Road Tripping in the USA!
- Thread starter [TW]Fox
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I booked in April at £470.
In February they were £420, so I lost out there.
This year, flight prices are bonkers - I am trying to sort Miami and New York out, and in September New York is a staggering 500 quid. 500 quid!!! Its crazy this year.
Early Feb every flight past May was bonkers. Now, May and June are sensible money again. I'm hoping that as the months go past and they worry about filling planes in September the prices will get more normal again.
I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Airport BLVD (8620 Airport Blvd). It was a block away from the Hertz rental pickup at LAX and had free parking and a free breakfast the next morning.
I'd recommend it, for sure.
I also stayed at Candlewood Suites LAX Hawthorne. It's another part of the Intercontinental Group (ie, Holiday Inn) but it's aimed at long-stay business travellers. So the rooms are nicer, you get a kitchen as well. Infact if I'm honest this place was nicer than the Holiday Inn Express, but no free breakfast. Parking was free though.
It was also cheaper than the Holiday Inn Express.
http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details...oms[0].numberOfAdults=2&landmark=#description
Try that link.
I'd recommend it, for sure.
I also stayed at Candlewood Suites LAX Hawthorne. It's another part of the Intercontinental Group (ie, Holiday Inn) but it's aimed at long-stay business travellers. So the rooms are nicer, you get a kitchen as well. Infact if I'm honest this place was nicer than the Holiday Inn Express, but no free breakfast. Parking was free though.
It was also cheaper than the Holiday Inn Express.
http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details...oms[0].numberOfAdults=2&landmark=#description
Try that link.
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I took my trusty Dell Axim with tomtom on but I also got the Hertz sat nav free as the last Mustang they had had it anyway.
9 nights of Road Trip is enough to do LA to Vegas, through Death Valley, into Yosemite National Park, into San Francisco and back down to LA provided you dont stay more than 2 nights in any one location and you realise its quite a bit of driving.
I'd probably just do one or two nights in Vegas, and head on up to San Fran.
One spanner in the works at the moment is that Tioga Pass - which is where you'd go from Death Valley to Yosemite - is still closed for winter. When are you going? It should be open any time now.
I'd probably just do one or two nights in Vegas, and head on up to San Fran.
One spanner in the works at the moment is that Tioga Pass - which is where you'd go from Death Valley to Yosemite - is still closed for winter. When are you going? It should be open any time now.
I'd make the following changes.
Friday leave Vegas, do Death Valley, stay the other side. Bishop is well positioned.
Saturday is Yosemite Day. 2 hour drive from Bishop via Tioga Pass which should be open at the end of June, then head out in the evening and stay somewhere between there and San Fran. I chose Modesto, it was about a 1-2 hour drive from Yosemeite.
Sunday is San Fran day. Get up early and drive the long way into San Francisco. You can then enter it from the top over the Golden Gate Bridge after visiting a charming little place right before the bridge called Sausalito. You can also get fantastic views of the bridge from the Headland above it.
Then into San Fran for lunch - big plus here is that most of the on-street parking in San Francisco is FREE on Sundays. So park your car - I parked just a block from the crooked street (Lombard Street) and spend the rest of the day walking around San Fran.
Then it's hotel time. Now San Fran is cheap to stay in at the weekend and very expensive weekdays. If you don't drink consider staying out of town. I stayed in a town about 20 miles South. Sounds a long way but in reality it's 20 minutes in the freeway. Meant i got to stay in a Marriott opposite Sony North Americas HQ building for 60 quid a night. Edit: It was called Foster City.
If you do decide to stay out of town be sure to pick somewhere that doesnt involve driving over one of the toll bridges or you'll find your hotel savings eaten by toll fares!
Monday morning you can drive the car to a BART station and hitch the train into San Francisco if you feel you've more to see. Don't drive into San Fran on a weekday unless you want to pay eleven billion pounds to park.
You'll probably get owned for a hotel cost on the Monday night but hey, sometimes I guess its unavoidable.
Tuesday and Wednesday can be Pacific Coast Highway days. This part of the trip is unmissable. Take a lesuirely stroll down the coast stopping at Santa Cruz and spend the night at Carmel or Monterary - although Monterary will be cheaper.
Wednesday is the best bit of Pacific Coast Highway. Pay your small toll and do 17 Mile Drive. Takes you through some stunning residential areas, home of the super rich, and past the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links, and also some nice coastline. After you finish 17 mile drove its onto Highway 1 and down through Big Sur. This is the absolutely epic bit with the jaw dropping scenery and fantastic bridges you see in all the pictures.
'Drive Highway 1 in a Convertible' is often found in '1001 places to visit before you die'. The Big Sur stretch is this part.
The first real civilisation after this part of the route is Morro Bay, a small town with a little cinema, a McDonalds, and a load of cheap motels. They are a bit trashy but they are cheap. Alternatively a bit further along is a city called San Luis Obsipo. Not a great area or a tourist hot spot but plenty of hotels. If you really fancy missioning it, you could probably make it to Santa Barbara but it might end up being pretty late.
If you don't decide to press onto Santa Barbara you'll find that between San Luis and Santa Barbara is a charming village called Solvang. Google it, all the architecture is Danish. Worth a quick visit.
Santa Barbara is lovely - past here it gets a bit urban in places and if you stick to the Pacific Coast Highway you'll go through the famous Malibu. Which is a bit crap. Then you'll end up in Santa Monica, which is pretty much LA.
This takes you to Thursday night.
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