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Californian Adventure

glasgowtolondonglasgowtolondon member
First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
in Honeymoon Discussions
My H and I went away for a few days after our wedding in October, but always had plans to go away somewhere further afield for 2wks later. We have 2wks booked off in the first half of Feb and have sort of decided on California as our destination. We want to ski for 4 days or so and then on to.....somewhere else! We have found flights into Reno and out of either San Fran or LA for an absolute steal, so am open to either. Does anyone have any advice for what/where is a must visit in California to help us plan our trip? Anyone been to Lake Tahoe skiing before - tips very welcome! 
             
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Re: Californian Adventure

  • WinstonsGirlWinstonsGirl member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    What do you want to do??  Cali is pretty big.  We loved San Francisco.  We spent 4 full days there and felt there was still more to see/do.  It's cooler, windier and rainier than further south.  But you're also in/near wine country, so you can do some daily drives and wine tastings too  

    LA gives you Disney, Universal Studios and other theme parks.  You can also hit the beaches too, since it's much warmer.  You could technically do both, though you'd have to figure out getting between the 2 cities (6 hour drive).  I know there's more to do there, but that's always been the big attraction in LA in my mind.  

    Anyway, there's way more than that, but that's most of what we have done.  

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  • climbingsingleclimbingsingle member
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    I've been to San Fran a few times for work and I have loved it. It's a great, fun city with a lot of good food. The last time we were there, H and I got a car and drove to Napa. I cannot recommend this enough. We had a blast. The wineries are great! 
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  • InLoveInQueensInLoveInQueens member
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    I thought you wanted tips on Disneyland :P
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  • glasgowtolondonglasgowtolondon member
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    Other than the skiing in Tahoe we don't really have any concrete plans so we're open to whatever. I'm really leaning towards San Fran, I'm not even sure why but I feel like it might be to do with seeing the cool trams in Mrs Doubtfire  :D

    Ooh I could be persuaded to venture to Napa for lots of wine I'll have to look into that! Did you stay in napa for a time or stay based in SF and drive out to the wineries @climbingwife ?

    I've been to Disney in Florida a while back, and TBH that's enough for me! @InLoveInQueens
                 
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  • redwoodoriginalredwoodoriginal member
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    You could do the pacific coast highway road trip from sf to sd
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  • STARMOON44STARMOON44 member
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    I hate San Francisco, just for diversity of opinions. It's dirty and ugly and the food scene is irritating. I'd fly from Tahoe to LA, rent a car, and drive to SF, stopping in Santa Barbara for a night or two, see the Hearst Castle, spend a night in Big Sur, visit Carmel and Monterey. Vineyards, spectacular scenery, truly incredible. And then spend like a day in SF before flying out. 
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  • climbingsingleclimbingsingle member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    glasgowtolondon said:
    Other than the skiing in Tahoe we don't really have any concrete plans so we're open to whatever. I'm really leaning towards San Fran, I'm not even sure why but I feel like it might be to do with seeing the cool trams in Mrs Doubtfire  :D

    Ooh I could be persuaded to venture to Napa for lots of wine I'll have to look into that! Did you stay in napa for a time or stay based in SF and drive out to the wineries @climbingwife ?


    We actually didn't get to stay in Napa. I wish we could have! We just went for the day, as we had to fly back home the next day. Since it was a work trip, I had a room booked at the Westin in San Fran near the convention center. If I went back, I would most definitely rent an Airbnb in Napa/Sonoma. I believe the drive from San Fran to Napa was over an hour. Maybe 90 minutes? It was a few years ago. 
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  • kahluakoalakahluakoala member
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    Lake Tahoe is fantastic! 

    If I were to do this I would rent a car and drive from SF down the coast, that way you can stop at the cities. I recommend you don't forget about San Diego even if it's a bit further south. IMO it has more character than LA and has more beautiful beaches / nature. If you're going during the winter, which it seems is likely since you mention skiing, you likely won't be able to just lounge at the beach or swim in the water (it'll be a bit too cold), but you can definitely spend tons of time outside exploring.

    California is a super diverse state, big cities, lots of nature, deserts, mountains, etc, so whatever you're interested in you can go for.
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  • glasgowtolondonglasgowtolondon member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    @KahluaKoala I really can't wait, it looks so beautiful. I've never properly been to a ski resort before so I am very excited about that part! 

    I just booked flights and think we're going to tweak the plan slightly. We will stay in Tahoe for a few, then pick up a car and drive to San Francisco. We'll spend a couple of days there, a couple of days in Napa drinking all.the.wine. @climbingwife someone from work advised me to do the same, she raved about it so wine country is a definite! After Napa we think we might jump back in the car and drive over to Vegas through Yosemite and Death Valley. Take the real scenic route and take in some of the amazing national parks before a bit of partying in Vegas. So in the end it's not a totally californian adventure. I'm so excited!
                 
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  • ernursejernursej member
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    Napa/Sonoma was one of my favourite trips we've done. We stayed for 5 nights but I could have happily stayed for double the amount of time. I think you will really enjoy yourself! Check out Three Amigos winery (they have a shop in the center square). Amazing chocolate port!
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  • Alaska_RockGirlAlaska_RockGirl member
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    My FI and I are thinking San Francisco/Napa too, in August for about a week. We were hoping to avoid renting a car so we can both enjoy the wine, and put the money we save from not having a car towards our lodging. Is it possible to do something like that?
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  • STARMOON44STARMOON44 member
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    Alaska_RockGirl said:
    My FI and I are thinking San Francisco/Napa too, in August for about a week. We were hoping to avoid renting a car so we can both enjoy the wine, and put the money we save from not having a car towards our lodging. Is it possible to do something like that?
    Yes, but I'm not sure you'll save any money. The vineyards aren't really accessible by public transit so you'll need to look at bus tours/taxis/hiring a car and driver etc to really get around. There are definitely good options but you won't be saving much money. 

    for your days in the city you definitely don't need a car. 
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  • ernursejernursej member
    First Answer First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its
    STARMOON44 said:
    Alaska_RockGirl said:
    My FI and I are thinking San Francisco/Napa too, in August for about a week. We were hoping to avoid renting a car so we can both enjoy the wine, and put the money we save from not having a car towards our lodging. Is it possible to do something like that?
    Yes, but I'm not sure you'll save any money. The vineyards aren't really accessible by public transit so you'll need to look at bus tours/taxis/hiring a car and driver etc to really get around. There are definitely good options but you won't be saving much money. 

    for your days in the city you definitely don't need a car. 
    Pedal bikes work!
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