I know Hollywood is nicer than it was but if I had a choice, I'd stay near a beach in Los Angeles. V

My wife and I, along with our two daughters enterprise rent cars (9 and 5) are planning to explore SF and surroundings over 18 days in October. We've never been to California and want to use this time to take in as much as we possibly can! We land in SF on 18th October and then fly back on the 4th of November. We're hoping to hire a car and cover off (in a sort of a loop):
Is this possible or are we biting off too much? Can anyone suggest possible itineraries enterprise rent cars with places to stay? There are so many tempting places and sights and we're confusing ourselves everytime we start to plan things out!
Looks like a fun itinerary. enterprise rent cars If you run short on time during your trip, you could eliminate San Diego, which is outside los angeles used car dealers of the loop. If you want to spend a night in Yosemite, make reservations right away. They book up months in advance. The beautiful coastal drive from Santa Barbara to Monterey should be in your loop. Have fun.
Hi Montereybob, thanks! We're hoping we'll cram loads of fun in, but are planning to resist the call of Disney this time round...we'd much rather explore the area this time round and maybe come back for Disney. While we're in LA we'll try and do the Universal enterprise rent cars Studio tour. San Diego seemed relatively close to LA which is why we thought we might be able to squeeze it in, but I do see your point- los angeles used car dealers we'll keep it as an optional extra.
We found that the time we booked a room on the rim of Grand Canyon was the visit there we enjoyed most because we had quiet times in the mornings and evenings before day visitors enterprise rent cars arrived and after they left.
Whew - busy day yesterday. enterprise rent cars First has to go to a fishing show, then go on a "rose tour" of 3 beautiful homes here in north SD - and then dinner with two of my wife's college (UC Santa Barbara) enterprise rent cars roomies and their families - including two young, very lively grandkids.
Anywho - San Diego is a mere two hours from LA and makes - IMO - a much better base to enjoy your time in Souther Cal (not nearly as congested - large as LA) - and you can easily do day trips to LA - or stop there for a day while on your way to SD.
I like what TomF suggests if you can do it, which I think is the best use of your time. Fly into Las Vegas - rent a car there for a few days - and visit the GC (5 hour drive or so from Vegas) - while the weather is good - and then drive back to Vegas - see the sights there for a day or two - and then fly to SF.
After spending a couple/few days in "Baghdad by the Bay" - as legendary columnist Herb Caen used to call SF - head south - going to Yosemite - and then take the "back" way over to Carmel/Monterrey (avoiding Bay Area traffic) - and down the Coast. (BTW - get a good map of the Western US - as distanes out here are considerable.)
Or - local "commuter" airlines are not that expensive for a short leg here in the States - such as Southwest - ( www.southwestair.com enterprise rent cars - you don't find them on most travel websites) - which was the original "Ryan Air".
Hi Tomsd, many thanks for taking enterprise rent cars the time after what sounds like a great day out yesterday! Those airline links are great - good value flights that potentially save loads of time... we'll watch out for the rental charges as you suggest.
Just realize that Tioga Pass may be closed in November so you might not be able to get across from Yosemite to Las Vegas/Grand Canyon. What route were you planning to take? This past year we had a light snow year so the pass did stay open a bit longer; the year before it did not So its too hard right now to tell you if it will be open or not.
For LA, decide what you want to do. The place is huge (40 miles or so) and it depends enterprise rent cars what theme parks you want to go see. If you do do Disneyland/California Adventure/Knotts and so forth it could easily take 4 to 5 days of your vacation. So important to decide what you want to do while in the LA area - if just to see Hollywood and the beaches, it can take as short as 3 days or so.
For San Francisco enterprise rent cars weather might already be rainy (so be sure to pack the umbrella for the trip - further south not much rain till later in the year.). enterprise rent cars For San Francisco people stay in Embacadero, Union Square or Fisherman Square areas. Fisherman Square is more touristy than locals - but it close to the water. Union Square is closer to shopping - such as Macy's etc; it is also closer to a wider variety of restaurants. Embarcadero has the Hyatt Regency los angeles used car dealers and it has some rooms with balconies with nice views of the water. It is walking distance to the Ferry Building (ferries, restaurants, food places and so forth.). Given the high price of parking, etc. many people forego getting their car until they leave San Francisco enterprise rent cars and rely on public transportation enterprise rent cars while in San Francisco. If you are interested in going to see Alcatraz, it is good to book that six weeks in advance due to its popularity it can sell out.
For LA, if you decide los angeles used car dealers to go to Disneyland, also spend some nights in Anaheim. The Marriott Main Gate Residence Inn has a great hot breakfast los angeles used car dealers in the morning, 24 hour swimming pool and close to the parks. Unless you want to stay on the beach, I would recommend Hollywood area for the LA stay. It is close enough to walk to many tourist locations as well as central enough to drive easily to others. Good places to stay in that area for hotels enterprise rent cars is the Westin (just changed its name from the Renaissance Hotel) which is right by Hollywood Highland area. For suite type hotels the Magic Castle Hotel and Celebrity Suites (not as nice as magic castle) are respected. Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood is also enjoyed los angeles used car dealers enterprise rent cars by many. For Yosemite best to stay in the park so check the national park web site - the in park lodging is limited. I would probably check to see if the Lodge by the Falls has room and if so book there (Ahwahnee Hotel is the nicest but very expensive; the lodge will have indoor bathrooms los angeles used car dealers as well heating which can be important given when you are traveling.). For Las Vegas, let us know if you prefer to stay on the Strip (Belagio, Wynn, etc. are nice to stay at) or an off strip hotel close by with excellent facilities for children (movies, swimming, Red Rock Canyon, child sitting services) at Red Rock Canyon Casino. enterprise rent cars It is an excellent enterprise rent cars hotel for the family enterprise rent cars - with family friendly prices for food as well (and their buffet is awesome for the family - many locals eat there.). For Grand Canyon check the road as snow may or may not be a factor (most likely too early). What part of the Grand Canyon are you planning to see (North or South?) If south book in park lodging for your stay.
I know Hollywood is nicer than it was but if I had a choice, I'd stay near a beach in Los Angeles. Venice, Santa Monica, Rendondo and especially with kids. There are several good properties across the street from the Mouse. We stay in the Howard Johnson and it is very basic but clean and decent.
In San Francisco, it is called Fisherman's Wharf not Square--just enterprise rent cars a point of order. I like Union Square. It can be a bit pricey; there are some less hotels in the area if you look. Steer clear of the Tenderloin area.
I'm not a fan of Las Vegas especially for children. I went with a friend enterprise rent cars with a young child and it drove me batty. Even just getting los angeles used car dealers to our room was a challenge. It was such a long way from front door of the hotel to the bank of room elevators. No stopping along the way allowed because the kid couldn't be near the gambling. The advertisements are something else too. However, Las Vegas is a good jumping off place to the South Rim, and flights I've priced to Las Vegas tend to be very reasonable.
You can visit the "secret" gardens behind the Mirage, (does cost)- enterprise rent cars get out to the neat visitor center and drive Red Rock Canyon (about 20 minutes from Vegas) - go to the M M store by the big Coke Botrle (south end of the Strip by MGM) - for unique M M's, take the great roller coaster ride at NY NY - and they have arcades/games there - as well as at the other resorts - such as Circus Circus, where there are free acrobat shows (look at the schedule) - check out the huge laster light show downtown at the Fremont St. Experience, or the Acuarium at Mandlay Bay - whatnot - but yes, they will be "exposed" to/seeing some "skin". around los angeles used car dealers town
Also on Fremont Street is the Golden Nugget with the world's los angeles used car dealers largest gold nugget on public display. They also have a great buffet upstairs los angeles used car dealers (cheaper before 3PM). If you go for the buffet, get a table near the window for a view of the pool which has a water slide that goes through a shark tank.
With slightly more than two weeks, that's not really all that much time. Might I suggest that your car portion be confined to California? You can fly to Vegas from SF/LA/SD, rent a car there, go to the Grand Canyon, return to Las Vegas, return car, fly to SF/LA/SD.
Oh, and if the road to Yosemite los angeles used car dealers is closed, you can skip Yosemite. If you drive along the California coast you'll be getting plenty of scenic beauty as well as plenty of places to stop and enjoy the area, such as at Point Lobos. Driving north to south is better along the coastal route.
So far no one has pointed out that getting from Yosemite to your other destinations los angeles used car dealers in California is going to take several hours, at least. We allow 4 hours to get to San Francisco Bay. If Tioga Pass is closed, your access to Las Vegas is limited to heading west into the Central los angeles used car dealers Valley of California, then south through a pretty boring landscape to just north of Los Angeles and then back east to get to LV. Or continuing south to LA and San Diego, and putting LV off till later in the trip. You definitely need to fly into San Francisco enterprise rent cars and out of someplace in the south.