2-3weeks honeymoon in USA (SF, LA, LV)

[Lab4games]

alot of info to digest!

 

what about car insurance? from those car rental website almost all have optional coverage for excess, Collision Damage Insurance. is this what they meant by compulsory car insurance?

 

since i will be buying travel insurance in singapore, are there any travel insurance that will cover damaged/lost of rental cars?

 

 

[Quirky_ster]

better to take insurance for the car.. unless your company have coverage for this. Typically the travel insurance covers you for your mishaps not for the car...

 

so better be sure.. yes.. the car insurance is as high as the car rental.. but it gives you peace of mind. the more you should use the car on lesser days.. probably.. start with SF without car and then last stop LA after you return the car... probably the best bang..

 

anyway.. there's a surcharge for pick up and return on different location. might want to consider take domestic flight to LA from SFO. The cost may justify the car open jaw return surcharge... so cover north california, and then south california on 2 different car might help... how about Napa Valley... another nice place in the north California..

 

[Allen]

went to west coast of USA last yr.

dun think u need or want to drive in LA and SFO.

it is ur honeymoon, no need to be so stress up about planning route, finding parking and incurring parking fee which is very high in USA, driving at the "wrong" side of the road, petrol etc etc.

if really really need to drive then i suggest to drive between LA to LV.

nice long long long straight highway but got to really really keep to the speed limit which i think is only 55mph and at that speed, u will probably fall asleep behind the wheel under the hot summer sun and the nvr ending straight freeway.

one more thing, LV in jun and jul is really really hot, summer in dessert!!

in LV, there are buses which u can purchase 24 hr passes at 5 each, that is good enough for LV as the traffic at LV is quite bad at times.

and after LV, u can actually catch a coach to SFO, which include the famous 17 mile route.

enjoy ur trip.

[Etnt]

Went to the west coast in late sept/early oct last year. You might want to consider this period as the temp gets abit cooler, and most theme parks have halloween specials of some sort.

 

If you are taking SIA, you might want to consider starting in SFO rather than LA as the 777-300ER (which has slighter wider seats and better inflight entertainment) plys this route, transitting at Korea.

 

Take note of what interest you when you plan your trip. theme parks? sight seeing? shopping? 2-3 weeks is barely enough.

 

My itinerary was SFO->Anaheim->Hollywood->Grand Canyon->LV->SFO, focusing on theme parks and shopping, some sightseeing.

 

There is generally no need to drive in SFO city center. It's pretty well connected by bus/trams, roads are busy, parking is difficult and terribly expensive. Just get the muni pass which offers you a day full of free rides. From the airport, take the BART to powell, it's slightly cheaper than a cab.

 

Stay around union square where it is more convenient. Hotels along powell street are generally more ex, but more convenient as it's along the tram line. If you plan to go alcatraz, get the tickets early from http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/. It's impossible to get same-day or even next-day tickets at the booth, so book online. You can also cycle across golden gate bridge to sausalito. There's plenty of bike rentals at fisherman's wharf.

 

When leaving SFO, there's hertz and avis rental near union square, so do your rentals there. Surf online for discounts and book beforehand if possible. Various credit cards have discounts, so do your research. The discounts can be very significant. Get loss damage waiver at least for the rental. If you do not already have a gps, consider buying a garmin 755/765 from circuit city/best buy in SFO or using the rentals. GPS is a must.

 

I did not take highway 1 so cannot comment on that, but the nearest factory outlet between SFO and LA is at gilroy, about an hour drive away http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=23. Suggestion: Stay at the super8 motel which is located at the outlet itself for a night. This will give you ample time to shop.

 

From gilroy to anaheim is about 4 hours, 3 if going to hollywood, depending on your order. If you have not been to disney before, do visit disneyland at anaheim for the disney experience, if you have before in other countries, you might give it a miss. Knotts is generally ok if you are going for rides, although many prefer sixflags. But if you can get discount tickets, do consider knotts also, especially during halloween period where they have the haunt event which is really fun.

 

Traffic sucks at hollywood, so you might consider parking at mann's (which has redemption if you eat at outlets there), and walk around from there. Universal studio is nice, and if you are constrained by time, consider the front-of-line pass to save on fustrations. Universal also has a halloween event during oct, and it's really really fun.

 

From hollywood/anaheim to canyon is 8hours if you are going to the south rim, so get a good rest beforehand if you intend to go this way. Spend at least a night at the canyon, if possible, so that you can see the sunset and sunrise. If you are up to it, hike inside the canyon during the daytime, it's very nice.

 

Canyon to LV is about 4 hours. It's actually ok to drive in LV, just go out early and reach the hotel before 430pm. The traffic gets really bad starting from 5+. There's 2 outlets in close proximity to the strip that you can spend the day at, and at night, go for the shows (paid and free).

 

LV to SFO is about 8hours, so if you intend to chiong straight back, do get a good rest beforehand.

 

There's nothing much with left hand drive really. Just be more conscious for the first few days, and after that it'll be natural to you.

 

 

[Etnt]

oh yah, if you are going to knotts or sixflags, go to their respective website to note the opening hours. Sixflags especially as they might not open on weekdays.

[Yoongf]

Further than HK.. no Krisworld, no fly.

 

Use www.tripadvisor.com to review hotels. Select accomodations with free buffet breakfasts. ( Homewood Suites / Embassy Suites? )

 

Try to go when US is not having school holidays. Can get better hotels/rooms, and attractions less ppl so can also cover more.

 

Plan for a CLIMAX. The last destination should be the most happening.

Plan for another CLIMAX. The tail end hotels should be better than the initial few hotels. (Start off 3 star, finish off 5 Star)

Take note that beyond 2 weeks.. the homesick thots will kick in. Just ensure got sufficient CLIMAX to look forward to.

 

Rent a car that minimally can handle all the extra luggages at the tail of the trip. U are visiting areas with many factory outlets.

They are real serious about 23KG per piece of luggage. Consider Duffel bag on return journey to even out the weight.

 

Dunno why the US ppl need so huge cars. The Chevy Suburban is the width of a bus, and I thot Benjamin Sheares Bridge had narrow lanes. Try I5 with 2 chevys side by side.

 

Get a GPS, or minimally a compass. They love to use NORTH/SOUTH/EAST/WEST. A DETAILED MAP of each CITY is a MUST.

 

Up credit card limit or deposit payment in advance. Can get tons of points cos almost everything can use CC.

 

For SF, choose hotel with ONSITE PARKING. While the public transport is good, driving is more efficient, but costly. (Not say go often.. so might as well enjoy) Always believe that time is money.

 

[David]

Please may I introduce this to both of you.

 

http://www.sixflags.com/national/index.aspx

[Lab4games]

i would like to thank all bros and sis (if any) for all ur inputs.

really good to read real experience as compared to reading off websites.

 

i will plan as much places to go in the 3 cities and the must-see places during the driving between the 3 cities.

 

this trip has no specific type of places that we must visit. A mix of everything is good, from the big nature, to the cities to the casino, to theme parks, to shopping, eating. driving there also something to experience.

 

I shall be back with a concrete plan by mid/end feb.

[Triceratops]

Some suggestions:

 

1. June is not a good time to visit theme parks as they will be packed with kids having their summer holiday (means long queue for rides)

2. For LV you dont need car to travel around, you can purchase a day trip Light rail train that will take you to almost all the hotels. Cabs are cheap and you can take them to 2 factory outlets in LV

3. You can book a day return trip to Grand Canyon from LV, they'll pick you up early from hotel and drop you back at night, this you can save time on driving and changing of hotels

4. In US, for most of the cross junction, they practice turn right on red (ie don't have to wait for green to turn right)

5. In Anaheim there's two Theme park, Disney land and California Adventure (both need 1 day each) check out details from their website

6. 2 hours drive from Anaheim to San Diego, can visit the famous Zoo and Seaworld

7. They do random check on IC against your credit card, if your credit card's name has your christian name which is not shown in your IC, I suggest you change your credit card before you travel.

8. Do not speed, their fine is USD 270 (you can pay thru credit card thou)

9. If this is your first time driving in US, suggest you get hold of a GPS, less stressful

10, Napa Valley, HW1, Yosemite, Monterey are good places of interests but don't squeeze every place in the same trip else you'll be stressout.

10. Very Very Important note, Please allocate ENOUGH TIME for your wife's shopping in Factory Outlet, you will bear the consequence if you don't heed the advise. Some big outlet like Gilroy you need one full day.

[Notsogoodman]

At the end of the day, I suppose it's how you and your wife look forward to? Shopping? Sightseeing? Carefree?

Personally, my wife and I plus 2 other friends had a great time not pre-booking most of the hotels and renting a car for the whole trip. Yes, we took some risk and went to a cheap rental. They didn't even bother to inspect the car when we returned it. Can you imagine the next guy who picks it up? A few things I learnt from the trip.

 

1. You prob need a day to get used to the left-hand drive, so try not to do too much peak-hour or city centre driving during your 1st day.

2. Not pre-booking hotels gave us great freedom in choosing our destinations. We re-planned many times along the way.

3. Driving through the major cities leisurely also allow us to make stops casually, like how we chanced upon the beautiful town of Bishop at the foot of Mt Sierra. Driving there is actually pretty stress free except (see Pt. 16).

4. Many of the destinations need at least a full day to enjoy (Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Lake Taho, Napa Valley etc), so spread things out

5. For LV, try to get a place near The Strip, a walk down that stretch at night is priceless! In fact, we walked down it both nights (Bellagio Fountains, Venetian, MGM, Mandalay etc etc)

6. For SF, we stayed near Fisherman's Wharves where we could walk to grab our fresh seafood chowder for breakfast, and for supper.

7. If you are a Ben & Jerry and Wine fan, just grab them from the Hypermart at every destination (dirt cheap). Just note that not all rooms come with fridge

8. For Yosemite, try to drive down from Tioga Pass (if it's not close, it's close like 9 out of 12 months). It's the highest point at Yosemite at almost 10000 feet, and you can drive all the way down to base camp. The sight that greets you as you descend is simply breathless. Most land tour simply take you to base camp direct from the western entrance (can't remember the name)

9. We spent a night doing almost nothing at Bishop, a very cozy town where we simply enjoyed the food, and raided the Hypermart for Ben & Jerry. Of course, the fresh air with Mt Sierra as the backdrop was simply recharging.

10. With reference to pt 9, try to plan a relaxing day every 3 days so as not to burn yourself out.

11. Lake Tahoe is another nice and relaxing place. It's famous for winter skiing, I went in Autumn and it was pretty good.

12. Do becareful about Napa Valley if you are driving, almost all the wineries offer sampling. One way to check out the various wineries is perhaps to take a train tour. And do rem the name Robert Mondavi, one of the fore-fathers of Napa Valley. There are actually 3 Wine Valleys there, with Napa Valley being the most famous.

13. I guess most bros have touched on SF, nothing much to touch on except that go for the seafood chowder. I lost count how many we bought from the streetside stalls (I think everytime we passed by to and from the hotel)

14. Do try to drive along Pacific Highway, it was our regret that we didn't have the time to do it.

15. With reference to Pt 14, do MAKE TIME for Factory Outlets! We underestimated time needed at Gilroy (if I rem correctly) such that we have to rush to Santa Barbara before sunset.

16. You really don't wanna be drivng when the sun sets. It's really scary.

17. There's a stretch of restaurants along Santa Barbara by the wharf that offer fantastic seafood (In fact from SF, to Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, ie all the coastal places, it's about fresh seafood)

 

Well, that's my little tips for you. As you can see, we love the freedom to drive around and explore nice sceneries, nice food; not sure what you are looking for! Hope I am able to help!

 

PS: We didn't drive to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon though. We booked a land tour. (Refer to Pt 10)

Edited February 3, 2009 by Notsogoodman

[Quirky_ster]

notSoGoodMan...

 

that's a good description of what's in there and things to see.. it's never enough.... In summary, when you diverge out a little from the Tourist brochure.. you get a lot more!...

 

To stress on Gilroy purchase.. I spend ONE full day there.. from Opening till they close.. and that is still a rush... *phew*

[Nerdyfrog]

Start SF (better airport than LA Tom Bradley Airport)

mode of transport - by foot, tram to see the sights.

attractions

- Fisherman wharf, try the clam chowder there (pretty ok, not fantastic.)

- NIKE town (3 floors of nike) / downtown.

- The Rock (not recommended to go if on time constraint, need to spend a whole day there. Just watch and take pictures of it from across fisherman wharf.)

-Golden gate and chinatown to take pictures.

 

Shopping

-downtown (Gilroy is not fantastic, can do without going, so many other outlets around.)

 

Search " Chealsea premium Outlets" and you will get all the locations of their outlets and brands they carry in each.

 

Duration - 3 days is sufficient.

 

Rent Car........ur road trip starts here.

 

Next destination is LV

mode of transport - once reach hotel check in, can start to walk on the STRIP.

attractions

-Stratosphere 's rollercoaster

-m & m's House

-MGM, gamble, see the white lion. (i got cheap rates when i booked online.)

-fountain outside ceasers' for a romantic "concert" FREE.

-Any Casino

-CHEAP hotel BUFFETS (but must search aROUND).

 

Shopping

-Desert Hill Premium Outlets

-Las Vegas Premium Outlets

-Las vegas Outlet. (i forgot the actual name for this outlet but its different from the one above.)

 

Duration - 2-3 days.

 

Sight seeing near LV (keep the LV hotel if plan to go with group tour. I checked out and drove there on my own.)

-Hooverdam

-grandcanyon

 

Duration - 1 day each including transit time.

 

Next destination LA

mode of transport - driving.

attractions

-hollywood

-universal studios

-beverly hills

-downtown

-Santa Monica Beach (nice sunset)

-Disneyland and Disney California Adventure which are opposite 1 another (buy 2 parks 1 pass promotion,go early in the morning,play all the rides in adventure then late afternoon chill at disneyland till 11pm).

-6 flags magic mountains (more rides again, i'm not a big fan of rides, can skip.)

 

shopping

-Ontario malls

-Carlsbad premium outlets

 

Dun go to Chinatown/little tokyo or korean town in LA. Its miserably small. Just a small street with a couple of jap or ching stalls, dare dare call chinatown.

 

Duration - 4-5 days (1 day disney,1 day 6 flags,1 day universal and santa monica, 1-2 days to rot around the shopping malls.) Travelling time could eat up a large part of ur schedules.

 

Once in a life time trip, dun rush until siao. Ur wife will be tired from all the travelling. Best is plan a buffer so as not to rush everywhere u go aand truely enjoy.

 

San Diego is also a nice place. Depends on ur time constraint la.

mode of transport - drive around la (so many free parking)

attractions

-La Jolla beaches

-Pacific Beach (same as below)

-Ocean Beach (party/dining/strip clubs)

-downtown

-Coronado

 

Shopping

-las America outlets (the outlet u must not miss if u r there.)

-Viejas outlets and casino

-Downtown (MACY got 7 or 11% tax rebate, go to customer service and request for a tourist macy card.)

The rest of Cali (minus the outlets) charges tax and no tax rebates. Sianx.

 

Duration - 3-4 days.

 

pls allocate 1 day of transit from city to city. (does nt take that long but more relax pace, aand in case midway u want to stop for rest or sightsee. u have loads of time.

 

 

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

[Etnt]

Search " Chealsea premium Outlets" and you will get all the locations of their outlets and brands they carry in each.

 

Very true in this. Eg. Pearl Izumi outlet is at Gilroy only around LA/SFO/LV. So if you intend to purchase Pearl Izumi apparels, Gilroy becomes a compulsory location.

 

[Hiphiphoray]

Waooooo....looks fun driving in the US.

 

Hrrr...one question. how is the general safety there. I read many stories about robberies, drug cases there. Maybe bcos they can buy guns legally ? As easy as buying sweets ?

[Sabian]

if u can plan ur route such that u land in SFO and return via SFO. LAX is chaotic.

 

driving in US. have to get used to difference between LHD and RHD.

 

over there, recite small right, big left (turns).

 

years of driving not very crucial. highway driving is important, roads are sometimes monotonous and boring so if tired, admit ur are tired, dun die die must continue.

 

self drive is fun, u have complete control over time spent at each attraction.most places, u can park and use the local transit except for LA where attractions are rather spread out (i drove within LA)

 

for car rental, short rents add up to be more than if u rent for 1 long period. os do your sums.

 

for GPS, suggest u order one from amazon (use borderlinx, vpost already give many pple in this forum and HWZ heartburn) that includes map from USA/Canada/Europe. Cheaper than buying in Singapore or renting from car rental when u are there. (this advice is made on the presumption that you will visit US again and possibly Canada and Europe). Then go malsing map and get free s'pore/m'sia map. i find this approach lowers my cost in the long run.

 

if u are gg during peak period, possible to run into "no rooms", esp if u are fussy abt accomodation. u can book early, most places have 24 hour cancellation policy, i usually book first as i can still cancel with no fees 24 hrs beforehand.

 

Or if there is an event in town, hotels get filled up fast.

 

if u are bringing electronic gadgets over, make sure they can work with lower voltage cycle, most can but sometimes still have some odd ones that only work on 220v.

 

hope that suffices. ask if n need more info.

[Etnt]

if you are a coffee person, most supermarts and petrol station sell the starbuck double espresso in a can. Life saver especially during long drives.

[Sabian]

Hrrr...one question. how is the general safety there. I read many stories about robberies, drug cases there. Maybe bcos they can buy guns legally ? As easy as buying sweets ?

u read too much straits times liao lah...

 

some singaporeans go anywhere also kenna rob one lah...cos we live in a zoo mah...everything also do swee swee for u...once step outside the zoo... like the lion from Singapore Zoo if tomolo u airlift to Africa savannah, sure kenna killed by wild zebras within 3min 33 secs.

 

just stick to the usual travelspots, if in doubt, there is always tripadvisor and MCF...

Edited February 4, 2009 by Sabian

[Sabian]

if you are a coffee person, most supermarts and petrol station sell the starbuck double espresso in a can. Life saver especially during long drives.

 

just be prepared when the effect wears off and u will be quite drained.