fleeto

We are looking at coming to West Coast of America from Australia in May 2013 and was hoping for some ideas where to start from. We would like to see San Francisco, Los Angeles, Disneyland & Las Vegas & ending in Hawaii. WE have 6 Adults and 6 children would it best to drive or do flying from some of the places.

Suzie

Well there will likely be some smart aleck to say you should defnitely fly to Hawaii but I'm sure you know that.

Can you fly into SF drive down the coast to Los Angeles, visit Disneyland and then drive to visit Vegas and fly to HI from there?

With that crowd you'llneed 2 cars - pobably vans or SUVs that can acrry everyone and their luggage.

How long do you have for this visit and what kinds of things would your faily like to aee in SF & LA and on the route between the 2?

fleeto

Thanks for the response. Not sure if they fly in sf direct, they fly to L>A then to san f. We are looking at about 4 weeks all up. We would like to see Alcatraz, Fishermans Wharf, ahd Golden Gate bridge as well as a city tour. Also Hearst castle. In LA Universal Studios and Hollywood Boulivard and a city tour, In Las Vegas the casino and as well Grand Cayon & Hoover dam

Suzie

Just trying to think of how to go about this without back tracking. What about flying to Las Vegas going to LA and then up to SF and then fly off to Hawaii? Is that possible or is LA the only choice?

The thing is that in May getting from Vegas to SF is not really that scenic but it can be worked out.

montereybob

One of the highlights of CA is the coastal drive from SF to LA. The drives from Las Vegas to either SF or LA are long and boring so I would recommend flying either one of those routes and doing the SF to LA drive or vice versa. Highlights along that drive are Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, Big Sur coastline, Carmel by the Sea village, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I would give yourself at least 3 days for that drive, spending the night near the castle and also a night or two in Carmel or Monterey. There is so much to see in SF, allow at least 3-4 days. So as not to exhaust the adults and kids, see Disney over a 2-3 day period. Stay in a hotel close to it. In my opinion, 2 nights in Vegas is enough. 5-7 days in Hawaii is a good span for visiting one of the islands. More days, for more islands. There are many non stop flights from either SF or LA.
You have a very ambitious but fun itinerary. You will need a lot of info on the details of each leg of it either from online forums and/or guide books.
Have fun!

Tomsd

Didn't read how long you have? Everybody has different preferences, but I would also suggest you fly into SF - spend a few days there, and then drive to Carmel/Monterrey (3 hours) for a night --and let the kids (young and old) see the Aquarium, Cannery Row, take the 17 mile drive.

Then head down/through Big Sur - stopping for a cup of coffee/snack at Nepenthene and either later that afternoon - or early the next morning - take the tour of Hearst Castle.

Seeing the short film and walking through the small museum at the visitor's center takes about an hour or so - and then the basic tour (which is fine for the first time) - is a couple more hours. Suggest you check ahead and make reservations as you never know how busy it might be. http://www.hearstcastle.org/

You can stay in San Simeon (mainly motels) - or a few miles away/further south at cute little town of Cambria. Moonstone Beach is beautiful. http://tinyurl.com/cdgc2he


Also - don't miss the Elephant Seal beach about 2 miles north of the entrance to Hearst Castle - which is about 4? miles north of San Simeon.

From there - on to LA (3 hours or so) - and Disneyland - and I think you can easily do Disneyland in two days.

From LA to Las Vegas is about a 4 hour drive, except on Friday afternoon - when it could be much longer due to traffic.

From Vegas - you can drive to the Grand Canyon in about 5 hours, if that is of intrest to you, or take a day long bus tour or even a helicopter ride/tour.

Then - hop on a plane and get over to Hawaii - and enjoy kicking back. Lots of posts in here under Hawaii on things to do/see there.

Suzie

tomsd:

fleeto on May 14, 12 at 11:51pm Thanks for the response. Not sure if they fly in sf direct, they fly to L>A then to san f. We are looking at about 4 weeks all up.

fleeto

I would like to thank you all it has help me a lot.

spirobulldog

Grand Canyon is nice, but you are really close to Yosemite National Park, while in CA. It is a fantastic place as well. The Grand Canyon can be done in a day, unless you want to do some serious hiking or rafting. You would need 2-4 days in Yosemite depending on how much hiking you want to do.

montereybob

I also recommend fitting Yosemite into your schedule. It's an incredibly beautiful place. You can either drive there or fly into Fresno, CA and rent a car. It's about a 1 hr 20 min drive from Fresno airport to Yosemite. You can either drive or fly from Fresno to the pacific coast or to LA or SF. If you do Yosemite, don't miss the views from Glacier Point and the tunnel view lookout. For best enjoyment of this fantastic National Park, get accommodations in Yosemite Valley. Bare minimum time to spend there is 2 nights, but 4 nights is better.

Tomsd

You could still visit Yosemite - 4 hour drive from SF - and then drive the "back way" over to Carmel Monterrey (5 hours - maybe less) -and continue on with what I had suggested above.

And thanks Suze - missed the 4 weeks part. You merry band from Down Under has plenty of time to do a lot of things.

Tomsd

OK - fasten your seat belts and here is how I would do it - but I do like to make tracks when traveling somewhere for the first time, and then come back again to spend more time in the places one likes best.

Arrive and spend 3 days SF. Drive to Yosemite/Yo - and spend 2 nights there - and then drive over to Carmel/Monterrey - 2 nights there - or maybe stay a ways south in the Big Sur area.

So we are up to what - 7 nights - the first week? Also - I like to try and keep a day or two "in the pocket" for staying longer if you really love a place - and from here on out - I think the reservations can be more flexible.

A day or so in Cambria - while visiting Hearst Castle - and then on to LA LA land/Disneyland for 3 or 4 days.

So we are now what - a week and a half in?

Drive to Lost Wages/Los Vegas - and stay there say 3 nights - including a trip to the Grand Canyon, nearby Red Rock Canyon - the big dam, etc.

Ok - now you are a little over 2 weeks into your trip? You can poll your group and decide to add maybe a 4th day in San Francisco (lots to see and do - including a day trip to Napa/Sonoma, or up the Cal Coast - or walking around Sausalito, strolling the Marina Green, etc).

You could easily add another day to Yo - and a day or two coming down the Cal Coast, and in LA/Disneyland or Vegas.

So now you have a little over a week left to get over to Hawaii?

Some may differ - but I think 3 days on Oahu - and then say 5 or 6 on Kauai (our favorite - the lush Garden Isle) - Maui (more things to do - great beaches?) - or Big Island (lots to explore) would be a perfect way to kick back at the end.

spirobulldog

Plus you would be at Yosemite during peak waterfall flow. I would avoid the Grand Canyon and Yosemite on Memorial Day Weekend.

Weatherwise, you would be better off to do Grand Canyon early in May and Yosemite as late in May or early June as possible.

spirobulldog

You will want to decide your National Park lodging NOW. I mean get your reservations within the next couple of weeks to get what you want.

fleeto

Thank you again its great reading all the things you can do now to seat down with the family and lets hope we all can agree.