SF/CA trip with kids-hotel & itinerary ?s
 

My family; husband, 10 yr old daughter, 2 year old son and self are planning a trip to CA next spring, March 29-April 6.

Loosely the plan currently looks like we will fly into SF and stay 4 nights, drive down the coast stopping in Monterey and one other place to be decided ??? (2 nights) (want to go to Aquarium, see Big Sur, and then drive to Annaheim for 3 nights in Disney Land.

I am especially looking for good hotel ideas in SF. Have read good things about the Serrano and the Hotel Del Sol. The Serrano is near Union Square while the Del Sol is in Cow Hollow/Marina. Both area have appeal to me in different ways. Serrano near Chinatown and the Metreon and Modern Art Museum, sounds very urban. Del Sol sounds as if in more residential area closer to wharfs, parks and some child friendly restaurants (10 year old is awesome eater-great palate-way to go with 2 year old.) Any one familiar with these hotels?

Also ideas for sights or lodging along Route 1?

All ideas appreciated.

We just stayed at the Hotel del Sol and loved it. I have 3 kids and we had the "kids Club" room which is actually 2 rooms - 1 with bunkbeds and funky toys. The best part of the Hotel del Sol is the location - in a real family neighborhood with great shopping/walking/restaurants, groceries, etc. Also the hotel is quite nice with an inner, quiet courtyard even though it is in the middle of the city. We think our SF experience was quite different than if we had stayed downtown in a brand name hotel - we felt much more at home here. And in Big Sur we stayed at the Big Sur Lodge right in the state park. Also a great location - we had our own cabin with a fireplace and large bedroom plus living room and deck. They have a nice swimming pool there. I only wish I had requested a cabin with a kitchen. We stayed there 2 nights and we all agreed we would have liked it to be longer. Have a great trip.

The Hotel Del Sol is great. It is in Cow Hollow. You can walk to Marina, Italian section, Fort Mason, etc. The price is right(try to negotiate) and the staff is great. Only drawback is disgusting muffins in plastic for breakfast.Nice patisserie a short walk (Union St.) Equidistant from Chestnut and Union streets.

I think spending a night or two in Big Sur would be a great idea - kind of decompress the whole family from the energy of SF before tackling Disneyland. Another idea would be to spend a night in the Cambria/Morro Bay area. This is a pretty relaxed, laid back place on the coast and would put you further south than Big Sur so that you would only have a few hours' drive into LA.

Hi, the hotel nikko is a neat place to stay in union square with kids. it is one of the only hotels that has an indoor pool. i paid a little extra to stay on concierge floor so health club was included in price. they upgraded us to a junior suite which was a nice-sized room, at least by SF standards. the room was L-shaped with a pull out couch in living area, and a separate bedrrom, which allowed us grownups to stay up late and watch tv after the kids went to sleep in the living room area. and, bc the concierge lounge was not serving food the week we were there, they gave us vouchers for full breakfast every day! i paid 199/night, which was an incredible value. karen

I second the Cambria/Morro Bay suggestion. Stay along Moonstone Beach and maybe tour Hearst Castle if you're interested in that. Lots of family-friendly places to stay in Cambria. The BW Fireside Inn is very nice with a pool for the kids and a jacuzzi for you!

In Morro Bay, I like the Inn at Morro Bay, very nice property with complimentary bikes, restaurant, on-site spa and very comfy featherbeds. Some rooms come with your private soft-tub jacuzzi right outside your door.

Where are you staying in Monterey? ***kim*** :)

A few suggestions:

With all that SF has to offer, I wouldn't cut your time there short by heading to San Jose. The Discovery Museum there is wonderful but the one in Sausalito is also fun and offers great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and SF Bay. A walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (even just part of the way) is memorable. My children did not particularly care for the Winchester Mystery House. I think the two year old is too young for the Tech Museum and the zoo, while nice, is small.

While in Southern California, you might consider the La Brea Tar Pits (good for science reports) and Universal Studios. We were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed Universal Studios but you have to be up for another long day at a theme park. My children also enjoyed seeing the theatre in Hollywood with the celebrity hand and footprints.

Hi, Patricia!

I would suggestion that you download or print out this thread of yours before it is deleted by Fodors.

There is a poster who goes under several different names - Treck and Tkay being only two of them - who will try to misguide people to San Jose. San Jose has nothing to offer the infrequent tourist.

The others have tried to give you excellent and sincere advice. Save those.

Have a great trip!

The Rosecrucian Museum if full of dead people who have been dead thousands of years. I'm certain a young girl of 10 and a two year old boy will be fascinated - if not scared out of their wits! LOL!

Hann is another name for this poster and he will try to confuse you by claiming that others are posting under different names.

Where are you, Borg members?

I think you're manning the desk tonight, ET. ;)

If you read my posts, Hann/Treck/Tkay, you will note I have positive things to say about San Jose. The Rosicrucian Museum is a wonderful example of a place I find fascinating. However, I still feel visitors with limited time will get more enjoyment out of visits to other places: Carmel, Monterey, Yosemite, the California Coast, San Francisco, the wine country, etc.