Markieg

Hi,
we are planning on touring California and Vegas again (we did it 4 yrs ago) and are flying in to LAX on sat 6th Aug 05. The flight from the uk is 11 hours and lands at 2pm, so I'm hoping we will be clear on the road by say 4pm.
My plan is to head north to see Hearst Castle the following day (we saw it last time and my 12 year old (and us) were transfixed by it) and to travel (quickly due to the hours flown-have done the scenic drive) and lodge as close to the castle as is reasonable on the 6th.
Any suggestions as to where to stay (cost is important but am Hilton loyal), will be the one night on the 6th, leaving that pm to travel towards Vegas. Any suggestions as to where to stay on this leg?
What are the exact distances iinvolved and where can I find a map online?
Can I get a map mailled to me in the UK?
Thanks for your help,
Markieg

UpgradeMe

www.mapquest.com

A Hilton.com search shows only two HHonors properties within 50 miles of San Simeon.

cjd

Hi Markieg,

Visited Hearst Castle in 2003, travelling from San Francisco down the coastal route to Los Angeles. Stayed at the Hampton Inn at Paso Robles and found it to be very good. Situated inland on the 101, a very pleasant drive of about 40mins over the mountains to Hearst Castle at San Simeon. We stayed 2 nights and also liked the small picturesque town of Cambria. However, after flying from the UK with an 8 hour time difference, clearing customs, collecting car and quite a considerable drive north, you're going to be pretty tired driving. We usually stay at one of the nearby airport hotels at SFO or LAX when arriving in California as by about 6pm US time (2am UK) we're about finished! Usually collect car the next day. This also lets us enjoy a few drinks on the plane without any worries about driving. Can recommend the HGI at LAX if you decided to do this. Not sure about travelling to Las Vegas from San Simeon. We've always gone from Los Angeles, about 280 miles via the I10 and I15, about 5 hours I think. I'm sure others will give you help on this leg of the journey.

Chris.

FlyinHawaiian

The other Hilton property is the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo, a small college town about 30 miles (45 min drive) south of Hearst Castle.

Not to rain on your parade, but to drive from San Simeon to Las Vegas will probably take you the better part of a day. I would guess 8 hours or so. You will need to traverse the coastal mountain range and then head east past Bakersfield and onto the Mojave Highway before intersecting Interstate 15. Most of the roads will be undivided highways and not too safe after dark.

Xyzzy

Huh ???? Why on earth would you say that? August isn't the best time of year to drive through the desert during the day IMHO. Make sure you've got water with you! It's an 8 to 9 hour drive.

Death Valley National Park is REALLY great, and might make a good side-trip. It is a little bit out of the way, though!

GDIW

The desert is a tough drive in August. I think everyone that commonly drives in the desert will strongly suggest that you stop and buy a few gallons of water before heading out.

And......it's dark at night but not unsafe.

FlyinHawaiian

Because driving an unfamilar, sometimes unlit two lane highway in the dark, often with blind corners should not be taken lightly, IMHO. I'm talking about the stretch from the coast of CA through the Coastal Range into the Central Valley.

In the Mojave desert, you'll probably see a bunch of crosses and other roadside memorials here and there on SR58, although no where as many as you'd encounter on SR138 to the south. They mark the sites of fatal car accidents (although CalTrans removes them from time to time). The danger of driving the Mojave at night are drunk drivers and people falling asleep and crossing the center line, resulting in high speed collisions. I've also seen big desert jackrabbits jump into the highway in front of me and it's hard not to instintively swerve hard to avoid hitting them.

If I were to drive it, I would do SR1 South to SR46, East on SR46 past Paso Robles to Interstate 5, South on I5 to SR58 (Buttonwillow), East on SR58 through Bakersfield to Barstow, I-15 North to Vegas.

Under no circumstances would I recommend taking the mountain pass on SR58 across from San Luis Obispo. (trust me).

tinkybelle

And dont forget UK drives on a different side of the road which even to people who drive in different countries a lot find it a bit brain draining at first.
I have driven in the states a couple of times a year for a 15 yrs and do get a bit lost when getting of a long air flight.I remember several times being lost at night.

I wouldnt drive a long drive after a 10 hr flight again.

LLM

Re lodging, I am booked into the Little Sur Inn (B&B) in Cambria later this month for a girls outing. This was recommended by some pals of SIL. I'll update this thread assuming we don't get rained out and actually go.

http://www.littlesurinn.com/

yyzflyer

I'll add my endorsement to this property. We enjoyed our stay there this past summer. One day a week the hospitality hour is supplemented by a wine-tasting from local wineries. Decent restaurant on-site: both the breakfast and a dinner were excellent - try the BBQ ribs, which were enough for 2 people. Also be sure to drive up the road to the Madonna Inn for lunch or dinner and check out the famous mens' room (as seen on The Travel Channel).

HomeToPit

The Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo is a good choice. It's pretty much right in the middle of a small shopping area and can be a bit tough to locate.

The Madonna Inn is landmark in SLO and if you have the time, stop in for a meal and to check out the mens room! http://www.madonnainn.com/

The drive from SLO to the Hearst castle is incredible. Highway 1 runs right along the coast and there's plenty of places to stop and enjoy the view of the ocean and coastline. Actually, the area around SLO is a good spot to spend a few days.

Have a good trip!

Markieg

When I mentioned map what I really meant was can I register somewhere for something like the paper maps that are collected with a hire car (I like the Hertz maps!)

Having done the slow, scenic bit before, what I was looking to do was 'steal' some time from the saturday we travel out to get close to Hearst Castle, thereby maximising our day in that area, then staying over close by Hearst before the Vegas drive in daylight on the monday. I'm not at all spooked about driving in the states and I'm ok with 2/3 hours behind the wheel after the flight. I am also braced for a full days drive over to Vegas which will mean arriving there on the monday pm.
If we stay over at LAX on the saturday night then by the time we (wife is a slow starter, even on hol) are ready to hit the road next day it'll be 10am, then maybe 5 hours to get there, means day wasted...

Want to stay loyal to H, The Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo looks expensive to me.

Markieg

A "Rand Mcnally" road atlas arrived this morning from United Vacations.
This will be invaluable to plan routings etc.
I have a business trip booked to the states for the end of this month and cheapest (my companys policy) United (my policy) fare I could find was with United Vacations.
Unfortuanately transcon in economy with no real status and paid for booze is bad news ;-)
Spare SWU anyone?

PTravel

Cambria is a small town about 15 minutes from San Simeon. There are a number of very nice bed-and-breakfasts there, as well as some world-class restaurants.

Try: http://maps.yahoo.com/dd

Nanook

We went to Hearst Castle in May once and stayed at the El Rey Garden Inn, in San Simeon, 4 miles from Hearst Castle. We were loathe to stay somewhere where we didn't earn points, but knew that the tour buses and other touists arive early in the morning to get their tickets for the Castle tours. This would be especially true in August, high season. It might be nice to stay closer to the Castle to be able to get into the tours you want to take. The later you arrive to buy your tickets, the longer you have to wait. There are things to do while you're waiting, but you don't go there to spend an hour or more in the Visitor Center. I believe you can order tickets online, so this may not apply if you do that. Here's where we stayed: a tad expensive, and it's not the best hotel in the world, but adequate and close to our destination. http://www.elreygardeninn.com/