TWA884

Except during the high season, I find that I get much better deals booking at the last minute (generally on the day of arrival and rarely earlier than the day before). I generally use the Hotwire and/or Booking.com mobile apps to search for available rooms.

MADPhil

A RAV4 size of crossover would be fine and give you a bit more visibility but it is a narrow and windy road. On the other hand, you aren't going to be driving fast (unless you like hitting walls or falling off cliffs).

The_Bouncer

Er no - hitting walls or falling off cliffs is not my style. Well, it hasn't been up until now, anyway! But then, there's a first time for everything, so thanks for the warning.

darthbimmer

I think there's a bit of a terminology clash here. US rental car companies have inflated their categories over the past several years. What they market as compacts are models classified by the government and regarded by most consumers as a subcompact. Their intermediate/midsize is a consumer compact, and "full size" is generally just a midsize.

Any of these would be fine for driving California Highway 1. The main point is, you don't want to drive the route in an oversized, ponderous, or tippy vehicle.

You mentioned dates in December. That's enough of an off season that you can likely find accommodations at the last minute. During much of the year hotels run at or near capacity on weekends.

The_Bouncer

That explains a few things. I think I might go for a "full-size", then. I'm definitely not booking compact - I'm 185cm and 110kg (6' 1" and 240lbs) and I just don't like driving around in a little tin can.

My mother drove a Fiat Seicento for a while and I very nearly smashed it up the first time I drove it - I rammed my size 13 foot on the clutch and caught the brake as well! At least I don't have to worry about clutches in America.

I drive a Peugeot 308 station wagon in real life, which is smaller than I would like, but I'm constrained by narrow European roads and high gas prices.

The last time I was in the USA I booked a "mid-size SUV" through Hertz and ended up with a Nissan Rogue, which I would describe as a small crossover, but which I was perfectly happy with for a few weeks touring.


I have two weekends there. I've booked a Holiday Inn Express for the last 3 nights in San Diego (Fri 15th to Mon 18th). I'll be on the road for the previous weekend. I might just monitor hotels.com or similar for the week or so before that. Thanks for the advice.

darthbimmer

I am of similar size. I can fit into a rental compact but it's not comfortable for longer drives and the cards are typically buzzy tin cans anyway. Unless it's cost-prohibitive I rent at least a midsize. If it's just a few dollars more I'll go for full size.

A small crossover such as the Nissan Rogue or Mazda CX-5 is fine for touring the Central Coast. What you want to avoid is a full size SUV such as the Chevy Tahoe or a full size van.

abmj-jr

Anyone planning a driving trip on Highway 1 - PCH - please note the thread below and make alternate plans.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/calif...r-big-sur.html

The_Bouncer

Thanks for this. My trip is in December so I should be ok. But I'll monitor this as the year goes on.

TWA884

I am not so confident that the work will be finished by then.

abmj-jr

If it were me, I would at least make a potential alternate plan. You could drive south from Monterey/Carmel to see much of Big Sur and then reverse course back toward Monterey. Take SR 68 east over the mountains to Salinas. At Salinas, take 101 south to Highway 46 (or 198 for a more challenging, windy drive) and cut back to the coast there, continuing south on 1. You would only miss a small portion of the original trip.

If the bridge is repaired, you have your original trip. If not, you have one almost as good.

TWA884

The bridge is beyond repair; it has to be demolished and replaced.

CDTraveler

There is pretty much zero chance the bridge will be replaced this year.

Right now the ground is so saturated that the soil under bridge is still moving. It would be dangerous to bring in heavy equipment to demolish and remove the old bridge until the soil is stable. Then once it is stable and dries out (which could take months, given the amount of rain the state is getting) there will need to be an assessment of area to determine the best/safest place for the new bridge, keeping in mind that area is the heart of earthquake territory as well as prone to mudslides and other natural hazards.

A new bridge will need to be designed, money found to pay for it and then actual construction, which won't be easy, given the remote location and difficult terrain, can start. The process might even involve rerouting part of Hwy 1 further inland to find a stable site for a new bridge. There's been talk of that for many years.

In addition there may be other bridges along 1 that have been damaged by the heavy rains. I hope they are all carefully assessed before traffic resumes along the route.

Explorer789

I drove a mid-size Ford Edge Titanium from Avis last year up the PCH. Very comfortable and good visibility over the cars going through the twisty parts.

I would definitely avoid full size simply because mpg is going to be bad going up the hills. I was getting around 23mpg and filling up every 300+ miles.

Koja78

This is really a bummer for our april trip

abmj-jr

You might want to consider the alternate route I mentioned in the other thread:

If it were me, I would at least make a potential alternate plan. You could drive south from Monterey/Carmel to see much of Big Sur and then reverse course back toward Monterey. Take SR 68 east over the mountains to Salinas. At Salinas, take 101 south to Highway 46 (or 198 for a more challenging, windy drive) and cut back to the coast there, continuing south on 1. You would only miss a small portion of the original trip.

If you will be driving north, just do the above in reverse.