Accommodation ideas Vegas/Yosemite/Lake Tahoe/San Francisco

[kath6144]

We are starting to put together an itinerary for trip to USA in July, myself, DH, DS19 & DD17. We so far are looking at flying into Vegas, doing Grand canyon south rim, then up to Yosemite via Death valley, maybe a trip to Lake Tahoe and onto San Francisco.

Can anyone recommend accommodation in any of these places, hotels/motels/lodges? A friend did something similar last year, so have got some recommendations but she didnt stay in all same places.

Also, any places we should add to the itinerary, and advise on how many nights at each place? We are planning 3 weeks so dont need to rush, but may add somewhere onto the end (DC angling for Hawaii!)

special - yes I had realised, thinking it through, that SF would be better done first, to get over Jet lag and also Hawaii was best left!

Where would you suggest staying enroute from Yosemite to Las Vegas? The route via DV seems to be the shortest route but happy to do another route. We would want 1, if not 2, stopover nights to cut down on mileage per day.

And what would be a suitable base for Yosemite - we wish to be in that areas for a few nights?

We flew into SF and picked up a hire car at the airport. We landed about 4pm so checked into a nearby motel for the night. Had a walk around locally for dinner then had an early night due to being shattered with jet lag. This meant we were awake by 4am so we set off for Vegas then. No traffic as it was early morning, and we got into Yosemite just as dawn was breaking. Breathtaking scenery.

We did a round trip over 15 days and came back from Vegas via LA then up the PCH which is an amazing drive with loads of really great places to stop along the way.

We have just come back from exactly the same holiday! Only we went up a bit higher into Eureka to visit family. We just winged it and stayed in motels, all straight forward and easy. The only place we struggled in was San Francisco. We struggled to find anywhere,so headed to the airport area,and sat for an hour in traffic on the Bay Bridge. Yosemite was shut as they were fixing the roads after a recent storm. The redwoods are our most favourite place to visit. We crapped ourselves on the mountain roads though! Have a lovely time.

We did 3 weeks tour last August September

our route was Vegas 2 nights Westgate
Flagstaff - The Courtyard 2 nights
Grand Canyon- North rim Lodge
Vegas 1 night Westgate
Bishop- Ramada
Yosemite - airbnb3 nights
San francisco - Handelry 4 nights
Monteray- Hilton Farden Inn
Santa Barbara- Sandpiper Lodge
LA - Anaheim Majestic
San Diego Wyndham Bayside

The place we stayed in Yosemite was not in the and a little dated,but we loved it and the host was excellent. It was in Wawona. I would book yosemite very soon as it gets full quick.

forgot 2 night in LA and 3 nights in San Diego. We also did the Grand Canyon airplane/ antelope canyon and rafting tour from Flagstaff.
My dc were 20 and 18 when we went

We stayed at Coventry motor inn in San Francisco. Book tickets for Alcatraz asap

We did a California trip a couple of years ago. It was magical.

In Yosemite we stayed in a log cabin in camp curry. It was lovely and meant that we didn't have to drive to go for a walk. We went in August so booked 1 year and 1 day in advance but when we were there it was obvious that there were cancellations so worth a try. Yosemite was as gorgeous as you'd think and was a highlight of the trip.

We stayed in the Bellagio in Vegas which was gorgeous. It's much cheaper midweek. I didn't like Vegas much, I've been before twenty odd years ago and didn't like it much then either. It's mainly hotels and that's it (I didn't like Dubai for the same reason) but DSis loves it so each to their own. There are pimps everywhere handing out cards even to DH when he was walking with DD who was 10 at the time.

At the Grand Canyon we stayed at Kachina Lodge. We paid for a Canyon side room but it was ground floor with no view which was a disappointment! If I had my time again I'd stay at the El Tovar Hotel next door. Are you fit walkers? If so, years ago I did the hike down to Bright Angel lodge and then back up again the following morning. Again we were told that you had to book a year in advance but got cancellations. Amazing but very very hard. They get you up at 4am to allow you to climb out before it gets too hot.

In San Francisco we stayed at the Wyndham Canterbury which was ok but you get roped into a free breakfast which is a timeshare hard sell which is annoying. A hotel in the Fishermans wharf area would have been handier. If you want to go to Alcatraz (very atmospheric) you need to book in advance too.

We didn't do Lake Yahoe but friends did and loved it so I'm jealous. Wish we could afford to go again! Have a fab time! Xx

Yahoe???? Tahoe!

there is a big legal case going on in Yosemite at the moment and they have had to change the names of places as a company has copyrighted the names.Camp Curry isnt Camp Curry at the moment.

iI would recommend the private evening tour for Alcatraz. it is a little more expensive but worth it.Our tourguide Laurie Brosnan was excellent

Thanks again for the posts and suggested hotels, I am taking everything on board.

Bruffin - how did you find the drive from Las Vegas to Yosemite with only one overnight stay, I was thinking we would need 2? Which route did you go?

We did SF to Vegas with only one stop so Vegas to Yosemite would be really easy. It's a very straightforward drive.

I second the twilight Alcatraz your too, it is really eerie. Wrap up for the boat as its chilly on the bay.

We stayed in a fantastic large yurt just outside Yosemite. Do try and book to walk down the Grand Canyon. We camped at the bottom for the night and ate at the accommodation down there. Climbed backup the next day. Fantastic.

It was long,but we stopped off Death Valley and Fire Valley, then stayed Bishòp, went to the Bishop train museum in the morning and stayed a lot longer than expected. Really dont think you need an extra night. We did arrive in Bishop late and it was quite hairy driving a twisty mountain road in the dark with rabbits and foxes jumping out at you but. The hotel was a basic motel type, but we were given breakfast. There is a big bakery in Bishop where it is worth picking up provision for Yosemite.

DH recommends also getting a big map. We had a satnav but looking at the map does give you a better perspective of where you are.

the airbnb in yosemite

Bruffin - that link is just taking me to generic airbnb site, not specific Yosemite airbnb?

abnb.me/EVmg/7CNFtpw9Lz
try this

Bishop train museum is surprisingly good. We stopped in bison overnight and it was a good place to stop. Stayed in the lodge in Death Valley too. Two nights in Grand Canyon is enough if you aren't hiking all the way to stay in the valley bottom.

I'd agree 1 night in Vegas is probably enough -1/2 day wandering up the strip and then seeing a show ( we saw the Blue man show- v. Good) and yes to getting a big map to get your bearings rather than just sat nav .

It is unlikely you will get into a hotel in Yosemite if you have not already booked, but there are some decent motels just outside. If you have the time take in Bryce canyoun and Zion National Parks.
Trump Tower in Vegas is a good hotel (honest!). No casinos or shows, just one bar/dining room, so no hoards of revellers interupting your downtime - very restful after the madness of the strip. The suites are good value and come with kitchen/diners and the biggest bathroom I have ever seen - our suite had two.
Shopping mall directlt opposite the hotel with masses of stores and a small supermarket.
Was not impressed with Trailfinders, did it ourselves. The brochures were good for drivetimes though.
Remember to book accommodation with laundry facilities though!

The bakery in bishop is absolutely fantastic!!

Crispbutty, you're talking about Schat's Bakery unless I miss my guess.

We live in No California. We RV and usually take Hwy 395 down the east side of the Sierras if we're headed to LA as it's such a nice drive.

OP, from Vegas you can take NV160 to CA190 which will take you through Death Valley to US395. It'll be too hot in July in DV to do more than stop, get out at Stovepipe Wells and say "It's hot!", get back in the car and go.

Good places to think of overnighting are Lone Pine (Alabama Hills where lots of movies were filmed), Bishop (the aforementioned Schat's) and Lee Vining (Mono Lake). If you want to see Bodie, it's about 35 miles further north (then east) from Lee Vining. I think it's well worth the time but figure 1 hour each way due to the nature of the road and at least 3-4 hours to see Bodie itself.

The total drive (excluding Bodie) from LV to Yosemite Valley via Tioga Pass is about 420 miles. Drive time is around 9 hours with no stops. So plan on taking longer as you'll want to stop frequently and take pictures.

For Hwy 1, it's about 5 hours (230 mi) straight drive from SF to San Simeon (Hearst Castle), but in actuality it takes much longer as there's so much to see. Consider driving and staying in either Santa Cruz or Monterey 2 nights (lots to see and do, the teens will love SC Beach Boardwalk!) then continuing on to San Simeon for Hearst Castle, and overnight near there. You can continue on to Santa Barbara if you want, it's a lovely town.

Thanks Across - lots of good info there, including road numbers and timings, which are hard to estimate.

We had already thought that 2 nights near monterey would be good, which is the better of Monterey and Santa Cruz for hotels?

We didnt have enough time in Monterey because ds left passports in a diner an hour away and we had to go back for them. I do recommed the Hilton Garden. They have a firepit by the pool where you can make smores in the evening. They put out all the ingredients, and lovely home made cookies in reception. We wish we had stopped off between Monteray and Santa Barabara as that was a very long drive.