lookn4adeal

Need advice for:
25th anniversary (mom & dad only)
7-ish day road trip
Cheap flights to CA (SF area?) from DC & back
Want to see Yosemite, Hearst, Rodeo Dr., San Diego, other can't-miss places
Would like $200/night range romantic hotels
Restaurants not to miss

Total Budget: $4K

How about using this itinerary as a guide?
Thoughts on their itinerary?
http://www.tourvacationstogo.com/tau...pid=6865&nhr=1

~Thank you so much. We've never left the east coast, so we'd be lost in CA

Suzie

Wow that's a lot of distance to cover in 7ish days. If you fly into SF can you fly out of LA or SD? At least this would cut down on any time you would need to return to northern CA.

SF to Yosemite is 4 hours, minimum.

If you want to go Yosemite to Cambria it will be minimum 4.5 hours on 41 through the south entrance and then west.
OR
To Monterey from Yosemite is about 4 hours and then driving south through Big Sur to Cambria to see Hearst it would be another 2 hours.


Cambria to Los Angeles is 4 hours.

Los Angeles to San Diego is another 2 hours.

San Diego back to San Francisco is a minimum of 8 hours more likely 9 or 10.

That would be like 2 nights SF, 1 night Yosemite, 1 night Cambria, 2 nights LA and 1 night San Diego and a whole lot of driving. The listed itinerary is for 10 nights and even at that it is a tremendous amount of driving and hotel check in and out.

lookn4adeal

Suzie,

We are thinking we'll fly into SF, drive, then depart from San Diego.

lookn4adeal

So then,
Nights 1-2, San Francisco
Night 3, Cambria
Night 4,5 LA
Night 6/6&7 San Diego

Does that sound doable?

Suzie

So you have cut out Yosemite, right? It's certainly better. The full distance is more than 600 miles. Most very nice, so I can understand you wanting to see it all. If this is the route now you want romantic lodging...

lookn4adeal

Oops. I didn't mean to leave out Yosemite at all.

Should we skip San Diego and leave from LA instead?

We love the outdoors (hiking, sightseeing, shopping-DH is "artsy"). Then we want to relax too.

Suzie

Well the one thing you have going for you is the long daylight of summer but it’s still going to be tight. Here’s how I see your vacation:

Fly into SF. Night 1 & 2 in SF. Leave on day 3 for Yosemite. Drive minimum 4 hours to Yosemite arrive afternoon. Night 3 & 4 in Yosemite, leave out of south gate for Cambria (or Monterey?). Drive about 5 hours to Cambria, arrive afternoon. Tour Hearst, spend night 5 in Cambria. OR Drive from Yosemite’s south entrance to Monterey and then south on Highway 1 to arrive in Cambria late in the day. Spend night, tour Hearst and leave for LA. Drive 4 hours, minimum arrive afternoon of day 6 and spend night 6 & 7 in LA.

Is this how you see it? Now onto romantic lodging under $200?

FainaAgain

For flights into San Francisco check out OAK (Oakland airport). Not sure if Southwest is convenient for you.

Easy to get to SF from OAK by BART (light rail, same as from SFO) or shuttle.

trippinkpj

If it was me, I would add a night in or near Yosemite, and only spend 1 night in LA.

lookn4adeal

Suzie, Faina, trippinkpg:

Thank you

Day 1: Arriving in Oakland (Bart to SF) for 2-night stay.
Day 3: Drive to Yosemite. Stay for 3 nights (two full days)
Day 6: Drive to Cambria to stay for the night, tour Hearst day 7 and head out in late afternoon (?) to SD. Is there a good tour around 4-hours of Hearst, or does it take longer?

Day 7: Arrive evening LA, spend night. Sight see day 8 in LA. Spend night in LA.

Day 9: LA to Oakland for flight home.

By the way, the range for the hotel stay is $200-$300/night.

Thank you all so much! Keep it coming.

Suzie

Lodging in Yosemite during that time might be difficult. First choice is Yosemite Lodge. It's right near Yosemite Falls. I'd start with that and then work out the rest. My personal 2nd choice would be just outside the park in El Portal at Yosemite View. I know lots of people here like some of the lodging in Curry Village but I don't so you'll have to get a recommendation regarding that from someone else.