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Planning a trip to Southern California: please help

Planning a trip to Southern California: please help

Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 03:20 AM
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Planning a trip to Southern California: please help

So, I have been doing on and off research but I can really use some concrete suggestions. I am in very early stages of planning a trip to California from Washington state. Both my husband and I have been to California but not for the last 7 years. We now have an almost 7 year old. We would like to go to San Diego but also see if we can get to Legoland and to Disney Land. I am not sure it is doable on the same trip.

Two weeks? Where would you recommend staying? Our budget is flexible but I would like to stay somewhere within a $200-250 per night. A condo or a VRBO rental is an option.

Any suggestions on how to plan it further? Thanks!
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Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 04:18 AM
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May I ask?:

1) How many hours a day is your family comfortable in a car?
This is the most important first step and will determine how many nights (if any) you'll want to stay in San Diego, Anaheim, Carlsbad, San Francisco and towns along the coast. Figure it out and report back for further suggestions, including which stops lend themselves better toward VRBO's. (A GREAT idea w/ a 7 y/o!) and which are better for hotels.

Generally speaking, VRBO's are better for cities while hotels are better when you are stopping along the way in a small town just to break up a particularly long driving stretch or are just staying one night.

2) Where in Washington are you ending up? I'm assuming you are flying open jaw into San Diego and home from Seattle - correct?

I would plan on a short VRBO stay in Portland. OR - not only for the city itself but also for the wonderful day trip options.

Two weeks is generally fine to get from A to B, depending on how many places you want to hit.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 04:37 AM
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Actually, bardo1, we live in Seattle and I was thinking of flying into San Diego. I am also considering flying into Carlsbad or Orange County. I would not want to do a road trip in a car. We could, however, rent a car and drive around Southern California, for example, from San Diego to Anaheim, etc. I am starting to think that it would be better to break this into separate trips, one to San Diego and one to Anaheim later.
Thanks!
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Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 04:46 AM
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So, I have a really hard time discerning information about locations from travel guidebooks. I need to be there to actually assess it. Is Mission Valley a good area of San Diego?
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Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 05:39 AM
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A source for rentals in Carlsbad and North San Diego county is www.barbaramclain.com

You didn't say when you are planning on going. If you are gong in the summer, then rentals are almost always Saturday to Saturday.

Carlsbad is of course good for visiting Legoland and is only a short drive to San Diego. It isn't that far a drive to Disneyland (if you do drive from Carlsbad to Disneyland, drive in the HOV lane - it has an exit right to the park)

If you plan on more than one day at Disney, then I would recommend staying near the park.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 06:10 AM
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A couple of thoughts: Seems to me you could break the trip into two periods or three periods depending on your goals. I am not familiar with VRBO's so I will limit suggestions to hotels or areas and you can look at the VRBOs or get help from others.

I think you can fly into whatever airport makes the most sense or even consider flying into San Diego (or John Wayne) and out of LAX (or Burbank). We typically fly Alaska from Seattle and prefer the Burbank airport but you have lots of options.

6 Days in San Diego
we like West Inn and Suites in Carlsbad - super close for Legoland, further for other San Diego attractions. But the price is typically very reasonable and the kids like the breakfast buffet. We've also stayed at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club which is out of your stated budget but we really enjoyed all they had to offer, including being on the beach, pool, the two room apartment set-ups. La Jolla is a great area to consider for proximity to San Diego attractions and the town itself is fun.

Sample itinerary for San Diego (6 Days):
Day 1 - Arrive, settle in
Day 2 - Breakfast with Shamu, visit SeaWorld
Day 3 - Day at San Diego Zoo
Day 4 - Day at Legoland
Day 5 - enjoy beach and San Diego, visit Old Town, go to brunch at Del Coronado hotel (kids love the chocolate fountain), rent a bicycle built for several and ride around. There is a rental stand on the beach by the hotel.
Day 6 - check out, go to Wild Animal Park, continue on to Anaheim

Sample Itinerary for Anaheim (4 Days):
Day 1 - arrive, settle in, go to Medieval Times for dinner and show
Day 2 - Enjoy Parks (Park hopper allows access to both parks, if you stay on property you can get in one hour early for Magic Hour, but lots of other hotel options nearby too)
Day 3 - Enjoy Parks, hotel pool
Day 4 - morning at Parks or just do a character breakfast at one of the hotels and move to final destination, the Beach

Sample itinerary for LA/Beaches (3 Days) - depending on what you want to see and do in LA, you can lodge at the beach (Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, or other beach town) or you can stay more inland. Things to do in LA:
Day 1 - go to the beach, rent bikes, play in the sand
Day 2 - La Brea Tar Pits and Natural History Museum (my kids love this museum)
Day 3 - Museum of Science and Industry (one of the Space shuttles resides there)
other options - Universal Studios, LA Farmer's Market (visit American Girl Store if your little one is a girl), Getty Museums, visit Hollywood and see a movie at one of the classic old theaters like The Chinese, The Egyptian or El Capitan.

Once you decide what you want to see and do, it will be easier to focus on lodging.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2013, 06:12 AM
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Thank you all and especially POlson for a very detailed itinerary. I will ponder this information. It is great to hear from people who have been there and done that.
As to the time of the year, I am thinking spring, but it is tricky with spring break.
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