Southwest USA & The West Coast (California, Arizona etc) - General Thread

torbrex

itsanne wrote: »

Having seen the advice elsewhere, we're going to do the trip in reverse - an easy change as we haven't booked any accommodation yet.

If I was to give one tip about a road trip in America, don't book ahead unless you want to stay somewhere there may be a shortage of rooms such as Yosemite.

I have done more than a few trips and apart from the first night after landing, I have never found the need to tie myself down to a booked room.
I know some folk will say booking doesn't tie you to actually checking in but I just like the complete freedom of stopping where and when I feel like it.

jackieblack

itsanne wrote: »

Having seen the advice elsewhere, we're going to do the trip in reverse - an easy change as we haven't booked any accommodation yet.

Good call

Murphy_The_Cat

torbrex wrote: »

If I was to give one tip about a road trip in America, don't book ahead unless you want to stay somewhere there may be a shortage of rooms such as Yosemite.

I have done more than a few trips and apart from the first night after landing, I have never found the need to tie myself down to a booked room.
I know some folk will say booking doesn't tie you to actually checking in but I just like the complete freedom of stopping where and when I feel like it.

This is potatos and potatoes

If you're looking for a 'road trip' type adventure, where you set off in the morning and don't really know where you'll be in the afternoon, then 'pot luck' is the way to go - and in nearly every circumstance, you'll end up in accomodation.

If you prefer the type of holiday where you want the security of knowing that you'll definitely have accomodation, of the quality, that you want, in the location that you want it to be in, then booking ahead is teh way to go.

Booking ahead is possibly going to be dearer, but you're doing away with the possibility of driving around aimlessly for a while, before ending up somewhere that you wouldn't choose to be, in accomodation that you wouldn't choose to be in (yes, it does happen !!)

Plus, maybe priorities change if you're a travelling on your own, rather than in a family group.

jackieblack

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

This is potatos and potatoes

If you're looking for a 'road trip' type adventure, where you set off in the morning and don't really know where you'll be in the afternoon, then 'pot luck' is the way to go - and in nearly every circumstance, you'll end up in accomodation.

If you prefer the type of holiday where you want the security of knowing that you'll definitely have accomodation, of the quality, that you want, in the location that you want it to be in, then booking ahead is teh way to go.

Booking ahead is possibly going to be dearer, but you're doing away with the possibility of driving around aimlessly for a while, before ending up somewhere that you wouldn't choose to be, in accomodation that you wouldn't choose to be in (yes, it does happen !!)

Plus, maybe priorities change if you're a travelling on your own, rather than in a family group.

I couldn't agree more.
Also, it depends on the time of year that you're going. We're restricted to school holidays/peak times so prefer having something booked that we can change if we need to

Crispy_Ambulance

jackieblack wrote: »

I couldn't agree more.
Also, it depends on the time of year that you're going. We're restricted to school holidays/peak times so prefer having something booked that we can change if we need to

Same here. We booked all of ours ahead as we were travelling as a family of four in school holidays and needed to have the right accommodation in the right place. I think we got pretty good rates as well, and a fair amount was paid in advance which spreads the cost a little better.

blindman

itsanne wrote: »

Hi all

I'm hoping for some suggestions, especially with recommended budget hotels/motels, to do with the road trip part of our imminent visit to the US.

If it helps with other suggestions, we've been to both San Francisco and Yosemite before. We're working on the assumption that the Tioga Pass will still be open and will have a Plan B in case it's not. Suggestions for Plan B would be welcome. We're not interested in spending any time in LA at this point.

Our planned itinerary is below. We still have a day to play around with if we change Day 11, but need to leave luggage in Palm Springs and then pick up friends from LAX on the afternoon of Day 12.

ETA Having seen the advice elsewhere, we're going to do the trip in reverse.


[FONT=&quot]Day 1 arrive LA, spend night near LA before heading north – where?[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 2 drive (approx 5 hours) north on coastal route, stay (suggestions?)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 3 continue on to San Francisco (approx 5 hours), 2 nights stay[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 4 San Francisco[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 5 drive (approx 3 and 1/2 hours) to Yosemite, 2 nights stay in that area (suggestions?)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 6 Yosemite[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 7 drive via Death Valley (approx approx 6-7 hours) to Las Vegas, 2 nights stay[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 8 L[FONT=&quot]a[/FONT]s Vegas [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 9 drive to Flagstaff via Hoover Dam (approx 4 hours), 2 nights stay[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 10 Grand Canyon[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 11 drive to Palm Springs (possibly via Phoenix?) (approx 6-7 hours)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Day 12 Los Angeles [/FONT]

So is this the reverse trip?

If you've been to San Fran and Yosemite why go back ? (That said I did go back to both to take my Bro in law-Though I did cover the same ground)

Day\night 1
Airport hotel-You will have had a long trip-arriving at very late to your body clock.
Ever tried Priceline?

If you have the car in San Fran try some out of town motels\hotels as parking in San Fran + having a car is a PITA.:eek:

Vegas
Hope the stay is not over a Frid\Sat as these days are expensive.
With the car avoid the strip-always packed.
Use the parallel roads to drive quicker-See the Vegas thread.

Hoover Dam
Needs at least an hour just to wander and maybe look over from the bridge. If you do the tour it takes longer.

Grand canyon
Are you going from Flagstaff to the South east entrance of the GC then travelling West?
Supposedly better way to see it-We've done the East to West (South) rim twice.

if you don't like LA then why return?

Stay the last night(s) in San Diego

When exactly are you going?

itsanne

blindman wrote: »

So is this the reverse trip?

No. I thought I'd cause more confusion changing it, so it's back to front. I'm probably causing confusing whatever I do now!

If you've been to San Fran and Yosemite why go back ? (That said I did go back to both to take my Bro in law-Though I did cover the same ground)

It was 35 years ago. We loved Yosemite - a magical place - and want to drive the coastal route between LA and SF. There are things we didn't do in SF last time.

Day\night 1
Airport hotel-You will have had a long trip-arriving at very late to your body clock.

If we'd thought about it when booking it would have been a good idea to stay at an airport hotel and pick up the car the next day, but we're planning to spend the first night near the airport.


Ever tried Priceline?

Daughters have just used it and got a very good deal for New York. We'll give it a go too.

If you have the car in San Fran try some out of town motels\hotels as parking in San Fran + having a car is a PITA.:eek:

So we've been told! :eek: We plan to stay out of town for that reason. Any suggestions for where are welcome.

Vegas
Hope the stay is not over a Frid\Sat as these days are expensive.
With the car avoid the strip-always packed.
Use the parallel roads to drive quicker-See the Vegas thread.

Vegas should be Wednesday and Thursday nights. I've started on the Vegas thread. We'll take your advice on board. Family issues have meant we're behind with planning, hence my question being later than originally intended.

Hoover Dam
Needs at least an hour just to wander and maybe look over from the bridge. If you do the tour it takes longer.

We're planning to do the tour.

Grand canyon
Are you going from Flagstaff to the South east entrance of the GC then travelling West?
Supposedly better way to see it-We've done the East to West (South) rim twice.

I think that's the plan!

if you don't like LA then why return?

The road trip is before we meet up with friends in Palm Springs for three weeks. When we were invited to their timeshare we decided that if we were going that distance we'd go for a bit longer. That's why our flights are into and out of LA. We've not been to LA and might not go there at all. (It doesn't appeal, though we do have ideas if we end up spending any time there.)

Stay the last night(s) in San Diego

That's the plan for the weekend before our flight home, unless we take time out of the Palm Springs time (which is why we might spend some time in LA). I'm looking forward to San Diego.

When exactly are you going?

The beginning of next month - just under two weeks time. :eek:


Thanks blindman and everyone -I appreciate everyone's contributions to this.

blindman

itsanne wrote: »

The beginning of next month - just under two weeks time. :eek:


Thanks blindman and everyone -I appreciate everyone's contributions to this.

Priceline.
Make sure you read the guide :cool:

Never stayed out of town iin San Fran-but look at thread IIRC soemone stayed at an Embassy Suites with free parking etc.

Hoover Dam
IIRC you maybe able to book on-line for the tour. Possibly have to due to "security"
I did this tour pre 9/11 (about 30 years ago :eek:) and even to an engineer (Aircraft) it was a bit tedious IMHO. Lots of concrete and HUGE Turbo fans.
Better option is to wander across it and then go to the parking lot for the bridge access and then look down on it.
Each to their own.

GC
Stayed at both Flagstaff and Williams
Latter is more "Quaint Route 66" town but Flagstaff is bigger.
East to west is better as the puulouts to the GC are on your side as you drive-so no crossing traffic.
However IMHO the first pull out\view that way is the best, so the rest are a little inferior.

If you really want to see the GC at it's best look for Torroweap in my reports.
Awesome is just not the word to describe that view.:eek:
Have fun:cool:

PeacefulWaters

I thought it would be helpful to feedback on the marvellous trip we've just enjoyed so that others can benefit too.

For context, there were three of us in our group. The youngest has just turned 17. We've driven in the USA before, a day trip from NYC into New Jersey and also a three day trip from DC into Pennsylvania.

This was a 10 day trip in October half term (we'd have preferred 14) so needed a few trade-offs to achieve what we all wanted to do. 2,444 miles with a new stop every night. In a perfect world a couple of two night stops in the same location would have removed some of the intensity of the travelling, as would an hour or so less driving each day - as the main driver I certainly valued the days where we reached our hotel before dusk.

Our car (Avis via BA) was sold as Chrysler 200 or similar (type D) and ended up being a VW Passat. Not exciting but very practical. It held 2 large suitcases and 2 maximum size hand luggage bags in the trunk with ease. I am glad we didn't try to save £25 by hiring a smaller car.

We pre-booked hotels. Most had a 48 hour cancellation clause which meant we couldn't change our plans at short notice without cost or cutting out a location that we'd decided we wanted to see.

A couple of other learning points:

Petrol is cheaper by far in Nevada and Arizona than it is in California. But even CA is much cheaper than the UK. A USA gallon is also smaller than a British gallon.

While we never got close to running out of fuel, if you have a romantic notion of numerous lone petrol stations in the wilderness between stops they are few and far between. Fill up at intersections near the towns! Fuel was particularly expensive by USA standards in Death Valley, Yosemite and on Highway 1 between Carmel and Morro Bay. Top-up long before entering these routes.

Hotels in or near the national parks can be very expensive. Unless you're spending additional time in the parks they don't really offer any value. You are paying for the location. For us, there was an end of day tiredness which meant easy parking, a nearby fast good place, wi-fi, shower, bed and a simple morning breakfast were the priorities. We're not creatures of the night so anything else was unnecessary. The amount of junk food we consumed did mean cartons of fruit juice and a few items of fruit each day were valued by our bodies! A less intense schedule may have created time for better eating.

Money wise, we used a Halifax Clarity Card freely everywhere. Although we took £300 / $480 of local currency with us we have returned with over $100 and never used an ATM. I haven't checked the credit card bill yet but would be surprised if we've spent over £100 a day on fuel, food and souvenirs.

Because the flight costs were cheaper than going to LA, San Francisco, Palm Springs, San Diego or Las Vegas we flew from Heathrow to Phoenix. When I've checked at other times this hasn't been the case, so don't assume
Phoenix is always the way to do it. We booked flight and car together with BA for ATOL protection (it was also £700 cheaper this way) and paid £48 for an annual car hire excess policy elsewhere. The plane was an old 747 and the on board service was adequate but the seats were cramped. The entertainment system seemed limited compared to our previous transatlantic flights on BA. At least the Avios points will pay for a return flight to Europe each.

Immigration took an hour. Customs 5 minutes. Car collection also quick after a 10 minute free shuttle transfer to the car village. Insurance patter was minimal from the Avis man.

As mentioned above, the car was fine. We'd also brought along an in car charger (multi-socket including USB) which was good for the range of phones, iPads and digital cameras we'd brought along. The key purchase was a £35 USA sat nav from Amazon. An absolute gem of a buy which came into its own in the cities! Don't travel without one.

Day 1: Plane, collect car, 2 hour drive to a Days Inn Kokopelli near Sedona. In a perfect world we'd have stayed within half an hour of the airport to avoid the drive after a long flight. It was a night drive too, on an easy highway, so no scenery.

Day 2: Woke up early (jet lag) and upset the people in the room below by moving about! Got a view of the clearest night sky I've ever seen (later surpassed in Mammoth Lakes). Spectacular sunrise, a wander round looking at Bell Rock and a 7am inclusive basic breakfast and then bought a dozen bottles of water from the petrol station over the road. Drove through some of Sedona which is well worth it. An excellent first half hour of holiday with amazing colours in the cliffs and rocks easily visible from the car. On to the Barringer Meteor Crater which I enjoyed and onto Winslow which, unless you're an Eagles fan, is forgettable. Grand Canyon South Rim next, where we wandered up to Mather Point which just took my breath away. This moment alone made the whole trip worth the effort. We then walked each of the viewing points until sunset. Checked in at Yavapai Lodge (East) - comfortable with no wifi, no food included and a bloody long walk to / from reception!

Day 3: Did the red bus route in GC (wonderful, but never quite matched that first view of this amazing place) before heading to Vegas on a high. Drove the Historic Route 66 through Peach Springs (supposedly the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the cartoon film Cars). We can say we did it, but other than a distant view of the GC further west I can't really recommend it. Then onto Vegas where the dusk drive was spectacular and a night view approaching the city impressive. Sat Nav got us to the Mirage where a Volcano view room (no tea/coffee facilities) and excellent Chinese meal supplemented time in the casino and a mad walk outside in a crazy place.

Day 4: Saw the dolphins and cats at the Mirage (those enclosures seem a little small to me) before doubling back to Hoover Dam and then driving on to the Best Western in Pahrump on the edge of Death Valley. Bar, bowling alley, pizza, popcorn, huge room and a Walmart half a mile up the road for water supplies (24 bottles that lasted the rest of the trip) and a cool bag. Gobsmacked by the gun aisle!

Day 5: Death Valley. Loved it. Badwater Basin, Artist's Palette, Panamint (late bar lunch as we drove through was excellent) and many other points. Well worth exploring the corners of this place and I want to do much more than our time allowed. This is so much more than a road in a hot desert. Our first experience of national park toilet facilities. My advice - go before you start your day out! And bring some baby wipes! Then a drive through Lone Pine and Bishop to a cabin at Tamarack Lodge in Mammoth Lakes. Where the restaurant closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Truth get told, this was a much longer drive than I should have taken on, the cost of the cabin was high but the location was magnificent.

Day 6: Woke up to discover lake and mountain outside cabin. Wildlife everywhere. Idyllic perfection. Except the neighbour who's car had been broken into - by a bear in search of food! I want to spend a month here!! Drove round June Lake, regular photo stops. Views over Mono Lake and onto the Tioga Pass and Yosemite. Regular stops and short walks for photo opportunities. Into the valley, another fast good lunch and El Capitan etc. so much seen but a feeling of so much missed.

Day 7: Breakfast a few minutes down the road before the drive to beautiful San Francisco. We spent an afternoon wandering around Fisherman's Wharf (be prepared to pay heavily for parking). Loved it. Favourite big city of this whistle top tour. Drive onto Santa Cruz (a bit too close to rush hour) where we reached the Comfort Inn. Didn't feel comfortable here, despite pleasant staff, adequate room and nice breakfast.

Day 8: 17 Mile Drive (wonderful), Carmel, Highway 1 done the Pacific coast. Tremendous. Especially Elephant Rock and the seals. But tired by Morro Bay and still an extra two hours to drive on to Ventura Beach where an excellent Comfort Inn awaited.

Day 9: Breakfast at Denny's (voucher from hotel) and a drive to Malibu (a stop to take a photo of the beachside house used in Diagnosis Murder and Hannah Montana (don't ask) and another seal siting. Then onto Beverley Hills and Hollywood. A shopping trip on Rodeo Drive (parked on a meter for $2). We saw the shops. No spending! Got lost in Bel Air where Mrs PW said "these are nice houses" before parking on Hollywood Blvd for another $2. Tacky - made Vegas seem normal! Drive on to Homewood Suites in Palm Desert. Fab hotel. Pointless location!

Day 10: Didn't have time to do Joshua Tree so drove to Blythe to see the Desert Intaglios (readers of Hardy Boys books will know) before some highway cactus photos, returning to Phoenix, returning the car and using the airport's unlimited free wifi during the boredom of waiting for the flight home.

Loved the whole trip. Will go back. Will give it more time next time. But I do think we maximised what we could get out of a week and a half.

Everybody should see this part of the world!

27col

Your post brought back a lot of memories peacefulwaters.