Spec me... an American rental car

[TW]Fox;21338864 said:
Stayed till midnight, back in hotel by half past.
Click to expand...

Being as you don't drink (?) I take it you drove (had to find parking) in or got a taxi, bus???

Still a hassle compared to just popping out for a wonder around be it a short wonder or out all day, that's all I'm trying to say. You didn't stay outside of Vegas and take a quick mode of transportation in, or do the same around LA, San Diego etc :)
 
In my experience with american rental companies, you never actually get the car you book, my parents went last year, supposed to get a Jeep Cherokee and they ended up with a Chrysler something.

We're off to America again in April, again asked for a Jeep and I wonder what we'll get this time lol
 
-Ad- said:
Being as you don't drink (?) I take it you drove (had to find parking) in or got a taxi, bus???

Still a hassle compared to just popping out for a wonder around be it a short wonder or out all day, that's all I'm trying to say. You didn't stay outside of Vegas and take a quick mode of transportation in, or do the same around LA, San Diego etc :)
Click to expand...

I did it in San Diego too.
 
sanofi said:
Where are you going? I find that Alamo and National (same company essentially) give the cheapest quotes of the big name renters.
Click to expand...
Looking for a one way rental from Portland to Sacremento. Just wondering if I can get away with using the cheap UK car rental site and UK licence, versus direct booking with a US rental company and my US licence...
 
6thElement said:
Looking for a one way rental from Portland to Sacremento. Just wondering if I can get away with using the cheap UK car rental site and UK licence, versus direct booking with a US rental company and my US licence...
Click to expand...

With someone like Holiday Autos, the damage waiver you get is with them only and not with the hire firm.

I don't think Alamo have offices in those two cities but you can give National a try. What size car are you looking for?
 
Rich_L said:
Good call on the Best Western SM and the Avila Village Inn, the latter is really really nice. I'd eat at the Olde Porte Inn which has great seafood and is at the end of a pier, with tables that have glass bottoms so you can look down and see the seals messing around :p

That hotel looks good in San Diego too - if at all possible come off I-5 at Carlsbad then take the coastal route the rest of the way, Encinitas and La Jolla would be fun to stop for lunch or something before you arrive in SD. (Plus in La Jolla there's an amazing BBQ restaurant :D) and it means you come in to San Diego through Torrey Pines which is pretty spectacular.
Click to expand...

Really struggling with Santa Barbara mate...we're staying both Fri & Sat nights. Our first choice was the Castillo Inn, but that is sadly totally booked out. The secret garden inn looks a bit dated, so we've ruled it out. Thoughts on alternaives? West Beach Inn / Best Western Pepper Tree Inn? Budget up to £300 for two nights.

I think we just have to accept a central location in San Fran will come with exorbitant parking levies. We are considering Orchard Hotel, union sq & Kensington Pk Hotel.
 
TheDean said:
Really struggling with Santa Barbara mate...we're staying both Fri & Sat nights. Our first choice was the Castillo Inn, but that is sadly totally booked out. The secret garden inn looks a bit dated, so we've ruled it out. Thoughts on alternaives? West Beach Inn / Best Western Pepper Tree Inn? Budget up to £300 for two nights.

I think we just have to accept a central location in San Fran will come with exorbitant parking levies. We are considering Orchard Hotel, union sq & Kensington Pk Hotel.
Click to expand...
Hm, you're staying on the two most expensive nights at peak season unfortunately :p

Basically you have a tough call, you can take your pick from any of those beach-front hotel/motel offerings which will set you back around $200-$250 a night - none of which will be particularly disappointing of course but interior-wise are just going to be your average motel-decor and nothing special. There's also the slightly strange arrangement of Santa Barbara where you have the Harbor, Pier and restaurants on Cabrillo Blvd, then there's this 'dead space' of about 5 blocks (including crossing under the freeway) until you hit the main town part.

So - while I'd usually recommend the beachfront places, I'm going to go a little bit leftfield and suggest either the Hotel Santa Barbara or the Canary Hotel, looking at 2-night Fri/Sat in June it will set you back $500 so maybe $50-$70 more than you would spend on a place on the beachfront?

However, the Canary in particular is freaking awesome, it is right on State St which is where all the restaurants and bars are, has an amazing roof-top pool and bar, plus the rooms are awesome - it's all been completely newly refurbished in the last year or two so everything's sparkly new and the beds are probably the best anywhere in town :p Oh and the bar is one of the 'hot spots' in town to hang out.

I.e. srsly epic:

rooftop-pool-and-spa.jpg


So IMO given that you are unfortunately coming at the most expensive time to stay in SB, I'd suck it up and do it in style and stay at the Canary if you can make it work financially :)
 
Last edited:
markyp23 said:
I'm 21 and hoping to get a Mustang convertible in California this summer - anyone done it? T&Cs suggest it should be a go with $25/day surcharge which I don't mind as long as I know it will actually go through!
Click to expand...

I think only Hertz guarantee a Mustang. We managed to get a Mustang with National at LAX but that was luck.
 
Rich_L said:
So IMO given that you are unfortunately coming at the most expensive time to stay in SB, I'd suck it up and do it in style and stay at the Canary if you can make it work financially :)
Click to expand...

Rich, you're an absolute legend - My bank balance however, hates you. Deluxe Room @ The Canary has been booked! Went through Quidco to Expedia to get 10% off ( which has tracked, thank God!). I have used the 'only get to do it once' excuse far too many times now, but I'm sure it'll be worth it!

Only San Fran to book now, then we're set!
 
Good choice on the Canary, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

The Wi-Fi is pretty stingy! Tell them that WiFi is a basic necessity nowadays and see if they will throw it in as a freebie ;) However, you're also right round the corner from a coffee shop and across the road from the Apple Store that has free wi-fi, depends how important that is to you to buy it or not.

And how much are they saying for hotel parking? You can park on the street maybe 2/3 blocks (5 minutes walk) away for free on Castillo St with no time restrictions - I would use the City lot opposite to drop your stuff off (75 minutes free) then go tuck the car away a couple blocks away - you won't need it much, I would even look at hiring a couple bikes and get around like that if you want to just stay in and around the town and beach etc.
 
Last edited:
TheDean said:
I tweeted them to let them know we're on honeymoon and found out they charge for parking and wifi! #slapintheface :(
Click to expand...

If you tip the porter really well, while asking about wifi, they usually tell you the password to the wifi. I dont understand why expensive hotels charge extra for something most cheaper ones give for free.
 
This is one of the reasons I simply don't bother with the posher hotels on my trips. Don't get me wrong, I don't stay in dumps but I find places like Hampton Inn, Courtyard by Marriot and Holiday Inn Express are (provided you get one with a reasonably new building) comfortable, nice looking, well appointed and have free breakfast and free wifi most of the time.

The more you pay the less you seem to get. And it's a road trip not a 2 week luxury 5 star break. The best hotel I stayed at on my last trip was The Washington Hilton which was as you would expect very nice but it wasn't a world away in terms of comfort and acceptability from the numerous Courtyard by Marriots and HIExpress I used.

I'd rather just save the (often considerable amounts of) money and use it for more trips during the year.
 
[TW]Fox;21359321 said:
This is one of the reasons I simply don't bother with the posher hotels on my trips. Don't get me wrong, I don't stay in dumps but I find places like Hampton Inn, Courtyard by Marriot and Holiday Inn Express are (provided you get one with a reasonably new building) comfortable, nice looking, well appointed and have free breakfast and free wifi most of the time.

The more you pay the less you seem to get. And it's a road trip not a 2 week luxury 5 star break. The best hotel I stayed at on my last trip was The Washington Hilton which was as you would expect very nice but it wasn't a world away in terms of comfort and acceptability from the numerous Courtyard by Marriots and HIExpress I used.

I'd rather just save the (often considerable amounts of) money and use it for more trips during the year.
Click to expand...

hatersgonnahate.jpg

Ultimately, a hotel choice is to ones personal taste. If you feel that Marriots / Hiltons suit your needs, that's absolutely fine, and I wouldn't dare criticise you for it. By the same token, if I wish to spend a bit more and stay at a nicer hotel based on a personal recommendation from an actual resident, a tongue lashing from you is in rather bad taste.

Your point regarding 'road trip not 5 star break' is, again, tripe. Why can't it be both? Or a mixture? A holiday is exactly what you want it to be. In this particular case I feel it is a nice mixture, and as I have mentioned in prior posts, I would always prefer to stay in local boutique hotels or Inns rather than chains.

In the case of The Canary I have a good feeling we will be looked after by them, but only time will tell. I am sure they will throw in free wifi after prompting, and if needs be I can park round the corner where Rich suggested. This is not a huge deal, and clearly has not put me off staying at the hotel. Ultimately this is a honeymoon, so wifi really is not that important ;)

Again, if you would rather save the money and stop in more chain motels, that's totally fine, but I'm unsure what relevance it has here. All I was looking to achieve was to hear what experiences people have had, and what they did while over there etc. I really am very very grateful for all the help from everyone so far as you have helped me decide what we wanted to do, and while we were keen to see as much as we could, we never wanted a full on driving holiday, or indeed a really static one, rather, a nice mix of everything :)
 
Never understood the need for wifi on holiday I'm actually pleased to find the hotel charges for it so I won't use it. I'd much rather be totally out of communication with home and the boring real world when I'm on holiday especially Honeymoon! If I need to access the internet for some local info or tickets or something there is always a Starbucks or similar with free wifi around in a big city.

When ever we go away we always take a balanced approach to hotels mixing really nice with middle of the road, a lot depends on where we are, how long we will be staying and if we will be around the hotel much! If it's for one night I'm happy with a cheapy best western if I'm there 3-4 nights I like something a little nicer but not too posh as we tend to spend most of our time out sightseeing etc. We always try to have a few days in a really nice hotel by a beach to just chill out during our breaks and then it really pays to have a nice place as you will be using the facilities a lot.

Each to there own though everyone values different things on holiday!

Just to keep it just about on topic for motors here is a list of cars we've rented and if they were any good!

Ford Mustang - Awsome made the trip (Vegas)
Pontiac G6 - Not fantastic but as a free upgrade from the 'compact option' was a bargain (Hawaii)
Vaxhaul Zafira - Horrible and was brand new so really didn't want it on the country lanes but got us around (France)
Holden Camaro - Lovely car lots of poke and lots of fun still wish they had had the Falcon in stock! (Cairns)
Hyundai Getz - Awful Awful car but thats what you get for booking the cheapest car available (Sydney)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom