A road trip to California will be the ultimate family adventure.



There are theme parks such as Disneyland and Universal to explore, iconic places like Hollywood and a dessert oasis in Vegas. Complete the road trip with an epic drive to San Franciso for its museums, Alcatraz and Golden Bridge!

Check out our adventure 



Los Angeles

Our road trip starts in Los Angeles. For LA, we decided to stay away from the city centre and opt to stay at the family-friendly Anaheim area. Anaheim is a much safer place to stay as it is in the tourist belt with numerous hotels for you to choose from. One of the main reason why it is so popular is because of Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park.

Not sure which theme park to choose, check out this Disneyland Park vs Disney California Adventure Park Post


Country Inn & Suite by Radisson
We stayed only one night at Country Inn & Suite. This is one of the Disney theme hotels at Anaheim. It is located off the main strip but if you are driving it should not be an issue. rooms are cosy enough and it comes with free breakfast. It is also one of the few hotels that come with beds in queen size so you could fit 4 comfortably. ( when opting for beds in US, always choose queen over twin!)



The good thing about this is that parking is free too. We choose this as a stopover for our trip to Vegas.

Read our review here

Book Country Inn and Suites here


Residence Inn @ Convention Center
The hotel we stayed the longest was Residence Inn @ Convention Center. This hotel is located less than 500 meters away from Disneyland. We had a deal from Booking.com  

It was much bigger compared to Country Inn and Suites as it comes with a separate living and kitchen area. It has a minimart located within steps and a Pizza hut express outlet on the ground floor. For more dining options, the Anaheim Gardenwalk is a mere 500 meters away with Cheesecake Factory and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. It is located on the main street where you have your McDonald's, Denny and IHop within walking distance.

Read our review here

Book your stay at Residence Inn Convention Center here

Hollywood

Another place to stay in LA would be in Hollywood. If you are heading there with kids, a stopover at Universal Studio is a must.

Sheraton Universal Hollywood
Anyone who had been to LA will tell you traffic could be a nightmare. Moreover, the distance between attractions meant that you could be at least one hour or more on the road to get from one place to another.

To minimise travel time, we opt for a stay at Sheraton Universal Hollywood. This is one of the 2 hotels closest to Universal. The hotel also provides buses direct to Universal and that meant that we do not have to pay double for parking. US parking rates are not cheap, so if you factor that cost in, the hotel is quite affordable. The newly revamped rooms also add a sense of freshness to our stay.

Read our review here

Book your stay at Sheraton Universal Here


Vegas

Vegas as a destination for families?

There are more to Vegas than just casinos. The numerous family-friendly circus shows by Cirque De Soleil, arcade centers like Circus Circus and the well-stocked premium outlet made this stop great for everyone in the family. Add a day trip to Grand Canyon and you would have a wonderful stay in Vegas.

The road trip from LA to Vegas was quite interesting as well with several pit stops in between.

Luxor Hotel
We decided to go wild in Vegas by opting for a pyramid shape hotel. If you intend to stay there, do opt for the Tower Room as they had been recently renovated. Luxor is off the main street but it is much quieter and less complicated. There are plenty to do and with a car, you could go any where in Vegas.
Read our review here

Book your stay at Luxor Vegas here.

San Francisco

For our road trip, we decided to head to San Franciso. San Franciso is a city in California. It is not a huge city as it covers an area 121 km2. In comparison, Singapore is about 751 km2.  The smaller size also meant that it is easy to get around. When you are in San Franciso, you would be better off with public transport or walk. For one, the parking fee is exorbitant. Secondly, the large number of car break-ins meant you risk getting your rental car damage or stolen. The best way to see the city is to choose a location where transportation is accessible and it is easy to get to attractions.

Pier 2620

For our stay, we opt to stay at Fisherman's Wharf. In San Franciso, the 2 main areas for tourist would be Fisherman's Wharf or Union Square. Union Square is located within the business district and has a lot of retails shops. However, in terms of major attractions, there are plenty more within walking distance in Fisherman's Wharf. You can get a San Franciso Go Card and it will cover more than half a dozen attractions along the bay

San Franciso Go Card Review

Pier 2620 is located a street away from the main street of Fisherman's Wharf. Access to shops and restaurants is just a few steps away. Nearby, you have major attractions such as museums, Lombard Street, access to Alcatraz Island and Fisherman's Wharf itself.

Read about our review here

Book your stay at Pier 2620 

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