I won 5 days in San Francisco!!!!!

hrafndot

I've bragged about it in "I won I won" so won't go on about it here. Suffice to say we have won 5 days and the organisation administering the trip says we can stay over for longer if we sort out our own hotels and insurance. We are now pondering whether to stay 2 or 3 weeks and whether to split the trip between San Fran and somewhere hotter in California.

We can see a good selection of character, economical hotels in the Nob Hill area, but what do other travellers suggest since we are travelling in September. We have a shortage of time so could possibly delay the trip until after the end of October, but what will the weather be like then, or should we head further south after the five days in San Fran. Given the parameters, what do people suggest?

jimmmyc

Hi well done on your win!
We spent a 4 days in SF and it is plenty to see the city, you will also be a bit jetlagged from the flight.
The Alcatraz trip is really good but needs to be booked well in advance.
It was fairly cold when we went in August so it may be worse in Sept/Oct.

monkeyspanner

Its a pretty easy drive all the way down to San Diego which you can do comfortably in three easy days of driving or split it and take a leisurely trip down towards the hotter weather. So you could do LA, Carmel, Monterey and San Diego. Try the coastal highway 1.
We spent almost a month in April and did, San Francisco , Lake Tahoe(Skiing), Yosemite (See it if you get the chance its 'awesome'), Went through an old Gold rush area, Carmel, Monterey (see the Aquarium if its your scene), LA (Universal is Good), San Diego (Sea World is OK but not as good as the Florida one, the downtown area and water front areas are interesting). The weather was warm enough for the beach on the hotter days particularly from LA down to San Diego.

elisebutt65

Yeah - weather is very unpredicatable in SF - we went in early April after travelling up the coast on HWy 1 from LA - some days were freezing and others were quite warm.

If you get a car then do a road trip - it's amazing coastline along the Big Sur.
One place I can definitely recommend is The Madonna Inn So chintszy and look at the amazing rooms - we had Krazy DaisyGood Job I like pink - lol. We also stayed in Anaheim, Santa Monica and Monterey. Amazing cheap motel in Santa Monica right on the beach. Review here
Amaing location.

Or you could go on the Amtrak train - I think there is one that does the coast down to LA.

Definitely go for as long as you can though. SF is amazing - we only spent 4 days there but could definitely stayed longer - Haight Ashbury is everything I thought it would be - tacky and dated - think Carnaby St in London, but everything else is great.

hrafndot

Thank you all, food for thought there!!

jeanna_2

well done on your win!
we went in sept to san fran and it was nice during the day but freezing cold at night.we then went done the coast road to LA and it was lovely and warm. i would also recomend this drive.you could take a couple of days and stop of along the way at carmel or monterey.morro bay looked a nice wee place to stop or san luis obispo then LA. you could go to palms springs then on to las vegas wich were both very warm.i would stay as long as you can and see as much as possible.i've also been told that the napa valley is a great place to go to if you like wine. so have a great time whatever you do!

wdyw

Morro Bay is an excellent stop off spot. Everything you could want in terms of shops/accommodation/beach etc. Really spoilt by the power station!

In SF, I would recommend staying north Market Street. Lots of homeless people to negotiate just south of there. Personally walking back to a hotel late at night I don't want to have to pass 50 people sleeping rough.

Yosemite is a must, as is the Pacific Highway. Easy drive to Yosemite in a day. Stay a few days there and then cut back to say Monterrey and head south from there? Carmel/Monterrey/17mile drive is fantastic, and if any of you are golfers ,stop by Pebble Beach. Quite reasonable to pay (its a public course!)..... ok maybe not!

pbright

Congrats on the win. What a great experience you shall have i am confident. LA and Carmel are musts...you will get to experience all ends of the spectrum with SF, LA and carmel. Yosemite with the time you have i would say is not wirth it on this occasion, and personally i would avoid Morro Bay: Why?...As it is over-rated(Fact: google it and see why), also you will see what it has to offer in other PCH destinations you are likely to visit. The beach is also not very nice.

Hope this helps and have a great time Rachel :-)

hrafndot

We have taken on board all your tips and it looks like we'll spend 5 days in SF in the posh hotel and going around and the rest we will drive towards LA avoiding the tourist traps like Yosemite and others but maybe visiting the winery areas.

Final question, I am going to do a bit of shopping in the States, a few clothes. What are "must buys" if you are a woman and over in the States?? I am a semi health nut, bit of a fooodie, like casual clothes - any tips?

Martinslovechild

Hey - if you're staying in L.A. - my favourite place is Santa Monica. The beach there is wonderful and there are some stunning restaurants.

Venice is a tad on the tacky side, and Malibu is simply too expensive for most tourists (unless you're both celebrities). However - head on over to Moonshadows in Malibu for a drink one evening, it's where a lot of the film stars and pop stars hang out (Britney has an apartment a few hundred yards away, in Santa Monica, and lives in the floor above Anthony Hopkins!!. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the ambience and views from the inside simply take your breath away. It looks out over the pacific ocean and is simply wonderful.

Enjoy your trip. I'll be back out there myself in September!! Can't wait. So-Cal is SO much better than east-coast.

completely_lost

hrafndot wrote:

We have taken on board all your tips and it looks like we'll spend 5 days in SF in the posh hotel and going around and the rest we will drive towards LA avoiding the tourist traps like Yosemite and others but maybe visiting the winery areas.

Final question, I am going to do a bit of shopping in the States, a few clothes. What are "must buys" if you are a woman and over in the States?? I am a semi health nut, bit of a fooodie, like casual clothes - any tips?

Bags!! They are so cheap! I got really carried away when i went last month. lol. In fact, clothes are really cheap too as are cosmetics such Clinique and Estee Lauder.

Go mad- you're saving in the long run as you won't have to buy them here!

However, I don't see why you would say Yosemite is a tourist trap?!! It's a beautiful national park!