Back home - highs, ok bits, lows and thanks

[Mortimer Mouse]

Sounds like a fab trip. I was tempted by those BA flights last year too, but couldn't face the planning of somewhere totally new, as we'd just returned off another (exhausting) Orlando trip, a couple of weeks before. But the West Coast is definetly on my 'to do' list for the future.
Just out of interest, how many days would you do and where, if you where going for the first time?

[Jake71]

Your review has made me even more excited for ours in 4 weeks - eeek can't believe how quickly the time is going in. Shame about the WB tour, I'm hoping to get that booked before we go and I'll keep my fingers crossed that we don't get your guide.


Thanks for sharing.

[WileyCoyote]

Welcome home ! Sounds like a great trip overall. So sad about the whale but I guess that's nature we are just not used to . Shame about Hollywood and the LA traffic, I think they were pretty much our least fave bits too. Great to see but definitely a one time thing !

The Highs sound just fantastic.

Can't wait for the next one ... !

[Myakka17]

We're here now currently in SF gabbing travelled Nirth from LA. We stayed at the Best Western Atascadero which was fab, gorgeous free breakfast, pool, laundry etc. Ideal location for Morro bay, Cambria and the wineries of Paso Robles. Our next stop was Monterey. Really enjoyed the drive to big sur, looking round Carmel by the beach then 17 mile drive. Only downside was on 17 mile drive many if the stops were full so we couldn't stop! Have to say we had last minute change of hotel which I am pleased we did purely because if location as we were in the down town area which was really fun and vibrant and was extremely disappointed with the hype of Cannery row.

[KACY]

Originally Posted by Myakka Lodge

We're here now currently in SF gabbing travelled Nirth from LA. We stayed at the Best Western Atascadero which was fab, gorgeous free breakfast, pool, laundry etc. Ideal location for Morro bay, Cambria and the wineries of Paso Robles. Our next stop was Monterey. Really enjoyed the drive to big sur, looking round Carmel by the beach then 17 mile drive. Only downside was on 17 mile drive many if the stops were full so we couldn't stop! Have to say we had last minute change of hotel which I am pleased we did purely because if location as we were in the down town area which was really fun and vibrant and was extremely disappointed with the hype of Cannery row.

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Shame about 17m drive being busy, we did it in December. so it was much quieter.

Agree about Cannery Row, it's worth a quick walk down, and for the aquarium of course, but there are nicer areas to stay in Monterey.

Hope you've got time to go whale watching

[jocat]

Originally Posted by tocpe321

Yes thanks. Just had pizza and enjoying a beer in Half Dome Village. Off to Lone Pine in AM.

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Ooh enjoy!

Originally Posted by georgemac

Not too many lows there. Glad you had a great trip, and another convincing me I must return to see Yosemite.

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Yes, you must go back. Yosemite was definitely the biggest 'Wow' of the trip!

Originally Posted by Mortimer Mouse

Sounds like a fab trip. I was tempted by those BA flights last year too, but couldn't face the planning of somewhere totally new, as we'd just returned off another (exhausting) Orlando trip, a couple of weeks before. But the West Coast is definetly on my 'to do' list for the future.
Just out of interest, how many days would you do and where, if you where going for the first time?

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It was a bit daunting to plan somewhere new. But there's lots of help available on here from very knowledgable Dibbers.

There's so much to see out there, it's definitely a place to go to for longer than 2 weeks if you're able to, even if it's just a couple of extra days. We managed 17 nights, but had we been able to go for longer, we could have added more places. I think you also have to prepare yourself that you're not going to be able to see everything. We had to lose San Diego from our trip, as we just couldn't fit it in without compromising at least 2, maybe 3 other places by cutting the time at each stop. The fact that we were also trying to fit in spending time with friends out there, plus the closure of the middle part of the Pacific Coast Highway, played a big part on our itinerary too.

With regards to places to go, that's such a personal thing and down to what individual families want out of their holidays. In hindsight, as much as we enjoyed our days at Universal and Disney and are glad we went, I got more out of places with more scenery, such as the PCH and Yosemite. However, if you're travelling with children, it's probably impossible to cut theme parks out. And you may be like us - how can you be so close to the original Disney park and not see it?

Originally Posted by Jake71

Your review has made me even more excited for ours in 4 weeks - eeek can't believe how quickly the time is going in. Shame about the WB tour, I'm hoping to get that booked before we go and I'll keep my fingers crossed that we don't get your guide. Thanks for sharing.

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Ooh, enjoy the countdown to your trip - it'll be here in a flash. With regards to the WB tour guide, I'm sure she's in one of my photos, so when I post that day, keep an eye out for who to avoid. Seriously, if you're into Pretty Little Liars and Gilmore Girls, then she'll be able to talk about them!

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Welcome home ! Sounds like a great trip overall. So sad about the whale but I guess that's nature we are just not used to . Shame about Hollywood and the LA traffic, I think they were pretty much our least fave bits too. Great to see but definitely a one time thing !

The Highs sound just fantastic.

Can't wait for the next one ... !

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Thanks Amanda. It was a fantastic trip, despite the handful of lows. And if I'm honest, that was being picky. There's probably loads of other highs, which I forgot about when creating this thread. They'll come back to me when I'm sorting my trippie. Spent all day yesterday organising photos from both of our phones and the camera into days. Just need to condense them now for the trippie.

Look at your countdown - not long now! Hope the planning is going well. Have a fab time. x

Originally Posted by Myakka Lodge

We're here now currently in SF gabbing travelled Nirth from LA. We stayed at the Best Western Atascadero which was fab, gorgeous free breakfast, pool, laundry etc. Ideal location for Morro bay, Cambria and the wineries of Paso Robles. Our next stop was Monterey. Really enjoyed the drive to big sur, looking round Carmel by the beach then 17 mile drive. Only downside was on 17 mile drive many if the stops were full so we couldn't stop! Have to say we had last minute change of hotel which I am pleased we did purely because if location as we were in the down town area which was really fun and vibrant and was extremely disappointed with the hype of Cannery row.

See more...

That's a shame about 17 mile drive being so busy. While we were in Monterey, DH asked me if we wanted to go back and see Cannery Row properly, but I wasn't bothered. Like you, from the little bit we saw, I wasn't upset about missing out on the full experience.

[jocat]

Originally Posted by KACY

Shame about 17m drive being busy, we did it in December. so it was much quieter.

Agree about Cannery Row, it's worth a quick walk down, and for the aquarium of course, but there are nicer areas to stay in Monterey.

Hope you've got time to go whale watching

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We went whale watching - don't think I wrote about it in my highs and lows though.

[Bella Girl]

So pleased you enjoyed your trip.

We also did the Warner Brothers Tour and was left slightly bemused by the staff. Our guide was knowledgeable and there was a lot of banter between him and the people on the cart but he was quite sharp at times and seemed to get bored half way through. Most markedly, he and his colleagues were quite officious, telling people off at various times for rather odd things. One lady was told she was taking too many photos ( not of banned things or at the wrong time - just too many), another was told off for taking one step over a line whilst waiting for the cart to take us back to the entrance. There were other minor incidents. It felt like being back at school with a strict teacher!
We did the tour on a Sunday afternoon when the site was not operational and was very quiet. Their behaviour would have made more sense on a busy day.
Nevertheless it was a great experience and I would recommend it.

[i love jack]

Just read this all, what a great trip. I'm looking forward to doing similar in a few years time.

[tiggersbestmate]

It looks like you had a fantastic trip! I'm even more excited for our trip next summer. You've given me some great ideas, I'm trying to work out how to squeeze in Yosemite now.
Thanks for writing, I'm off to read your Boston report.