We just got back from a month long trip (Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona, Phoenix, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Francisco). We live in South Florida - I'm in my late 60's - my husband is 76. I wanted to share a few random thoughts on what impressed and didn't impress us.
1) First time in Las Vegas. Stayed at the Bellagio (we don't gamble). Room was gorgeous, but it was a very long walk from the entrance to the elevators, and then an even longer walk to our room. No coffee maker(we have to have coffee 1st thing in the AM) we didn't want to order expensive room service, so we had to go all the way downstairs, stand on line to get a small cup of coffee ($3.75 + tax), there's no HBO, etc. They want you Out of Your Room and gambling. If you even touch an item in the fridge, you're charged for it..which was difficult as we had to put store my husband's insulin in a cold place..had to order an extra fridge for the room (extra charge of course). Pool was beautiful, but only 3 feet of water. All you can do is stand around and stare at each other. Height of decadance, ordering a Mojito in the pool...$12+tax and tip (and they tax the tip!!). It's HOT, even for South Flordians..walked to NY hotel to see Rita Rudner and we thought that the hotel was a mirage as it seemed to drift away each time we appeared to get closer. Show was great but we were the only ones "dressed up"..IMHO Las Vegas struck us a gorgeous, Disneylike place with "Greyhound Bus Station People". On the whole, very fat people in too tight shorts, and flip flops. You can tell that we weren't impressed. But, we loved Mon Ami Gabi Restaurant..worth every cent.

2) Grand Canyon - two days - stayed at the Kachina lodge..absolutely breathtaking view from room...no complaints..coffee in the room and a fridge. Took every tour imaginable. Didn't particularly care for the dinner at El Tovar... liked the atmosphere and the food at the Arizona Room at Bright Angel much better.

3) Sedona is magnificent. We stayed at the Hampton Inn (away from the hustle and bustle and streets being torn up). Now, this is a hotel that caters to guests. Beautiful room, with coffee and fridge, and cable. And, a free, delicious breakfast every morning. If you were in a rush, they gave you a brown paper bag with muffins, fruit etc. to take with you. And, since I didn't take my laptop, I had access to free internet in the dining area anytime and cookies at 5:00 pm. They really care about their guests! Pink Jeep was awesome. We did Broken Arrow, of course and "Tim" our driver literally hand carried my husband who is scared of heights up and down the red rocks, saying, "Big Guy I'll help you do it, just lean on me". He was wonderful, besides he looks great in jeans and cowboy boots and hat! The red rocks are so gorgeous that you never get tired of seeing them as they seem to change each time you look. Oak Creek Canyon is so pristine and lovely..we drove it over and over again. We loved Sedona and can't wait to get back.
...to be continued...

Hi
Wow, what a treat to take a month long trip out West, especially from Florida!
That stinks that they charged you for the fridge for your husbands meds!
I don't understand about "the pool" being only 3 feet of water...there are 5 or 6 pools at the Bellagio.
Are you sure they tax the tips?? There is something wrong here...
Ahhh Sedona, can't wait to hear more

"If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it."

Is this a trip report, or a commentary on how much everything costs?

No early bird specials in LV.

No SueRich68...it's not a commentary on what everything costs..just "random thoughts" on aspects of our trip that I thought fodorites would be interested in. We spent about 10K on this trip so we are far from cheap. We just don't like to be nickeled and dimed to death. Not everyone can live by the adage, "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it." We weren't buying
a yacht. We appreciate and will pay for quality in food and comfort in hotels, but we don't like to be taken with overpriced and over-rated "crap". And, in addition, just because we live in South Florida and are senior citizens doesn't mean that we go to early bird specials...never assume what you know nothing about.

I just hate those electronic mini bars! My son half emptied one once... he was about 3 and luckily he didn't consume anything. I think he thought it was some fancy alternative to a box of Lego. The staff kindly deducted the automatic charges from our bill, locked the mini bar and provided a separate fridge for free.

I imagine it would have turned out differently had we been staying at the Bellagio at the time!

Thanks for your report so far...

mzsparks - please ignore the rudeness on this board by some people.

I would LOVE to hear more!

Karen

Continuation:
After our week in Sedona, we drove to Phoenix to meet some old friends and catch our flight to LA. Phoenix was HOT (even for us)...I felt like my skin was frying. I had bought some CO Bigelow Rose Hydrating cream to take with me on a Fodorite recommendation posting and it kept my skin from drying out (you can even put it over makeup). I used it constantly. We flew into LA and immediately drove to Torrence where we stayed at the Marriott - we were going to a Bar Mitzvah in Rancho Palos Verdes and the hosts had reserved rooms for us. What wonderful beds and down pillows! We were overwhemed by the beauty of the area, especially after the desert. It was exhilarating to see the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. So different than the Atlantic in FL. We drove the coast until we reached the LA docks - stopping and taking pictures of all the scenic areas. Had a late dinner at Lucille's BBQ..near the hotel. Best BBQ (other than my husband's) we've ever had. Next day we drove to Beverly Hills. As a Floridian, I'm not used to driving windy hills and I had been entranced by 89A into Sedona..felt like a race car driver..so I drove up Cold Water Canyon to Mullholland Drive and then back again..all the time hearing, "Why are we doing this?" from my husband, who was crouched down in the passenger seat. Remember, he hates heights. I had a blast!

Flight to San Fran - We would have really loved San Francisco a few years back when our knees and legs were in better shape. It's NYC on steriods. The hills were too much for us. Even taking tolleys, cable cars, etc. You still have to walk to your destination from their stops. So we took tours arranged by the concierge at the Tuscan Inn. By the way, we liked the Tuscan Inn but they didn't abide by my request made about 6 months before, for a top floor corner room. But we got a free bottle of wine from them for the inconvenience. Took "Tower Tours" everywhere (City tour, Monterey/Carmel, Wine Country, 17 Mile, Muir Woods) and then a Bay Cruise around Alcatraz. We couldn't have handled the actual tour there. No complaints about the tours other than the drivers talk incessantly. A driver on the Muir Woods tour talked about one hour without stopping about the history of John Muir and when finally he said, "And then we lost John Muir" someone in the back yelled, "Thank God". We especially loved the wineries that we went to. Cline Winery and Vinansa in Sonoma and Madonna Winery in Napa. I know some of your purists will say that tour buses are tacky. But, we wanted to see San Francisco and did the best we could to enable us to do so. We met a friend there who drove us to Lemon's a wonderful Peruvian restaurant in the Mission District and drove us around town. I'll always remember the view of the Golden Gate shrouded in fog - unforgettable.

After 6 days in San. Francisco we took our tired bodies home..after the cool days there we felt like someone had put a hot, wet blanket on our heads when we landed in Ft. Lauderdale.

Last comments: The sights, the people we met along the way, and our experiences together is something that we will never forget...Hint..we bought a portable talking GPS before we left and we agreed that it was the best thing that we ever bought. It saves time, energy, map reading, and most of all arguing with your spouse on which way to go.

Please ignore those who choose to be rude/insulting and just plain nasty.

Your trip report is very interesting, I am glad you had a good time. Perhaps some "research" into hotels/accommodations in Vegas might have been helpful for you (hindsight is always 20/20, right ?). Other then that, it sounds like you had fun. Again, ignore those who feel they must make rude remarks, not everyone on this board is like that (thank God).

Mz, I was laughing through your description of Vegas, and agree with each word! I would only add tht the Bellagio casino made us claustrofobic the ceiling is so low, haven't seen it anywhere else.


"San Francisco... It's NYC on steriods." Yeah, lots of hills, but if you'd start from SF everything would be easier in the city.

Next time in SF, we'll climb the Nob Hill together and walk down Lombard

Faina...you got a deal..if I can "lean on you, my sista".

Sure! If you push me up, that is

Mzsparks,enjoyed reading your trip report. We loved Sedona too. Uptown is touristy, but if you look for things to annoy you in any place you will find it. We loved the people, the red rocks, Oak Creek Canyon. Especially liked the prickly pear margaritas and the fajitas at Javalina Cantina - yum!! I can taste them now.

Mzsparks, I am interested in some of your comments on Sedona. First, thanks very much for the report on Hampton Inn. I was going to try Kings Ransom Inn next time I go for a long weekend of hiking, but now I will try Hampton Inn based on your glowing and very good description. I have thought about staying there as it is in west Sedona I think- my favorite part of town.

Will you please tell me more about your comment on the roads being torn up in Sedona? What roads/where? 179 coming in to town, or 89A? We rented a house there in December and did not see any road work like this going on. I am going back in early fall and would like to know what repairs they are doing. I just came home from Borders and bought the summer '06 edition of Sedona magazine and Arizona Highways- my reading and visual pleasure for the weekend (love those photo spreads).

Sounds like a great trip. I like to think my husband and I will be fortunate enough to be in good health and traveling like you and your husband in another 20 yrs.

I think I know the area that Mzsparks is talking about; the construction there is about 2 blocks long near the area where Pink Jeep Tours and other jeep tours (North 89A) have their offices (Uptown). The T-shirt and rubber tomahawk part of town . I understand that the city is tearing up these streets to make that part of the city more attractive to tourists. I didn't stay in that area, so it really didn't affect us but the parking is bad since the streets where you normally would park are torn up. Maybe it'll all be finished by the time you go.

Nice report, Mzsparks. Sounds like you had a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

I'm really glad you enjoyed our little corner of the world (Rancho PV).

Sparkerlaw, didn't you do a similar trip recently? I remember responding to you about Palos Verdes on another thread. Until you responded to Mzsparks on this thread, I thought you were the same person.

Aah, Lucille's BBQ! It really is very good. There are also two in Long Beach, one in Belmont Shores for any visiting LA area this summer. The greens are the best!