hi maybe the following will be useful to someone - family of five mum dad kids 22, 20 + 15 from ireland trip began 26 june ended 13 july 2005
flew from dublin to lax. had been suggested to us on this site that we stay overnight and take our car the next day. what a great suggestion we were tired when we arrived and it was great not to have to start driving right away. stayed overnight in the marriot courtyard la. it was really good. they pick you up at the airport. just make sure that you know which courtyard you are in as there are two and some people got on the wrong bus which was a bit of a hassle for them. breakfast really good. you will be left back to the airport and in our case because they only had us on th bus they left us to the car rental.
rented from alamo which was fine. paid extra and got a portable sat nav. it was worht every cent. did away with getting lost and given my very poor map reading skills meant that tempers were a lot les frayed than on previous trips.
drove to san diego via pch which was nice especially as we were rested. stayed 4 days in san diego. rented a condo on oceanbeach at oceanfront street from san diego vacation rentals. it was really lovely well equipped, with two quiet little coves just below the front door and sunsets to die for. san diego was really cool - big city small town feel. lots to do. i wasn't overly taken with old town and have very mixed feeling about zoos.
left san diego and drove (long and hot) to sedona. stayed here for 2/3 days. stayed in best western arroylo creekside villa. really nice villa overlooking the creek. there was a clubhouse with nice pool, ping pong, billiards, tennis and internet access. grounds lovely and barbecues available dotted around the place which was great. sedona is very beautiful with lots of nice drives/walks. took pink jeep tou- would recommend but go earlyish in the morning as it really does get hot.
nest stop grand canyon. stayed at yavapai lodge. it gets mixed reports on this site but i thought it was absolutely fine. although not on the rim it is only a short walk to the rim and is you don't want to walk the shuttle bus is always available. did sunset and sunrise - both spectacular but preferred sunrise fewer people and i thought more impressive with the fog etc. we ate one night in el tovar. myself and my husband liked it the others were not overly impressed thought it was too fancy!! it was very dark when we were coming back from el tovar and although it was no prob getting the shuttle bus it leaves you at the central point of the yavapai lodge and our room was quite a walk away. we were lucky and met someone with a torch otherwise it would have been difficult to find your way so maybe bear this in mind. the sky at night is most spectacular.
next stop las vegas 2/3 days. stayed in the residence inn south. very good accomodation and helpful staff. it is not on the strip but they have a shuttle to take you to the strip. also is you have your own car as we did it is easy enough to drive to the strip and park in the different hotels. shopping good in las vegas. glad to have seen it but don't know if i would rush back
after las vegas we were heading to yosemite via death valley and tioga pass. stayed overnight at bishop best western creekside which was again really good. ate at the whiskey creek which was excellent. drive from bishop via tioga pass to yosemite was spectacular. we couldn't get booked in the park even though i had tried months in advance. stayed in yosemite view lodge. it was ok but very busy and the staff were run off their feet. pizza place if good to eat main restaurant not so good. exploring yosemite was great although it gets busy as the day wears on so making an early start is a good idea. glacier point is not to be missed.
as it was nearing the end of our hosl we started to make our way back to la. stayed o/n in monterey at the clarion hotel (i think) it was very good value - room was nice and breakfast good. drove from here down the coast which was beautiful. stopped off to see elephant seals etc.
santa barbara was our last stop. stayed in brisas del mar and was disappointed. staff were very helpful and friendly and breakfast again was good. although the room was clean it needed a really good makeover and there was one washer and dryer between two hotels! santa barbara was nice. lots of good restaurants etc.
although it might seem like a lot of travelling it was really manageable and it certainly didn't seem that we were on the road all the time. i would recommend doing longer journeys and staying in the same place for a couple of days but then with 5 people it takes such a while to unload etc.
trip of a lifetime lucky you if you are taking it.

Thank you for such a nice report, Martinaa. I've learned my lesson to bring a flashlight in the Monument Valley. And I liked the Canyon sunrise too.

this is a good read. even better when presented in a style not made popular by author e e cummings. have you had a chance to read a newspaper or book that has no capitalization? it sometimes can be difficult to read after a moment, as the words and sentences begin to blend into one large block of text, indistinguishable from all the relevant and intriguing information contained within.

martinaa

I enjoyed your trip report - well done.

Could you give a little more detail about the San Diego condo you rented. Do you have a telephone contact number or web site? What was provided etc.

Thanks for sharing.

Sandy

PS Your trip report is posted twice!

Hi Martinaa,
Can you tell me more about your Sat. nav rental?
We have been trying to find a less espensive car rental company with sat. nav, but have come up empty.
We can get it with Hertz and Avis, but their prices are really high.
We are considering buying our own in Australia and bringing it with us.
Thanks

Your trip sounds like a blast! What a contrast to Ireland-- all that desert traveling. You did a great job of sampling a little bit of everything in the southwest. Wasn't Yosemite amazing? Thanks for writing up your notes.

sorry for delay in responding and unfortunately for some my prose continues in lower case! re condo rental we rented from san diego vacation rentals - sdvr.com. rental had three bedrooms, kitchen living and ding area two baths utility room with washer tumbler and very small balcony but as i say it was i minute for the beach. it is so close tho the ocean that one person in the visitors book actually said they thought the ocean was too loud!!!! you have to pay $500 security which is refundable after you leave. we have already been recredited with ours so no worries on that score.

re sat nav it was hand held and i think it cost $9.99 per day on top of the rental but our rental with alamo was very reasonable - 7 seater minivan for three weeks £330.

hope this helps

Hi Martinaa,
If you are still around......

Wow!...330 pounds for 3 weeks minivan hire, cheapest I have found was 440pounds fully inc.

Which company was that through??

Did that include all taxes and insurances?

thanks