zion.

About an hour out of Bishop, part of Inyo National Forest, are the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. These are the world's oldest living trees. There is one there, Methuselah, that is reputed to have been alive when Jesus Christ was born. The forest is incredible. The forest roads and visitor center isn't open until April or even May in most years, and closes in October or November, weather permitting. But it's well worth the time, the effort, and the trip up a gravel road.


Donna

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DasDimi

... and suffer a day full of driving?

---

Suffer a day driving???? That's what most of us here at RoadTripAmerica.com consider heaven!

---

I could not agree more.

Quote:

---

Or is the car drive itself already overwhelming?

For a Belgian, that is a bit hard to fully understand. Driving here is with 0 scenery, extreme traffic & no nature :P.

---

You are in for a real treat. In Europe one drives from point A to point B, hoping the get the bit in between over as quickly as possible. (Hence the ourageous speeds on the autobahns.) But in North America it is totally different.

A roadtrip, is exactly what it says. It is enjoying the road, the attractions and the scenery in between point A and point B. It is stopping when something catches your eye. It is following an interesting sign you may see along the way, taking you off your original route. Of course, all of this is best done getting off the high speed freeways as often as possible; enjoying the local roads. Many, myself included, regard the road as their destination, and are not particularly focused on where the drive takes us.

This article might give you a better understanding of what I am trying to say.

Lifey

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Going with the idea of staying in Bishop would mean that you can spend some of that morning in Yosemite and have time to stop and take in the views over Tioga Pass. So the day you travel from SF, if you leave at a reasonable time, could leave you a half day to explore Yosmite, the whole of the following day and a good part of the day as you make your way to Bishop. That would be the best way to maximise your time in Yosemite. If you travelled from Bishop to Death Valley it would give you time to explore parts of Death valley and then you could head straight to Zion, arriving on the 27th. That would give you a similar amount of time to what you have in Yosemite before heading back to Vegas.

---

The Bishop suggestions looks like a perfect idea, as it will give us the possiblity to get half a day extra in Yosemite and all the time we need to enjoy the Tioga Pass! Thanks.

In my eyes, i seem to have two options now:
Attachment 3580

I think it its pretty obvious you all will suggest option 1, but do you think option 2 is managable? This way i can consider them both & see what fits our wishes to the maximum.

I assume heading straight from Bishop to Zion is not a good idea, as we would miss to much of Death Valley?

I am looking forward to be enjoying driving to the fullest for one of the first times in my life :). As Lifey stated correctly we only drive to get from A to B, and preferably as fast as possible. This roadtrip is probably gonna be a real eye-opener for the both of us!

Thank you all for the inputs!
Dimi

You're right, I would go with option one, but option 2 could be acheived, however if you want to see both Bryce and Zion and be in Vegas on the 29th , I would still head direct to Bryce from Furnace creek which would allow you to check out the viewpoints and witness a sunset [with an early start] and get away at a reasonable time the next morning for Zion. So "Option 3" would be Death valley to Bryce, Bryce to Zion and Zion to Bryce. You could arrive in Zion a little after midday if you left Bryce by 10 am, and you wouldn't have to leave until 3 or 4pm the following day, if you didn't mind getting into Vegas early evening.

Quote:

---

I assume heading straight from Bishop to Zion is not a good idea, as we would miss to much of Death Valley?

---

It would pretty much just be a drive through, but what a drive ! There are some nice stops to be had though, and there is something special about a night in the desert. If you were to stay in Furnace Creek you could drive to Badwater Basin which is the lowest point in the USA and detour onto Artists drive on the way back.

Quote:

---

This roadtrip is probably gonna be a real eye-opener for the both of us!

---

You better believe it !! The journey is incredible.

OK, we went for option 1, so we will be in Vegas on the 30th.
This gives us time to go Yosemite -> Bishop -> DV -> Bryce -> Zion (2 nights) -> Las Vegas.

I can't thank you enough for all the help in getting my route together!

About Death Valley: I assume Furnace Creek is by far the best option to spend our night? Any alternative options that work as good? The resort is sold out, so it would be the Ranch. I guess i better book quick =).

I would say FC the best option to fit in with your plans. Stopping anywhere before then would mean a longer journey to Bryce and possibly having to double back to Stovepipe Wells or Panamint Springs if you want to see more of the park the day you leave Bishop. If availability were a problem you could look at Pahrump for options.

If FC is booked up, if you are going to Bryce from DV you could look in Beatty in addition to Pahrump. You can take US-95 toward LV, then cut across the north side on NV-573 to get to I-15. From Pahrump, you would take NV-160 to I-15, and go right through downtown LV.

If you are going to Zion after Bryce, I'd recommend you do this:

Get off I-15 at UT exit 40 and take a quick trip up to the Kolob Canyons viewpoint. This is actually part of Zion, but it's considerably northwest of the main part of the park. Get back on I-15 to Cedar City and take UT-14 over the mountain, then take UT-148 up through Cedar Breaks to UT-173. Take that to Panguitch, then US-89 and UT-12 to Bryce. If you aren't going to be staying at Ruby's right outside the gate to Bryce, there are some hotel options in Panguitch. No chains, they are all independents. I've stayed at the New Western, it's nothing great but it's acceptable.

To get to Zion, take US-89 then UT-9 in through the east entrance and through the tunnel.

Hello guys,

I am getting excited our trip is coming closer :).

We have booked all our hotels & flight, i just need to hire my car & some tickets we probably should buy earlier (Universal Studios, Alcatraz, ...).

2 Questions:

Does any1 have experience with US in that period? Should be buy the extra thing to avoid losing time in the queus? Or is this a rather calm period? We are considering going on Monday 16/09.
I was reading about the hotels i already book, and for the one in LA i noticed two reviews who were warning us for Identity Theft. They said the staff asks you for a copy of ur Driver's Licence AND Credit Card.
Are hotels supposed to ask that? Can i refuse it if they would? There were only 2 negative reviews, the others were semi-positive, so i am not sure if i should back-out (i should check if i even can :D) or not!

Thanks alot guys!

Regards,

Dimi

This is the only officially recognised ticket office by the NP for Alcatraz trips that does not have agent fees or the need to buy other tours you might not want. Alcatraz is busy year round and it's worth pre-booking imo to save standing in queues with a possibility of the next boat filling up and having to wait for another.

It's usual for a hotel to want ID and your credit card details for security purposes and to charge the card with any extras you may have, food, drinks bill, telephone usage etc. You have to use your judgement but I wouldn't be comfortable using a private hotel that has a reputation for identify theft, or even a chain for that matter. It's hard to comment as this could be a rumour, or has it been proven ? What type of hotel is it ? Most bookings you can cancel and get a full refund, but I would recommend you check the reviews prior to booking anywhere else !!

You're going to some of my favorite places. Enjoy!

If ID theft has been a problem then I would change LA reservation because it is a pain to have your credit card cancelled while traveling. It is customary to ask for credit card number with overnight lodging and often license plate for vehicle to be parked on premises. We've been asked to show driver's license or other proof of identity but not had copies made. I also think you'll enjoy staying nearer to the ocean between SF and LA. Santa Maria is not on the coastline.

Hello guys,

Thanks -again- for the quick replies.

@CAnative: We changed Santa Maria for Cayucos, so now we are staying LA-Cayucos-Monterey-SF :).

About the LA Hotel. Its pretty strange, it never had these reviews before, and we have booked it quite some time ago. To be specific, it is the Hollywood City Inn, and it had some decent reviews as we are on a budget for the big city hotels.
Anyway, i still haven't figured out if i am gonna change my hotel or not, i guess i'll check arround if i found any that feel better and dont make me worry at the very beginning of my trip :).

We are so amazingly looking forward to all this :D. Can't wait!

Another 2 questions:

1) We'd love to take a whale watching trip in Monterey. Should we pre-book this, or is there absolutely no need to do this?

2) We will be going to Universal Studios on monday 16/09 (we planned it on the 15th, but Sunday looks like a horrible idea).
A friend told me there is option to buy a ticket where you can skip lines, but that this often is a waste of money as the lines get to be very small in certain periods. Does anyone have experience with this? I hate to wait in queus, and we would hate to miss a part of the park if we miss a load of time waiting in the lines. Then again, if we pay alot extra to skip lines that are not there, it's another bite in our budget we could spend somewhere else :).

All suggestions & experiences are welcome!
Your help is (and has been) much appreciated!

Regards,

Dimi

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DasDimi

2) We will be going to Universal Studios on monday 16/09 (we planned it on the 15th, but Sunday looks like a horrible idea).
A friend told me there is option to buy a ticket where you can skip lines, but that this often is a waste of money as the lines get to be very small in certain periods. Does anyone have experience with this? I hate to wait in queus, and we would hate to miss a part of the park if we miss a load of time waiting in the lines. Then again, if we pay alot extra to skip lines that are not there, it's another bite in our budget we could spend somewhere else :).

---

Yes, it's a version of Disney's Fast Pass, but instead of free-to-those-who-partake, Universal charges for the privilege.

Last year, we did NOT buy this pass at Universal in Florida. I tell ya, we wished we had. We might have gotten into some of the attractions with 70 and 90 minute wait times, instead of skipping them. However, we were there at the end of June, and so were all the crowds. :-(

Most of the schools in Southern California will be in session on the 16th of September, so perhaps you won't need to buy the pass.

Hello Guys,

Counting down the weeks!
I am about to rent my car, and i have been checking multiple sites on the internet. I found Dollar.com to be the cheapest one, with Hertz.com beeing a good second. It's pretty similar to the search engine on your lovely website.

I am wondering if it is a good idea to go economy on the car choice. Is a small Ford Focus sufficient for 2 people cruising the roads? Or would you suggest to go with a bit more power & comfort to fully enjoy the road? Will i be going offroad if i take the main routes?

Another option i was testing is to drop of my car on my first day of SanFran, and then rent a new one from SF to LV. What i dont understand is that i will pay about $460,00 for a rental from LA to LV (18 days), and i would pay more ($511,00) for a rental of 1 week between SF & LV. Same car, same route, less days, more money. I find that rather remarkable.

Any tips on the different insurance offers? I dont like to pay for insurance, but i do want a relaxing trip without worries, and i must say i do not know how the system works in the States.

A big thanks in advance!


Regards,

Dimi

You should choose the car that meets both your needs and your budget. The Focus doesn't have a very big backseat or truck (boot), but if you are traveling light, it may be perfectly comfortable for you. In most cases, the rental companies don't want you to go "off-roading" in your vehicle anyway, and usually they have their ways of knowing whether or not you broke that rule. The Focus is a good all-purpose car for road-trips and the occasional dirt road.

Do those prices include the one-way drop-off fee? That's where they "get" you, price wise.

Before you leave home, contact your insurance company and see what, if anything, they would cover from an overseas rental.


Donna

Why are you not renting a car through a European Consolidator? From what we see on these forums, there is a great deal of money to be saved by going that route.

Lifey