West Coast of America road trip - ideas please :)

Murphy_The_Cat

gymfiend wrote: »

Hello,
We're going to hire a car (so any tips on where to do that on a budget would also be great) & we'll be taking our baby (currently 10 days overdue!), so any tips on itinerary, car hire, hotels etc would be wonderful :A

gymfiend
my tuppence worth sats that a fortnights touring holiday on the West Coast of America with your new hubby would be a wonderful experience - but the addition of a 4 month old baby would make it into something that you didn't intend it to be, very very quickly.
I'm sorry to sound like I'm bursting your bubble, but IMHO, it really wouldn't hit my top 100 holiday plans with a tiny baby in tow.

If you do decide to do it, good luck

p.s as for car hire, get a full size. You'll be taking a 'proper' pram and the the carp that goes with a baby, which you'll need to be handy whilst your touring around. A PT Cruiser really would be totally unsuitable as a Fly Drive car for longish trips, for 2 adults and a baby.

Mr_Lahey

gymfiend wrote: »

Fantastic thanks LittleMissAspie, can I ask, did you stop between Yosemite and Sacramento, and is there anywhere you'd reccomend along the way? Think that the stint from Yosemite to San Fran would be too long for baby unless we tried to do it overnight? Also, did you get sat nav with the car?

Roads in the US are not like here. You get places much quicker and whilst the speed limit is more often than not 65 (up to 75) you can easily sit at 100 and not worry.
I have done LA to Yosemite (only to find the pass was closed) back to Sacramento within a day.
Its easy done.

Best stop between Sacramento and Yosemite has to be Mariposa. I think most people would reccomend that. However Lake Tahoe/Reno are better than Yosemite imo if you are going when there is snow.

Philippa36

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

Roads in the US are not like here. You get places much quicker and whilst the speed limit is more often than not 65 (up to 75) you can easily sit at 100 and not worry.
I have done LA to Yosemite (only to find the pass was closed) back to Sacramento within a day.
Its easy done.

Best stop between Sacramento and Yosemite has to be Mariposa. I think most people would reccomend that. However Lake Tahoe/Reno are better than Yosemite imo if you are going when there is snow.

I wouldn't recommend it. Stick to the speed limit.

We're off to San Francisco at the end of June for a week - really looking forward to it. Have fun planning your trip, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time.

isplumm

Hi,

When we went on honeymoon, we did - fly into LA - stay at santa monica, then drove to vegas then through yosemite to San fran - then flew home from SFran - remember that you can fly into la & out sfran for the same cost - also car hire companies will allow you to pick up in la & return for sfran for no extra cost.

Mark

Zazie

gymfiend wrote: »

Hello,

we'll be taking our baby (currently 10 days overdue!),

Wow, that's a laid back baby!! I disagree with the earlier posts, gymfiend. Tiny babies are quite portable, toddlers less so. Go for it (you may not be able to afford it later).
Only disadvantage might be that if he/she is a crybaby you will disturb people in adjoining rooms and feel uncomfortable.

dawyldthing

To be honest - flights are just as cheap to get around America. If you go with virgin airways, jet blue and others it can be just as cheap to fly than to hire a car/ go on the bus/ train. For cheap hotel stays look at www.hotwire.com (got us out of some sticky situations, including a hostel cancelling on us the day we got there in New York!) For flights hotwire can be good, as can www.priceline.com . For flights to go over there, to find some of the cheapest try this link - http://www.lastminute.com/site/travel/flights/deals/exclusive-offers-regional.html
as long as your not fixed on dates, you probably will get it cheap. I liked Los Angeles - spent 4 days there. Hollywoods a bit disappointing as its just the names on the floor, and either side of it is not glam. Disneyland and Universal studios is cheaper to get to by public transport and i went to magic mountains (a big theme park) but i wouldn't say it would suit a 4 month old I loved San Fran - I only wanted to go because I wanted to go on the trams like Mrs Doubtfire did, but its ace. If you want to go to alcatraz, you need to book online i would say at least a week before you go. Santa Monica, and in particular the beach, is amazing. Theres all street sellers and amazing art work all around, and you can hire cycles out to cover the whole area. We also went to Las Vegas, and thats amazing for the shopping, for a lot of the free things (like the water shows with the songs, the lions in one of the hotels) if you pick up a brocure in your hotel it will list all the free things to do, and it really is spectacular. Theres also zoos around the area, I think there is one in San Fran. We spent 10 days in total inbetween the 3 places and could easily have spent a few more days there. It is spectacular, it can be expensive, but if you search around you can definately do it on a budget.