Does this itinerary look OK?

pinktraceb · 9 Jan 20, 11:28 PM

Hi all

Planning our next trip and thinking of doing a West Coast one. We are stuck to August school holidays (have 2 boys who will be 17 and 14). This is the basic itinerary I've come up with so far. Would love your thoughts

Fly to San Francisco. Spend 3 nights there. Do usual sights etc.

Pick up hire car and travel to Monterey. 2 nights there, want to do whale watching

Drive down the PCH. Spend a night in San Luis (to break up drive)

Drive to Santa Barbara. 2 nights there. Enjoy the beach in Santa Barbara and relax

Drive to Anaheim. Get rid of car. Spend 3 nights. Disney time

Train to LA. 3 nights in Burbank. Do LS sights plus Universal

Fly back home

Does this sound like enough time every where?

Thanks in advance for your help 😁

400ixl · 10 Jan 20, 12:27 PM

Only real comment is you will be driving past Hollywood to get to Anaheim, so maybe switch those.

What do you plan to do from Burbank, given you won't have a car.

pinktraceb · 10 Jan 20, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by 400ixl

Only real comment is you will be driving past Hollywood to get to Anaheim, so maybe switch those.

What do you plan to do from Burbank, given you won't have a car.

Thanks. Is Burbank closer to LA airport than Anaheim?

Burbank is going to be Universal parks plus the Hollywood sights.

Beth_Disney · 10 Jan 20, 01:09 PM

Plan looks great but I'd keep the car for the duration. LA is very spread out and a car comes in very handy.

When are you looking to do the trip? I priced a similar trip up for August 2019 in May/June 2019 and the hotels were really expensive. Even budget hotels were $300+ per night in some of the locations so I'd suggest booking ASAP if it's this year. I wondered whether Big Little Lies season 2 had bumped up tourism along PCH?

400ixl · 10 Jan 20, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by pinktraceb

Thanks. Is Burbank closer to LA airport than Anaheim?

Burbank is going to be Universal parks plus the Hollywood sights.

Not really any closer to LAX. You will probably get better transfer options from Anaheim as well.

If you are only doing Hollywood, Universal and things Like Warner Bros, Griffith Observatory etc then Uber can be used to get around. If you plan to go further afield and do the likes of Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills etc then I would suggest having a car.

400ixl · 10 Jan 20, 03:53 PM

For San Fran, look at options of collecting the car in both San Fran and from the airport.

We saved over $200 by heading back to the airport to get the car which is on the way to Monterrey anyway. That saving included the Uber to the airport. The choice of car was also much better from there as we have a choice of a dozen cars compared to one or two in San Fran.

For Monterrey have a look at Carmel for hotels as it is nice there. What else do you plan to do here other than Whale watching?

pinktraceb · 10 Jan 20, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by 400ixl

For San Fran, look at options of collecting the car in both San Fran and from the airport.

We saved over $200 by heading back to the airport to get the car which is on the way to Monterrey anyway. That saving included the Uber to the airport. The choice of car was also much better from there as we have a choice of a dozen cars compared to one or two in San Fran.

For Monterrey have a look at Carmel for hotels as it is nice there. What else do you plan to do here other than Whale watching?

I'll be honest I'm not sure what else! We did a road trip in the Rockies so I wanted to ensure we had a couple of nights there so we aren't rushing around too much!

pinktraceb · 10 Jan 20, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Beth_Disney

Plan looks great but I'd keep the car for the duration. LA is very spread out and a car comes in very handy.

When are you looking to do the trip? I priced a similar trip up for August 2019 in May/June 2019 and the hotels were really expensive. Even budget hotels were $300+ per night in some of the locations so I'd suggest booking ASAP if it's this year. I wondered whether Big Little Lies season 2 had bumped up tourism along PCH?

Thanks you! Yes August time and we're hoping to book asap! I need a holiday in my diary lol!

jdouds · 10 Jan 20, 05:52 PM

Hi all sounds-good, as others have said would keep car UNTIL YOU leave.
San Fran hire bikes cycle over bridge to Sausalito and come back in the ferry. (Easy cycle)
We Did Alcatraz night tour which was great.
For Monterey we did whale watching with sanctuary cruises from moss landing , marine biologist on board, if anyone suffers motion sickness you can hire wrist bands which stop this. The aquarium is very good but would suggest an early visit, 17 mile dr and the drive round the coast is great and for us pebble beach is a must , Carmel is nice for a walk and perhaps a meal.
PCH make sure to stop and see the elephant seals at San Simeon.
In Santa Barbara there is a great beach restaurant the boathouse at Hendrys beach on the north of the town.

10 Jan 20, 12:27 PM	#2
	10 Jan 20, 12:27 PM 400ixl Imagineer
400ixl Imagineer Join Date: Mar 12	Only real comment is you will be driving past Hollywood to get to Anaheim, so maybe switch those. What do you plan to do from Burbank, given you won't have a car.

10 Jan 20, 03:53 PM	#6
	10 Jan 20, 03:53 PM 400ixl Imagineer
400ixl Imagineer Join Date: Mar 12	For San Fran, look at options of collecting the car in both San Fran and from the airport. We saved over $200 by heading back to the airport to get the car which is on the way to Monterrey anyway. That saving included the Uber to the airport. The choice of car was also much better from there as we have a choice of a dozen cars compared to one or two in San Fran. For Monterrey have a look at Carmel for hotels as it is nice there. What else do you plan to do here other than Whale watching?