I thought I should post my trip report to thank you all for your great advice.

My husband, myself and my two children ages 11 and 13 flew from Mexico City to San Francisco to begin our trip. We got an AMEX promotion at the Clift Hotel, stay two nights and the third night is complimentary, and breakfast for two included. We couldn't pass it up. Even though they only had two double beds, not queens and no sofa couch. We opted for a suite for the space, it was huge. We loved the decor, even though I was afraid it would be too modern. My kids got a kick out of the lobby, it is decorated with all one of a kind chairs. We loved the location and I personally loved the berries at breakfast.

We did all the tourist stuff in SF. hanging out of the trolleys were perhaps the most fun for the kids. We ate at Scoma's at the wharf. One night there was a two hour wait so we went back the next day at 5:30pm. The dinner was a little of a disappointment. Nothing worth a two hour wait for sure. We took a trolley tour of the city which was OK. Loved walking over the Golden gate bridge. Took a night tour to Alcatraz. (It was sold out so it was good we got tickets in advance). My husband loved it; the rest of us thought it was interesting but a little creepy. We rented a car the last day in SF and drove around which was fun too. Went to Sausalito which we absolutely loved. Great day trip!! There were so many people there who came by bike it looked like a lot of fun.


Then we were off to Carmel. We had great weather in SF but the weather pretty lousy in Carmel. We were also a little disappointed in the La Playa Cottage. I think we had the smallest cottage. It was really difficult to even arrange the furniture when the sofa bed was opened. Since this cottage was $355 a night it was not an option for us to book a larger one. Also there is no view from the cottages and we found it inconvenient to go to the hotel to use the pool even though my kids would have liked to swim. We enjoyed walking on the beach, although cold. We loved the Monterrey aquarium and enjoyed a great lunch at Bubba Gumps!!

After Carmel we were off to Cambria for two nights. Stayed at the moonstone landing. This was by far our favorite room for the $$$. Two queen beds which is just perfect for us and the patio across the street from the beach. We just didn't want to leave; it was fun to watch the surfers from our patio. We enjoyed dinner at the Moonstone Bar & grill on the beach, unfortunately didn't get to go to Robin's but heard it was excellent. Enjoyed the galleries and shops on Burton Street and found Hearst Castle very interesting. Took tour #1 which was very crowded, saw some other groups with very few people but we took tour #1 because of the free movie which was very well done. We loved seeing the elephant seals in Cambria. Just amazing looking animals even though it did turn me off to the idea of swimming in the sea even if it was warmer.

Then we were off to LA since I promised the kids we could go to Universal and Warner Brothers Studio Tour. I debated for a long time but I broke down and bought front of the line tickets to Universal. I had a hard time spending $400 for the four of us to go to a theme park. But it was a tremendous convenience to not wait in lines. I kind of felt bad for the other people though. Didn't know if it was a bad lesson to be teaching my children. Stayed at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. My family loved the hotel; I would have preferred a smaller hotel in a not so crazy location. But it worked out fine. The suite was huge, had a sofa bed and we asked for a rollaway. My kids were thrilled they finally each had their own bed. Warner brothers Tour was a very interesting look behind the scenes of movie making. My kids loved seeing the museum with all the original Harry potter props and costumes. Would do it again for sure. Just be careful to go a little before because we had trouble finding the place and where to park.

Then on to San Diego. Stayed at the Grande Colonial in La Jolla. This was my favorite suite. although a little expensive at $369.00. Two nice size rooms and two TV'S, which helps keep peace in the family. My husband is always watching the news if we are in the room. We were disappointed that the beach though was not a swimming beach. So the next day we drove to La Jolla shores beach and enjoyed swimming, although cold it was clean and lots of fun. Then we drove north along 101 to explore. The beaches along 101 looked even nicer. Del Mar looked particularly nice. The next day we had to drive back to LAX to return the car and head back.
I'm sorry I don't have time now to write any more. however if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

Very nice trip report. Thanks!

Good job nancyjacky! Sounds like a really well paced trip and you stayed in some of my favorite places.

Very helpful trip report. We leave Thursday for a similar trip with same aged kids so I thank you.

We are debating about the front of the line passes. Thought my husband would die yesterday when I told him that they were double the other tickets. How much time did you spend at Universal? Were the lines THAT long? Did you arrive when it opened? Still hoping to gut it out without the FOLP...

I'm glad you ventured north from La Jolla. It seems like most visitors to SD miss the North County coastal area which is too bad because each town has its own distinct personality - from Carmel-like Del Mar to funky Leucadia there is a lot to see and do and there are so many great beaches.

Sorry I didn't answer the question about the front of the line passes earlier but I had trouble with the web site. The front of the line passes were a tremendous convienence. However, that said, the lines seemed to move well and the number of attractions in the park is not that great. So I think you could do all the attractions without the front of the line pass. My kids don't like roller coasters or haunted houses so that eliminated about 3 or 4 attractions and we were finished early on in the day. We were also there on a Sunday in August. I was worried about the heat too. Otherwise I don't think it is so bad.