Planet Hollywood
In retrospect the two-night stay at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas was too short. Another night, maybe two would have been better and I am sure the kids felt the same way. The rooms were large, with a comfortable bed, nice chairs and a 42 plasma TV with HD channels to keep us entertained when we were in the room. Had we been there in September I would have been in 7th heaven and probably wouldnt have left at all.
Jet lag wasnt as big a problem as Id thought it was going to be, although we did wake up in the early hours of our first morning before going back to sleep for a few hours. I dont think we were first in the queue for the breakfast buffet but it hadnt been open long when we arrived. I think the kids enjoyed their first experience of eating Las Vegas style - I think Nick had two plates of eggs, bacon and hash browns so its no wonder he is growing so quickly and Alex had at least one box of Fruit Loops. Lucy surprised me by wandering around the food stations helping herself like she had been doing it all her life. I've a feeling that she is going to be a very independent young lady.
After breakfast we headed straight down the strip to the Borders we spotted on our way from the airport yesterday. I picked up all of the football magazines I had been anticipating for weeks and a couple of graphic novels including the Absolute Watchmen edition that is currently selling for $250 on Amazon. A good result. The checkout clerk was very chatty and a little strange with his long fingernails. He asks if we are Doctor Who fans, I guess because we are English. He also downloads Torchwood and other Japanese animation shows, which is nice to know. Basically he is our first encounter with a geek. We would see a load more in San Diego.
We leave Borders and head to a Walmart, which we find without any trouble whatsoever. I dont know if it was the same one that we found on our first visit but it was pretty good i.e. everyone managed to find something new to wear (except for poor Lucy who had been kitted out in the UK). As usual Nick and myself headed off to sort out the boys while Deb and Alex did their thing. We convened at the changing rooms where a rather full trolley was piled with clothes and underwear. $500 lighter we decided it was time to go back to the hotel for a swim.
The two swimming pools at Planet Hollywood are on the 6th floor overlooking the strip. The area is concreted with a not much shade beyond a few parasols. It is blistering hot and my first thought is that I am not going to be able to cope with it. We find a spot below one of the pool, take our shoes off and head up the stairs. The floor is literally burning the soles of my feet and I am sure we would have had no problem frying an egg, if we had one. The pool was disappointing for me as it was only 4ft at its deepest. I think the pool at Caesars did go to 5ft in places but apart from the Roosevelt (10ft) where typically I didnt swim, relatively shallow pools were a theme of the holiday. I guess they are safer for kids and it was nice that Lucy didnt need arm bands. The majority of guests werent there for the water anyway as it was more about looking good around the pool rather than in it. There was a group of five or six Asian girls who were sitting on the edge of the pool and were pretty hot as in dancer or stripper hot. I did my best not to be too distracted (honest Deb) and concentrated on playing with the kids and taking a few snapshots for the photo album.
Even in the water I could feel my shoulders and head burning and it wasnt a pleasant burn, more of a sting actually, so I dont think we stayed in for that long much to Lucys displeasure (more about that later). Nick and I made sure we were in the shade while Deb and Alex had their first attempt at changing colour. We ordered a couple of frozen margaritas from a waitress and they went down a treat. It was pretty windy at times and it felt just like the oven door analogy that we had joked about back home. After about an hour, maybe a bit longer I decided Id had enough for today and so Alex, Nick and I went back to the room. Lucy wanted another swim, and as she hadnt been in the pool the day before, I think Deb felt a little guilty and decided to go back into the pool with her. I dont know what happened exactly as I wasnt there but apparently there was an altercation at the pool between a couple of groups and so Deb decided it was best to leave when the security people arrived. They were still there trying to sort things out when she got back to the room and told us about it. In fact they were there for ages.
At one point during the planning stages of this holiday I thought that we might be able to see a show this night even though Deb had said there was no chance. Getting back from the pool mid afternoon I knew she was right as I felt like I could have slept there and then but I also knew that wasnt an option as I would be up all night and we had a long drive to San Diego the next morning. In an attempt to keep away we got changed and went to the Miracle Mile shops, which is a mall that circles the hotel. Our first stop was Build-a-Bear, which I thought would be a relatively quick and painless experience as we were only choosing a new outfit for Ellie which is Lucys bear that had accompanied us from the UK. I hadnt bargained on there being so many choices and with choices come decisions and that is not a strongpoint for the women in our family. Nick and I leave them to it, wander around a bit and then sit down and wait... and wait.
When they finally managed to drag themselves out of Build-a-bear we visit the largest Ugg shop in the States, which is a statement that we discover later in the holiday to be untrue. I wonder if they know? I wonder if the Ugg outlet in Camarillo have sufficient grounds to sue? I think Deb tried on some ugly Ugg cowboy boots but couldnt get them on, luckily. Had she managed to get them on and liked them I wouldnt have said anything, as I know she has been after something like them for ages but I am glad they didnt fit as we found much better boots later. Alex liked the grey boots but didnt try them on, I have no idea why, but ended up buying them from another store when we came back to Vegas. I think we were all tired at that point and starting to get a little irritable (I know I was). We sat outside Steve Wyrick (the magicians) theatre and, while I secretly fantasized with the idea of being awake enough to see him that night, discussed our food options as it had been a long time since breakfast. These were fairly limited because I didnt have the patience to do a restaurant and those in the immediate vicinity didnt appeal. In the end we plumped for what we knew, so Sbarro it was. Unfortunately the pizza was horrible, way too crispy on the base and pretty tasteless, plus the side of herb potatoes that we ordered were undercooked. I don't know how the others felt but they didn't look inspired. We all got on with it and made the best of a bad deal I think. To be honest I just wanted a soft pillow at that point.
On our way back to the hotel entrance we thought about going over the road to the Bellagio to get tickets to see O for when we come back in 10 days or so. I exit the mall and the temperature is blazing hot. The thought of crossing over and walking up the long slope to the Bellagios entrance is too much for me today. I know Deb is upset and I feel bad about it but I was also relieved to be back inside. Deb stops at the Clinique store on our way back to the Casino entrance for some stuff for her and Charlotte. I dont know what exactly as I am doing my best to stay awake outside. We also look in the Planet Hollywood shop and Alex finds at least two t-shirts that she wants. Im not sure whether she buys one of them today or we do it the next morning before leaving. Either way I remember there being controversy over the choice as the one she liked wasnt the one we preferred and so she went with our choice rather than hers even though we told her to go with the other one. Teenagers (and husbands) can be hard work sometimes. We make our way through the casino to the lifts and back up to the rooms for the evening. I honestly cant remember what else we did that evening except sleep.
Las Vegas to San Diego
Checkout from the Planet Hollywood was painless and it didnt take too long for the van to arrive so that we could load up. Boy was it warm and a lot stickier than I remember. The bellboy loading up our van was sweating profusely. He asked me where we were going and when I told him San Diego he rolled his eyes and said, I wish I was going with you. It makes me wonder why some people choose to stay in the desert when they are so uncomfortable. I dont think I could but then again if I were given the choice between Vegas and Ashford maybe Id get used to it. I certainly coped with it better when we returned, even when it got real hot. I think it was a drier heat then.
On our way out of town we stopped at a Walgreens for water supplies. Deb went in with Nick while I played with the radio, which found stations according to the type of music you select, i.e. rock, country, Latin, rap, R&B, etc. Very neat but it didnt always work. It would have been nice to have satellite radio as we then could have listened to the NFL channel for the next 6 hours or so. It would have made the time go quicker for me but Im not sure how everyone else would have felt. Deb and Nick returned with one of the finds of the holiday for people like me who dont always like the taste of water, especially in the States where it definitely has a flavour. Wylers Light is a sugar-free powder that you add to a bottle of water. A few shakes later and voila, it tastes like still lemonade, pink lemonade, sun splash orange, cool raspberry, etc. Apparently a lady in the store recommended them to Deb and I am very grateful to her. Later on we picked up plenty more to bring home I just hope they are going to last us until November when we plan to come back for Debs birthday and the cruise to Cozumel.
We headed back towards the strip and then on to the highway for the trip south. It didnt take long to get to our first stop, which was the town of Primm on the border between Nevada and California. Not sure what to make of Primm. Was it a town? Apart from the two casinos and the factory outlet stores was there anything else? If there was anything else I didnt see it. It did have the dinkiest monorail I have ever seen running across the highway connecting the two casinos together. Terribles casino stood out because it was entwined with a really long roller coaster although we never saw it going on our way out or on our way back. I wonder who stays at Terribles or Rickety (Whiskey) Petes (the other casino) for that matter? I have decided that I will stay at least one night at some point, just to see if I can figure out what the appeal is.
The outlet centre was big, indoor (thankfully) and empty. In fact nothing had opened when we arrived so we had a quick look for the toilets. I dont know if they were as clean as the ones in Orlando as I didnt go but nobody complained so I guess they were ok. Once again we split into two groups (boys and girls) for the shopping. Nick and I went to Nike and the girls went to American Eagle just across the way. I got a good deal on a couple pairs of wide fitting trainers, which are really comfortable and makes me wonder why they dont sell wide widths back home? Is there no market or do we simply put up with what we are given? The latter I suspect. Hang on Ive just had a Eureka moment. I wonder if this is a niche opportunity staring us in the face? Certainly there is nowhere in Europe like the shoe shop we found later on in Vegas. I know they ship worldwide but buying shoes online is not ideal, as you really need to try them on and people with wide feet have every right to wear nice shoes like everyone else. I know Deb would be brilliant at running a shop like that and I know Alexandra would be good with the customers as she has first hand experience of what its like. And then one day, when she returns from working for the Mouse, we can hand her the keys to our shoe empire and retire to the desert.
Fantasy over. I guess we must have spent an hour and a half here and then got back on the road. It didn't take long for us to get back on the I15 from Primm and a couple of minutes later we were across the border into California. The first thing that struck me, apart from the Martian Landscape, was the straightness of the road for as far as the eye could see. We were also heading steadily upwards towards our first mountain range. We had read about there being signs telling you to turn the air conditioning off during these ascents but I missed them all. We did turn it off a couple of times though as the climbs took their toll on the van which began to chug halfway up them. For the next hundred miles or so the landscape through the Mojave National Preserve was barren save for the alien looking trees which turned out to be the famous Joshua tree only we didn't find that out until we got back to the UK. I think we may have a blurry picture of one from the van but on reflection it would have been nice to stop and take a good picture of these strange creatures. Other than that, the only other interesting thing on this leg of the journey was Soda Lake, which was completely flat. Yes, it was that exciting.
Baker was the first town we encountered since Primm but to be honest it seemed to consist of a Gas station, a run-down hotel, a couple of fast food outlets and a few mobile homes that had seen much better days. I wouldn't have wanted to stop there for five minutes let alone for the night, which we had discussed, I think when the original itinerary included a long drive from San Francisco back to Vegas. On second thoughts it may have been Barstow which was the next town on the map and this at least looked like it was populated. We didn't stop this time though but we did on the way back. Heading out of Barstow was another one of those long slow climbs that must have gone on for 10 to 15 miles or more. It was too hot to turn off the air conditioning so I just crossed my fingers and hoped that the van would cope. I figured that if we did break down here we would stand a good chance of survival. I think it was around this time that the drive started to get to me and I switched to auto-pilot as I don't remember much at all. Given that this was only our second full day in the States I think I was still suffering from the effects of jet-lag and long straight desert roads start to get to you after a while. I really should have asked Debra to take over at that point and I have no idea why I didnt, as I am more than comfortable as a passenger when she drives in the States. I do recall a traffic jam at one point for a weighbridge I think and I also remember seeing a sign for Los Angeles but that's about it. Looking at the map it seems that the I15 continued to LA while we joined the 215 to San Diego. It was about here that the scenery changed enough to give me an energy boost. The hills were greener for a start and there were even clouds in the sky. Actually the road down to and through San Bernardino was very pretty with plenty to look at including vineyards and wonderful mansions perched on the edges of cliffs. I'm still not sure how I would feel about living in a place like that but waking up to the view every morning must be inspiring to say the least. One of the things I hadn't really grasped before we arrived was just how mountainous Southern California is with extremely beautiful scenery. We've driven to the south of France a few times in the past and I thought that some of the scenery on that journey was spectacular but it has nothing on Southern California. There were times on the holiday, especially around Hollywood Boulevard and the Taco Bell in Vegas when I wondered what all the fuss was about and other times where I got it completely.
Although San Diego was getting closer all the time it felt like we were still creeping up on it and the last couple of hours were hard work with the kids constantly asking if we were nearly there yet. I couldn't blame them as I was desperate to stop but it was more important to get the journey over with and as it was a Friday afternoon I was also worried about hitting the rush hour in downtown San Diego. Thankfully we didn't have any problems like that and found ourselves up on the bridge heading over the bay to Coronado before realising that we were actually there I think. The weather was still sunny and the bay looked beautiful with the city skyline as a picturesque backdrop to right of us and Coronado and the Pacific Ocean in front. It was definitely something to see and a very welcome sight. I felt a little bad for everyone going in the opposite direction to us as there had been an accident on the bridge which was still being cleared up and the tailbacks stretched for miles. Luckily it didn't affect us and we made our way through the town of Coronado, past the famous Hotel Del Coronado which looks uncannily like Disney's Grand Floridian, and on to Silver Strand beach and our home for the next few days, the Loews at Coronado. The first thing to say is that approaching the hotel it looked nothing like the photos in the brochure or on the web and I know that Deb was worried but I was too tired to care at that point. We arrived at a bad time as the check-in queue was busy and there were suitcases everywhere so much so that bell services told us that we would have to wait until a trolley become available for them to help us. We unloaded the bags from the car and left them by the entrance with the kids while Deb queued. A very nice Concierge was handing out cold lemonade to everyone in the queue, which was a nice touch. I know Deb has strong opinions about this hotel so I will leave her to provide some more thoughts on our experience here.
Mark was right I really wasnt sure about the hotel when we first pulled up, but I can honestly say that there wasnt one member of staff that didnt treat you really well. Gordy one of the concierge staff was lovely, he brought everyone lemonade while waiting in line for the check- in, the pool staff were so attentive once you told them how many loungers you wanted they would take the towels and find some for you, then set them up as well. The pool bar waitresses and waiter were there every day and asked at regular intervals if you wanted anything. All in all it was a hotel that looked a little shabby but the staff more than made up for it and made it a lovely relaxing place to stay.
Check-in wasn't easy, the booking wasn't right, apparently they had a booking for two rooms but they were leaving on different days, but the nice young lady with the multiple piercings managed to find us two connecting rooms in the end although one of them wasn't quite ready. At this point we didn't care and said that we would be happy to wait in the other if they wouldn't mind giving us the keys. By now the kids had moved the luggage inside and were sitting waiting patiently in the nice comfy chairs. The hotel buildings are set in a semi-circle around the pool and are connected by a long corridor which we walked along. First impressions here weren't good for me and I was thinking the corridor was dark and the decor looked tired. The lift was also very small and bouncy, and looked like it was in desperate need of some work or a new carpet at least. The room was reasonably spacious and comfortable but also looked like it could use an update or maybe we had been spoiled by the new decor at Planet Hollywood. I don't know. All I do know is that I was happy to have arrived finally and it wasn't long before someone knocked on the door with the keys to our other room which only had the one bed and seemed much bigger even though it was probably the same size.
Deb and the kids decided to go to the pool for a swim but I was exhausted and needed to rest for a while. Deb came back up after a little while as she had just got into the pool and had a nosebleed. After an hour or so I went down to find them. Deb was sitting on a lounger with a nice thick mattress and the kids were playing in the pool. It all looked very nice and pleasant. There were a lot of families around but the kids all seemed well behaved which isn't always the case. It had been a long time since breakfast and although we'd eaten snacks in the car I was getting hungry which means the kids must have been starving. We decided to go over to the bar and see what they had to offer as there were tables and chairs next to it and the cooking smells coming from that area were very appealing to say the least. I can't remember what we ordered exactly although I think there were a couple of Quesadillas and definitely onion rings, which were very yummy. I also had an ice cold Budweiser which went down nicely. How do the American's manage to get their beers so cold? I have had Budweiser and Miller back in the UK and even when it is on tap it just doesn't compare. Perhaps the weather and location add something to the experience. There were three tennis courts below where we were sitting and a couple of families started playing while we were eating. It looked like fun so we decided that we would try and hire some rackets over the next couple of days and let the kids have a go. I think Lucy was particularly keen given her prowess with the racket at home hitting balls for the dogs to chase up the garden. Talking of the dogs we received another e-mail from Charlotte saying that they were still misbehaving. I don't know who I felt sorry for most, Charlotte or the dogs as I know she gets stressed out when things don't go exactly how she wants them to and I am sure they pick up on things like that and it probably doesn't help. I still have no idea why she volunteered to look after them. Anyway, that's another story. Friday night was film night around the pool and we watched the staff begin to set up the equipment. I don't remember what film they were showing although I think it has something to do with another bloody dog, called Firehouse Dog I think. I know, I think we were all expecting something a bit more recognisable. None of us seemed that bothered to hang around and watch so we headed up to the room and I suspect we all fell asleep pretty quickly, again. The jet lag is still with us it seems or perhaps we're just getting old.
Part 3 tomorrow
In retrospect the two-night stay at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas was too short. Another night, maybe two would have been better and I am sure the kids felt the same way. The rooms were large, with a comfortable bed, nice chairs and a 42 plasma TV with HD channels to keep us entertained when we were in the room. Had we been there in September I would have been in 7th heaven and probably wouldnt have left at all.
Jet lag wasnt as big a problem as Id thought it was going to be, although we did wake up in the early hours of our first morning before going back to sleep for a few hours. I dont think we were first in the queue for the breakfast buffet but it hadnt been open long when we arrived. I think the kids enjoyed their first experience of eating Las Vegas style - I think Nick had two plates of eggs, bacon and hash browns so its no wonder he is growing so quickly and Alex had at least one box of Fruit Loops. Lucy surprised me by wandering around the food stations helping herself like she had been doing it all her life. I've a feeling that she is going to be a very independent young lady.
After breakfast we headed straight down the strip to the Borders we spotted on our way from the airport yesterday. I picked up all of the football magazines I had been anticipating for weeks and a couple of graphic novels including the Absolute Watchmen edition that is currently selling for $250 on Amazon. A good result. The checkout clerk was very chatty and a little strange with his long fingernails. He asks if we are Doctor Who fans, I guess because we are English. He also downloads Torchwood and other Japanese animation shows, which is nice to know. Basically he is our first encounter with a geek. We would see a load more in San Diego.
We leave Borders and head to a Walmart, which we find without any trouble whatsoever. I dont know if it was the same one that we found on our first visit but it was pretty good i.e. everyone managed to find something new to wear (except for poor Lucy who had been kitted out in the UK). As usual Nick and myself headed off to sort out the boys while Deb and Alex did their thing. We convened at the changing rooms where a rather full trolley was piled with clothes and underwear. $500 lighter we decided it was time to go back to the hotel for a swim.
The two swimming pools at Planet Hollywood are on the 6th floor overlooking the strip. The area is concreted with a not much shade beyond a few parasols. It is blistering hot and my first thought is that I am not going to be able to cope with it. We find a spot below one of the pool, take our shoes off and head up the stairs. The floor is literally burning the soles of my feet and I am sure we would have had no problem frying an egg, if we had one. The pool was disappointing for me as it was only 4ft at its deepest. I think the pool at Caesars did go to 5ft in places but apart from the Roosevelt (10ft) where typically I didnt swim, relatively shallow pools were a theme of the holiday. I guess they are safer for kids and it was nice that Lucy didnt need arm bands. The majority of guests werent there for the water anyway as it was more about looking good around the pool rather than in it. There was a group of five or six Asian girls who were sitting on the edge of the pool and were pretty hot as in dancer or stripper hot. I did my best not to be too distracted (honest Deb) and concentrated on playing with the kids and taking a few snapshots for the photo album.
Even in the water I could feel my shoulders and head burning and it wasnt a pleasant burn, more of a sting actually, so I dont think we stayed in for that long much to Lucys displeasure (more about that later). Nick and I made sure we were in the shade while Deb and Alex had their first attempt at changing colour. We ordered a couple of frozen margaritas from a waitress and they went down a treat. It was pretty windy at times and it felt just like the oven door analogy that we had joked about back home. After about an hour, maybe a bit longer I decided Id had enough for today and so Alex, Nick and I went back to the room. Lucy wanted another swim, and as she hadnt been in the pool the day before, I think Deb felt a little guilty and decided to go back into the pool with her. I dont know what happened exactly as I wasnt there but apparently there was an altercation at the pool between a couple of groups and so Deb decided it was best to leave when the security people arrived. They were still there trying to sort things out when she got back to the room and told us about it. In fact they were there for ages.
At one point during the planning stages of this holiday I thought that we might be able to see a show this night even though Deb had said there was no chance. Getting back from the pool mid afternoon I knew she was right as I felt like I could have slept there and then but I also knew that wasnt an option as I would be up all night and we had a long drive to San Diego the next morning. In an attempt to keep away we got changed and went to the Miracle Mile shops, which is a mall that circles the hotel. Our first stop was Build-a-Bear, which I thought would be a relatively quick and painless experience as we were only choosing a new outfit for Ellie which is Lucys bear that had accompanied us from the UK. I hadnt bargained on there being so many choices and with choices come decisions and that is not a strongpoint for the women in our family. Nick and I leave them to it, wander around a bit and then sit down and wait... and wait.
When they finally managed to drag themselves out of Build-a-bear we visit the largest Ugg shop in the States, which is a statement that we discover later in the holiday to be untrue. I wonder if they know? I wonder if the Ugg outlet in Camarillo have sufficient grounds to sue? I think Deb tried on some ugly Ugg cowboy boots but couldnt get them on, luckily. Had she managed to get them on and liked them I wouldnt have said anything, as I know she has been after something like them for ages but I am glad they didnt fit as we found much better boots later. Alex liked the grey boots but didnt try them on, I have no idea why, but ended up buying them from another store when we came back to Vegas. I think we were all tired at that point and starting to get a little irritable (I know I was). We sat outside Steve Wyrick (the magicians) theatre and, while I secretly fantasized with the idea of being awake enough to see him that night, discussed our food options as it had been a long time since breakfast. These were fairly limited because I didnt have the patience to do a restaurant and those in the immediate vicinity didnt appeal. In the end we plumped for what we knew, so Sbarro it was. Unfortunately the pizza was horrible, way too crispy on the base and pretty tasteless, plus the side of herb potatoes that we ordered were undercooked. I don't know how the others felt but they didn't look inspired. We all got on with it and made the best of a bad deal I think. To be honest I just wanted a soft pillow at that point.
On our way back to the hotel entrance we thought about going over the road to the Bellagio to get tickets to see O for when we come back in 10 days or so. I exit the mall and the temperature is blazing hot. The thought of crossing over and walking up the long slope to the Bellagios entrance is too much for me today. I know Deb is upset and I feel bad about it but I was also relieved to be back inside. Deb stops at the Clinique store on our way back to the Casino entrance for some stuff for her and Charlotte. I dont know what exactly as I am doing my best to stay awake outside. We also look in the Planet Hollywood shop and Alex finds at least two t-shirts that she wants. Im not sure whether she buys one of them today or we do it the next morning before leaving. Either way I remember there being controversy over the choice as the one she liked wasnt the one we preferred and so she went with our choice rather than hers even though we told her to go with the other one. Teenagers (and husbands) can be hard work sometimes. We make our way through the casino to the lifts and back up to the rooms for the evening. I honestly cant remember what else we did that evening except sleep.
Las Vegas to San Diego
Checkout from the Planet Hollywood was painless and it didnt take too long for the van to arrive so that we could load up. Boy was it warm and a lot stickier than I remember. The bellboy loading up our van was sweating profusely. He asked me where we were going and when I told him San Diego he rolled his eyes and said, I wish I was going with you. It makes me wonder why some people choose to stay in the desert when they are so uncomfortable. I dont think I could but then again if I were given the choice between Vegas and Ashford maybe Id get used to it. I certainly coped with it better when we returned, even when it got real hot. I think it was a drier heat then.
On our way out of town we stopped at a Walgreens for water supplies. Deb went in with Nick while I played with the radio, which found stations according to the type of music you select, i.e. rock, country, Latin, rap, R&B, etc. Very neat but it didnt always work. It would have been nice to have satellite radio as we then could have listened to the NFL channel for the next 6 hours or so. It would have made the time go quicker for me but Im not sure how everyone else would have felt. Deb and Nick returned with one of the finds of the holiday for people like me who dont always like the taste of water, especially in the States where it definitely has a flavour. Wylers Light is a sugar-free powder that you add to a bottle of water. A few shakes later and voila, it tastes like still lemonade, pink lemonade, sun splash orange, cool raspberry, etc. Apparently a lady in the store recommended them to Deb and I am very grateful to her. Later on we picked up plenty more to bring home I just hope they are going to last us until November when we plan to come back for Debs birthday and the cruise to Cozumel.
We headed back towards the strip and then on to the highway for the trip south. It didnt take long to get to our first stop, which was the town of Primm on the border between Nevada and California. Not sure what to make of Primm. Was it a town? Apart from the two casinos and the factory outlet stores was there anything else? If there was anything else I didnt see it. It did have the dinkiest monorail I have ever seen running across the highway connecting the two casinos together. Terribles casino stood out because it was entwined with a really long roller coaster although we never saw it going on our way out or on our way back. I wonder who stays at Terribles or Rickety (Whiskey) Petes (the other casino) for that matter? I have decided that I will stay at least one night at some point, just to see if I can figure out what the appeal is.
The outlet centre was big, indoor (thankfully) and empty. In fact nothing had opened when we arrived so we had a quick look for the toilets. I dont know if they were as clean as the ones in Orlando as I didnt go but nobody complained so I guess they were ok. Once again we split into two groups (boys and girls) for the shopping. Nick and I went to Nike and the girls went to American Eagle just across the way. I got a good deal on a couple pairs of wide fitting trainers, which are really comfortable and makes me wonder why they dont sell wide widths back home? Is there no market or do we simply put up with what we are given? The latter I suspect. Hang on Ive just had a Eureka moment. I wonder if this is a niche opportunity staring us in the face? Certainly there is nowhere in Europe like the shoe shop we found later on in Vegas. I know they ship worldwide but buying shoes online is not ideal, as you really need to try them on and people with wide feet have every right to wear nice shoes like everyone else. I know Deb would be brilliant at running a shop like that and I know Alexandra would be good with the customers as she has first hand experience of what its like. And then one day, when she returns from working for the Mouse, we can hand her the keys to our shoe empire and retire to the desert.
Fantasy over. I guess we must have spent an hour and a half here and then got back on the road. It didn't take long for us to get back on the I15 from Primm and a couple of minutes later we were across the border into California. The first thing that struck me, apart from the Martian Landscape, was the straightness of the road for as far as the eye could see. We were also heading steadily upwards towards our first mountain range. We had read about there being signs telling you to turn the air conditioning off during these ascents but I missed them all. We did turn it off a couple of times though as the climbs took their toll on the van which began to chug halfway up them. For the next hundred miles or so the landscape through the Mojave National Preserve was barren save for the alien looking trees which turned out to be the famous Joshua tree only we didn't find that out until we got back to the UK. I think we may have a blurry picture of one from the van but on reflection it would have been nice to stop and take a good picture of these strange creatures. Other than that, the only other interesting thing on this leg of the journey was Soda Lake, which was completely flat. Yes, it was that exciting.
Baker was the first town we encountered since Primm but to be honest it seemed to consist of a Gas station, a run-down hotel, a couple of fast food outlets and a few mobile homes that had seen much better days. I wouldn't have wanted to stop there for five minutes let alone for the night, which we had discussed, I think when the original itinerary included a long drive from San Francisco back to Vegas. On second thoughts it may have been Barstow which was the next town on the map and this at least looked like it was populated. We didn't stop this time though but we did on the way back. Heading out of Barstow was another one of those long slow climbs that must have gone on for 10 to 15 miles or more. It was too hot to turn off the air conditioning so I just crossed my fingers and hoped that the van would cope. I figured that if we did break down here we would stand a good chance of survival. I think it was around this time that the drive started to get to me and I switched to auto-pilot as I don't remember much at all. Given that this was only our second full day in the States I think I was still suffering from the effects of jet-lag and long straight desert roads start to get to you after a while. I really should have asked Debra to take over at that point and I have no idea why I didnt, as I am more than comfortable as a passenger when she drives in the States. I do recall a traffic jam at one point for a weighbridge I think and I also remember seeing a sign for Los Angeles but that's about it. Looking at the map it seems that the I15 continued to LA while we joined the 215 to San Diego. It was about here that the scenery changed enough to give me an energy boost. The hills were greener for a start and there were even clouds in the sky. Actually the road down to and through San Bernardino was very pretty with plenty to look at including vineyards and wonderful mansions perched on the edges of cliffs. I'm still not sure how I would feel about living in a place like that but waking up to the view every morning must be inspiring to say the least. One of the things I hadn't really grasped before we arrived was just how mountainous Southern California is with extremely beautiful scenery. We've driven to the south of France a few times in the past and I thought that some of the scenery on that journey was spectacular but it has nothing on Southern California. There were times on the holiday, especially around Hollywood Boulevard and the Taco Bell in Vegas when I wondered what all the fuss was about and other times where I got it completely.
Although San Diego was getting closer all the time it felt like we were still creeping up on it and the last couple of hours were hard work with the kids constantly asking if we were nearly there yet. I couldn't blame them as I was desperate to stop but it was more important to get the journey over with and as it was a Friday afternoon I was also worried about hitting the rush hour in downtown San Diego. Thankfully we didn't have any problems like that and found ourselves up on the bridge heading over the bay to Coronado before realising that we were actually there I think. The weather was still sunny and the bay looked beautiful with the city skyline as a picturesque backdrop to right of us and Coronado and the Pacific Ocean in front. It was definitely something to see and a very welcome sight. I felt a little bad for everyone going in the opposite direction to us as there had been an accident on the bridge which was still being cleared up and the tailbacks stretched for miles. Luckily it didn't affect us and we made our way through the town of Coronado, past the famous Hotel Del Coronado which looks uncannily like Disney's Grand Floridian, and on to Silver Strand beach and our home for the next few days, the Loews at Coronado. The first thing to say is that approaching the hotel it looked nothing like the photos in the brochure or on the web and I know that Deb was worried but I was too tired to care at that point. We arrived at a bad time as the check-in queue was busy and there were suitcases everywhere so much so that bell services told us that we would have to wait until a trolley become available for them to help us. We unloaded the bags from the car and left them by the entrance with the kids while Deb queued. A very nice Concierge was handing out cold lemonade to everyone in the queue, which was a nice touch. I know Deb has strong opinions about this hotel so I will leave her to provide some more thoughts on our experience here.
Mark was right I really wasnt sure about the hotel when we first pulled up, but I can honestly say that there wasnt one member of staff that didnt treat you really well. Gordy one of the concierge staff was lovely, he brought everyone lemonade while waiting in line for the check- in, the pool staff were so attentive once you told them how many loungers you wanted they would take the towels and find some for you, then set them up as well. The pool bar waitresses and waiter were there every day and asked at regular intervals if you wanted anything. All in all it was a hotel that looked a little shabby but the staff more than made up for it and made it a lovely relaxing place to stay.
Check-in wasn't easy, the booking wasn't right, apparently they had a booking for two rooms but they were leaving on different days, but the nice young lady with the multiple piercings managed to find us two connecting rooms in the end although one of them wasn't quite ready. At this point we didn't care and said that we would be happy to wait in the other if they wouldn't mind giving us the keys. By now the kids had moved the luggage inside and were sitting waiting patiently in the nice comfy chairs. The hotel buildings are set in a semi-circle around the pool and are connected by a long corridor which we walked along. First impressions here weren't good for me and I was thinking the corridor was dark and the decor looked tired. The lift was also very small and bouncy, and looked like it was in desperate need of some work or a new carpet at least. The room was reasonably spacious and comfortable but also looked like it could use an update or maybe we had been spoiled by the new decor at Planet Hollywood. I don't know. All I do know is that I was happy to have arrived finally and it wasn't long before someone knocked on the door with the keys to our other room which only had the one bed and seemed much bigger even though it was probably the same size.
Deb and the kids decided to go to the pool for a swim but I was exhausted and needed to rest for a while. Deb came back up after a little while as she had just got into the pool and had a nosebleed. After an hour or so I went down to find them. Deb was sitting on a lounger with a nice thick mattress and the kids were playing in the pool. It all looked very nice and pleasant. There were a lot of families around but the kids all seemed well behaved which isn't always the case. It had been a long time since breakfast and although we'd eaten snacks in the car I was getting hungry which means the kids must have been starving. We decided to go over to the bar and see what they had to offer as there were tables and chairs next to it and the cooking smells coming from that area were very appealing to say the least. I can't remember what we ordered exactly although I think there were a couple of Quesadillas and definitely onion rings, which were very yummy. I also had an ice cold Budweiser which went down nicely. How do the American's manage to get their beers so cold? I have had Budweiser and Miller back in the UK and even when it is on tap it just doesn't compare. Perhaps the weather and location add something to the experience. There were three tennis courts below where we were sitting and a couple of families started playing while we were eating. It looked like fun so we decided that we would try and hire some rackets over the next couple of days and let the kids have a go. I think Lucy was particularly keen given her prowess with the racket at home hitting balls for the dogs to chase up the garden. Talking of the dogs we received another e-mail from Charlotte saying that they were still misbehaving. I don't know who I felt sorry for most, Charlotte or the dogs as I know she gets stressed out when things don't go exactly how she wants them to and I am sure they pick up on things like that and it probably doesn't help. I still have no idea why she volunteered to look after them. Anyway, that's another story. Friday night was film night around the pool and we watched the staff begin to set up the equipment. I don't remember what film they were showing although I think it has something to do with another bloody dog, called Firehouse Dog I think. I know, I think we were all expecting something a bit more recognisable. None of us seemed that bothered to hang around and watch so we headed up to the room and I suspect we all fell asleep pretty quickly, again. The jet lag is still with us it seems or perhaps we're just getting old.
Part 3 tomorrow
