CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

Hey Everyone!

I will be going to CA (LA to San Fran/wine country) -- Looking for reviews/recommendations on places to go, things to see, etc. DH has been there so he has a few things in mind, but suggestions are most welcome! TIA~!

Message edited 7/17/2005 9:07:42 PM.

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

my DH and I took our 1 year anniversary trip there last summer and had the best time. we started in san fran for 2 or 3 nights - did fisherman's wharf, china town, etc. one day, and spent 1/2 a day in sausalito (cute town right on the water about 15 min outside of SF). i would have gone to Muir woods afterwards had i realized sausalito was really only a 1/2 day trip and not a full day. We also took a day trip down to Carmel and Monterey (the 17 mile drive through pebble beach was BEAUTIFUL and highly recommended!).

Next we drove to napa valley where we stayed for 3 or 4 nights. this was definitely our favorite part of the trip! winery hopping was so much fun and we took a few tours so it was educational as well! the place we stayed (The McClelland-Priest Bed and Breakfast Inn) gave us some coupons for free tastings which was pretty nice. our b&b was within walking distance to the town of napa and each restaurant we went to was better than the next. we spent a day in sonoma as well which is definitely worth going to. a little less commercialized than napa with some really good wineries.

From Napa, we drove up route 1 for about 4 hours to a town right outside of Mendocino. we stayed at the most wonderful place -
Glendeven Inn - perhaps my favorite place we've ever stayed! Here we just did some hiking and relaxing. We only stayed 2 nights and i wish it would have been 3 so we could enjoy the surrounding areas some more.

Then we went home
Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

when we were in San Fran we took a greyhound bus around the city it was one of thouse double decker sightseeing buses. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Definetly check that out!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

Thanks Ladies!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

In LA - Santa monica is probably the nicest place to stay (with the exception of Beverly Hills, but I think there is more to do in Santa Monica) you WILL need a car in LA if you want to see anything


going up the coast:
Santa Barbara
Pismo Beach
San Luis Obispo
Monteray

are all great areas

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

We went from San Diego up to Napa in 2 days - we should have taken longer, we rushed too much. But, here are some places to stop:

- San Juan Capistrano: Beautiful, I was blown away. It is the mission and you can imagine village life there. Lovely and peacful gardens.

- Santa Barbara: We stopped for dinner on the pier. It was nice but food was so-so.

- Cambria: THis is just north a bit of Morro Bay. It is a quaint village with little motels right on the water. We stayed at the Sea Otter Inn, great room with fireplace, king sized bed, jacuzzi, and ocean view. Close to San SImeon (which you should def. see if you will be in the area!!)

- Napa: We went on the hot air balloon -- it was amazing!! I would recommend it highly!! We took the back road (Silverado Trail), so to speak, and avoided all the winery traffice that goes along the main road (Hwy. 29). We went to Mumm, Sterling (nice gondola ride), and a few others. Sattui stands out because you can buy pates and cheeses and have a picnic right there, although it is very crowded. Be aware that the wineries charge $10+ for tastings, and these are actually full glasses of wine, so be selective.

I can't recommend our hotel in Napa as it was very ComfortInn-ish. But for dinner: we went one night in Napa village to ZuZu, a tapas place which was yummy. The last night we went to a steakhouse right on Hwy 29 that was AMAZING....best steak I have ever had in my life!!

If you take the balloon ride, do Ballons Over Napa, they were excellent and the best price I found.

Have a great time!!!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

You ladies just got me so psyched for this trip. I'm going to print your suggestions out and bring them with me! Thank You So Much!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

I just got back from that area. We went to visit my mom for a week. San Francisco is a lot of fun. You have to go to Lombard Street and drive down that. Fisherman's Wharf is fun and that is were all the Piers are like Pier 39 and a couple of others. Go to Alcatraz! It is a great tour. It's a sself audio tour and definately worth it. If you are going to do Alcatraz, make reservations in advance because the tickets sell out quickly.

We went to Napa and that was fun. It is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from San Francisco. The Robert Mondavi winery gives the best tour.

Definately go down towards Monterey and do the 17 mile drive and you will also have time to visit the aquarium in Monterey.

Santa Cruz isn't that far and it fun. It is a whole pier on the water that is like a carnival. Plus, you can go see the Sea Lions.

Go to Big Basin, or another park like it, and see the red woods. They are very cool and you can hike around if you want to. If you don't, you can make your way up the mountain and see the redwoods and continue on the same road.

Hearst Castle was really interesting but that is about 3 hours from San Francisco. The good thing about going to the castle is that you can take Highway 1 (also known as PCH) and that is a great ride - I think a definate must see!

FM me if you want any more info

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

THANKS! I'm psyched. Def plan on seeing the Redwoods!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted

We did alcatraz. We had no idea that they sold out so fast. We were there on a monday and the tickets were sold out until the next tuesday (like a week and a day later)It was really cool though. We were able to get on by buying standby tickets and praying. Ill post a few pics.


Fishermans warf


From the top of Twin Peeks (the tour bus took us)


Japaneese tea garden (tour bus)





Lombard street







Ghiradelli square YUM!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted - MY REVIEW!

Just wanted to thank you ladies for your recommendations. I took many of them, and had the trip of a lifetime.

My Review:

First of all, the NANNY (fran drescher) was on our plane -- too funny.

Day 1: Arrived in LA -- Stayed at Regent Beverly Wilshire -- Beverly Hills, CA -- AMAZING HOTEL -- highly recommended

Day 2: Toured Santa Monica, Walked the Santa Monica Pier, etc., Shopped at the 3rd St. Promenade, Drove through Melrose, Bel Aire, etc. Beautiful! Drove to Las Vegas, NV and arrived at the Imperial Palace on the strip. They upgraded us to the executive suite which was a great surprise.

Day 3: Gambled a little - won every number I played on roulette and walked away with $150 -- not too shabby. Walked the strip and then went to our friend's rehearsal dinner right outside of Vegas which was nice.

Day 4: We went to our friend's wedding in the mountains of NV. I suggest taking the 20 minute ride outside of Vegas if you ever go there bc it is incredible. Very green with snow capped mountains! Came back, went to a few fun bars, and wound up dancing with the old man from the Great Adventure commercials in front of the entire club (yes, I was wasted.) Very funny.

Day 5: Drove to Yosemite National Park which is AMAZING, and then to San Francisco.

Day 6: Toured SF. Stayed in Fisherman's Wharf, took a cable car to China Town, Ghiardelli Sqaure, and every other area! Drove down Lombard Street, which was amazing! I can't believe people live on that street! Went to the place that invented Irish Coffee at night, and it was gooood!

Day 7: Went to Sonoma. Our favorite winery was Hanna. Sonoma is INCREDIBLE! Had picnic at R. Nuoi (sp?) as recommended and the food was delish. Worth the crowds. The vineyards are breathtaking. I felt like I was back in Tuscany. Returned to SF and ate in Little Italy.

Day 8: Drove down the PCH (as recommended) back to LA. This ride was so scenic that I seriously did not even realize I was in the car for 14 hours! It was incredible! We even got to see elephant sea lions on the beach, which was incredible! Arrived in Marina Del Rey, LA. We got upgraded to the executive suite (again) and had a breathtaking view of the city. We ordered room service for dinner (we were tired). Cracked open a bottle of wine from the wineries and enjoyed a 12 course meal while looking out of our beautiful sliding glass doors! ETA: Would like to recommend the Marriott Marina Del Rey.

Day 9: Walked through Venice Beach. Checked out Muscle Beach, etc. Took a great flight home on American. Arrived in JFK and they lost our luggage again (same thing happened last year on our way home from Europe!) They just delivered my luggage now -- at 10pm!

Thanks for all of your recommendations. I had a wonderful time! I have pictures if you're interested!

Message edited 7/16/2005 10:31:08 PM.

Re: CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

Great Trip report! Sounds like u had a wonderful time.
Thanks for sharing

Re: CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

Thanks for the review!! It sounds like a great time!


DH & I will be doing a similar trip next year and I cannot wait!

Re: CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

Sounds wonderful -- how did you manage to get upgrades at the hotels???

Re: CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

I am interested in your pictures! We are thinking about going there in October.

Re: CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

They just upgraded us -- I have no idea. I think we got upgraded bc both times we arrived late. I think they probably keep the biggest, nicest rooms available incase there is a problem with one of the people staying at the hotel and if nobody complains past a certain point, they figure why put the room to waste -- it's a good marketing strategy. Then again, I just pulled that out of my arse, so who knows. Luck maybe.

Re: CA Reviews Wanted- MY REVIEW ADDED - THANKS! :)

Sorry .. trying to add pics, but I'm having a hard time...

Message edited 7/19/2005 12:27:16 PM.