Vegas/California May 2016
 

I'm planning a trip for May 2016 and as its the first time for both of us and possibly a group of others I want to be as organized as possible, see my itinerary below:

Vegas - 4 nights
San Francisco - 4 nights
Pick up Car
Big Sur - 1 night
Santa Barbara - 1 night
Santa Monica - 4 nights
San Diego - 4/5 nights

Ideas on hotels would be really helpful as all areas seem to be expensive, I'm currently looking at the following:

Vegas - Aria or Wynn Encore (It's a birthday trip so I want at least one nice hotel during the trip)
San Francisco - Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf or Hotel Diva Union Sq
Big Sur - Glen Oaks Big Sur
Santa Barbara - Inn by the Harbor
Santa Monica - Doubletree Suites by Hilton
San Diego - Doubletree by Hilton, Mission Valley

I really would like to do the Grand Canyon and Buggy excursion for the day in Las Vegas but there are so many different tour agents, I don't know which is the best to use at a reasonable price?

Any help or suggestions on places to go in each area, things we must do, places we should eat at, saving money in Vegas and San Francisco would be a definite help?

Thank you so much :)

Stay in Las Vegas Sunday-Thursday for cheaper hotel rates.

Fly to Las Vegas and rent a car (cheap). Head for Hoover Dam on US 93. The Hoover Dam Lodge (former Hacienda) is OK and cheaper than most of Vegas http://hooverdamlodge.com/
Next day head for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. You can set your own pace if you have a rental car instead of getting rushed on a group tour.
Were you planning on flying from Las Vegas to San Francisco?

I'm sure anyone wanting to celebrate at a property like the Wynn would <i>not</i> be impressed by the Hoover Dam Lodge . . . just sayin'

I assumed you meant flying to SF since that is where you are picking up the car. I've never stayed at the Glen Oaks - have wanted to but usually stay in Carmel when I visit Big Sur. We have a couple of Fodorites who live in that part of the coast so hopefully one of them will see your thread.

For SF -- check out the Mosser -- they have rooms at several price points including rooms w/ shared baths. Nice place in a convenient location and a good budget option.

http://www.themosser.com

I'd maybe cut a night from Vegas and/or Santa Monica and add it/them to the coast so you have enough time to explore Carmel/Monterey/Big Sur/central coast wineries.

And yes, LV will be MUCH cheaper on weekdays than on weekends if you can work out your dates.

This is great thanks everyone!

In Las Vegas is there as much to do nightlife wise in the weekdays as there is on the weekend? Although the weekdays are cheaper I also want to attend some great club night events which seem to be at the later end of the week but if there are great events every night then I'd definitely opt for a weekday booking.

Because there's likely to be a group of us in Las Vegas, I'm happy to do a group tour as hopefully it will just be our group. Are there any recommended tour agencies that you'd recommend to do South Rim of the Grand Canyon combined with Buggy's?

We will be flying from Las Vegas to San Francisco and at the end of that trip we will then pick up the car to travel to the Big Sur.

janisj...I may look in to cutting down the Santa Monica nights and spend a night in Carmel instead. We're not big wine drinkers so the wineries don't really interest us but if Carmel/Monterey are worth checking out then to have a little more time there makes sense.

The Mosser Hotel in San Francisco looks great and much cheaper than the other hotels I've looked at. I'll definitely add that to the itinerary thank you.

Thank you all for responses, they're all very helpful.
Any other ideas, suggestions, things to do are all welcomed :)

>>is there as much to do nightlife wise in the weekdays as there is on the weekend?<<

Essentially no difference at all. LV is a 24 hour a day city 365 days a year.

>>We're not big wine drinkers so the wineries don't really interest us but if Carmel/Monterey are worth checking out then to have a little more time there makes sense.<<

I just mentioned wineries because so many are interested in them. But w/o a single vineyard, you really need one or two full days for Monterey/Carmel and a full day for Big Sur. So at very minimum you need 2 nights. Driving down from SF in the morning - the bulk of that day and the next in the Carmel area, then leave the 3rd morning and spend most of the day in Point Lobos and other parks traveling through Big Sur. Then you'd still have a very long drive to Santa Barbara. Some like to break the journey even another night (Cambria or Pismo Beach or San Luis Obispo)

Hmmmmm, lots to think about as I've also been told that we should if we can try and go to the Yosemite National Park?

Is 1 day and night enough for Yosemite or would 2 nights be better? I looked at the Yosemite View Lodge, it's ok but maybe I could get a private rental that might be nicer?

So, maybe I could do 1 night in Yosemite with a full day, a night in Monterey with a full day and a night in Big Sur with a full and then move on to Santa Barbara.....?

So many things to do that even though I have 3 weeks for everything there still doesn't seem to be enough time :-/

I don't want to try and fit in too much and maybe Yosemite might be pushing it a bit!!

Yosemite is one of the MOST 'worth it' places on earth. And May is probably the very best month to visit because the waterfalls are at their maximum flow. But staying one night there and one night in Carmel means almost no time in either place. Driving SF to Yosemite takes more than 4 hours and Yosemite to Carmel also take more than 4 hours. So basically half a day lost each way.

Yosemite View Lodge is the best place to stay anywhere outside of Yosemite Valley itself.

CA is a BIG place . . . If you want Yosemite, Monterey and Big Sur you really do need to consider cutting nights from, Las Vegas, SF, Santa Monica and/or San Diego. If you start w/ 3 nights in any three of those, then you'd have 3 extra nights to play with which could mean 2 nights in YNP, 2 nights in Carmel, and one more night on the mid coast.

Ok, having taken all the comments on board I've spoken with the travel agent as this is how the itinerary currently looks:

Vegas - 4 nights
San Francisco - 4 nights
Pick up Car
Yosemite - 2 nights
Big Sur - 2 night
Santa Barbara - 1 night
Santa Monica - 3 nights
San Diego - 4 nights

That should hopefully break up the driving a bit and we get to see a bit of quite a few different places

Vegas is a celebration with long distance friends so I don't really want to reduce the time there any further.

Thoughts?

That is much better.

For the Big Sur bit -- staying in either Big Sur or in Carmel/Pacific Grove would work. Staying farther north in Carmel would be a better base for things in Monterey and Carmel plus is close to Big Sur. Big Sur is (of course) a better base for Big Sur . . .

Stay in Monterey or Carmel, Big Sur has limited lodging and some of it is pretty pricey.

Thank you both

I've been looking at the Best Western Plus Carmel Bay View Inn.

I'm really excited now, my boyfriend is going to be so surprised, thank you so much for all your advise.

Now to find out what to see and do in all these places :)

Have a great weekend everyone

The Carmel Bay View Inn would be a great location. Right in the center of Carmel and w/i a very short walk of all the restaurants, shops, galleries, tasting rooms etc.

I haven't stayed there so don't know how the rooms etc are - but it would be a super base for seeing Carmel/Pebble Beach/Monterey/Big Sur/ Carmel Valley.

I'm going to jump in to clarify one point about Vegas: It's a happening 24-hour kind of town, no doubt. However, if you're truly interested in trying to hit the "hot" clubs, especially on the Strip, be aware that a lot of the high-end lounges are only open part of the week-- usually weekends. The best thing to do is to research the nightlife listed on vegas.com (to start) and see what piques your interest. You also need to know that a lot of the "hot" clubs charge steep covers (up to $30 or more for guys, $20 for women, sometimes waived if the women are supermodel-gorgeous), and even getting on a VIP list or reserving bottle service doesn't guarantee entry. Caveat emptor and all that.

Four days in Vegas is pushing it. I'll just put it out there. I'd lop one day off there, and add it to Santa Monica; there's a LOT of stuff to see in the greater LA area.

>>Four days in Vegas is pushing it. I'll just put it out there. <<

I did try -- but Blustar seems set on the 4 days there (the only part of the plan that hasn't changed)

And you are right -- about some of the high end lounges. But there are more than enough clubs/shows/bars/lounges open at any time that one won't run out of places to go/things to see.

Hello,

Thanks again for the feedback.

rjw & janisj
I completely see where you're coming from and if it was just my boyfriend and I travelling to Vegas I'd have no problem cutting down Vegas one more night however those travelling from London to Vegas for his birthday which is costing nearly £1,000 for 4 nights inc accommodation should this be there only destination will be a lot of money for just 3 nights in Vegas?

Vegas in general I believe is going to be truly expensive whatever we do so I'm expecting it to cost a pretty penny however I will take a look at vegas.com to see what's happening. Thank you

I'll also see how far down my wallet I can reach to see if adding an additional night in Santa Monica is possible.

I really appreciate the advise and think about Vegas some more, I just want to give more time to those just coming to Vegas to have enough time catching up with the birthday boy.

Also, I was checking out the reviews for Yosemite View Lodge and they're not making me feel comfortable about the condition and of the hotel and the service provided. Are there any other hotels or lodges that would be better but not extortionate in price?

Yosemite View is MUCH better than the alternative in El Portal. (Cedar Lodge).

I wouldn't be terribly concerned re the reviews -- you have to understand that these are mountain properties. A LOT of the people apply big city standards to remote/rural/rustic places and expect posh. Even the Ahwahnee -- a world famous/expensive destination hotel gets quite a few terrible reviews.

Look at TA -- Yosemite View has many more more Excellent/Very Good than Poor/Terrible (1366 vs. 441). Not saying it is deluxe or anything -- but for an older motel in the mountains it is a very nice property.

Don't stay at Cedar Lodge.

If you're still interested in a Wynn hotel, sign up as a "Wynn Insider" and you'll receive an email deal early next year. LasVegasAdvisor also has a deal-section for hotels but now is probably too early to find a deal for next May. Start looking in January. Also, prices will depend on what conventions are in town if you can check the convention schedule and work around it.

For anything that you book, Santa Monica etc, re-check at the beginning of the year as prices do change and it's just too early right now for any "offers".