Re-living my deceased Mom's "Bucket List Trip"

[weHEARTmickey]

Last summer, many of you helped me plan a life-changing trip for my Mom & myself. She was dying of stage 4 breast cancer & her #1 request was to see whales in the wild. We booked a trip to Monterey, followed by a couple of days in San Francisco. We saw TONS of whales & I got to see her dream come true. Long story short-Mom passed away the week after we returned Here is a link to last year's thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2398999&referrerid=182976

So, I'm planning another trip for my DH, DD11, DS8, & myself. I want them to experience Monterey Bay the way Mom & I did. We will book through Princess Monterey Whale Watching again, because they were amazing. Because we now homeschool our children, we will be able to go during mid-October. I was playing around on priceline last night & booked the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa for four nights (name your own price.) I hope it's a good hotel! I got it for $129 per night, although we'll have to pay $20 in resort fees per night. I've never used the NYOP, so I was actually shocked that a 4 star hotel accepted $129 per night.

We will either begin our journey with a flight into San Francisco, staying 2-3 nights, with NO rental car. Then we will get a rental car & travel over to Yosemite for 1-2 nights, ending up in Monterey for four nights. OR...we will fly into San Jose, begin in Monterey, then Yosemite, turn in the rental car in San Fran & stay there for 2-3 nights.

So, here are a few of the reasons why I'm coming to you: Where in the world should we stay in Yosemite? We cannot justify spending $300-$900 per night on a room!! We would LOVE to stay around $100, so we could stay there 2 nights. We are looking at the Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn. Have you ever stayed there? Was it decent? How far is it from "all the action" in Yosemite? I'm having a very hard time nailing down exact mileage/times. How many hours would it take a family like our's to hike some neat trails, see the falls, El Capitan, big trees, etc?? We are wondering if we could get it all done in just 1 day...

San Francisco: Mom & I stayed at the Westin St. Francis, & my family certainly doesn't want to spend that much!! We would love to be in a clean, safe hotel on Fisherman's Wharf, but we hate to spend more than $200 per night. Any ideas? I'm confused about the San Francisco GO CARD which includes Alcatraz. We would like to do that, but we know we need to book Alcatraz in advance. The site says you HAVE to purchase the Alcatraz GO CARD in person, at the Alcatraz ticket booth (or something like that.) How can I book my trip in advance if I want to buy this option?

Thanks for all of your help. I come to the DIS for EVERYTHING because I know you guys have the most reliable info.

 

[GrandBob]

So, I'm planning another trip for my DH, DD11, DS8, & myself. I want them to experience Monterey Bay the way Mom & I did.

Bless you and your family. I hope you and your kids experience the spirit of your Mom watching over them during the trip.

We will book through Princess Monterey Whale Watching again, because they were amazing. Because we now homeschool our children, we will be able to go during mid-October. I was playing around on priceline last night & booked the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa for four nights (name your own price.) I hope it's a good hotel! I got it for $129 per night, although we'll have to pay $20 in resort fees per night. I've never used the NYOP, so I was actually shocked that a 4 star hotel accepted $129 per night.

All the whale watching trips that leave from the wharf are top notch. Can't go wrong with any of them. One word of advice -- go in the morning rather than the afternoon. Generally, the wind starts whipping up on the bay in the early afternoon. On the same day, you can get a calm, beautiful, glassy-like trip in the AM, followed by a rough, unpleasant afternoon trip. Not all the time, but enough that it's wise to book in the AM.

The Hyatt Regency is indeed a good hotel. It's on a golf course, but a little out of the way of the action downtown and on the wharf. Not a long ways, but you'll need a car to get around. But it's a first class hotel.

Where in the world should we stay in Yosemite? We cannot justify spending $300-$900 per night on a room!! We would LOVE to stay around $100, so we could stay there 2 nights. We are looking at the Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn. Have you ever stayed there? Was it decent? How far is it from "all the action" in Yosemite? I'm having a very hard time nailing down exact mileage/times. How many hours would it take a family like our's to hike some neat trails, see the falls, El Capitan, big trees, etc?? We are wondering if we could get it all done in just 1 day...

I looked it up, and this hotel is in Oakhurst, south of the park. While it's convenient to the big trees in the Mariposa Grove, it's not convenient to the rest of the park, particularly the valley. It would take well over an hour to get into Yosemite Valley from there. Personally, I think that's too inconvenient, though lots of people stay in that area and are happy.

The best place to stay would be Yosemite Lodge in the park. You can never beat actually being in the park. But I think it may be beyond your price range, and you're not likely to get a room in October at this late date.

My next suggestion would be a motel in El Portal, which is right outside the west entrance to the park. I like the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal. It's a very nice motel, right outside the gate. It takes no more than about 20 minutes to get into the valley from there. I think it's over $100/night, but then almost everything is.

In Yosemite, you'll want to spend a little time hiking around the valley, including Yosemite Falls. Hike the mist trail, at least as far as the base of Vernal Falls, but further if the mood takes you. It's a very popular trail, but the first part up to Vernal Falls is paved.

An absolute must-do is to go up to Glacier Point. You can drive, take a bus, or hike up the 4-mile trail (caution - steep). The views are amazing, both directly out and over the valley, but especially up valley toward Half Dome. It feels like you can reach out and touch Half Dome.

I'm sure you'll find more than enough to do in Yosemite to fill a couple of days. With more time than that, I'd suggest route 120 to the high country. But in a day or two, you'll want to stay near the valley. The big trees are near the south gate, about an hour from the valley. Worth a trip.

Have fun!

-Bob

 

[CPT Tripss]

There are efficiency units as well as apartments available for short stays in Yosemite West http://www.yosemitewest.com/ We stayed there when nothing affordable was available in the valley and would stay there again.

It's technically outside the park, but it's located right near Glacier Point Road. Here's a map