Our honeymoon in Hawaii and USA West Coast self drive

Swashbuckler

Hi guys,
Just planning the honeymoon for September 2014 and i'd like to get some feedback. At the moment the plan is;
Fly from dublin to Hawaii for 8 nights. I know it's a really long flight but I think we can manage it. We plan to stay in Lahaina in Maui.
Then we plan to fly to San Fran and rent a car. Spend two days in San Fran, two days in Yosemite, drive through death valley and spend 4 nights in Vegas. I'd love some feedback from people on whether we are making best use of our time on the west coast, are we missing out on any cool cities/scenic drives? We plan on relaxing, snorkeling and just chilling out in Maui and finishing up with a bang in Vegas!

InTheTrees

Congratulations!

Your route sounds perfect really, so not a lot to add. Maybe an extra night in SF?

The only other alternative to going Yosemite, desert, LV; is to drive down the coast to LA and then over to LV. You'd miss Yosemite but gain Big Sur coast and Los Angeles.

tricky D

Another variation I'd suggest is after 2 days (not enough) in SF, drive down the spectacular PCH/route 1 through Monterrey and Big Sur to San Simeon for a night (4-5 hours driving excluding the many stops you'll make), then head over to Yosemite (4 hours drive excl stops), then through Death Valley to Vegas (5/6 hours drive). You could easily knock off a day in Vegas as 3 would be plenty. LA imho is the most skippable of InTheTrees suggestion. Be sure to get SatNav as some of the turnoffs for route 1 from the 101 are really easy to miss, nevermind other confusing parts of your trip. Also drive these roads during the daytime only mainly for scenery but in places for safety too. Parts of the PCH/route are challenging, especially the scenic bits.

Swashbuckler

Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. I think we will definitely include Route 1 in the itinerary. Any suggestions how many days should be spent in each place? Maybe I need to add an extra day to San Fran. Is Monterrey/Big Sur/San Simeon mostly sightseeing during the drive and then staying in San Simeon for one night? Is there enough to do in Yosemite to warrant two days or, again, is it mostly sightseeing while driving through?

Thanks for the suggestions

InTheTrees

Its difficult to combine southbound Route1 with Yosemite, if you look at the map, getting from San Louis Obispo (south end of big sur/rte1) to Yosemite is a long boring complicated drive.

Is it too late to consider flying into LA, driving north to SF, then over to yosemite and then down to Vegas? (its still quite a drive from Yosemite to vegas).

InTheTrees

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Is Monterrey/Big Sur/San Simeon mostly sightseeing during the drive and then staying in San Simeon for one night?

You'd want to get off the road and drive through Monterey, you'd also be including the town of Carmel which is pretty, and Pebble Beach, which has an impressive scenic drive (17 mile drive), although not really necessary to see. There's also an amazing aquarium in Monterey.
SO you neednt get out of the car but a quick drive though is important at least.

San Simeon is the home of Hurst Castle. The "folly" built by a newspaper magnate from the 1920's, the film Citizen Kane was based on him. I'm told its worth a visit but I never have.

jack presley

This is well worth doing in Lahaina. Well it was in 2008 when we did it.

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Attraction_Review-g60634-d680965-Reviews-Safari_Boat_Excursions-Lahaina_Maui_Hawaii.html

EDIT Jut read some of the reviews and it looks like he's not doing it anymore. Pity.

Swashbuckler

Nothing is booked yet so anything is possible.I would just worry that we won't have enough time to do LA, Monterey, San Fran and Vegas. We basically have 9 days to play with which isnt much really. Maybe we're trying to squeeze too much in even as it is.
Thanks for the suggestion for the Lahaina boat trip. It's a pity as it looks like exactly the type of activity we would love.

jack presley

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion for the Lahaina boat trip. It's a pity as it looks like exactly the type of activity we would love.

Apparently yer man sold the boat so it's still going, just under a new name with new staff.

http://www.kaanapalioceanadventures.com/

It's probably as good a day out now but the bloke who used to run it was great craic and really made the day.

ProudDUB

OP, it time is tight, give LA a miss. Unless ye are rabid film buffs & your hollier would be ruined if you didn't get to see the Hollywood sign, or the Walk of Fame with all the handprints of movie stars, give it a miss. Despite its fame, there is not really a whole helluva lot to see in LA itself. And the stuff that is worth seeing, is all very spread out over long distances, so you'll waste a lot of valuable time sitting in LA's infamous traffic. Stick to your current plan of Hawaii/San Fran/Monterey/Vegas.

tricky D

LA is the weakest link imo.

I would still recommend doing the PCH down to San Simeon and then up to Yosemite. If you stop at Monterrey and head to Yosemite from there, you'll miss Hearst Castle and Big Sur and the cliff drive. SF to San Simeon is easily doable in one day in daylight if you leave SF early as it's 4.7 hours of driving not counting stops. You could do Hearst Castle the morning you leave SS but that needs to be booked a good bit in advance for favourable times.

the_syco

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Then we plan to fly to San Fran and rent a car.

Firstly, many do packages of self-drive car + hotels. Maybe something to look into.

If driving, remember to check how much you can't drive with, esp if you're planning on having a few the night before.

If bussing it, you won't always be in a hotel near pubs. Parents did the bus tour, and found it great, but the wakeup call is 6am, with the bus leaving at 7am, and as part of the tour is the bus journey itself, you don't really want to be hungover asleep on it. Most of said buses are all air con.

Regarding driving through Death Valley; research what the recommended cut-ff temperature is when you plan to drive through it. Parents bus had to avoid it, as it was so hot (134°F/56°C), if the bus broke down inside it everyone would be dead within an hour. In saying that, they happened to be over there during the July 2013 heat wave, so it's not always that high.

tricky D

the_syco wrote: »

Regarding driving through Death Valley; research what the recommended cut-ff temperature is when you plan to drive through it. Parents bus had to avoid it, as it was so hot (134°F/56°C), if the bus broke down inside it everyone would be dead within an hour. In saying that, they happened to be over there during the July 2013 heat wave, so it's not always that high.

Important point there. Bring shed loads of extra water just in case.

I did it 5 weeks ago and the temperature was fine, very tolerable at no more than 40 with little or no humidity which makes a big difference. Barely even used the AC.

Flip side of that is the temperatures at night can get well low. It was pushing zero the night after my drive. Though I was at nearly 7000 ft in Lee Vinning.

Swashbuckler

tricky D wrote: »

LA is the weakest link imo.

I would still recommend doing the PCH down to San Simeon and then up to Yosemite.

And what do you think of the drive from San Simeon to Yosemite? Is there much to see? I do plan on having a Sat nav so it shouldn't be too complicated.

InTheTrees

Swashbuckler wrote: »

And what do you think of the drive from San Simeon to Yosemite? Is there much to see? I do plan on having a Sat nav so it shouldn't be too complicated.

I think you'll see some stunning coast in Hawaii. And you can take a day trip from sf and see more.

So you could skip the whole drive south really. Three days in sf then over to Yosemite and on to Vegas.

Just a thought.

tricky D

Swashbuckler wrote: »

And what do you think of the drive from San Simeon to Yosemite? Is there much to see? I do plan on having a Sat nav so it shouldn't be too complicated.

I didn't do that route but it doesn't look complicated, especially with SatNav (routes 1 -> 46 -> 41). Looks to have a stretch (1.5/2 hours) which looks routine, flat farmland, but then that's nothing unusual for many of the suggested routes. Both my own, InTheTrees and other's' suggestions are all good despite differences; there isn't really a best option when time is limited. Have good look at other online reviews and photos of the suggested routes so that you can decide which suits your tastes best. Personally for 9 nights, I'd do 3, maybe 4 in SF, 1 only, in San Simeon, 1, maybe 2 in Yosemite (could be quite cold), and the rest in Vegas.

Enjoy (and you very likely will), whatever route you choose!

Swashbuckler

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'll do some more research online but I really like the idea of Hawaii, San Fran, Monterrey/Big Sur/San Simeon, Yosemite and Vegas.
Meeting the travel agent in a couple of weeks so we'll see what the estimated cost for all this is!!!

Thanks again.

kwat

Hi,

Can I ask how much roughly this is going to cost?
Currently also looking at honeymoon options for early August 2014. Want to do West coast and was planning Mexico for the beachy part but are being put off by the hurricane season. Hawaii has been suggested however it seems very expensive with just room only options available?

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Hi guys,
Just planning the honeymoon for September 2014 and i'd like to get some feedback. At the moment the plan is;
Fly from dublin to Hawaii for 8 nights. I know it's a really long flight but I think we can manage it. We plan to stay in Lahaina in Maui.
Then we plan to fly to San Fran and rent a car. Spend two days in San Fran, two days in Yosemite, drive through death valley and spend 4 nights in Vegas. I'd love some feedback from people on whether we are making best use of our time on the west coast, are we missing out on any cool cities/scenic drives? We plan on relaxing, snorkeling and just chilling out in Maui and finishing up with a bang in Vegas!

Gmaximum

Drove from LA to Carmel on our Honeymoon after 4 nights in Vegas. Highway 1 and Big Sur are stunning well worth the trip. We stopped in Los Olivos which is great for wine tasting if you're into that kind of thing.

Would recomend the Encore in Vegas to stay in. Well worth the extra few bob compared to the other hotels on the strip

Swashbuckler

kwat wrote: »

Hi,

Can I ask how much roughly this is going to cost?
Currently also looking at honeymoon options for early August 2014. Want to do West coast and was planning Mexico for the beachy part but are being put off by the hurricane season. Hawaii has been suggested however it seems very expensive with just room only options available?

I'll be checking with the travel agent in the next few weeks so i'll let you know. We met with a travel agent recently with a slightly different itinerary (Hawaii, LA, Vegas) and it was looking upwards of 6k euro. Hawaii is supposed to be paradise but is very very expensive. Mexico was a place we considered but, like yourself, didn't want to risk it due to hurricane season.
That 6k price included a three and a half star hotel in Hawaii and New York New York Hotel in Vegas, and a regular three star in LA.

jack presley

Swashbuckler wrote: »

I'll be checking with the travel agent in the next few weeks so i'll let you know. We met with a travel agent recently with a slightly different itinerary (Hawaii, LA, Vegas) and it was looking upwards of 6k euro. Hawaii is supposed to be paradise but is very very expensive. Mexico was a place we considered but, like yourself, didn't want to risk it due to hurricane season.
That 6k price included a three and a half star hotel in Hawaii and New York New York Hotel in Vegas, and a regular three star in LA.

Hawaii is expensive but worth it. Once you're there you can add about 10% on the costs you pay on the mainland for food, drink, tours etc. (still probably cheaper than here though!).

Having said that, it is beautiful, the people are probably the friendliest bunch you'll ever meet and the weather is great. We went then on our honeymoon too and as a honeymoon is supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime, if you can afford it and aren't going to be paying it off for the next 10 years, I'd definitely recommend going there. You won't regret the extra expense.

smchugh84

Hi folks, we're planning a road trip on the West Coast for 2 and a half weeks in June. We've no interest in seeing LA because we've been there before and it is over rated. The main places we want to visit are San Francisco, San Simeon, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Yosemite, Vegas and Grand Canyon.

Has anyone any ideas of which way would be best to drive and what route would be best to take in everything I've listed above? It's looking like we will fly in and out of San Francisco.

Any information would be much appreciated

Swashbuckler

smchugh84 wrote: »

Hi folks, we're planning a road trip on the West Coast for 2 and a half weeks in June. We've no interest in seeing LA because we've been there before and it is over rated. The main places we want to visit are San Francisco, San Simeon, Monterey, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Yosemite, Vegas and Grand Canyon.

Has anyone any ideas of which way would be best to drive and what route would be best to take in everything I've listed above? It's looking like we will fly in and out of San Francisco.

Any information would be much appreciated

Well I have booked my honeymoon at this stage and the west coast part of the honeymoon will include staying in San Fran for three full days, then renting a car and driving down to coast through Monterey, Carmel and on to San Simeon for one night. Then we are driving up to Yosemite and staying for two nights, then driving to Death Valley and staying for one night, then driving on to Vegas for three nights. I had no interest in LA so we skipped it.

smchugh84

Thanks for that. If you dont mind me asking, where have you booked to stay in Yosemite and Death Valley?

InTheTrees

I can never understand the mistrust/fear of Los Angeles. Its the second largest city in the US, its a huge bustling diverse vibrant exciting world city, with everything that brings with it, music, museums, shops, etc. And it has beaches as well. And a beautiful climate.

And yet you keep hearing it being dismissed for some reason. Is it the driving? Is it the expense? And I love SF as well, I lived in northern CA for ten years, but SF is tiny in comparison so the city has far less. I just think people miss out on a lot by skipping LA.

From wiki:

"Los Angeles is a global city, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine and research and has been ranked sixth in the Global Cities Index and 9th Global Economic Power Index. The city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas.[18] "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

iusedtoknow

InTheTrees wrote: »

I can never understand the mistrust/fear of Los Angeles. Its the second largest city in the US, its a huge bustling diverse vibrant exciting world city, with everything that brings with it, music, museums, shops, etc. And it has beaches as well. And a beautiful climate.

And yet you keep hearing it being dismissed for some reason. Is it the driving? Is it the expense? And I love SF as well, I lived in northern CA for ten years, but SF is tiny in comparison so the city has far less. I just think people miss out on a lot by skipping LA.

From wiki:

"Los Angeles is a global city, with strengths in business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, medicine and research and has been ranked sixth in the Global Cities Index and 9th Global Economic Power Index. The city is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. The Los Angeles combined statistical area (CSA) has a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $831 billion (as of 2008), making it the third-largest in the world, after the Greater Tokyo and New York metropolitan areas.[18] "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

Ive been to LA a few times to stay with friends. There are great things to do there, but they are few and far between, and you spend so much time getting between them. Hollywood is a big pile of nothing, Beverly Hills is good for a gawk and little else.
My personal favourite thing to so is stick around venice beach and chill in the bars and cafes there. However, compared to SF where you can walk everywhere, the city is literally 7x7 miles, LA feels like a hassle coupled with a burden.

Swashbuckler

Its not so much mistrust in LA. It's more to do with the time we had and what we wanted to see and do. We really wanted to spend a few days in San Fran and do the drive South. LA was just too much to try and squeeze in for the time we had.

Swashbuckler

smchugh84 wrote: »

Thanks for that. If you dont mind me asking, where have you booked to stay in Yosemite and Death Valley?

Yosemite Cedar Lodge and the brilliantly named Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Both booked through an agent so I'm not sure of the individual cost.