Convince me California

[rpbert1]

or Florida.
we love Florida, but cousins have invited us to California next year, considering we go to florida for 4 weeks, we are planning about 10 days with the cousins [ do not think i would put us on them for any longer], but would love a 10 days at the beach, somewhere with a nice beach and pretty quiet, we loved St Petes Beach in Florida so anything along those lines would be great, also Hotel recommendations would be good.

[lcasa]

California's a BIG place full of great beaches - where are the cousins? That would narrow things down to a recommendable region.

[rpbert1]

Our cousin is in Palm Springs, but we are flying in to LA, and was thinking either San Diego, or some where in around Santa Monica for our beach stay. our other cousin is in San Fran and we are all planning to be there for a few days as well.
We would ask our cousin, but i know they would say to stay with them for the 4 weeks, but we feel we would not want to put them in that position, so if we had a place booked at the beach, then they could come with us if they wanted.

[lcasa]

So ... Santa Monica is a fun area - there's a pier with a coaster, Muscle Beach near there where you can watch bodybuilders work out, and Venice Beach which is fun for people watching ( the famous chain-saw juggler used to be there. not sure if he still is). There are lots of nice hotels in the area - nearly anything beachfront will be nice (and expensive). Santa Monica is close to Hollywood and all its attractions.

San Diego very different - also very nice. More family-friendly I'd say. Hotel Del Coronado is a very famous beautiful hotel that the Grand Floridian was based on -and with this economy I've seen some specials there from AAA and travelzoo recently. La Jolla (just north of the city ) is beautiful - lots of really good restaurants and art shops on the main drag. San Diego is such a magnet for tourism there is an entire area called "Hotel Circle" that must have 20 hotels on it - not exactly near the beach, but 15 minutes away. There is a nice Hilton on Mission Bay near Sea World - you find a lot of folks flying kites there. Lots to do in SD - the world famous Zoo, Balboa Park, Sea World, slightly north is Legoland and the Wild Animal Park. Lots of threads around on the boards what to do in SD.

Very different experiences. I also have to put in a word for Huntington Beach- my hometown. Really good beach - "surf city" is our official moniker. 25 min from Disneyland if that's a factor. Just a good, sandy beach with good waves an a pier. 2 nice hotels - a Hilton and a pretty new Marriott - across from the beach.

[rpbert1]

thanks for the info lcasa,
will look at them and info on them all including Huntington Beach.
Not sure we will be going to Disney, probably Universal, San Diego sounds nice and seems plenty to keep us occupied if decide we would like a day out. going to look for websites on the places you said, and a search on here for info.
many thanks
robert

[Mazzy]

Hello there! :wave:

Oh you will love California, we've been once before in 2007 and are heading off again next Summer.

We're staying in San Diego for most of the stay at the Marriott Coronado Resort, it's on Coronado Island, which looks lovely and is also a great location for everything in San Diego, just drive over the amazing bridge or catch the ferry. It doesn't have a beach, but does have fantastic views of the city over the water, and the beach at Coronado is just a short drive away, where the Hotel Del is. Rooms are large with a balcony and can sleep 5 with a rollaway. We will also be staying in Hollywood 2 nights, and Disneyland for 4 nights.

Just one question though, why are you not going to Disneyland? Oooh, I'm shocked! :scared1: :rotfl:

[rpbert1]

Hi Mazzy, see you had a great time at the HRH.
Just Disney does not do it for not just me ,but my DD 14 as well. Had Free DDP next August but cancelling it for California, considering Florida then a connection to LA and flight home from there.
lcasa mentioned Coronado, had a look ,and Loews have a hotel there as well, so will stay there if we go to San Diego,as i can use my Platinum card for a free suite upgrade.
still looking for where to stay and things to do ,if we stay the 4 weeks in California.

[Rosie]

I just flew back from LA yesterday - it was fab!
Check out Newport Beach as it has everything IMHO. Its safe, fun, upscale and a world away from the hustle and bustle but close enough to everything that you can venture out and about.
We only did a day there but if/when we go back thats where we'll stay rather than Anaheim. We visited Long Beach, Santa monica and Venice Beach too but Newport was our favourite because it has a relaxed village feel about it.
I would do it if I were you. I wasn't too excited about visiting California myself but it really was wonderful.

[rpbert1]

Hi rosie, glad to hear you had a great time.
That sounds like what i am lookin for, we where in St.Petes beach in July and it was lovely and very relaxing, not very busy and not a lot to do, sounds like Newport could be the place, will chek it out.

[Mazzy]

Hi Mazzy, see you had a great time at the HRH.
Just Disney does not do it for not just me ,but my DD 14 as well. Had Free DDP next August but cancelling it for California, considering Florida then a connection to LA and flight home from there.
lcasa mentioned Coronado, had a look ,and Loews have a hotel there as well, so will stay there if we go to San Diego,as i can use my Platinum card for a free suite upgrade.
still looking for where to stay and things to do ,if we stay the 4 weeks in California.

Oh yes the Loews on Coronado looks lovely, but it's a bit isolated, and not as convenient as the Marriott, you have to drive to get anywhere. It does look a lovely hotel though. :d: On our last trip we did two weeks in California, then took an internal flight from LA to Orlando for the last 5 days. It was a bit of a bummer actually as it was very very hot in Orlando, record temps, and also very busy, we found it very hard going, so will stick to California this time I think - though you never know! ;)

[rpbert1]

Thanks mazzy for the info.
Will need to decide shortly, as i want to get flights booked, and when i see them at aprice i am happy with i will book them. Just wether its 4 weeks in California, or 2 weeks there and 2 weeks Florida

[simonches]

useful info...

[lcasa]

Since you're looking at 4 weeks, you could travel up and down the coast a bit and get quite a nice taste of california beaches. Our weather definitely beats Florida hands down. Their beaches somehow feel a bit "flatter" - hard to explain beyond that. You could start in LA and hit a lot of the places mentioned - couple of days in Santa Monica area and maybe see a celebrity or 2, then down to Orange County for Huntington, Newport - I don't like the beach there quite as much but the area is nice - there is a ferry and you can take harbour cruises which are fun -- Hornblower is one of the bigger lines - they do brunch and dinner cruises. Laguna Beach is also really nice - the beach there is gorgeous - and it's an artist community so you can wander the main streets in the evening and explore galleries. Then south to San Diego ( don't go too far south - you'll wind up in Tijuana - not so nice in my opinion )

all the of recommendations are good. I wouldn't spend more than 2 or 3 days in Palm Springs myself - I'm not much of a desert person though. Some people like it though.

[LauraAnn630]

I love Cali but remember the beaches are not like the ones in Fl. The water is cold, they do not have shells and the sand is not white.

Wine Country is GREAT!
Huntington Beach is a not miss! There is a mexican restaurant there that is really good. I think its called Freds.

[rpbert1]

Thanks again lcasa, for all the info. Talking to our cousin tonight hopefully, so will get something sorted ,then can start to definetly get our flights booked.
We are not spending a lot of time in Palm Springs maybe a few days, as we apparently are going to Vegas for a few days, and then going in an RV to see about the place, not sure where we are going to though, but i would think we will be in San Fran for a bit as we have a cousin there as well.
Its hard to imagine the size of the place and distances, as here in Ireland you could probably drive the length of the country in about 4 hrs.
funny you should mention - Laguna Beach is also really nice - the beach there is gorgeous - and it's an artist community so you can wander the main streets in the evening and explore galleries, as our cousin is an Artist and has a gallery in Long Beach.
not sure i would notice celebrities, as most of the people i hear mentioned , i have never heard of them never mind recognise them :confused3, although my DD says i have to get our pic took with Brian Bell of Weezer,apparently a group in LA,:confused3 as she discovered our cousin is a friend of his and they have a group together called The Relationship.
Once i know my dates when we are going to be there, i will get things sorted, and will post what our plans our

[lcasa]

You'll love San Fran - one of the world's great cities. Look around for the boards for posts on what to do there. Actually a leisurely drive from SF to or from So Cal on Highway 1 would give you a great California experience - takes at least 10 hours and you'd want to stop along the way. Lots of coastal views - some winding mountain roads though. The 5 straight up the state is much faster (5-6 hrs) but pretty dull.

Also I meant to mention you can do Laguna, Huntington, and Newport from 1 hotel - they are all close together - Newport is in the middle. Long Beach is just north of Huntington - 20 min or so.

Have fun planning! I'm 1/2 Irish - if I ever get there maybe you can give me some hints.

[rpbert1]

Thanks for all the info hopefully have a better idea of how long we will be there and what plans have been made by our cousin, when we phonetonight as there was no one in last night.
You ever decide to come to Ireland let me know lcasa, although why anyone would come here is beyond me, it has hardly stopped raining since we got back at the end of July.

[rpbert1]

Ok , everything sorted now, Flying to Orlando from Dublin via Manchester on July 7th, 7 nights at Royal Pacific Resort Universal, then 7 nights in St.Petes beach area, nothing sorted yet, then flying to Las Vegas from Tampa on July 21st, Cousins meeting us there so need to sort accom after i talk to them for 4 nights probably, then back to palm Springs for a few days before we apparently hit the road, not sure where they are taking us yet, but would think we would be in San Fran for a few days of touring and meeting our other cousin for the first time

[LauraAnn630]

Robert, Wow! That is one heck of a vacation! I think you guys will have the time of your lives! Have you ever been to the States?

We have heard that Ireland is georgous! I know I will never go overseas because I am afraid to fly that far. Four hours is all I can take in a plane.

[rpbert1]

Robert, Wow! That is one heck of a vacation! I think you guys will have the time of your lives! Have you ever been to the States?

We have heard that Ireland is georgous! I know I will never go overseas because I am afraid to fly that far. Four hours is all I can take in a plane.

Yes we usually go to Florida, but doing some family research, for DW relatives, discovered her fathers sisters went to US in 1928, and he was sent to Belfast when he was a baby, long story, but they lost contact especially with him being a baby. We knew the sisters went to US, but just after Easter we found my DW had Cousins in California and a couple of other states. 2came down to Florida this year and we spent a great 4 days together, and they wanted us to come to Palm Springs next year, so we have Florida mainly for Harry potter for DD and then on to California, where we are going to Vegas, and a bit of a family reunion before we leave for Ireland in August which will be nice.
Ireland is lovely, but its not somewhere i would choose for a holiday, when we came back end of July we had 2 days without rain till about 4 September, it was like winter, although it has been quite nice for over a week now.
Not to keen on flying myself, i used to work for an aircraft company, and put me off, but if you want to go places its really the only way.Once your up doesnt matter how long the flight is really. I get really nervous about 3 weeks before our flights, but i know i have to get on.

[UCFALUM]

We had a fabulous holiday in Ireland and can't wait to go back! It convinced DH to name all of our kiddies after Irish saints-lol.
If you can spend some time before SF in Monterey County-it is awesome! The beaches are not bathing beaches but stunning and the hiking is incredible (see the post on Pt. Lobos State Park on here. Not mine but we love it there) Big Sur is incredible and the whole area is fun!

[rpbert1]

Hi , and thanks for the tips, seems our cousins are taking us out and about when there. We apparently are going camping for a while after Las Vegas, so not sure yet exactly where we are going, so will just have to go to where they would like us to see.I have a book on California and will lokk upinfo given here and say to her, and if we can fit some in i am sure it would not be a problem for them to take us.

[shelemm]

Carpinteria Beach, south of Santa Barbara, has a colony of sea lions living there. A long and famously safe beach. State park land, very quiet. Very quick to drive to Santa Barbara (beautiful, historic Mission city), access to Channel Islands National Park from Ventura. Lots of great vacation opportunities.

[carj]

We went to California this past summer and spent 8 days there. We had such a wonderful time!
Coming from Texas, we were so in LOVE with the weather. It was in the 60's in the morning and 80's in the afternoon. This was later June, early July. (IT was 100 at home that week!);)

We visited Newport beach and yes, the Pacific Ocean is COLD!! The water temperature did not matter to my kids. They thought it was awesome! We did find some shells. They weren't fine specimens but my kids were impressed anyway.

We also went to DLR, Lego Land and The Aquarium of the Pacific. We really enjoyed the aquarium. It was very interactive with lots of up close action with the animals. We were able to touch sting rays, starfish and anemones (sp?). It was an amazing experience!

I had been to California before as a child and a teenager but taking my own children was really special.

[OurDogCisco]

Hi , and thanks for the tips, seems our cousins are taking us out and about when there. We apparently are going camping for a while after Las Vegas, so not sure yet exactly where we are going, so will just have to go to where they would like us to see.I have a book on California and will lokk upinfo given here and say to her, and if we can fit some in i am sure it would not be a problem for them to take us. YOu should definitely visit Yosemite or even Sequoia National Park. I love the beaches in CA but they are different than like Hawaii or the gulf side of Florida. They are beautiful but not the tropical kind of beauty but I'd visit more than just beaches in CA when you come as there is a lot to do here.

[rpbert1]

Ok, so flights booked to vegas from Tampa. Staying Vegas for 3 days, then after a few days relaxing in Palm Springs, we are heading up to the mountains , for a week camping and exploring, what happens after that will need to wait probably till we get, there as this is all that is planned at this time.
Thanks for all the sugestions, will need another trip to get everything fitted in

[Beckypooh1972]

Don't overlook all the classic California tourist spots like Hollywood! We took a side trip to CA. from Las Vegas one year and had a blast checking out Mann's Chinese theater and all the other Hollywood landmarks. We also got tickets to see Jay Leno on the Tonight Show and that was a highlight of our trip; we met so many nice people -- Californians are really nice! I wish we'd had more time to see more, take studio tours, etc. It was really fun and interesting. Of course we took a day at the DCA park while we were in town. We were going to go to Disneyland but it had a lot of refurbs at the time. There will definitely be a next time for us in CA. Just waiting for our kids to get a little older so they can manage the longer plane ride.