SoCal/San Fran questions?

[ohtarabell]

Going to Cali for spring break in march of 09 and have a few questions. Below is the itinerary and questions. Very flexible as we have been to Disneyworld about 20 times, so if something needs to go, that may be it. Here goes:

Staying in Newport Beach at the Marriott villas there for 5 nights. Looks very nice. Is this a good place to stay (safe, shopping beach communities etc)? Is there much to do around there? Any can't miss things (quaint beach downtowns, restaurants etc)

Plan to go to San Diego one day for sea world/ zoo. Can this be done? How long is the drive with traffic?

Next day at Universal (from newport beach). How long will the drive be with traffic?

Third day at Disney. How long of a drive with traffic?.

Next 2 days hanging out around LA or staying around newport/laguana beach. If LA, all the usual stops.......Hollywood etc.

Then drive up to San Francisco for 4 days. How long will this take? I hear it is best if you take your time and hit some of the beach communities along the coast. Any must see suggestions?

Thanks to all who can provide guidance!!!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Going to Cali for spring break in march of 09 and have a few questions. Below is the itinerary and questions. Very flexible as we have been to Disneyworld about 20 times, so if something needs to go, that may be it. Here goes:

Staying in Newport Beach at the Marriott villas there for 5 nights. Looks very nice. Is this a good place to stay (safe, shopping beach communities etc)? Is there much to do around there? Any can't miss things (quaint beach downtowns, restaurants etc)

Plan to go to San Diego one day for sea world/ zoo. Can this be done? How long is the drive with traffic?

Next day at Universal (from newport beach). How long will the drive be with traffic?

Third day at Disney. How long of a drive with traffic?.

Next 2 days hanging out around LA or staying around newport/laguana beach. If LA, all the usual stops.......Hollywood etc.

Then drive up to San Francisco for 4 days. How long will this take? I hear it is best if you take your time and hit some of the beach communities along the coast. Any must see suggestions?

Thanks to all who can provide guidance!!!

I'm sure others can give you more specifics but I'll give you my thoughts on some of your questions. I've never been to that specific hotel in Newport Beach but NB in general is a very affluent community so i'm sure it's safe. I used to live nearby but usually went to beaches further south so i can't be more specific about things to see at newport. I'm more familiar with laguna beach which has lots of little shops and restaurants. We used to like to go to BJs in laguna beach (brewery with pizza and other good food) right on PCH but it's a chain so if you have one near you then it might not be that interesting. If you've never been to one, i recommend their Pazookies (fresh baked cookie dessert).

Dana Point has a nice harbor area with lots of shops and restaurants. We used to go there all the time to look around. There is a path you can walk along and there are also ferry's and boat tours that launch from there (like whale watching and the ferry to catalina island).

We also like the beaches down in San Clemente (the last OC city before you get to San Diego county) and there are some shops and restaurants there but not as close to the beach as in other communities. The beaches are nice though, IMO.

I think one day for sea world and the zoo would be too much. I suppose you could do it but you might feel like you didn't get to see everything you wanted to see. You really need a day for each park.

I could give you drive estimates but i think others who live closer to those areas could probably give you a more accurate description of the traffic. You can also google directions and it will give estimated drive times with and without traffic but i know it's better to hear from a real person what the drives may be like. Hope that helps!

 

[StageTek]

Staying in Newport Beach at the Marriott villas there for 5 nights. Looks very nice. Is this a good place to stay (safe, shopping beach communities etc)? Is there much to do around there? Any can't miss things (quaint beach downtowns, restaurants etc)

Plan to go to San Diego one day for sea world/ zoo. Can this be done? How long is the drive with traffic?

Newport to San diego is about 90 miles. With traffic figure
about 2 hours.

Next day at Universal (from newport beach). How long will the drive be with traffic?

Newport to Universal is about 50 miles. With traffic figure
about 90 minutes - maybe up to 2 hours.

Third day at Disney. How long of a drive with traffic?.

Newport to Disneyland is about 18 miles. Figure about
45 minutes. Very often this trip can be 30 minutes.

Then drive up to San Francisco for 4 days. How long will this take? I hear it is best if you take your time and hit some of the beach communities along the coast.

If you take the 101 it's about five hours straight through.
If you take HWY 1 and make stops along the way it could
take twice that. Or just a few more hours depending on how
often you stop and how long you visit the beach communities.

 

[ohtarabell]

Thanks to both of you!

 

[gr8leg8]

If you take the 101 it's about five hours straight through.
If you take HWY 1 and make stops along the way it could
take twice that. Or just a few more hours depending on how
often you stop and how long you visit the beach communities.

Highway 101
takes you thru Santa Barbara
is quite beautiful
and
will take you 8 hours (not 5)

Highway 5
ugly as sin
but it will take 6 hours
from Anaheim to SF