Hi
My husband and I are travelling Syd-Lax-Las in April: then 3nts at Paris LV, 6nts(?) in Anaheim, drive to Sfo for 3nts and home.

Should we spend 4nts in Anaheim and 2nts in Hollywood area to see Universal Studios etc and would it be a good idea for us to hire a car (driving on the "wrong" side of the road is a bit daunting) to take the scenic coastal route from Anaheim to Sfo?

Any tips would be great!

Fiona

Hey at least we don't have many high-speed traffic circles (like the ones north of Cairns) where I had my unplannedd first lesson on the truly ``wrong'' side!

In truth, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't all that bad -- although on a later trip to NZ I nearly scared a poor woman half to death.

I'd make sure that you get a hire car with an automatic transmission (should not be a problem.) That way you'll only have to worry about putting on the wipers when you mean to reach for the turn signal.

The coastal route is beautiful, but very time-consuming so you might want to cut a few nights off your southern calif. time and plan a couple of stops on the road.

Have a great time and I hope the people you meet in the U.S. be as wonderful as those I met when I spent a month in your country in 2000.

It depends on your interests. While the coast is very nice, it is a bit like some of the coastal areas in AUS (I thought the coast was similar, and sfo like a smaller syd). You might consider driving from Anaheim to Yosemite and spending a day or two there; then heading over to SF. You can see some nice stretches of the coast as day trips from SF. Driving in the LA/Anaheim area is much more daunting than just the "wrong" side of the road (though on the divided highways, wrong side is less of a problem). It really helps to have one person doing the navigation while the other drives (and to expect the occasional missed turn and 5-mile detour); pay attention to the highway numbers to stay on track.

Universal Studios is not actually in Hollywood and, unless I had a very good reason to stay there, I would not stay in Hollywood. Universal is across the Hollywood Hills in Studio City and I would either stay there or downtown if being close was my criteria. Even better, I'd consider staying somewhere along the coast in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, etc. It's not too hard to get to Universal from those areas unless you try to do it during the rush hours and it is a much more pleasant area to stay.

Are you planning to do anything else in the Anaheim area besides (I'm assuming) visit Disneyland? If not, I would only spend a night or two in Anaheim, then a night or two near Universal Studios (again, assuming there's something else you want to see in that area), then I'd head north up the coast to San Francisco, using some of your extra nights along the way.

Driving on the right side of the road isn't that difficult; you'll figure it out pretty quickly.

Lee Ann

Good Lord, do not spend 6 nights in Anaheim, unless you plan to visit Disneyland every day. Anaheim is on the southern end of the huge Los Angeles metropolis, so to go anywhere north of there means dealing with the infamous LA traffic for at least two hours on a good day. It's not at all a scenic town, it's only fame is Disneyland.

Anaheim is the place to stay for Disneyland, and it's OK if you want to go south to San Diego, but if you want to take the scenic drive up the coast, it doesn't start until you've got throught the whole of LA, and you're around Malibu, and the really dramatic parts start north of San Luis Obispo, a good four or five hours north of LA in general.

Plan to spend three days travelling between LA and San Francisco, spend a night around San Luis Obispo and another night either in Big Sur or the Monterey area, before getting to SF.

so you fly back to SYD from SFO, right?
I ask this because if I were you I would change the schedule and fly SYD to SFO first, then heading down to LAX and flying home LAX-SYD.
Reason is that driving the coast southbound rather than northbound gives you more scenic overlooks on the coast and the ocean because you drive on the "right" side of the road!

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us with info. We are now not going to stay for the entire 6 nights in SF. As we are not able to change our flights we will have to travel from south to north.

I have a few questions -

What is the best way to get from LAX to Hollywood area?

Any recommendations of mid price hotels, good location in Hollywood area? (We want to see Universal Studios, stars homes, Rodeo Drive etc)

Have heard nice cars with gps are available fairly cheaply - any suggestions?

Should we pick up the car in north LA (maybe Burbank?) so that we can get used to car etc without going straight on to a highway?

Oops - missed my final question.

We want to stop for one night between LA and SF. We were thinking either San Luis Obispo or San Simeon.

Thanks

Your last question, about where to stay as you head to LA from San Francisco. I would stay in Cambria. it's about 15-20 minutes to Hearst Castle. It's a lovely little village, good restaurants (Linns is great, Hamlet at Moonstone has wonderful views) and if you arrive on a Friday do go to their local farmers market. I've stayed at Cambria Pines Lodge, and also rented a house (not much more than hotel at: cambriavacationrentals.com) Also visit: www.cambriachamber.org

Stay in Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica or Pacific Pallisades. Close to LAX and won't require you to get on a freeway. You can learn to drive by going along Highway 1, beautiful coastal route, more manageable.

Hearst castle in San Simeon is worth a stop.

I prefer Big Sur to Cambria, but both are pretty. Post Ranch and Ventana Inn will cost some money, but awesome.

Good boutique hotels in SD and SF are Kimpton Hotels.

We ventured to Hollywood 2 years ago with info that Hollywood was not a good place to stay, crime, dirty, etc. We also heard that it was on the upswing so we give it a shot. We were glad we did because it was clean & we had no fear of walking in the area at night.

We stayed at the BW at 2011 N. Highland Avenue which was a short walk to the best part of Hollywood Blvd. The BW was not a great hotel but it was adequate & in a great location. There are other lodging facilities in that same area.

We were two blocks from the Kodak Center, a large facility where the Academy Awards are now presented. There are several outstanding restaurants in the Kodak Center among other facilities. Can get a great picture of the Hollywood sign from that location.

They actually have community volunteers that polish the Walk of Fame Stars - the area was very well maintained. Also the panhandlers we were told we would encounter were absent. The Chinese Mann Theatre is in the same area. We even walked to Paramount Studios but were not allowed in - maybe now there is better access.

There is a light rail system that has a station at N. Highland Ave & Hollywood Blvd that makes a stop right across from the entrance to Universal Studios. It is about a 5 minute ride, so very convenient.

If you are a walker the location would be an easy walk or light rail ride to most things you desire to see in Hollywood.