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Thread: 5 Weeks of sunshine

  1. #1
    Florida Chatterbox
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    5 Weeks of sunshine

    So, I know that it is not Orlando, but I also know that many of you have toured other parts of the states. We have booked a 5 week holiday touring the west coast starting as soon as the children finish school on the 6th July (all hire cars booked through here of course!) and would welcome any tips and must sees. Our route is San Fran (5N - hotel) - Sacramento (3N -Lynn's sister) - Lake Tahoe (5N - rental) then we fly to Los Angeles (4N - hotel) - Newport Beach (3N - hotel) - Big Bear Lake (4N - rental) - Las Vegas (3N - hotel) and then finally we fly up to Phoenix (7N - rental). I am starting to think we should have driven from Vegas to Phoenix.

    We have already booked a number of half day tours and we intend to visit places around the areas we are staying, mixing it up a bit between city stuff, outdoor stuff, beach / lake stuff and shopping / relaxing in Phoenix.

    Tips and must does appreciated.


  2. #2
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    Hi Fraser

    Sounds great! We will all have our own individual preferences so please forgive me if some of mine aren't your thing.

    San Francisco is a terrific place to visit and, depending on whether you've been before, I think 5 days is about right if it's your first point of call after a long flight. The well known attractions such as the Golden Gate, Alcatraz etc.. are all worth a look. I don't know Sacramento but love Lake Tahoe and rental is definitely the way to go.

    For me, 7 nights in LA/Newport Beach would be a bit too long and I'd suggest arranging a few trips from there. In January I visited the Reagan library just north of LA and was very impressed. Hearst Castle is also well worth a look. I would include a drive up Highway 1 (Santa Barbara is lovely and easily doable in a day).

    I'm a bit tired of Las Vegas now but it's definitely a must see and 3 nights is plenty. I was last there in November and the most striking thing is how expensive it's become. Even if you don't play the casinos, you can very easily offload a lot of money. Some very nice eating spots but, again, not as cheap as they once were. If you can fit it in from there then the Grand Canyon is pretty amazing.

    I'm a big fan of Arizona (yes, you should drive from Las Vegas!) but, as I'm sure you know, it will be very hot when you visit. A trip to Sedona is a must for me and I'd recommend staying at least 1 night there - definitely 1 of my favourite places in the whole of the US. A much longer trip from Phoenix (but worth it in my view) is Monument Valley but an overnight there would be essential.

    Whether or not you follow up any of my recommendation, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.
    Last edited by Katys Grandad; 26-05-2014 at 03:40.


  3. #3
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    Went at a totally different time of the year - late November - but from Sacramento we headed north and included Chico, Redding, down the marvellous coast through Mendocino back to SF. Lake Tahoe definitely a must.

    Agree with KG that 7 nights LA/Newport Beach too long but if you have young family perhaps a beach break is needed.
    Clare R


  4. #4
    Gold 5 Star Member E. Cosgrove's Avatar
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    We are big fans of the South West and have been pretty much all the places you have mentioned.
    SF is probably my favorite city in the US, closely followed by Boston. It's. Real walking city with loads to see and do. The city bus tour is a good way to orientate yourselves and finish it off with a trip to Alcatraz, but you MUST book in advance. If you can spare a full day away from the city take a ferry across to Vallajeo and pick up the wine train. The old western style train takes you through the wine valleys and includes silver service lunch and lots of wine tasting![cheers] A trip across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausilito is also worth the effort and if you want a bit of seaside go across to Stinson beach.......our boys loved body boarding there, we only read about the sharks later

    if you are staying with family in Sacramento then they will have suggestions for you but I can highly recommend Old Sacramento and the Pacific railroad museum, it's fascinating stuff and I am no fan of trains, we loved it and have been twice!

    lake Tahoe is beautiful and I agree with KG that a rental is the way to go. We prefer Nprth Lake Tahoe around the Tahoe City area. You can go jet skiing at Kings Beach and why not take a trip to Squaw Valley, site of the Winter Olympics many moons ago. Take trip up the
    gondola to High Camp and the hike to the top of Squaw Peak for amazing views.
    Take a self guided float trip down the Truckee River from Tahoe City, great fun and no rapids....ok there is a swirly bit at the end but shouldn't cause you a problem. If you've been on Soarin at Epcot you will have seen a clip of this.

    For me LA is a horrible place and I wouldn't want to go back although Beverley Hills is nicer, I am sure others will disagree so don't let my opinion put you off! San Diego is a lovely city is you can fit in a trip there as is Santa Barbara and the pretty town of Solvang a bit further north.
    LV has to be done once in your life if you haven't done it already, it has to be seen to be believed and. 3 nights, to my mind is quite enough, if you like it you can always go back. The first time we went we stayed 12 nights..........far too long, and so we took some day trips to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover dam, jet skiing again, but you will probably want to spend your 3 nights around Vegas itself as there is plenty to see and do. If you do want to get out of the heat a guided float trip down Black Canyon is a nice half day out.

    The drive to Phoenix is very doable from LV but can't remember how it compares time wise with flying, probably just as quick with all the hanging about, and less expensive!
    We have never been to Phoenix itself as we have always stayed in Scottsdale, lovely city, great shopping and we love the state of Arizona. Like KG would recommend, Sedona, if you do go stop off at slide rock state park and cool off! Monument and GC are out of this world but the distances are huge and if this is supposed to be your relaxing week then you won't want too many long trips out and about although Tuscon and Tombstone is an easy drive from Phoenix, you can visit the old western sites there and see a mock up of the shoot out at OK Corral. You will need to plan some time out of the sun as it will be very, very, hot!
    five weeks is a great time to spend on a trip like this and I'm sure you will have an amazing time whatever you choose to do, we can only manage 2 weeks this summer which is 3 nights SF 4 nights Yosemite in a rental and a week in a wine valleys rental......the house looks fantastic!
    do come back and let us know how it goes!
    Last edited by E. Cosgrove; 26-05-2014 at 07:57.


    Liz


  5. #5
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    I woould definitely take a day trip from Vegas to see the Grand Cnayon and Hoover Dam. We booked a coach trip , got picked up at hotel, drove to Grand Canyon, past Hoover Dam, from top of GC got a Helicopter trip down to bottom , then boat ride along the river follwed by helicopter back up and lunch with the Hualapai (sp?) Indians and coach back. It was a n amazing day and we learnt far more from the narration, than we would have found for ourselves if we had just driven there.
    I think 7 nights in any area gives you chance to catch your breath (of course there Disneyland if you want to compare) . We did the LA-San Fran- Vegas-LA trip a few years back in 3 weeks with driving between and it was a whirlwind with long stretches in the car so it was nice to stay more than a couple of nights in one place. We did go to Yosemite as well which was beautiful.
    Babblin Boo


  6. #6
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    Thanks everyone, really helpful advice.

    My son is 15 and so next year it will be all about his GCSE's and then my daughters etc and then they probably will want to go on holiday with their friends, so I wanted to make this our stand out family holiday. We have been fortunate to travel a lot and so it needs to be very special to fit that bill! Apart from Vegas, this is all new to us.

    We have booked a city bus tour on the first morning in SF and also the Alcatraz / Angel Island tour. We are planning to spend the rest of the time there seeing the city. We are staying in the Fairmont Ghirardelli at Fishermans Wharf and so as far as I can tell are in a good spot. Love the idea of the wine train, will look into that. We have only booked a car on the last night here (figured I wouldn't need it and it seemed a shame to just pay to park it), but I like the idea of some of the trips you suggest so we may look into changing that.

    At Lake Tahoe, the rental is actually near Donner lake in Truckee. Love the suggestions, thanks. Lynn's sisters family are going to join us here and we are hoping to enjoy some time on the lake and in the forest. I have managed to find a company who will let my son take out a Jet Ski (provided I sign the waiver!)

    We are staying in West Hollywood in LA right in the centre at Holloway Drive. Lynn has booked a couple of tours here including the WB tour and the TMZ tour (the later is my version of hell!) We are going to see Lady Gaga (my daughters choice and my idea of double hell) at the Staples Arena and spend a day at Universal Studios (just to compare!)

    At Newport we are staying right on the beach (in a B&B), our plan was to use this as a base and visit a number of the coastal places (between Long Beach and Dana Point) from there, we have not planned out where yet and so will look into the suggestions you have made.

    We are staying on the south side of Big Bear Lake in an awesome log cabin rental (in a 4 bed 4 bath sort of way!) We will do a short bit (about 20 miles) of route 66 between Victoriaville and Barstow on the way to Vegas, just so we have! Again, hiking and lake stuff is the plan here. We are doing a second "lake leg" as we do enjoy hiking as a family.

    Of course, staying on the strip in Vegas, this is the only place that Lynn and I have been before.... we got married there! It was a classy affair. Of course Elvis was in attendance and I paid extra for Lynn to borrow some nice flowers and so we could have the laminated wedding certificate with a love recipe on the back!. We are doing the Grand Canyon Helicopter tour from here (including a couple of hours on the floor) and booked to see Penn and Teller (my son's favourite) and another show that I can't remember (I think it was called V). Last time we went for a week and in my view it was too long, I lost all sense of reality! I can't wait to see my son's face when he sees that the blind that covers the full length windows in the hotel room becomes a screen for an 8' projector!

    I really think we should drive to Phoenix, but Lynn is not having it yet! The flights are booked but they were SW cheapies (about £50 each) and so I don't mind loosing them if need be. Google maps says it is about a 5 hour drive. Is there anywhere worth stopping on the way?

    We are actually staying in Scottsdale, near Kierland. It is the stand out accommodation of the holiday (I think they call it an estate as it is in over an acre of land) and at the same time one of the cheapest per night. I suspect this is because no one else wants to go here in August as it costs a fortune to rent in the spring. I am conscious that it is going to be very hot at that time of year. Fortunately we are ok with heat as we had to endure 40+ humid heat in China when we lived there, I am hoping the dry heat is more tolerable. My brother and his wife are flying out to spend this week with us there which will make it even more fun. On your advice, I have just booked a Pink Jeep tour to Sedona. I would really like to see Monument and so will look into how we can do this. Otherwise this week is mostly going to be about eating, resting and shopping. We are flying home direct from Phoenix, the flights were much cheaper flying into SF and out of Phoenix than a straight return!

    We are getting very excited now although it has been a hell of a project management task getting this all booked. Still having nightmares that I have missed a night somewhere and we will have nowhere to stay!


  7. #7
    Gold 5 Star Member E. Cosgrove's Avatar
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    Sounds absolutely fabulous, do you have room for a little (well fairly big[msnembarrased]) one?


    Liz


  8. #8
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    I'm never sure where Scottsdale starts and Phoenix ends because there's no real distinction as far as I can tell. I have a hunch I know where you're staying and have been there myself. As you say, hotel rates plummet in August because of the extreme heat. Even the Four Seasons (my favourite) is surprisingly affordable then but there are so many other quality options.


  9. #9
    Florida Chatterbox Tony G's Avatar
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    I'll echo others' comments about San Francisco - it's lovely. It has a really nice atmosphere and there's so much to see, it's very photogenic. I'm a geek, so I took the opportunity to drive down to Palo Alto (Silicon Valley) and pay homage to the birthplace of the computer era.

    My most recent trip to LA was characterised by traffic more than anything else! Also, in the tourist spots, I felt like someone was always trying to relieve me of the contents of my wallet, wherever I went. Still, I had a good time and I really enjoyed the WB tour, although it's a shame you're not allowed cameras in the best bits!

    I found Las Vegas really expensive but fun to do.

    I'd definitely recommend a trip to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, it's not far and well worth it.
    Tony G



  10. #10
    Gold 5 Star Member Lyn's Avatar
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    While at Lake Tahoe Vikingsholme is on the west side of the lake and is well worth a visit. Yosemite is truly beautiful and in my opinion a must see. Sounds like a great trip have a great time.
    Lyn


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