Highway 1 motels
 

Hi all, my wife and I are looking to travel down highway 1 from San Fran next June, we fly into Las Vegas and will be driving in from Yosemite. We have booked all hotels including San Fran. We have have 9 days to travel down to San Diego. We have been looking at where to stay but are unsure if we should book in advance or chance finding a motel. A lot of the hotels/motels are about $250 when booking from the UK making the trip quite expensive.
Any recommendations of towns or places we should look to take in are greatly appreciated and any recommendations for motels that are about $120 a night would be good. We are just looking to get some sleep before the next day of sight seeing.

In mid-June there's an event in Monterey causing rates to go sky high. Try maybe the Lone Oak Lodge if June 17 is your date.

In your price range I can recommend Shell Beach Inn just north of Pismo/south of Avila Beach, or the Seaside Motel in Cayucos. Neither is right on the water but are a two block walk to the ocean. If you chose Cambria,maybe the Sea Otter Inn? In Santa Barbara consider The Castillo Inn or the Coast Village Inn just south of SB.

For June you shouldn't have much problem finding availability on the weeknights, but for Fri & Sat you'll want reservations two months in advance.

What are your exact dates -- the events around Monterey Carmel are deal breakers.

Carmel/Monterey isn't really $120 a night territory -- places that cheap are most likely in iffy areas.

I know you said you've already booked, but you can get VERY cheap accommodations in Vegas in June (on week days, not on weekends) - so maybe cut your budget there and up the budget for the Carmel area. As Clark says, your budget is much more doable farther south like in Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, etc. And that most anywhere will require 2 nights over weekends.

Curious - Where are you staying in San Francisco and Yosemite for $120 or less? It is possible your location at Yosemite may be miles/hours from the park/valley.

Hi and thanks for your response.

We arrive in Vegas on the 25th May and I got a good rate at the Planet Hollywood including a show, we will only be staying for 2 Nights and the visiting the Grand Canyon with an overnight stay in Kingman.
We the head to Mammouth Lakes at the Village Lodge with the following night at West Gate Lode. Both cost about $200.

We have booked a motel in San Fran near Russian Hill for about $140 a night.

We leave San Fran on the 1st June so would expect to be around Hearts Castle on the Friday and heading down over the next couple of days. It sounds like we may have to up the budget. Is it also best to pre book?

Many thanks

Kevin

As I feared. Hopefully you have not pre-paid Westgate Lodge. It is a very long drive from Yosemite Valley. Nearly 90 minutes each way from Yosemite Village.

When driving Highway 1, we like to spend a night in Pismo Beach because that town has many hotel rooms with balconies and great ocean views.

HTtY

Are you planning to drive over Hwy 120 into Yosemite from the east? It's conceivable that with the predicted El Nino we may get lots of moisture, including snow (we hope & pray), during the winter. If I'm not mistaken, it's possible the passes, other than I-80 from Reno, could still be closed in late May. Someone else could confirm or tell me I'm crazy.

With a limited budget, I would definitely pre-book. Otgerwise, even during the week when you can probably find availability, you may have trouble finding something in your price range. This is,a very popular area.

Hi, yes we was planning on taking the 120 from the East. As this looks like the only option.

Yes we have pre paid Westgate Lodge but with an option to cancel free of charge, why is Westgate lodge not a good option. When looking there was very limited availability for this night?

Thanks again Kevin

Do keep an eye on the closures of the passes. The smaller roads such as 120 & 108 close every year and reopen as the snow melt dictates. Tioga Pass on 120, for instance, is at about 10,000' elevation and as far as I know they stop plowing it for months until spring. An alternative is to go south of the main range of mountains, through Tehachapi on 58. Just keep it mind and check.

Here are the historic close/open dates for the Sierra passes.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/clsdlst.htm

You can see that Tioga Pass and Mammoth Lakes are sometimes closed until June. Less often lately presumably because of the drought but that could change so keep it in mind as you travel and be prepared for a detour.

I would not stay at Westgate Lodge. Try Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. Much MUCH closer to the park. I can't believe there is no availability next May (even in Yosemite proper). But if I count right you are there over Memorial Day weekend -- this is equivalent to the May Bank Holiday in the UK so very busy.

I'd book Yosemite View - and then continue trying for accommodations inside the park (at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls or at Curry Village). Because things book so far ahead means there are also frequent cancellations. Then you can cancel Yosemite View if you get lucky.

If we do get a heavy snow year and Tioga Pass is closed you really can't get to Yosemite from the east. And if that happens, your booking at Mammoth will be pretty much useless. Go ahead an proceed as though the pass will be open -- but starting late next March or April check to see what the snowpack is like (even just asking here) - that will give you a pretty good idea if you need a plan B (which would be driving the long/hellacious/ugly way down through Bakersfield and north to Yosemite)

Another option would be to fly from Vegas to SFO or SMF and drivig to Yosemite from the west.

But don't worry about all that now -- let's wait to see how much snow we get next winter.

I am surprised that you cannot do better on prices from the UK, though an event in Monterrey/Carmel and the bank holiday at Memorial Day explain a lot.

If you have a travel agent you trust, you may be able to find a "fly-drive-lodging" package that would be a lot cheaper than your doing this yoursel, though you would have to commit to specific nights in specific places. My UK friends all book holiday packages that are MUCH cheaper than I can get in the US.

And please don't say or write "San Fran". It is like an American referring to England as "Blighty"

$120 a night is very low for a hotel on the central coast of California. Carmel, Cambria, Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara often are at least double that rate in the summer and as others have noted, usually have a two night minimum on weekends.

You will want to book your hotels ahead and well in advance to get the best values. Even staying in less popular cities like Santa Maria or Lompoc would run $180 or so. The areas you are traveling in are prime vacation spots and summer has the highest prices.

Just think the Lake District or Cornwall over a Bank Holiday :)

Thanks all for your comments and advice,

I will now be looking to book the accommodation over the next few weeks, and looking to spend a little more. I got used to the cheap motels when I did Rout 66 a year ago.

Sounds like it is fingers crossed on the 120 and I will put a note in the diary to check.

It also Sounds like I need to reconsider West Gate Lodge but with the guarantee that I can cancel if required.

I will also remember to say and type San Francisco.

Regards Kevin

Since cost seems to be an issue, keep this in mind:

European travelers coming to the States should plan on adding to a budget based on posted prices 10% on regular purchases (I'm rounding up), 15% to 20% on accommodations depending on the amount of the sales and hotel tax plus tips, and 25% to 30% (tax & 15%-20% tip) on restaurant meals.

"$120 a night is very low for a hotel on the central coast of California."

For a "hotel" maybe, but for a clean place "just to sleep" like Kev is looking for, it's probably above average, except in July and August. We were all up and down the coast last June and found plenty offered in the $80 to $100 range especially in Morro Bay, San Simeon, Pismo/Shell Beach. $85 was about the average. Booking this far in advance they won't have their best deals up however. We booked about a week in advance.
Later in June prices start to go up.

Carmel and maybe Santa Barbara are the exceptions, but as clark says there are lots of inexpensive/moderate places on the mid-coast.

Some of the small inns in Carmel could be close to that budget (not including tax) if you're traveling midweek in early June (it looks like you're hitting this area on June 1st?). Also look at inns/motels in nearby Pacific Grove. And you can often find a motel for less than your budget in the motel row area of Monterey along Munras Ave and Abrego St.