First time help

KAYBEE73 · 23 Apr 18, 09:10 PM

Hi everyone

After 3 holidays in Florida we are planning our first trip to the west coast in April/May of next year. There will be myself, my 2 daughters (25&21) and their partners (27&21). We are planning a total of around 2 weeks in total with around 5 nights in Vegas and the remainder in LA/San Diego. We are all Disney/Universal fans so would like to include this in our trip and to see the sites in LA As well as visiting San Diego zoo.

I've read numerous posts and trip reports but I'm still at a bit of a loss at the best way to do our itinerary plus there are many hotels to choose from and I would like if possible to go on recommendations. Also if anyone can recommend other places to possibly add in to our itinerary (we will have a car)

Any help or advice would really be appreciated to get me started 😃

daytonababe · 23 Apr 18, 11:32 PM

Well hotel wise.. I would stay a few nights in a good neighbour hotel in Anaheim and there are lots to choose from, and then somewhere like Burbank for LA/Universal..

Vegas depends on your budget, I've stayed in several hotels and I personally would avoid Excalibur, Luxor, Flamingo, Circus Circus all need a good refurb..

red cuillen · 24 Apr 18, 08:56 AM

Agree with using Burbank as a base for Universal and touristy sites in LA, means you can eat at the Gordon Birsch pub!, my favourite!
Good neighbour hotels aplenty - well we used Desert Palms, worst hotel of our trip, rooms may have been refurbished but the beds hadn't, we were overlooking the Katella jnct and were constantly woken by cars racing away from the lights, and the 'free' breakfast was really cheap and nasty. Ball Rd properties much quieter, (Marriott Springhill suites is the same price as the Desert Palms but far far superior), and are about a 10-15 min walk to Downtown Disney shops/restaurants.

MichelleB · 24 Apr 18, 10:05 AM

So 5 nights Vegas leaves 9 nights for LA, Anaheim and San Diego. Are you going to fly into Las Vegas and back from LA or San Diego?

How many days do you want to visit the Disney Parks, 2 which is 1 day per park or 3 which gives an extra day? Driving from LA can take 2 hours so you need to stay in Anaheim.

Universal is 1 day, what else do you want to do in LA? Griffiths Observatory, Hollywood and Beverly Hills are all doable in a day. Do you want to go to Santa Monica to the beach or save beach days for San Diego? Does shopping feature in your plans?

I think the best way to approach it is work out how many days in each area for the attractions/activities that interest YOU and your party. Are you looking at suites, separate hotel rooms or house rentals?

We are planning for early September next year for me, DH and my son who will be 18, flying into LAX and out of San Diego:
6 nights LA, looking at Residence Inn Beverly Grove
4 nights Anaheim, want to stay at Grand Californian
4 nights San Diego, maybe Catamaran Resort

Hope that helps.

KAYBEE73 · 29 Apr 18, 08:49 PM

Thanks for the replies, they've given me a few things to think about 😃

flo-tinka · 30 Apr 18, 11:14 AM

First time with kids for us this year too. This is what we have planned:
Fly LHR LAX transfer
5 nights Anaheim, Hyatt House for Disney plus boys to LA Galaxy match (hire car here)
6 nights San Diego, HomeAway 3 bed house for some space, zoo etc
1 night Palm Springs
5 nights Las Vegas, Palazzo
1 night some where after Death Valley
4 nights Burbank, Hilton Garden Inn for Warner Bros, Six Flags and Hollywood (maybe Universal?)
Put together with the help of lots of info from here and elsewhere 😀