greece10

I'm planning a self drive holiday. I'm arriving into LA and was thinking of doing this:

3Sept 1nt sth of LA/half way to San Diego
4-6Sept San Diego
6-7Sept Palm Springs - thinking the Viceroy?
then drive to the South Rim via Lake Havasu is a must, to meet friends by 9 Sept.

I love boutique and high end acm and being an Aussie I have no idea if this itin is suitable or if it would be better doing 1nt San Diego and 2 nights Palm Springs. I'd love to see some of the desert and do some walks over going to zoos and touristy places.

All and any help from this point will be received greatfully. Thanks !

Dukey

Thr is no rsn 2 abrvate ur pst. Plnte of rm 2 spl out everything.

stumpworks73

Depending on the time of day you arrive, LA to San Diego is only about a two hour drive. If you want to avoid changing hotel one nights, would be easy enough to make it to SD first day. If you want to see a bit more of Southern California, you could stop at Newport Beach or Laguna Beach for some local atmosphere. Hotel California in Laguna might qualify as a high end boutique.

Consider a hotel on Coronado in San Diego. The Hotel del Coronado is a famous five star, not at all a boutique, but a famous destination. Coronado has many small beach front hotels. I'm not familiar to recommend.

I think your itinerary is fine. The San Diego zoo deserves a visit. You should be able to arrange a nature hike in Palm Springs.

Palm Springs has numerous golf resort type places. Most are very high end. Likewise, I am not an expert and would defer to another's recommendation.

greece10

Thanks for your extremely helpful message Dukey....my years of working in the travel industry have caught up with me....always busy and abrvating is easy to do when you're in a rush...lucky you've got the time to sit and correct peoples posts

aileen679

It's just that people tend to pass over and ignore postings that rely too heavily on abbreviations. We want to do our best to be helpful. I hate to admit how long it took me to figure out what "1nt sth" meant. I still haven't figured out "acm" but know it has something to do with High end. I think "itin" is itinerary, but I'm not betting on it.

Please enjoy yourself on your visit. I am sure that you will get plenty of good reliable advice.

janisj

no rsn stp btwn LAX/SD - oh heck that's just too hard . . . .

Now, there is no reason to stop bewteen Los Angeles and San Diego. Unless you land very late at night. And if so, you shouldn't be driving on the "wrong" side of the road after a long haul flight anyway.

Are you very sure you want to go to Palm Springs the first week in Sept.? It can be exceedingly hot. Not just hot - but HOT!

Suzie

I think acm means accomodations!!! Oh I hope I'm right!!!

Scarlett

lol, Dukey, this reminds me of mikemo .. or my itin..pdx 2 hou 2 eze then I am in BA

As you might guess greece, I have nothing but time too.

janisj

At least he didn't say "Cali". I'll give him credit for that much

"Sth Cali Itin adv" would have been tooooooo much.

Suzie

OMG Greece10 is a he? I thought it was a she!!!

janisj

Oh - I don't know - I tend to use "he" whenever I'm not sure. Sort of an "editorial he" like I was taught in journalism classes a hundred years ago (those were the days) . . . .

ibob

South is commonly abreviated = So ... as in SoCal. "Sth" ... I thought at 1st it might mean 6th ??? But when I saw the OP was possibly not a local ... O K

clarasong

Might want to not stay at the Coronado, if on a budget. It is very pricy and old, old. But quaint and authentic...our room smelled so mouldy, or musty, from 70+ year old wood, I guess.

garybear

I didn't understand half of the abrvs either. As for Palm Springs, it will be 45C in Aussie speak. And the Sydneysiders complain when it is more than 30C.

PSLocal

Hey there.

I am an acclimated local in the 'PS' area. We would love to have you, but garybear is right. Sept is still quite hot and I don't want you to be disappointed, thinking 'Fall' has set in, because that comes in late Oct/early Nov. Hiking is doable, but pretty hot and is best an early morning activity.

If none of that scares you off, I would be happy to provide any other insight into the desert.

Regardless of your destinations, I hope your trip exceeds your expectations.

Regards,
PSL

greece10

I'm almost sorry I asked....thanks for the replies that are relevant and informative.

joesorce

Don't plan more than one night in Palm Springs. Twice as hot as they are telling you.