[Closed] California Honeymoon Help!

Assuming you like the outdoors you'll want a couple or more days in Yosemite NP. I have a soft spot for Santa Cruz and Monterey as I used to do a lot of work there but they're both easy to pass through if you follow the coast from San Francisco south. You should try tapping up Repack Rider on here for the authentic Northern Californian mountain bike experience. I'm sure he'll be able to fill you in. Check out http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/awesome-california-tripwith-a-few-pics.

And if you need to go biking but involve the mrs just rent a couple of bikes at Fisherman's Wharf in SF and ride along the bay and over the Golden Gate to the headlands on the other side. Certainly better than driving over (too involved) and walking (too slow). Alcatraz is ace too but book in advance.

no idea about costs but mustangs were THE most common vehicle on the coast road up from LA to SF when we drove up so must be lots for hire somewhere

I only know bike routes in orange county, so not much help to you generally

(SF itself can be fairly cool & breezy, esp if you go out on the water to alcatraz or something - take a windproof). The rest of the region will vary between nice & warm or bloody hot (esp if you end up inland from LA)

Mauritius and South Africa are a lot cheaper these days because you only need the one return ticket.

I did a California tour a few years ago with the wife. We did a loop starting and finishing in LA. Stayed in Santa Monica for a few days then drove to las Vegas and had 4 nights there. Then drove to San Francisco via death valley, the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite. We did this leg over 2 days staying overnight in a quaint little town called Bishop, from there the next day drove through the TIoga Pass the SF. Wished we had longer in the mountains as they really were beautiful. Had 4 nights in SF then drove down the costal road to Malibu were we had another and final 4 nights relaxing on Zuma beach during the day (they filmed Baywatch on Zuma beach)

LA to be honest is a dump, Hollywood is very seedy, downtown LA is very dodgy, not too bad in Beverley Hills. Santa Monica was quite nice but I wouldn't really recommend anywhere else. Oh Venice Beach was ok too but can be quite dodgy on a night, liked walking along the beach and the canals.

We had a great time, we had dedicated driving days where we knew we'd have to do a fair few miles. Never had a convertible in CA just a full size car as the Americans call them but had a new style mustang in Florida. Will say they look better than what they are like to drive, and live real axle was "entertaining" not a good car!

Any questions ask but a place well worth visiting.

I went San Fransisco, sacremento, Lake tahoe, Yosemite, Mariposa Grove (big red woods), Monterey, Santa cruz, San Fransisco. Great trip, I would have liked to go up to Tuolumne but the roads were still closed. Yosemite will be heaving in the summer. Sausolito is pretty nice, just over the golden gate bridge.

You didn't say where you were flying into, but if it's LA, I'd recommend leaving town quickly and finding a nice bit of the State 😉 (Ducks for cover...)

If you're flying into SFO, then that's a better start (and pretty quick to get into either SF or out into pretty countryside.)

I'd definitely drive Highway 1 from SF to at least San Luis Obispo - it's ace. Spend some time in Santa Cruz and San Francisco too. Heading north of the Golden Gate, you want to take in some redwoods and head up to wine country too. Try Healdsburg, Santa Rosa and Petaluma to start with. Lots of surprisingly nicely winding roads and there are some 'normal' places to stay that aren't all tourist ripoff land.

[url= http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/39795358_bb50e474cc.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm1.static.flickr.com/31/39795358_bb50e474cc.jp g"/> [/img]click for more California pics[/url]

we did 4 nights in SF, then hired a car and drove up through Sonoma to Sacramento (bit of a dump) and then onto Lake Tahoe. The plan then was to go through Yosemite and over Tioga and then Death Valley to Vegas. However, we woke up in Tahoe, looked out of the window to 18" of snow and on enquiring when Tioga would be open, we were told 'April' (it was late October!!)

So instead we went around the bottom of the Sierra Nevada through the Silver ghost towns and onto Vegas that way.

4 days in Vegas (including Grand Canyon by helicopter) and then we returned to Carmel / Monterey for another few nights. Finally headed North along Hwy 1 through Big Sur, San Simeon (Hearst Castle worth a visit), Santa Cruz, etc. and back to SF for the return.

LA wouldnt be my first choice.

Fly to San Francisco, rent a car, stay at the Bear Valley Inn over the hill from Fairfax. Hang out in Point Reyes Station. Take walks on Limantour Beach

http://www.bearvinn.com/

Visit Tahoe. Rent a cabin at http://www.camprichardson.com/ there are masses of great walking and biking trails.

I spent 6 weeks there a few years ago bike touring.

Yosemite, Nappa and Sonoma valley wineries, Pacific Highway (try cycling it - its ace at 5am), Marin county obviosly if you're near/in SF.
Mammoth Mountain is good for skiing if there's still snow. Or biking if not.
And if you've got a spare few days, head to the Grand Canyon and Death Valley (but avoid Las Vegas - yuck)

Been many times, lived in Santa Barbara for a few months, and toured too.

Forget LA, but the route up HW1 through Santa Barbara, Hurst Castle is worthwhile. A trip on to Monterey (Aquarium is World Class) and possible Whale watch - probably wrong season, followed by a trip to Santa Monica Boulevard for a ride on the wooden roller coaster.

Next I'd head into San Francisco, but be warned, it will be cold and foggy in August - April or October are the months to go. Three days would be my recommendation - Usual suspects e.g. Alcatraz, Golden Gate, bike hire from Blazing Saddles and a ride up through the Marin headland, but some gems too - the Oakland Museum of California is worth a trip across the bay, as is a walk around Berkeley campus.

Next I'd head up the coast along HW1 and inland to Sonoma and the Napa valley for wine. then continue up to Mendocino - which feels a lot like Maine. Off the beaten track, arty, weather beaten...

Back inland towards either Lake Tahoe or Yosemite. I'd spend a few days in Yosemite. I have camped, used fixed tents in the valley and also stayed at [url= http://www.evergreenlodge.com/ ]Evergreen Lodge[/url] which is expensive, but lovely - and NOT inside the valley, so less touristy. Walk among the giant trees (but don't bother with the drive down to Sequoia National Park, it doesn't offer anything extra except The General Sherman), then drive up onto Tuoleme meadows and down the other side to Death Valley as Tioga pass will be open. If you must, head to Las Vegas for a couple of days, followed by Grand Canyon if you have time. Then either fly home, or head south to Joshua Tree National Park (superb and I just missed U2 at the visitors centre the day I went).

Finally back to Los Angeles where you could go to Universal Studios or Venice Beach for a swim in the cold Pacific before flying home. I'd forget NYC. After Yosemite, Monterey, Grand Canyon, wine, sun and the great outdoors, the city will seem a bit of a let down.

I think I need to go back 😆

Do LA for a day or two 9even just to tick the box saying you've been), stay at Beverley Hills or something. Do Rodeo Drive to keep missus happy.

Then fly up to Vegas (internal flights are cheap). Spend a few days there.

Hire a car from there and cruise down to Grand Canyon (maybe in your Mustang) for a couple of 'romantic' days watching the sunset (top tip - if you do that take a torch as it's dark quickly and they don't have many lights!).

Then cruise back, hop on a shuttle to SF (or drive up).

Insert a few other recommendations in the schedule as appropriate.

Never had a convertible in CA just a full size car as the Americans call them but had a new style mustang in Florida. Will say they look better than what they are like to drive, and live real axle was "entertaining" not a good car!

So true! Last time we went I "traded" the enormous whale of a Chevrolet Impala for a Ford Focus (in the US they come as saloon cars). You should have seen the look on the face of the lady from National! I never regretted that choice for a moment once in the mountains.

Why has no one mentioned San Diego? Great place, very European, beatiful beaches, great cafes and bars on the waterfront. Well worth a visit and only about 90 mins from LA (I think). SF is nice as well but I would avoid LA like the plague, I found it a horrible place.

I really appreciate all the posts. Lots of great help - thank you.

EDIT: +1 for taking something WARM and WINDPROOF for SF. We were warned that it can get cold. It got cold, especially when we went to Acatraz (freezing more like!). This was in August, in the sun and out of the wind it was lush, in the wind? jesus!

Another for driving down Highway 1 from SF. We stayed at Monteray, after stopping in Santa Cruz for a stroll along their boardwalk (nothing to do with the bikes...........unfortunately). Well worth a visit is the Monterey Aquarium. When in Monterey, keep an eye out for the Light&Motion HQ's on Cannery Row. I missed them on our trip (only found out about them after I got home). Might be a nice time to get a new set of lights?

Next stop for us was as Chipps mentioned, San Luis Obispo. If heading here, you really MUST stop at here:

http://www.madonnainn.com/

It was one of THE most tackiest places we've ever stayed. We loved it, especially the restaurant with the bubble-gum pink leather booths, the over-the-top decor and the most over-hyped basic food. Our only upset was not being able to get the Caveman Room!

We then headed on down to Solvang, a town with Danish Immigrant roots. It was a lovely place, still is.

Then we headed to LA. As already mentioned, I'd give it a wide berth. Like Mr_Mojo said, Hollywood is a very seedy place, Hollywood Boulevard is littered with seedy shops etc. It wasn't a pleasant walk with our 9yr old (as he was then) from the car park, along all the 'stars' passing numerous seedy shops. I wonder how the 'stars' would feel knowing they're outside such places.
I would recommend Disneyland though, it's so much nicer than the Florida equivilent IMHO of course, California Screaming is a blast. No Aerosmith's Rock-n-Rollercoaster though.
Universal Studios was great too, especially the walk through Horror Movie Set, I think we scarred our son for life taking him through there!

Then we headed down to San Diego for a few days. We stayed in the Hardrock Hotel in the Gas Lamp Quarter.

Next time we're going back and doing the mountains.

Blimey, this is exactly what I did last year with my missus for our honeymoon! Spent 14 days touring california in a Mustang GT Convertable (360bhp of brrruuuuum!)

Our itineary was:

Fly into SFO
3 nights in SFO
3 nights in Monterey (with various trips to pinicles national park etc)
1 night in San Luis Obispo
2 nights in a little cottage in Sequoia National Park
4 nights in Yosemite
Fly back from SFO

(something like that anyway!)

It was bloody ace. Had some amazing experiences:
- Cycling across the golden gate and riding a little bit of marin county (not much as the missus isn't a cyclist)
- Hiking up to the sentinal dome and watching the most amazing sunset over yosemite.
- Touring alcatraz (book before you leave)
- Visiting the montery aquirum
- Blitzing down highway 1 as the sun goes down (multiple times!)
- Hiking in a giant red wood forest by the sea
- See the biggest tree in the world
- Hiking up to 10,000ft and swimming in a glacial lake (seemed like a good idea when I said I was going to do it at 7,000 ft!)
- Driving cross country to pinicles national monument and then hiking up a mountian to watch the sun go down.
- Jumping off bridges in Yosemite 😀

And a ton more of other stuff. Avoided LA for the reasons listed above. If you want a copy of my inteniary, budget, and research, (or have any questions) drop me a mail at [b]ewan at ewanpanter dot co dot uk[/b]

Bunch of photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewanpanter/sets/72157624602432678/ although i've only got round to uploading to the 4th day!

[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/4838188002_e91b96ce48_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/4838188002_e91b96ce48_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4915789462_a054358a0b_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4915789462_a054358a0b_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= [/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ewanpanter/ ]Ewan Panter[/url], on Flickr

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[url= [/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ewanpanter/ ]Ewan Panter[/url], on Flickr

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[url= [/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ewanpanter/ ]Ewan Panter[/url], on Flickr

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[url= http://sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/mtbwelcome.htm ][b]2retro4u[/b][/url]
Marin County, Cali

If you make it to Marin County, PM or email me.

Last summer I took a couple of riders from this site on a local ride they won't soon forget.