West Coast Worries

[Sew109]

I have been West Coast far more than Florida and prefer it so much I feel sorry for the thousands of people who fly to mco get magical express to Disney then reverse in a couple of weeks and think they have been to America. Staying in villa community is only very slightly more real you are still in a protective bubble in a holiday resort.

The west is so much better we only ever used to book hotels 8n city’s and do all the rest when we got there usually on the day with a little one we do book a little,bit more .

Even if you book nothing I am sure you will have a great time, we are go8ng in October and have not even booked flights yet.

[Harry]

This is going to be out last big trip as a family for the next few years so I gave my 16 year old daughter the choice (within reason obviously) as she had a tough time with her exams (so much revision etc)... she decided that she wanted to do Cal at Halloween... said fine... in fact I was so overjoyed she choose the West Coast I could have high 5'd her on the spot... but I played it cool... this will be trip number 4... and we absolutely LOVE the place... gives us far more freedom and variety than we ever get in Florida (which we also love) ... you will LOVE it...

[JudyC]

I'm off for my fourth Vegas/West Coast trip in a few weeks. You can't see it all and do everything, this goes even more so than Orlando. Just chose what you think you'd like, and I wouldn't stay less three nights in one place with the odd exception. We've had four or five hotels over 14-17 night's. This time its only 3 places, Vegas , San Diego and Long Beach as at a slower pace visiting my brother with my Mum.

[Bozza]

10 days to go and still just the two nights booked in Monterey but some plans are starting to crystalise a bit...

10/08 - fly out to SF. Hire car, drive South a wee bit to somewhere like San Jose. Book a hotel here for the night.
11/08 - head to Cupertino to see Apple HQ and buy a new MacBook Pro. Drive to Santa Cruz for the boardwalk, fair and lunch. Head to Monterey. Stay in Monterey for the night.
12/08 - Whale watching and Aquarium. Stay in Monterey for the night.
13/08 - Head down the PCH, stopping where we fancy. Stay in Solvang for the night in an AirBnB.
14/08 - Head to Santa Barbara, stop for lunch and a mooch. Then head to Hollywood. Stay in an AirBnB for the night.
15/08 - Griffith Observatory and Hollywood sights. Same AirBnB for the night.
16/08 - Universal Studios. Same AirBnB for the night.
17/08 - California Science Centre to see the shuttle. Disneyland Hotel for the night.
18/08 - 21/08 - Disneyland and Disneyland Hotel.
22/08 - last look at DL. Head off somewhere. Night: TBA
23/08 - 24/08: TBA
25/08 - 28/08: San Francisco sights.
29/08: fly home

So, nights would be:

1 night: San Jose-ish
2 nights: Monterey
1 night: Solvang
3 nights: Hollywood
5 nights: Disneyland
3 nights: TBA
4 nights: San Francisco

Need to get on and book hotels, AirBnBs, park tickets, tours and car tomorrow!

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Bozza

10 days to go and still just the two nights booked in Monterey but some plans are starting to crystalise a bit...

10/08 - fly out to SF. Hire car, drive South a wee bit to somewhere like San Jose. Book a hotel here for the night.
11/08 - head to Cupertino to see Apple HQ and buy a new MacBook Pro. Drive to Santa Cruz for the boardwalk, fair and lunch. Head to Monterey. Stay in Monterey for the night.
12/08 - Whale watching and Aquarium. Stay in Monterey for the night.
13/08 - Head down the PCH, stopping where we fancy. Stay in Solvang for the night in an AirBnB.
14/08 - Head to Santa Barbara, stop for lunch and a mooch. Then head to Hollywood. Stay in an AirBnB for the night.
15/08 - Griffith Observatory and Hollywood sights. Same AirBnB for the night.
16/08 - Universal Studios. Same AirBnB for the night.
17/08 - California Science Centre to see the shuttle. Disneyland Hotel for the night.
18/08 - 21/08 - Disneyland and Disneyland Hotel.
22/08 - last look at DL. Head off somewhere. Night: TBA
23/08 - 24/08: TBA
25/08 - 28/08: San Francisco sights.
29/08: fly home

So, nights would be:

1 night: San Jose-ish
2 nights: Monterey
1 night: Solvang
3 nights: Hollywood
5 nights: Disneyland
3 nights: TBA
4 nights: San Francisco

Need to get on and book hotels, AirBnBs, park tickets, tours and car tomorrow!

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Glad it's coming together. Most people regard Alcatraz as a must and it was certainly a highlight of our recent West Coast trip. I guess that you will be in SFO around 24 days from now. You are in probability too late already as the tickets are sold from 90 days out and there is a big demand, but I would be trying to get those tickets with the very greatest urgency (if you indeed want to go there).

[pompeyboy]

Quite a few tickets,2-300, left for the 28th Aug for day time trips to Alcatraz but get in soon, maybe today as nothing else for August.

Like CFB we really enjoyed our trip to the rock and it was also one of our highlights of the West coast.

[Wappum]

I’m currently on the West Coast, been here a week and so far done San Fran, Santa Monica and now in Anaheim - have San Diego and Las Vegas to go.

It has been a completely different holiday, it is expensive (we have 3 kids so hotels have hurt), we have moved around a lot so having to be organised with packing up.

Tbh I didn’t really feel the love for the West Coast until we hit Anaheim. The restricted parking outside restaurants (if any parking at all) is a pain, the weather wasn’t great for the first 4/5 days and the jet lag was a killer but I’ve loved bits of everything we’ve done so far and I’m loving Disneyland and California Adventures - maybe because they are a more familiar experience

But because I had all the same worries about a west coast holiday we have tagged 10 days in Florida onto the end of the holiday and we fly there next week - and I am really looking forward to that part. The West Coast is great, I’m really glad I’m here but I don’t think it will be repeated unlike Florida

[JudyC]

Are you dropping the car back somewhere in LA and catching an internal flight up to San Francisco? We've done that before, definitely don't need a car in SF.
Do you fancy a few days near the beach, Santa Monica, or one of the other beaches.
In September we are staying the last four nights at Long Beach in an airbnb , and having a day trip to Catalina island.
Or you could drive down to San Diego and get an internal flight back to SF from there.

[Guest]

We leave on Monday for our west coast trip. I grew up on California and so I am super excited but I fear that my kids would rather be going back to Florida. BUT. The west coast is amazing and you will love it! I think the key to changing hotels a lot is not trying to unpack all the time, so pyjamas and Wash bag always on the top of suitcases for easy access and if we are two days somewhere, I unpack and hang up two days worth of clothes for everyone and leave the rest in the bags. And every now and then you need to stay somewhere a little longer to rest and do laundry!

We have put a limit of £200 a night on hotels (we are there in August and there are five of us so we don’t get the best hotel deals) except in Anaheim where we promptly broke our own rule to stay in a Disney hotel!

I have spent AGES planning the holiday. I used California tourist websites and videos of other people’s trips on YouTube! And obviously places I went when I lived there. Not hugely scientific.

If it helps at all we are doing the following:

Night 1: Hollywood
Day 1: Hollywood (early before tourist traps start and since we will likely be up with the larks anyways!) and then Venice Beach then drive to Palm Springs. This is crazy hot in August but my 14 year old only has one thing on his wish list and that is to go into the desert and see the faultline!
Day2-3 Palm Springs
Day 4-5 San Diego. We are seeing some old school friends but also will go go La Jolla and old town San Diego but probably give Sea World a miss. Haven’t decided yet.
Then we spend a few days driving north on highway 1 which is now all open again I think (hooray!) staying one night each along the way
Stopping in Santa Barbara (we will mooch about and maybe do aquarium on the pier which is a fraction of cost of Monterey aquarium. They also do great whale watching trips from Santa Barbara.
The next night we are in Cambria on moonstone boardwalk somewhere. It’s beautiful. We will do Hearst Castle from here.
The next night we are in Monterey. We will also try and find somewhere to have chowder on a sourdough bowl! We will visit Carmel by the Sea and Cannery Row and the micro breweries there. Then on to Napa via Santa Cruz boardwalk (the fair used in The Lost Boys I think) and possibly Half Moon bay then over the Golden Gate to Napa.
We are two nights in Napa. From there we will drive an hour or so day trip to the coast and Armstrong Woods to see the Redwoods and back via Bodega Bay and Petaluma and then we will spend a day mooching around Napa.
We are then three nights on San Francisco. We are staying out by the airport opposite a train station with a line into the city because staying in the city was so expensive. We will do the regular sights there. Top tip is of you are going that far north and plan to visit Alcatraz you have to book tickets way in advance. Now would not be too soon for you.
Then we fly back to LA (thank you air miles) and we rest. 4 nights in Dana Point which is near where I used to live and finishing with three nights in Anaheim at Disney. While there we will see Mission San Juan Capistrano and go to Laguna Beach and Costa Mesa Mall and just mooch about the places I used to go! I will also drag my kids to see my old home and neighbours and my school which they will totally disinterested in!

We are only getting a two day ticket to Disney as only two parks and much smaller than Florida.

We may also try and squeeze in a studio back lot tour (probably Sony Pictures as cheapest and shortest tour) rather than Universal Studios Park.

We are there just under three weeks.

Once you get planning you will probably get more and more excited (but hopefully not as obsessed as me. My husband says my extreme planning is on danger of sucking the joy out of the holiday!)

[jdouds]

Wappum you haven't even scratched the surface yet, enjoy what time you have left and consider some more west coast in years to come. Monterey,yosemite ,Lake Tahoe ,Yellowstone and lots more.