Booking a trip to California. Help please !!
 

Hi,
We are planing a three weeks trip to California during the month of July. We are on a really limited budget and we are from Canada, so we'd like advice on where to stay, airlines, transportation, activities,... We planned landing in San Diego and then driving to San Fransisco to take a flight back. We are three, a single dad and two teenagers of 17 and 15 years old. Is it possible to find nice hotel rooms for less than a 100 $ in cities like LA, San Diego and San Fransisco ? Do you have any suggestions ? Thanks for your help.

In my opinion having extensively travelled the USA I have found that when you're touring the country and you want to save some money you're always good with Motel6. You get a clean room with full bathroom and most of the motels have a pool.Greetings from Belgium.Paul

Can't help with lodging, etc, but do try to fit a couple nights in at Yosemite National Park.

Utahtea

In L.A. and San Fran you can usually find great deals on rooms near the airports on Fri Sat and Sun. Although the airport is not the most desirable place to stay when visiting these cities, Sat and Sun traffic is usually light and you can get to where you want to go quite easily.

If you instead stay in downtown San Fran, you may want to dump your car when you arrive because parking is expensive. Hertz, National, Avis...they all have drop offs downtown but you must book the car this way from San Diego.

For "budget" hotels that are not near the airport you can look at Bayside Hotel in Santa Monica Ca (near L.A.)...HotelCelebrity in Hollywood California or JollyRgr.com in Marina Del Rey. Up near Santa Barbara, the Motel 6 locations are acceptable just south of SB in Carpinteria...you just have a 5 blocks walk to the beach. Your coastal areas....like SB, Pismo, Monterey/Carmel...might be a bit cheaper on weekdays so plan your stays accordingly (though July is probably busy every day...not as much price difference as spring and fall). Check for room specials at CarmelMission Inn for Carmel.

And in San Fran, if you do keep your car for touring Napa and the coast etc...try to stay at Columbus Motor Inn or Chelsea Motor Inn since parking is included.

San Diego may be the most difficult place to find something affordable in July so I'd focus on booking something there first.

Good suggestion about staying at Columbus or Chelsea Motor Inn with Free Parking. I stayed at their sister hotel the Coventry Motor Inn. Nice & clean. That area is a 3 block walk from the Union street (not Union square) with nice shops and good restaurants. :-)

Try www.biddingfortravel.com
you may be able to snag some good deals with proper planning.

Days Inn on Rosecrans Point Loma neighbohood of San Diego...saw $59.00 a night advertised, depends on dates but it is nicely located to atractions,freeways ..with free breakfast and shuttle to Seaworld...
visit Cbrillo Lighthouse park..great hilltop view of all SAn Diego into MExico and if lucky will see fighter planes and Navy ships...eat at Point Loma Seafood for lunch early dinner and takeout...best SaN Diego seafood...

a majority of the cheapest accommodations in san diego is in "hotel circle". not a pretty area but there are a couple of malls close by and very convenient for getting to all the attractions.

http://www.sandiegoconcierge.com/san...ley-hotels.htm

http://arestravel.com/33_hotel-info_h120.html - this one was one of the cheaper ones and i just read a good review on it.

there is also a motel 6 in the area too.

check out tripadvisor.com for reviews

another choice for san diego is checking out if the hostel downtown has family rooms. your kids might enjoy meeting people there.
when you drive up to san fran, i'm assuming that you are going to take the beautiful hwy 1 up the coast. fabulous drive that should not be missed. you'll want to spend a night or two around the monterey area. those motels will be pricey though so a search for recommendations.
trips through california are not cheap by any means. any "theme" park is going to cost you about $150/day for the three of you. i hope your budget isn't too "limited" or you'll spend the whole time stressing over the funds. have fun.

Are the two teenagers same sex? Finding a room with three beds is rough at any price. Frankly I think $100 a night IN the cities is rough, but possible if you stay OUT of the cities. In San Francisco though, I'd splurge for one of those motels mentioned above -- Cow Hollow, Coventry, Chelsea. The free parking will help a lot there too.

By the way, I hope your $100 was in US, not Canadian?

RE: earlier post ..should read "Cabrillo" park..
also around Point Loma lots of other good bargaina for dinner...Dennys, CoCos Bakers Square and my favorite Soup Plantation....soup sald buffett for about & 5-7 US dollars but you can use Triple A or coupons..

Are you campers? You could land in SD, go to the nearest Target or K-Mart and buy cheap camping equipment for about $300 including tents, air mattresses, sleeping bag, cooking implements. You will easily recover the cost when camping outside large cities. However, the State Parks campgrounds along the coast are very popular, so reservations are pretty much required.

In SD, I've stayed at the Motel 6 at Hotel Circle, which was fine for a budget place. It was clean and everything was in working order. As others have said, Hotel Circle isn't the most scenic place since it is right off the freeway, but you can get to just about anywhere in SD really quickly from there.

If you want to save money on hotels, I would suggest that you learn to use Priceline.

The first step is to go to biddingfortravel.com and read everything there carefully.

On Priceline, you can easily get a 4* hotel in LA and even in San Francisco for the same price as for a Motel 6 (a one *).

The best prices on Priceline for the LA area is in Orange County. E.g., you could get the 4* Hyatt, Hilton, etc. in Orange County for about $55-$70. At this rate, plus the $12-15 taxes and fees that Priceline tacks on, you will come in way under the $100 you mentioned. Parking may be added on, but you can usually find free street parking nearby.

In San Francisco you can also get the Hyatt for about $55-$70, but parking is prohibitively expensive.

The best Priceline rates are south of San Francisco, near the airport. You can get 3* Hilton, etc. for $35 on up. Since you will have a car, I would seriously consider staying a bit south of San Francisco.

The only negative for Priceline is that you are stuck in cement with the dates that you bid. Let's say you bid May 17 for a hotel in Orange County, if your bid is accepted, then you are stuck with that hotel on that date. Priceline would already have charged your card for the room, i.e., you will already have paid for the room and there is NO changing dates. Thus, you should plan carefully.

Good luck! And come back to this forum if you need more information. Fodorites are incredibly helpful people! I learnt ot use Priceline from the advice given here.

easytraveler, I'm confused. I thought Priceline will not guarantee a room for four people. No?

That is correct - Priceline only guarantees a room large enough for 2 people. We have stayed in some Priceline rooms that had 2 beds and some with only 1 bed. That said, anytime I have requested a room with 2 beds, I have gotten it.

Could you share if you're travelling w/a boy & girl...2 girls or 2 guys?
Just helps w/advice on 'what to see' & activities...a little bit. Otherwise, tastes are fairly similar.

To me, I'd advise anyone coming here to not miss Yosemite Valley...try to splurge on a basic room at Yosemite Lodge or Curry Village to maximize your time there. Boring for the price but you're RIGHT in the heart of the Valley. If they like to hike I'd say...stay 2-3 nights minimum.

If not, then you could squeeze it in,
in 1-2 nights & be taken away by the natural beauty.

After doing what you'd like in San Diego & L.A. (less my favorite area)
don't miss Santa Barbara area, only 2 hrs from heart of LA. Try to do 1-2 nights if you can for a flavor of a smaller coastal town w/beautiful architecture right on the Coast! It's wonderful to stroll this town, see its sites, maybe take in a movie w/the kids at the Arlington Theatre (gorgeous & from the 1920's on State St)...window shop/stroll State St.

You can't miss taking time to walk out on the pier (Stearn's Wharf)...& up to a park just up Cabrillo Blvd from there for stunning views of the curve of the coastline, the mtns & the town sprinkled on the hills. It's not a tiny town by any stretch, but so much more 'manageable' to see than San Diego & L.A. which are both so large
and spread out.

Don't miss La Jolla/Torrey Pines if doing San Diego...the Torrey Pines park is cool & I think the kids would enjoy. The old city park in San Diego, too...Balboa Park.

Anyway, to me, Santa Barbara is not to be missed, altho' has more expensive lodging. (deals can be found & again, if you don't mind boring hotels/motels...
can squeeze into these towns)
If mostly out of your room, it doesn't matter too much.

I'd include the drive up the coast through Big Sur & up to Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove. Easily spend 2-3 nights in this area! See Pt. Lobos (don't miss it...picnic there maybe)...nice short walks along gorgeous coastal scenery, but shelted in the woods. Very nice!

You can see otters offshore, etc.
Then, it's to off to Carmel.
Maybe see the Mission. (and don't miss Santa Barbara's, the queen of them, from the outside at least)

Stroll Carmel for a bit...but it might be a tad more expensive than you want to spend.

There is TONS to do in this little corner & all of it is so close together. I'd probably stay in Pacific Grove (a secret to some.) It's walking distance (much of it) to Monterey, but a bit less expensive. Quieter, too.

See the Aquarium, if you can, altho' it can be awfully busy that time of year. I'd also maybe do a boat tour from Monterey, if the teens are into wildlife at all.

It's only 15-20 min from Carmel to Monterey if that. And as I said Pac Grove bumps up against Monterey.

If teens, they may enjoy as you head northward further Santa Cruz's bustling boardwalk beach. (a teen scene) but it's not my favorite at this stage in my life. (but as a teen...) ;-) And, Capitola close by is quaint. Nice to do lunch in, more than Santa Cruz.

An inexpensive, cool option as you head still further north would be a stay at Coastanoa...or Costanoa...not sure of the spelling. It's a small lodge that also offers tent cabins for not too much. Gorgeous natural San Mateo coastline there...and you'd get to sleep w/the ocean not too far away...maybe hear it at night. It is across Hwy 1, but the Hwy is quite narrow here...
and then it's just coastal prairie beyond out to the Coast.

If staying here, definitely do the walk to Ano Neuvo, where you may see the giant Elephant Seals...altho' not in great numbers like you could in winter. They are a sight to see!

That lodging has guided hikes, too to various spots. I see families there all the time, seeming to enjoy it so.

Well, guess I gave enough ideas for one day, eh?

Many would also include Hearst Castle as you drive up the Coast from Santa Barbara...before you get to Monterey overnight stay. If doing it, you'll probably need to add one night more in the Cambria area to allow for that after you leave your possible stay in Santa Barbara.

Then, it would be a nice drive up the Carmel/Monterey area for next stay.

Have fun planning!! :-)

Here's that link to where I'd stay after doing Monterey area. Santa Cruz is really close too to Monterey...so I'd simply make that a day trip, once you exit the Monterey Peninsula.

Then, would overnight (in my ideal trip) at Costanoa w/kids. I checked out their rates & altho' you may have to go a bit over $100, if you plan far in advance you *might* be able to snag a tent cabin/bungalow for just over that, that sleeps 3. But would have to hurry & book NOW. They are not really roughing it, btw.

Take a peek at this link!
They have regular buildings too w/rooms. Just has a feel of being an adult/nice camp.

http://www.costanoa.com/site.php

The coast is pretty in a very quiet way here...and like I said, to stroll over at Ano Neuvo (state park) to potentially find a few elephant seals would be really cool. (on the next day)

Then, snap pics in front of Pigeon Point Lighthouse (just north of there) as you make your way towards SF. ;-)
Okay, am I getting detailed enough for you?!

If you have the time, next overnight would be in Half Moon Bay. (but not needed if you're short on time)

Then, on to SF.
Yosemite doesn't play into a coastal drive too well. BUT...if you can add an adjunct to your trip, comes highly recommended, just a piece of Calif that is very unique!

Okay...I best stop daydreaming now ;-)
& get back to work.

Likes like at Costanoa...
it would be the Pine Village Bungalows that would best suit your needs.
Kids in queen, you in twin if that works. They range from $115-130/night....and like I said are anything but all that rustic.

You even have wireless access, if you desire it for $10 more! ;-)
Fireplaces around the grounds, hot tub...lots & lots of fresh air.
Just is really cool. We stop there regularly for cappucinos as we daytrip over to Pescadero & Ano Nuevo.

I just always see families looking like they are having a fun, unique experience. Okay, I'm done now...
I promise! (just am living vicariously through YOUR trip & we ourselves love to travel to Canada *every* chance we get...so...
couldn't help but want to help, if I could) :-)

Btw, where in Canada do you live?
We're heaing to Vanc Island probably this summer/or Sept. Hope to see its wilder areas like Tofino or Telegraph Cove...or Bamfield.

Gosh! Wayyyyy too many typos!
Sorry. We're heading to Canada...I mean.