Lake Tahoe and San Francisco holiday. Where to start?

[mckenzie]

We've decided that this is where we'd like to go. DH and DS are keen to visit Alcatraz. I'd like to re visit San Francisco and then chill at Lake Tahoe. We need golf courses and perhaps some wine tasting too.

Any recommendations for where to start booking this trip? I'm at a complete loss

Can't help but hope you don't mind me piggybacking on your thread. Interested to see peoples recommendations as we've booked our flights to go in October. I really want to see Alcatraz and walk across the Golden Gate bridge. As you've been before what are the 'must sees' in the city? I fancy going to Yosemite too.

We're flying into San Francisco this summer for three days before heading South. We are booking Alcatraz, through our travel agent, but must chase that as haven't heard and apparently it gets booked up really early. The segway tours are supposed to be excellent so will be doing that, and cycling across Golden Gate Bridge.

It can be cold enough to need sweatshirts, I remember.

We have been to that area before, and highlights were Alcatraz, truly memorable, camping in Yosemite and wine tasting. We did go to Lake Tahoe but I don't remember too much about it.

It will be amazing, have fun.

No problem NCiS but it was in the 80s that I went to San Fran so I can't remember much.

Throughthickandthin, how did you choose your holiday before?
I just don't know where to start

We visited Lake Tahoe in 1986 and stayed in South Lake Tahoe City.

What a dump!

It is near the Nevada border and the place was tacky and full of seedy motels with waterbeds and adult movies. We drove alongside the lake the next morning and finally got to see how beautiful it could be when we got to Emerald Bay.

Sorry to hear that Bunbaker. I guess it might have changed since then

We have been to California 4 times, my fav place on Earth! If you do one thing in SF ride the cable cars, its a must........so iconic! Alcatraz does get booked up months in advance so just do it online asap. We have toured lots of areas, it all depends on how much time you have because distances are deceptive in the US. From SF you can cross over to Saulsilito then spend a couple of days in the wine country, Sonoma would be my choice, hire a bike there and do the Silverado trail to the wineries, great fun! If you are going up to Tahoe stop at Columbia enroute, fun gold mining town and ride the Wells Fargo stage coach! Tahoe is lovely but as another poster said some parts are tacky! Have you bought any guide books? My fav was always the Rough Guide, found some amazing off the track place through it. I`d go tomorrow if I had the money, I get such a buzz out of the West Coast. Last time we went was in 2007, toured for 4 weeks with 9 yr old triplets!! Booked everything myself and stayed in some quirky amazing places!! Have fun!

We did SF in June 2010. Stayed at the Hotel Majestic on Sutter Street (fab old four star, survived the earthquake, Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Haviland uaed to live there). Didn't book Alcatraz, just bought tickets theday before. Creepy, but I highly recommend it. Chilly inside the cells!

We cycled over GGB onour first day, and all round Sausalito, saw the floating houseboats, really nice. Sad to find out Sausalito doesn't actually mean 'little sausage'.

We didn't do vineyards, but hired a Mustang - cliché! - and went south: Big Sur, Santa Cruz, Monteray, Carmel. Then north to: Bodega (where they filmed The Birds) and some other little places that were very pretty, byt not tourist destinations, iyswim (Jenner, Timber Cove, Guerneville).

I'd recommend, in SF, going up the CoitTower (correct name?). Woman used to set fires as she had a fireman fetish, when she died she built a rather phallic tower in honour of them!!

We'd go back to SF in a heartbeat. We even looked at living there for a year! It's a very special city and has a special place in my heart

Thank you so much for those messages.
I'm inspired now to,sit down with DH and plan. First I will go out and buy a guide book thogh. We've never done this type of holiday before and planned it ourselves so we need all the help we can get

definitely book Alcatraz well in advance ( before you leave) - we nearly missed out as we thought you could just rock up and pay to go!

McKenzie- it's really easy to DIY with all the information in the Internet.

First book your flights and hire car (include Sat Nav, it will help enormously!)

Then Google hotels /resorts in both locations, look up Tripadvidor, see if there are deals on sites like Hotels.com. Or look up homes to rent via sites like Homeaway.com which might be cheaper if you need more than one hotel room, especially as you will be out of high season.

Then book up tours or attractions in advance so you don't need to faff around when you are there. I like spreadsheets!

oh thank you homebythesea.

You've inspired me - I will do this!!!
Tonight. Watch this space.

"take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd...."

Happy memories

what time of year, OP?

and what kind of chilling out do you want to do? There may be better places than Lake Tahoe.

A bit late to this one..but we went to SF area in August 2008 for 3wks with a three yr old and a 12mth old.

We spent a few nights in SF then round two weeks at Donner Lake, (it's a small lake about two/three hours drive from SF - we have relatives there) it was great, lovely swimming and a small sandy beach though I think the beach was run by a club just for residents and their guests?)

We did a couple of day-trips out to Lake Tahoe too which was also nice and a ride up to Heavenly Ski resort, which was a fun ride in cable car for the three year old and the views of the lake were stunning.

We did a couple of nights at Monterey Bay to see the world famous aquarium (that is fantastic - highly recommend it!) and a drive along the Big Sur with a stop at Carmel which is all very pretty. I would like to have gone on a whale watching trip from Monterey but it wasn't practical with such young children (very early start, several hours on a boat and no guarantee of seeing anything!)

Alcatraz was a great day out, the audio tour is brilliant, very atmospheric, there are good views of the bay - we didn't book though, just turned up and paid at the kiosk an hour before - perhaps we were lucky?

Some of our party went on a trip down the Truckee river near Donner including my 3yr old (I stayed behind with baby!), I hear it's quite tame (certainly not white water rafting!), so depends on how old your son is, but the kids in our group liked it, they give you water pistols to squirt at each other etc.

If you visit Donner Lake and your Son likes a little Horrible Histories type stuff, you can go to a museum to learn about the tragic "Donner Party' (Google it!) It's a good way to learn about how incredibly tough the lives were for settlers back in the days of the gold rush etc... Anyway, I am rambling, sorry! Hope this gives you some ideas...