California hotels (roadtrip) suggestions please! July 2013
Replies: 17 - Last Post: Dec 9, 2012 5:38 PM Last Post By: myxanadu
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California hotels (roadtrip) suggestions please! July 2013
Hi,I have decided on a honeymoon in California.
I'm a Brit looking for hotels in the areas below, with an accomodation budget of (approx) £1000 for the duration.
The amenities I'm looking for/need are:
Double room
Free car parking (San Fran excluded)
No 'low standard' budget... In between budget and luxury) min 3*
Good location to attractions in the area/city
Own bathroom
Here is my itinerary :
3 nights San Francisco (no car) to Napa Valley- 53 miles
2 nights Napa Valley to Yosemite- 211 miles
3 nights Yosemite to Monterey- 266 miles
1 night Monetery to San Luis Obispo- 107 miles
2 nights San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles-213 miles
3 nights Los Angeles- drop car hire off, fly home
If you can help I will be extremely grateful.
Joanna
2
Well I'm not sure what you mean by that (American euphemism?) haha!In UK a double room means a double bed...does it mean two beds in US?
What's a 2X4?
3
£1000 is about $1600. If I read it right, you are spending 12 nights. That's about $130 per night. Hotel rooms without bath are pretty uncommon and you won't find them in your price range.Star ratings for hotels are rather meaningless in the US
For Yosemite, you want to stay inside the park itself, and, in particular in Yosemite Valley. That means that your lodging choices are all here. If you are willing to splurge and want something romantic, try the Ahwahnee. Otherwise, it's Yosemite Lodge or a cabin at Curry Village. You do NOT want a tent cabin. No bath and not exactly soundproof.
The Wawona, and the Tuolumne Meadows & White Wolf lodges are not in Yosemite Valley.
Lodging in Yosemite can book up fast for summer. You can reserve a year in advance and you should do so as soon as your dates are firm.
Los Angeles is a vast and sprawling area. It would help if you could specify which attractions appeal to you, so you can be steered to the right area.
San Francisco, on the other hand, is small and compact, so being located near an attraction is not as important.
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A 2x4 (called two by four) is a piece of lumber that is two inches (5 cm) thick and four inches (10 cm) wide and can be any length. A picture The idea is that on a honeymoon, you sleep so close together. you don't need a large bed.A double room could be one or two beds. Sometimes two beds is called a twin room. You should specify "two people, one bed." You will probably be asked "king or queen?" That refers to the size of the bed. A king is a UK Super King. A queen is a UK King.
Most rooms in your price range will have one or two king size beds.
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@nutraxfornerves thank you.I should indicate that we are a honeymooning couple that have been together 9 years and so looking for an amazing time away, not an amazing time locked up together :) so soundproof isn't a cause for concern, just a bonus!
Fab advice for San Francisco thank you...
Regards to LA, I want to to the traditional touristy stuff there, so Malibu beach, Disney/Universal, Walk of Fame, Hollywood Sign and any other top attraction I've missed.
We will be staying for 14 nights overall.
Thank you for your reply.
7
I did laugh out loud but at my own stupidity...mainly because we call a 4x4 a 4 wheel drive car (SUV?) and thought that men you slept on a 2 wheel drive car!Yes my mind works weirdly and quickly!
Yes we call them twin.
Looking forward to leaning more lingo before I go! Thanks for the headstart
:)
8
A 2x4 (called two by four) is a piece of lumber that is two inches (5 cm) thick and four inches (10 cm) wide and can be any length.
Though in actuality it is 1.5 inch by 3.5 inch.We will be staying for 14 nights overall.
So it's about $114 per night.When you look at hotels, remember that tax is added to the stated rates. This can be quite high in places.
The Grant Hotel (not Plaza) is usually cheap and only a block or so from xUnion Square. It's basic, but has a great location.
Alternatively, consider Priceline or Hotwire.
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$130 per night will generally mean a Best Western type motel, unless you can find a sale at a Marriott which is rare or use Hotwire/Priceline. You're going to struggle in a few spots to find something in that range.Napa Valley is expensive. Lots of small hotels and B&Bs (which aren't a budget option in the US). Consider somewhere slightly urban nearby. I once got a great rate via Priceline on a Doubletree in Rohnert Park. Monterey is also not cheap but has small motels. Two nights in SLO is at least one too many.
In LA, look in Hollywood. There are lots of motels along Sunset. Santa Monica tends to expensive. And I hope you know that Disneyland is at least an hour's drive away from Hollywood.
10
Napa Valley--why Napa?California has a number of wine regions that produce wine every bit as good as the better known (and expensive) Napa Valley. You will pass through or near a number of them on the way from Monterey to Los Angeles. You could, for example, use San Luis Obispo as a base for a day or two spent checking out a couple of the wine regions.
Or, instead of Napa, you could go a bit farther north and explore wineries around Healdsburg or in Mendocino County.
$114 per night, plus tax, is not going ot work too well for you in SF or Yosemite. You may want to think about a couple of things. Increase your lodging budget, or plan on alternating more upscale lodging with less expensive motels in some places.
drop car hire off
Another vocabulary lesson. In the US we rent things and hire people. So if you talk about a hire car, someone might think you mean a car and driver, such as a limo. You are planning to get a rental car.
11
If you plan a night in Santa Barbara (and I recommend that you do) try The Ramada Limited but book ahead, it's pretty popular. When you call ask for Drew and tell him that Mark said you should get the C&C discount.12
In SLO, I stayed in the Embassy Suites. And I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It fits your requirements and price range (advance reservation rates through booking.com). A very nice made to order breakfast is included.13
Native Californian here who grew up in the Bay Area and now resides in the Land of La. Recommendations are stay at the Yosemite Lodge, but book early. Napa Valley is pricey. Might consider staying here in Petaluma which a great little town. http://www.metrolodging.com Fun place. Definitely enjoy some grub at the 3 Cooks Cafe. Anyway, easy drive over to Napa Valley to tour the wineries. Might add Jack London Historic State Park to your Napa/Sonoma days. In the Monterey area this place is great. http://www.andrilcottages.com Closer to Pacific Grove which beats Monterey hands down for charm. In SLO stay in Morrow Bay or even camp out at Montana Del Oro State Park outside Los Osos. In the Land of La choose either the Best Western HollywoodHills ( in my Hood) or the Beverly Motor Inn. Both stellar places to experience Hollywood and the surrounding neighborhoods. If you stay at the Best Western walk East a few blocks over to Beachwood, take a left walk some more and you get a wonderful photo op of the venerable Hollywood sign. The Beachwood cafe would also be worth the trek. Also, along Franklin avenue 3 blocks East is Birds, my neighborhood place for a pint and a nosh. Congrats.14
I believe that booking hotels in advance gives you the best options. I use four websites: booking.com, trip advisor and the Marriott and Hilton sites. The later two are because we are members and have won free nights stays. Both chains have lower middle range hotels like Fairfield and mid range hotels whose quality and comfort are very dependable. The other two sites will let you in on independent gems. Both of these have rating systems but booking.com is considered more reliable since you have to have booked with them and stayed in a hotel to rate it. On a recent trip in Spain our cotravelers wanted to keep the route flexible so we only booked the room the night before when we decided our next night's stop.
