need SF/National Parks Advice
 

Three very staid 30 something singles need help planning our trip in November6-21. SF-Yosemite-Sequioa- death Valley - coast - SF. Any hints on cheap but clean accomodation or vacation lets inSF and the parks, travel intinary etc. Help!!!

Did Yosemite last year. I would strongly recommend finding a way to spend at least one night in the valley if at all possible. It is a bit of a hike/ride in and out if you are going to spend a couple days. We were blessed to stay at the Awahnee for 3 nights and I have to stay it was one of the most magnificent experiences of my life. With 3 of you splitting a room, I think Yosemite lodge might be the cheapest in the valley, but you can check this out on the National PArks web site.

Are you planning to go over Tioga Pass as part of your itinerary? This is the section of Hwy 120 east of Yosemite Valley. This pass closes in the winter time due to snow - it isn't plowed until Spring. I think it generally closes sometime in November, but there is historical information online - search around a bit, I am sure it is fairly easy to find.

It doesn't seem likely Tioga Pass is in your plans since roads into Seqiuoia come from the west. But just in case - do not count on crossing over Tioga Pass.

But you have a lot planned - It also seems you are coming from overseas (the "lets" bit is a hint). Have you booked any rooms at all yet? What is your budget? "Cheap" means different things to different people - and along the coast and in SF cheap is definitely a relative term.

In general you will need about 4+ days for SF, 2 days for Yosemite, 1 day for Sequioa, 1 or 2 days for Death Valley, and the rest for the coast. Assuming nov 6 is your arrival (and possibly jet lagged) day and and Nov 21 is your departure day - then you will have plenty of time for this loop.

But we do need to know your budget before we can give many useful suggestions. And you need to book your lodging in Yosemite ASAP (like yesterday)

If you search on my screen name you can find my detailed trip report of a similar trip in August. I would give Yosemite at least three nights so you can see several areas.

no roon left yosemite lodge option now redwood cabin or scenic wonders loft condo. our budget is 60 dollars each a night. tried for priceline to get at SF hotel but they don't accept credit cards which don't have USA address and priceline UK only covers europe hotels. Help!

For SF, you could use www.expedia.co.uk

Check hotels tab > enter San Francisco > pick dates > enter hotel name Heritage Marina.

This hotel is nothing fancy but it is perfectly acceptable for your price constraint (actually you would have to up the ante slightly - looks like £36 is the best price.) The area is fine, it's on Van Ness Ave at Filbert. They have a small free car park - but it has limited/tight space and is first-come-first served.

If you book on expedia at a special rate, read the fine print because your credit card will be charged for the full amount upon reservation and I don't know their policy regarding changes/refunds. So just be sure your dates are firm before booking.

In May I stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge - just outside the park but a very easy and beautiful drive in- and there is also public transportation (bus service) into the park so you would not have to drive -
Yosemite View Lodge was nice and clean, right on the river, has a restaurant

I believe we paid about 180/nt for a room with 2 queen beds - had a small kitchenette

I just stayed at one of the Scenic Wonder Condos at Yosemite West two weeks ago. We stayed in the studio apartment because there was two of us but the loft condo would be fine for three.

The price was good and the location was fine. Although you are not in the valley, it was about a 20 min drive. You are very close to Glacier Point which is a must see. Don't know where the redwood cabin is but I would book the condo since your trip is soon.

janisj-I think the reason J Correa mentioned Tioga Pass is because the OP said they were going to go to Death Valley and that would be the best way to get there. However, it's very possible the road will be closed early Nov.

&quot;<i>I think the reason J Correa mentioned Tioga Pass is because the OP said they were going to go to Death Valley</i>&quot; I understand that. In fact J_Correa also said the pass might be closed.

I was just saying it is pretty likely Tioga pass wasn't in their plans because gurfle mentioned Sequoia, and you can't get into Sequoia from the east side. But IF they did consider going over the pass they need to re-think because it will likely be closed.

gurfle: I am surprised about PriceLine. I have Irish and Brit friends who use PL all the time for US accomodations. Maybe they have US-issued credit cards - don't know about that. Both of them have used PL for SF rooms several times . . . . .

In my experience, some of the travel websites won't let you book a triple room for three adults. I just tried Hotels.com, and it did OK---came up with several 3* hotels in the Union Square area that were below your price range for a twin room plus extra bed. I think you want to be either near Union Square, or Fisherman's Wharf. And don't pick up your rental car until you are leaving San Francisco for Yosemite.

janisj-Sorry didn't see the Sequoia part. I was just curious how you would get from Sequoia to Death Valley so I looked it up. Looks like you have go south past Bakersfield and then east. Quite the drive!!

&quot;<i>Quite the drive!!</i>&quot;

You got that right - can you say &quot;drive from Hell&quot;? :)

okay - if death valley is impossible what should we do - an extra day in sequoia [we have two at the moment] or cut across to the coast earlier. BTW any recommendations for places to stay on the coastal trip back up to SF?

Why not drive North from SF...over the Golden Gate 1.5 hrs and visit the wine country of Sonoma County. Come to Healdsburg..a cute town, great restaurants, lots of wineries to visit..huge redwood trees in Guerneville (Armstrong woods)... Lovely drive along the Russian River to the Pacific... no problem booking a vacation rental with a foreign credit card if you try www.HealdsburgRentals.com You can probably Google any of the above mentioned sites and check it out for yourself.

Hello

We just got back on 20th Oct from a wonderful trip to that area (trip report to follow !) although we didn't go to Death Valley.

Yosemite : We stayed 2 nights at a studio condo at Yosemite West. I'd recommend it although it was rather overpriced ($140 I think) given that the decor is quite old fashioned. But there aren't many options in the park ! We booked through Scenic Wonders. YW is in the middle of the woods so nice and secluded - though some might find it too isolated.

Cambria : We stayed 1 night at Sea Lion Inn on Moonstone Beach in Cambria, which is south of Big Sur. It was around $107 for a king room for two persons.

Pacific Grove : after Cambria, having driven up the Big Sur coast in the day, we stayed at Butterfly Grove Inn in Pacific Grove - $86 for a king room for two persons.

All 3 places were clean, had a good shower and were quiet and peaceful. I've posted more detailed reviews on Trip Advisor which should come up in a day or so (they need to be approved first).

San Francisco: We stayed 3 nights at the Mayflower Hotel - 975 Bush Street near the corner of Jones, so just a couple of blocks from Union Square. We had a quiet, clean, comfortable queen room which was $90 a night which we booked directly with the hotel.

Hope this helps !
Susie

I just stayed at the Mayflower. A step up from most budget motels. I would call it a lower end boutique hotel. It was a little farther from Union Square than I like, but actually that was a plus in some ways since it was pretty quiet.