Hi.
I am about to book all the flights, hotels and car hire for our 23 night honeymoon in California. I have just about finalised our itinerary but thought I'd get some advice on whether or not it is do-able and whether or not we need to remove some of our plans. So here goes....
Day 1 - Fly to Los Angeles from Manchester, stay in the Beverley Hills Wilshire.(my future wife is a Pretty Woman' fan, so its a surprise hotel stay.
Day 2 - Day of leisure in and around Beverley Hills/Hollywood.
Day 3 - Day at Universal Studios, stay at Santa Monica Travel Lodge.
Day 4 - Day relaxing in Santa Monica and the beach.
Day 5 - Fly to Las Vegas. Stay at the Luxor.
Day 6 - Day trip(plane, helicopter, Colarado River boat-trip) to Grand Canyon.
Day 7 - Drive to Death Valley and explore. Stay at Furnace Creek.
Day 8 - Explore Death Valley, drive to Mammoth lakes for overnight stay.
Day 9 - Drive to Yosemite and explore. Overnight stay at Yosemite Lodge, El Portal.
Day 10 - Explore Yosemite, drive to Lee Vining.
Day 11 - Explore Mono Lake, drive to Lake Tahoe. Stay at Harrahs hotel.
Day 12 - Explore Lake Tahoe. Stay at Harrahs Hotel.
Day 13 - Drive to San Francisco, stopping in Sacramento on the way. Stay at the Phoenix Hotel, San Fran.
Day 14,15,16,17,18,19 - Explore San Fran and stay at the Phoenix Hotel.
Day 20 - Drive to Monterey.Stay at Travel Lodge.
Day 21 - Drive through Big Sur, stay in Morro Bay at Days Inn.
Day 22 - Drive to Santa Barbara, stay at the Intapi Inn.
Day 23 - Stay in Santa Barbara, night at the Intapi Inn.
Day 24 - Drive to LAX for evening flight back to UK.
What would you change, if anything? Hotels, journeys, whatever. Many thanks for any assistance. Cheers.

Forgot to put that we are planning on going to California in late May, early June 2004. Cheers.

What a nice itinerary--I am sure your bride will really enjoy it. I especially endorse Santa Barbara, Yosemite, and a Bay cruise while in SF (or ferry ride to Sausalito).

I don't know your age or interests, but personally am not a big fan of Universal Studios--might want to explore some options as there are lots of choices in S.Cal.

Mono lake is interesting but not too much there to really explore so no rush to get to Lee Vining. Make sure to stop at Tenaya Lake on your drive from Yosemite to Mono. I think there is a ghost town near Mono lake called Bodie that might be neat(I have not been there).

Sacramento is not very scenic. If you are really interested in seeing the capital building and Old Town--stop, but otherwise pass and go to SF.

Since you have a lot of time in SF you may want to allocate some time to wine country. I have lived in the SF bay area for 12 years and am still exploring San Francisco, but time spent in Sonoma, Healdsburg, or St. Helena would be nice too.

Near Healdsburg you can even rent canoes to cruise down the Russian River if you are the nature type. I always combine this with swimming in the River (usually unplanned but fun!).

I assume your stay in Morro Bay will include a visit to Hearst Castle? Enjoy the planning............

Thanks for the response.

We are both in our early 30's. So maybe the Universal Studios trip isn't ideal?

The stop off in Sacramento would just be for lunch and a break, is there anywhere else enroute from Lake Tahoe to San Fran that would be better? A more scenic place maybe?

The trip to the wine country, north of San Fran, sounds interesting. Would it be best to do this on our own with a rental car or are there organised trips? The reason being we are hoping to have a break from all the driving on our weeks stop in San Fran.

And finally, the drive through the Big Sur will include a stop off at Hearst. Any other recommendations to stop off and see on Highway 1?

Thanks again.

Hey Jus,

My husband & I just returned from a CA coast trip for our 20th wedding anniversary (if click on my screen name and you'll find my trip report - 20th anniversary carmel trip report). It is one of the most memorable & romantic trips we have ever taken!

You may want to book 1 or 2 nights at the Tickle Pink Inn, Carmel Highlands... your wife would LOVE IT!!!

Don't miss Point Lobos (Carmel) and Nepenthe for lunch (Big Sur).

Have a wonderful honeymoon...CONGRATS!!

A couple of comments on the LA portion:

-- Universal would be a fine studio tour IF you pay for the off-tram VIP tour. Otherwise, they put too much emphasis on the Theme Park they've stapled to the movie studio. If you want a more film-oriented tour, go to Warner Brothers.

-- The Santa Monica Travelodge is a DUMP! For god's sake, stay somewhere else!! Some better choices in that immediate area:
-- The Fairmont Miramar (class act all around)
-- The Georgian (less plush than the Miramar, but a Deco treasure and just lovely-- and not too pricey)
-- The Viceroy (new boutique-level place)

-- Even if you have a warm, sunny day at the beach, the water will be very cool (this is the northern Pacific); just a warning....

I would review all your lodging choices and consider going a bit upscale everywhere (except at the Regent Beverly Wilshire). The Luxor is OK, for example, but for your honeymoon you should pamper yourself a bit more, say at Mandalay Bay or the Venetian or Bellagio or the Mirage. Who is advising you on the hotel choices, may I ask? You'll probably get better advice here from the locals....

Do you mean Yosemite Lodge in the Valley or in El Portal? Don't stay in El Portal -- stay in Yosemite Valley itself, or you'll spend the whole day driving. Yosemite Lodge in the Valley is not expensive and you'll be surrounded by incredible (and romantic) beauty. You need to book now, because if you're there over Memorial Day weekend (and it sounds like you might be) most of the valley is already booked up. I'd even stay in the Tent Cabins than have to drive into the valley.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Surfergirl: I was planning to stay at the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal but by the sounds of it this might not be a good idea!! I'll try for somewhere in the Valley.Thanks

rjw_lgb_ca: Your advice is much appreciated. Out of all the places I've planned so far Santa Monica has been the hardest to find good value accomodation. I'm planning all this holiday myself so any advice is much appreciated especially as I've never visited your wonderful country before.

Many thanks to you all.

One question. Why are you planning on flying to vegas from LAX? You are driving everywhere else and would'nt keeping the car be cheaper than a flight. I think it is not more than a 6 hour drive.
Good luck and congratulations.

Hi Jus-I must give you correct information on the Yosemite View Lodge
in El Portal. I was there less than a month ago and you will NOT be driving all day-you are 10-15 miinutes from the Valley Floor attractions. Do check out the rooms www.yosemite_motels.com
(and trust me this is so much nicer than a motel) the price/accomodation ratio is so much better at YVL in El Portal compared to Yosemite Lodge. Do request a river room (you have a private balcony right on the Merced river, fireplace,jacuzzi tub for 2)
If you want to stay in the park I would go for the Awahnee-the history alone is worth a night!
I happen to live in the wine country
(Sonoma County) and you might consider
staying up here a few days and hiring a limo or van tour-then you and your bride can
safely enjoy visiting wineries and view the scenery less the driving.!Healdsburg would be perfect.Lot's of info at www.wineroad.com
In the Monterey area-I would consider staying at the Best Western Monarch Resort in Pacific Grove-the Travel Lodge is on a noisy corner. PG is just so much nicer in my experience and just as close to the Aqaurium and sights. Be sure to plan a dinner at Fandango in PG!
Congratulations!

Hi.
Bushwacker: Thanks for the response.
We thought about driving but apparently the drive isn't too inspiring and also we wanted to go without a car and relax a little on our first week in the states. The flights also look fairly cheap on Southwest.

Razzledazzle: Looks like I'm back on for the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal then!!! Thanks.
The wine country part sounds lovely. It might be nice to take in some of this fine looking area. We visited a similar kind of region in Australia last year and had a wonderful time. I've checked up on Healdsburg and it does look perfect, my only concern with visiting this area would be that we'd have to drop a couple of nights from our stay in San Francisco. Would it be advisable to only have 4-5 days in San Fran?

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

I agree with Razzle that Yosemite View Lodge is certainly a nicer property than the one in the valley. The best in the valley is, of course, the Ahwahnee, but the prices are steep.

The problem with staying in El Portal (and I recall it being at least a 30 minute, windy drive to the valley)is my concern that the trip will coincide with Memorial Day weekend (28th-31st May). If that is the case, the 30 minute drive will not be 30 minutes. It will be sitting in a traffic jam all day long. Especially now that they've not been restricting the number of visitors to the park in the hopes that visitors will eventually agree with the long-term plan to ban cars in the valley.

If you are going to be there the week before or the week after that long weekend, you shouldn't have the problem getting from and to El Portal.

Just a quick note: I realize that this is your honeymoon, and you're from out of the country and therfore trying to stay within an alloted budget. With that in mind:
Travelodge and Days Inn are on the lower end scale of hotels, mainly in the 2 star range. Considering this is your honeymoon, I would say you might be better off trying priceline.com where you can probably land a 3 star or 4 star at the same prices.

Also with all the driving you are doing, remember you will need plenty of time to account for traffic, especially in SoCal. This is important if you have an itinerary of tours and such that you want to do.

Hi again Jus! It's difficult to answer if 4-5 days in SF is enough. Depends on what you plan to see and do.I think it's enough to get a good feel for the city, but you will probably love it and want to come back for more exploring! Hopefully on a special anniversary !!
I have an idea that Surfergirl is confusing El Portal with Mariposa. We almost stayed in Mariposa and then someone from this forum gave US the heads up that it was a 30 minute winding drive back and forth to the Park
El Portal is a very small village with a post office, a quaint yet well stocked country store and the Yosemite View Lodge which has 2 restaurants. You can walk about 500 ft. up the road to the entrance to Yosemite NP-we took pictures of some Australians staying at the YVL (and they of us) by that sign.
A five minute drive from the YVL will put you at the a ranger station entrance
(specifically the Arch Rock entrance) where you pay a $20 entrance fee which is good for 7 days. In another 10 minutes down the road you will be at the intersection of Hwy 140 & 49 and about 30 feet from the entrance to the parking lot for Bridal Veil Falls! But consider parking the car-there are free shuttle buses and open air trams that will do the driving for you.YVL put us close enough to attend a ranger led campfire talk one evening and it took us 15 minutes to get to our room.
No winding road involved at all!
An excellent source of maps and info can be found in one of the Lonely Planet guidebooks-Yosemite National Park-it contains suggested itineraries paired with length of stay,duration and difficulty of hikes,wildlife ,lots of "insider" tips well, just everything you could want to know! Lonely Planet also does guidebooks for SF and California-you may consider picking them up.
HoW else can we help?
I must say your bride is very lucky to have such a man to plan all these details! Sounds like my hubby!
R5

Would I be correct in assuming that you found a deal for the Phoenix hotel in SF? The Phoenix used to be and still looks like a motel, it was revamped and was sort of rock star trendy and hip. I think of it as the kind of place you might find in LA. Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with the hotel, it would not be my choice in SF, because of the neighborhood. Not dangerous mind you, just not very inviting and very few attractions.

Jus, I'm going to weigh in strongly on the side of staying at Yosemite Lodge in the valley (the one and only moderately priced motel-type accommodation there)rather than Yosemite View in El Portal. Yes, I agree with the person who'd recommend even staying in a tent in the Valley rather than outside it. Yosemite is incomparably spectacular and there's no substitute for being right in the middle of it. The issue isn't how long the drive is from El Portal-it's whether you're experiencing being in a one of a kind environment or just visiting it from outside. I was at Yosemite Lodge earler this year, and there's nothing like going to sleep to the roar of one of the world's five highest waterfalls, or to walk out on your patio in the morning and see it shimmering in the sunlight amongst mile-high rock spires all around. El Portal is a collection of motels and gas stations on a nice riverbank, but it is merely near a world-class place, not one itself. It just doesn't deliver the feeling of being there. Wouldn't you pass up the finest luxury hotel 15 minutes away for the chance of a night actually inside Buckingham Palace? That's how I feel about this choice.

I agree with the guidance you got about Universal Studios and Mono Lake. Unless you are really a fan of the desolate, I think you may be spending too much time both in Mono and Death Valley and not enough between Monterey and Santa Barbara. I also agree that there are so many unique and interesting places to stay in that area that it would be a shame to use the TraveLodge and Days Inn there when the rest of your itinerary suggests you can afford better. The Tickle Pink, as another poster suggested, and the Highlands Inn next door to it are very spectacularly and romantically situated, as are the Post Ranch Inn and Ventana Inn in Big Sur, but be warned that all of those places are very expensive. A real change of pace, and much more moderately priced, is Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. This will really give you a taste of the unique bohemian/literary/serene character of the Big Sur area and will be quite different from anywhere else you'll stay, maybe in the world. It's in a redwood forest across the road from the ocean right in the heart of the most scenic part of Big Sur, very near Nepenthe, mentioned by another poster. I'd definitely linger with drinks on the open-air terrace at Nepenthe, soaking up the incomparable view (as I did on my honeymoon years ago.) But have dinner at back at Deetjen's, where the food and atmosphere are much better. Many couples find Deetjen's exceptionally romantic, even important in the history of their relationships, and return there often over many years--as the extremely interesting guest journals kept in the rooms attest. (Yes, I was at Deetjen's earlier this year too.) Try their website at www.deetjens.com to get a little of the feel of it.

Don't try to do Big Sur and Hearst Castle (which is south of, rather than in, Big Sur) in one day. There is too much of interest in both and though distances are short, the highway is winding with many irresistable scenic overlooks all the way from Monterey to Morro Bay and, and you will want to travel very slowly in this area. You should not miss the Castle, not only as history and a curiosity but because it, its art and its setting are stunningly beautiful. But be aware, you can only get anywhere near it on a ticketed tour, and its popularity far exceeds its degree of fame outside California. People who arrive there midday often find tours for the day sold out. Book your tours (take more than one, there are several different ones) in advance if you can, or get there first thing in the morning. Consider the Cavalier Inn in San Simeon very close to the Castle. It's surprisingly hard to find a place to stay right next to the surf in California, but this is one place you can (but be sure to specify an oceanside room.)

No need to give up nights in SF to enjoy the Wine Country--it's an easy day trip up there, and you can come back down over the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoy your evenings in SF without strain. But I would recommend one overnight enjoying a trip north from SF up the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts. Coastline different in terrain and atmosphere than Big Sur, more gentle and bucolic, but just as beautiful. You'll never see a more richly lovely combination of deep blue meeting deep green. Stay in one of the picturesque B&B's in a small town like Gualala, Elk, or Mendocino (but go all the way up to the beautifully set nineteenth century town of Mendocino in any case.) The Greenwood Pier Inn in Elk is an especially good choice--a Sea Castle or Cliffside room there (ask for one) with hot tob up a winding staircase, overlooking spectacular surf breaking over rocks, is my top romantic choice directly on the ocean in all California. www.greenwoodpierinn.com I think--they have an especially good site with beautiful virtual tours.

I envy you the discoveries you will make!

Jus

This sounds like a great trip you are planning. I did a similar trip from the UK two years ago although the emphasis was probably quite different (we were a group of university friends). Obviously, what suits you will depend on your interests which I assume you have factored in to your itinerary.

My main thought is that you are spending quite a long time in San Francisco relative to anywhere else.

I think you can easily chop 2 or 3 days from SF and add these elsewhere. Personally for me, I didn't care for Los Angeles at all so I think the time you have there is about right (although I would skip Universal). Of the cities we stayed in, San Diego was probably one of the highlights, possibly because it's the place we here so little about in the UK. You may feel you have enough travelling already though without adding anywhere else.

I would try and add Napa Valley to your schedule if possible, again chop a day off SF if you need to do this.

Also, I wouldn't underestimate the travelling involved. We did a bit less than your itinerary and it seemed like quite a lot all the same. You have a good 3 weeks though so that will help.

Congratulations. Your honeymoon sounds great -- but busy.

My advice, skip Sacramento when driving to San Francisco from Lake Tahoe. As far as accomodations in Lake Tahoe, I highly recommend the Marriott Timber Lodge. Beautiful, new 1-bedroom suites with full kitchens, gas fireplace, and jacuzzi tubs. You can walk down the street if you want to go to a casino and gamble. If you insist on spending so many days in San Francisco, please go to Sonoma county. The area is beautiful and more peaceful than Napa. My husband and I were married at a winery in Sonoma a year ago and rented a cottage on 150 acres in Glen Ellen for two weeks. Do try to spend more time at Big Sur. Have fun -- but don't spend all of your time driving.

HI Jus:

Congratulations on your engagement. Your itinerary sounds great. Just want to comment on a few things.

First, you mention that you are traveling in late May/early June. It sounds like you are planning on taking the Tioga Pass road from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley and then back out that way to Mono Lake. It's very unpredictable when the pass opens that time of year. For instance, this year it didn't open until the first week of June. And even if the pass is open in time for your visit, I don't think you need to take it in both directions. You could take a detour to Mono Lake from Mammoth Lakes. That way you could take the western exit out of Yosemite directly to Lake Tahoe. You wouldn't have to spend the the night in Lee Vining and you could have 2 nights in Yosemite. If Tioga Pass is still closed when you are leaving Death Valley, just be prepared to take the long way to the western entrace to Yosemite Valley.

I'm a huge fan of Death Valley and I'm very happy you have it on your itinerary. My only concern is that it will be hot by then. Just be prepared. Do most of your hiking early and late in the day. Sunrise and Sunset are the best times of the day for D.V. anyway. Absolutely beautiful. Some of my favorite things to do in D.V. are: hike in Golden Canyon, sunrise at Dante's View, sunset at Zabrinskie Point. All close to Furnace Creek.

I agree with JohnCharles about the Big Sur/Hearst Castle part of your trip. Don't rush through that area. I'd rather see you stay in Big Sur or Carmel for a night instead of Monterey or Morro Bay. It's only 3 1/2 hours from San Francisco to Big Sur.

I live in San Francisco and grew up in Napa Valley. I think a week in S.F. is great, but you might want to give up a couple of days to stay in the Wine Country. You might think about stopping in that area after Lake Tahoe. You can also visit the Wine Country for the day though. I also love the Sonoma coast.

Have a wonderful trip.

What a wonderful trip you will have! Why the Travel Lodge in Monterey? There is very nice BW Beach Resort there where you can stay and be directly on the ocean. It is a very nice property with swimming pool, spa, on-site restaurant, etc.

If you do decide on Hearst Castle, I would not overlook the quaint town of Cambria. The Blue Whale Inn is very nice as is the Cypress Cove Inn. Both properties are located on Moonstone Beach Drive. The Sow's Ear for a very romantice dinner. If you tell the person who takes your name that this is a honeymoon trip, you will be VERY well take care of here!!

Also, if you do decide to stay in Morro Bay I would recommend a spa-fireplace room at the Inn at Morro Bay. Very romantic with your own private Soft Tub jacuzzi on your patio. The restaurant here is also very good.

The Ventana Inn and Spa is nice for Big Sur. Have lunch outside at Cielo's, Have a wonderful trip!!! ***kim***