Originally Posted by
darthbimmer
Sometimes the best deals can be booked months in advance; other times the best deals appear at the last minute. What I would do in a situation like this is book a refundable rate now via each hotel's website. That guarantees you have a place to stay and lets you plan your budget. Then, check back every month or so to see if a better rate is available. A few days to a week before your stay try the bidding sites like Priceline as hotels often dump excess inventory at the last minute.
Also, I recommend you check in the forums for the states and cities you're visiting for tips on where (what part of the city/area) to stay and how much is reasonable to pay.
Very good advice. Most hotel bookings can be canceled up until a day or two in advance...sometimes even on the same day. Just make sure that is the case with whatever you want to book. In addition, you may actually get the best rates booking far in advance or find that rooms at popular hotels or that nice rental houses get booked up months in advance, particularly during the summer.
One more piece of advice: Bring fairly warm clothes if you'll be spending any time in SF or parts of the northern California coast in August. We sometimes get beautiful weather that time of year, but it also can be completely fogged in for much or all of the day, with temperatures as low as 10 degrees celsius. (Lots of micro-climates here, particularly during the summer...it can be foggy in SF but hot and sunny just a few miles inland to the east.) Las Vegas, in contrast, will be broiling.
These weather warnings aside, California is great and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip.