So, my fifth holiday with Just You and, as far as I was concerned, another winner. As always, I'll try and limit my review to more factual points and practical advice for the benefit of those of you who may be considering doing this trip in the future or indeed those of you who may already have booked it. I won't be saying much about whether I liked places such as Yosemite National Park or the Las Vegas 'Strip' as such things are always going to be down to personal tastes.
So, first off, the actual traveling. Unfortunately there's no getting past the fact that this is a long journey. JY offered departures from both Manchester and London, with roughly half of our 29-strong group setting off from each. Both routes involved a two-legged journey with a change-over somewhere in the States. The Manchester group (whom I was with) had to change at Washington DC and sit around for over 3 hours waiting for our onward flight. A little frustrating, although one advantage was that we got the immigration check done at that stage, so once we arrived at our final destination in Phoenix, we were effectively 'ready to go'. The Washington-to-Phoenix flight with United Airlines offered no free food and no free in-flight entertainment, so be warned.
Phoenix was where our JY Tour Leader Eileen Williams was waiting to meet us and my review wouldn't be complete without pointing out what a superb job she did for us over the fortnight. This was my first JY trip where the JY Tour Leader has also doubled-up as the local guide (Eileen is from the USA) and she handled both roles very well in a relaxed and friendly style. She was also extremely well organised and started off by giving us each a full information pack which not only included essential information such as a diary for the full trip (including departure times, times cases had to be ready for collection, etc) but also illustrated guides on the local currency and even different types of cactus! How's that for covering everything?
Praise too for our coach driver Donna, who also took an active part in our trip. By the second or third day she already knew all our names and was always ready to greet us each individually with a smile as we got on or off the coach. She also gave us a fascinating talk during one of the long drives about her background as a Native American.
Long drives? Yes, we had a few of those. During the course of this trip we covered around 2400 miles, the majority by road, so inevitably a lot of the time is spent on the coach. This wasn't a problem though as the coach was comfortable and air conditioned, and the journeys were broken up with plenty of stops for refreshments, a stretch of the legs, and use of restrooms. Many of these stops were in small, quirky towns on the route which are not listed in the itinerary but were enjoyable in their own right. I could go into more detail on these but they're probably best left as a surprise. Several of them had real character and offered good photograph opportunities. At worst some stops consisted of 'retail park' style areas with a few shops and typical American food outlets such Denny's, McDonald's, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Subway and so forth.
Although the holiday took in an incredible amount during the two weeks, the pace was fairly relaxed. There were no very early starts, generally a day would commence with a breakfast around 7am for a 8am departure in the coach, and we'd arrive in the hotel usually between 5pm and 6pm with an evening free to try local restaurants (or pubs!) or relax by the pool or in your room. Despite the heat, the activities each day weren't particularly strenuous if you didn't want them to be. For example, at the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park there are free shuttle buses to take you around, or you could walk around if you preferred.
As we visited in September, temperatures were very high – for the majority of the fortnight they were around 30 – 40 Centigrade (80 – 100 Farenheit) but it was generally a 'pleasant' heat with low humidity. I spent a day exploring Las Vegas, one of the hottest places, on foot and managed okay (most interiors during the trip are fully air-conditioned so you usually have somewhere cool where you can relax if the heat gets too much). Please please remember to keep drinking lots of water though, a couple of our party suffered de-hydration issues early on in the trip, and obviously remember to pack your sun lotion as you will need lots of it! Bottles of cold water could be purchased on the coach for $1, plus you often get complimentary bottles in your hotel room.
Food. Breakfasts were variable, with selections in the hotels ranging from good to very limited. The Best Western hotels were the poorest, with no hot food (although you could make your own waffles!) and with disposable utensils ie paper plates and plastic cutlery. In San Francisco breakfast wasn't in the hotel but in the IHOP restaurant next door (IHOP being the International House of Pancakes chain which those of you who have previously visited America may be familiar with – if not, put 'IHOP' into Google to get an idea of what they're about). But even the better hotels didn't seem to have the huge selections of breakfast food that I've experienced in some countries – for example, there were no baked beans.
Breakfasts aside, you're left to your own devices and so have American restaurants to contend with. Plenty of choice usually available (it doesn't have to be burgers or pizzas) but expect humungous portions. Plan on just having a starter (trust me, that's usually plenty) or else share a main course with a friend. Some places are often busy and won't be able to seat you quickly (this is particularly true of the more touristy areas such as Pier 39 in San Francisco) so it may help if you split into groups of 4 or 6 rather than all converging on a restaurant as a group of 20+.
One of the best meals (I thought) was the included 'Welcome Dinner' when we arrived at our first hotel, the Carefree Resort in Scottsdale. After a full day of travelling and arriving there at about 9:30 in the evening, nobody was really in the mood for it as we were all wanting to get to bed, but the food was actually very good, a buffet selection of western barbecue style eats. There was even cactus on the menu which was surprisingly tasty!
The service at the hotels and restaurants was of a very high standard. Americans are excellent hosts and can't do enough for you. They were also remarkably good at coping with all our numerous accents!
On the whole, this was an excellent holiday with plenty of variety and excellent weather. For the most part it was highlight after highlight. The weakest day I felt was Day 12 when we visited Santa Barbara then took the Pacific Surfliner Train to Los Angeles. There was insufficient time to see all of Santa Barbara (I saw little more than the pier and the train station) and the train ride turned out to be quite underwhelming as the coastline soon disappeared from view (the train itself was, however, very comfortable and our group had virtually an entire carriage specially reserved for us).
And although I said I'd try to leave my own personal opinions to one side, I'll say it here because others from the previous trip said it, and it seemed to be the general consensus from our group: the 2hrs spent in Pasadena would be much better spent looking around San Diego. The two guides who took us around Pasadena were absolutely lovely but when all is said and done they were trying to enthuse about such things as lines painted in the road to mark the route of a famous procession that none of us had heard of, and shops with a historic tradition stretching back all of two years! I liked the different foods we got to try in Pasadena but I was definitely in the minority judging by facial reactions of my colleagues and the amounts left behind on the plates. Then we eventually got to a stunning park area in San Diego to be told we only had 20 minutes to look around it. This really needs to be fixed, as everybody wanted more time to look around San Diego and all we had there was one evening before our flight home. In fact, I'm rather jealous of the man in our group who had the foresight to book an additional two nights in San Diego to extend his trip.
As for the optional excursions that JY offer as part of this trip, I did the following:
Sedona Jeep Ride – great fun but VERY bumpy, especially if you're sat in the back. If you don't want the bumps, sit in the passenger seat alongside the driver. I enjoyed this, but it had a sense of feeling a bit rushed, the pauses to take photographs were very brief and infrequent, and with the bumpy ride it was impossible to get good snaps while the vehicle was in motion. You stay in the jeep all the time, you don't get out anywhere to walk around. If it doesn't sound like your thing, don't worry because Sedona is a great town with plenty of shops and cafes, so you won't be hanging around bored.
Fixed Wing Plane Flight over the Grand Canyon – well worthwhile, very good views wherever you sat on the plane. I had the 'worst' view because the support for the wing was partly obscuring the view from one window but I was still able to get perfectly clear shots. You're in the air for about 45-50 minutes so you really see a lot of the canyon and it doesn't disappoint. Those who opted for the helicopter ride seemed impressed also.
Las Vegas By Night – this is essentially a drive to Fremont Street in the downtown area, which is the neon-lit Vegas you used to see on TV and in films in the 1970s with some of the old names such as the Pioneer and the Golden Nugget still there. It's a stretch of about 5 blocks, covered over by an LED-ceiling that gives a light show, and is full of character – and some odd characters, some of whom don't have much on in the way of clothing! After about 45 minutes there you drive on to the Bellagio Hotel to see the musical fountain display, then look inside the building to admire its beautiful foyer. Then you drive back along the Strip, now all lit up of course, to the hotel (or you have the option of walking the rest of the way back, which a lot of us did).
Monterey Aquarium – big place, which isn't apparent from the outside. We spent 3 hours in there which was probably just about right to see everything without having to rush. There's a lot of the obvious things such as crabs, colourful fish, sea horses etc but also things like sea otters, puffins, penguins, various birds. Lots of interactive things too, though these are mainly geared towards children.
I didn't do the Hollywood Dinner, but from what others told me it took an hour to drive there due to traffic congestion and only 20 minutes to drive back afterwards. You see Hollywood during the afternoon anyway, so if you don't fancy braving all the LA traffic again you can always opt for the excellent Cheesecake Factory restaurant which is located almost next door to the hotel in Sherman Oaks where we stayed. I recommend the Orange Chicken! Mmm!
Some random tips and advice:
* Although you're generally advised to tip staff, there was never a charge for using restrooms.
* There were no charges for using videos or camcorders anywhere. The only restrictions I can recall on photography was that you had to turn the flash off at certain places (such as in the aquarium in Monterey). They will even permit non-flash photography in the theatres in Vegas.
* There were very few beggars around. One or two in Las Vegas and San Francisco, but they do take 'no' for an answer and move on without pestering you. Even so, apply common sense, keep an eye on your valuables, don't accept anything that someone in the street may try to hand you as they may then insist that you pay for it.
* The 'high roller' ferris wheel ride on the second evening in Vegas finishes at about 7pm, which leaves you with time to see a show afterwards. There are plenty on offer, but if you're going to book one, don't do it through a hotel – look for the “Tix 4 Tonight” booths which are situated all along the Strip and are open from 10am, as they will be able to offer tickets which are greatly discounted, some by 50% or more. They also have heavily discounted tickets for other attractions in Vegas such as the Eiffel Tower ride or Madame Tussauds, as well as restaurants, so they are well worth checking out. You will need your passport with you. There's no hidden catch at all, although they may try and sell you a load of other stuff while you're at the counter! Just politely decline and grab the bargains you're interested in.
*When in San Francisco, you can visit Alcatraz Island but you have to pre-book this yourself in advance as the boat tickets routinely sell out 2 weeks beforehand. A few of us did this and found the tour very interesting. I spent a whole morning there and could easily have spent even longer looking around, but I had the rest of SF to explore. Once on the island you are left to go round at your own pace, and you see all the old cells, mess hall, control room, recreation yard and so forth. There's a brilliant audio guide you can listen to which features actual anecdotes from the prisoners and wardens who were there. In fact I even got to meet a former inmate when I visited, as he was signing copies of his book in the gift shop. Aim for one of the earlier tours as the island can get very crowded later on.
*Another 'off-the itinerary' excursion which is worth considering is a whale-watching cruise in Monterey. I didn't do this myself as I was in the Aquarium at the time, but a few of our party, inspired by the BBC's recent 'Blue Watch' tv show, spotted it was available, gave it a try and came back raving about how good it was. I'm not sure if it's only a seasonal thing, but it definitely sounded well worth checking out.
* Lots of people like to try and ride on the traditional cable cars in San Francisco. The queues for these can become huge (with a waiting time of over half an hour) so the best time to go is early morning. Just a few blocks up the road from our hotel was the terminus of the Powell-Hyde line where I caught a near-empty cable car at 8am without having to queue at all. Also there is a public transport kiosk where you can buy a 'day passport' for $17. This covers unlimited rides throughout the city on not only the cable cars but also the trams, buses and trains. As San Francisco is hot and has a lot of steep hills, it's a worthwhile investment if you want to see a lot of the city in one day. (And although it's called a passport, you don't need to supply a photo or any personal details – it's just a simple ticket where you scratch off the date).
* For the best views, sit on the left side of the coach during the Mariposa-to-San Francisco leg of the holiday, and on the right side for the Monterey-to-San Luis Obispo / 17-Mile-Drive part of the journey.
* Pack your swimming gear! As well as most of the hotels having pools, there are opportunities to paddle or swim in the Pacific Ocean!
* The majority of the hotels had some sort of a large grocery store (such as Safeway) nearby, likewise there were plenty of pharmacies around, so you'll be okay if you find you forgot to pack something or if you run out of something.
* And I'll say it again – drink plenty of water!
Phew!
Dave
