Help me plan my US trip please [was Hilton or Marriott – best for US stays?]
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@dougzz99 – that’ll be the one!
If you don’t like the breakfast at places like Homewood Suites, you can use the kitchen to have whatever you want for breakfast, another benefit!
Only narcissists link to their own threads. So: if you want some random opinions on California Hiltons (and the US Hilton experience by extension) then here are mine:
https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/central-california-hilton-tour/
The Hilton credit depends on the hotel. For example the Oceana Santa Monica gives you $50 which, even at their prices, will get you a plate of food each for breakfast, at least.
I’d strongly agree with the point raised above about mid-market brands in the US. Attempting to pick brands that come with breakdast included will be poor value, or disappointing, or most likely both. Unless you think eating stuff made from powder and UHT off paper plates and bowls with a plastic fork and spoon is going to tick your boxes. Don’t pick hotels just for free breakfast unless they were the best option anyway. If you’re staying anywhere midmarket (or upmarket where the credit won’t cover it for that matter) then forget the hotel (just use Hilton’s scabby credit to have a beer in the evening and then a free coffee the next morning with anything left over). America is packed with excellent breakfast options everywhere; many bakeries, deli’s and diners are outstanding and breakfast is priced as the cheapest meal of the day by quite a distance. Post any random town or neighbourhood here and you will get at least one and likely several suggestions for places that are really good. Given typical portion sizes, you will only need two meals a day – it will save you the cost of lunch.
I can’t be bothered to work out all those airport codes (this isn’t Flyertalk – some of us don’t talk that lingo!) but from the ones I recognise, that looks like a truly amazing trip – many of those places and their environs could keep you engaged for a fortninght or more on their own! Enjoy!
You are not a narcissist, but one helpful squirrel. 🙂 Thank you for sharing the link to your trip report. I will have a read to gain more depth on California hotels.
Reading the comments here and going by everyone’s experience, I have to agree that free AND good breakfast is not possible in the US. It is either free OR good, but not both. So as everyone suggested, I will be picking my hotels not on the basis of free breakfast, but other important criteria.
Sorry that I posted short airport codes for the places we will be visiting. I was typing on my phone then but now I can type them fully now. This is our current itinerary but happy to include any suggestions, as we haven’t booked US domestic flights yet. We have only booked inbound and outbound from UK on a Amex 241.
London > San Francisco > Las Vegas > San Diego > Los Angeles > Hawaii > Houston > New Orleans > Chicago > Detroit > Washington > Miami > Caribbean Cruise (if Virgin Voyages come up with another award sale) > Bermuda > London
Only narcissists link to their own threads. So: if you want some random opinions on California Hiltons (and the US Hilton experience by extension) then here are mine:
https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/central-california-hilton-tour/
The Hilton credit depends on the hotel. For example the Oceana Santa Monica gives you $50 which, even at their prices, will get you a plate of food each for breakfast, at least.
I’d strongly agree with the point raised above about mid-market brands in the US. Attempting to pick brands that come with breakdast included will be poor value, or disappointing, or most likely both. Unless you think eating stuff made from powder and UHT off paper plates and bowls with a plastic fork and spoon is going to tick your boxes. Don’t pick hotels just for free breakfast unless they were the best option anyway. If you’re staying anywhere midmarket (or upmarket where the credit won’t cover it for that matter) then forget the hotel (just use Hilton’s scabby credit to have a beer in the evening and then a free coffee the next morning with anything left over). America is packed with excellent breakfast options everywhere; many bakeries, deli’s and diners are outstanding and breakfast is priced as the cheapest meal of the day by quite a distance. Post any random town or neighbourhood here and you will get at least one and likely several suggestions for places that are really good. Given typical portion sizes, you will only need two meals a day – it will save you the cost of lunch.
I can’t be bothered to work out all those airport codes (this isn’t Flyertalk – some of us don’t talk that lingo!) but from the ones I recognise, that looks like a truly amazing trip – many of those places and their environs could keep you engaged for a fortninght or more on their own! Enjoy!
You are not a narcissist, but one helpful squirrel. 🙂 Thank you for sharing the link to your trip report. I will have a read to gain more depth on California hotels.
Reading the comments here and going by everyone’s experience, I have to agree that free AND good breakfast is not possible in the US. It is either free OR good, but not both. So as everyone suggested, I will be picking my hotels not on the basis of free breakfast, but other important criteria like location, amenities and price.
Sorry that I posted short airport codes for the places we will be visiting. I was typing on my phone then but now I can type them fully now. This is our current itinerary but happy to include any suggestions, as we haven’t booked US domestic flights yet. We have only booked inbound and outbound from UK on a Amex 241.
London > San Francisco > Las Vegas > San Diego > Los Angeles > Hawaii > Houston > New Orleans > Chicago > Detroit > Washington > Miami > Caribbean Cruise (if Virgin Voyages come up with another award sale) > Bermuda > London
I’m intrigued as to what the nightly rate is for these mid/lower range hotels where the consensus appears to be that the included breakfast isn’t much cop.
While I appreciate it’s not for everyone, one can stay in a suite at The Peninsula in Beijing with a very superior breakfast for £220/night inclusive of tax and many five star hotels are available at half of that price. One can also eat like a king, travel by limo/taxi/train for very little, visit extraordinary historic sites or landscapes and none of the tipping nightmare.
The absolute cost and more particularly the cost/value in the US seems incredibly unattractive.
I think the question is rather odd. MR is a flexible currency and you can also go bia Virgin to IHG at 1:1. Thus there is no basis for either/or, better just to pick most appealing hotel regardless of chain in each place visited. The focus on free breakfast may also be clouding bigger picture; sometime the difference in points requured for two hotels that are broadly comparable except for included breakfast may make it wothwhile taking the one without breakfast and eating elsewhere.
Mid/low end in the US vary wildly depending on location but the suite and breakfast inclusive Hlton brands vary from $140 to $270 typically, Marriot appeat to be charging a premium of $20-40 more for theirs. This is based on my experience of around 80 nights spread over 4 trips in the last 2 years.
IHG – The “sweet spot” can be their HIX Inn and Suites sub brand, where you can get a full suite with kitchen for typically $10-20 less than a Hampton/Homewood. Candlewood suites tend to have a poor reputation, Staybridge suites are slightly better but any new property appears to be built of paper, and you can hear every word from rooms on all sides, above and below.
I’ve seen Hamptons and HIX properties over the $600 mark in cities but then the points per night is $60-80k for a Hilton brand and 50k up for IHG these days. Long gone are the 5k and 10k/night special offers
Hilton’s 5 for 4 nights on points if you have Gold is a clear winner if you’re spending a few nights in one area.
IHG’s points and cash always gives a better return on a £/point basis over a pure points purchase.
ALWAYS ALWAYS read the reviews of an indivual property, location is key and watch out for $40-$60 night parking charges and vote with your feet. Cheaper to get a property a little further away and user Uber/Lyft (Lyft tends to be cheaper)
The absolute cost and more particularly the cost/value in the US seems incredibly unattractive.
People are different. I’ve been to Beijing and 4 other cities in China,and also HK. I have no wish to go back even though I found it an interesting and enjoyable experience. I have no real wish to explore Asia or Australia but I will at some point afer I’ve visited more of Africa and South America.
I love visiting the US, the price doesn’t put me off but I make informed choices against my limited time and budget.
I do find the constant sniping against the US on here irritating. Yes it’s expensive, yes it’s a country with huge problems and inequalities, but it’s also a country with exceptional natural wonders, some amazing man made ones and the great majority of people are very welcoming.
+1 for Lyft being exponentially cheaper than Uber the longer the ride.
@davefl, I agree, there aren’t many countries which do world-class museums as well the US either, I usually plan my trips around which ones I want to visit! It also has a rather better human rights record than many other countries which are also popular tourist destinations!
It also has a rather better human rights record than many other countries which are also popular tourist destinations!
Even without going back 100s of years this statement is very debatable.
London > San Francisco > Las Vegas > San Diego > Los Angeles > Hawaii > Houston > New Orleans > Chicago > Detroit > Washington > Miami > Caribbean Cruise (if Virgin Voyages come up with another award sale) > Bermuda > London
Wow! If you are that way inclined, I’d do the leg from SF to LA (which I’d just drive straight through) or even San Diego.
See thread here:
https://www.headforpoints.com/forums/topic/california-road-trip/
@SteveJ, it’s very easily evidenced, unless you think Amnesty International and other comparable organisations habitually print lies? Just google “worst place to be a woman/gay/trans/other minority” and you’ll see the US is notably absent from the lists.
This thread is a perfect microcosm of HfP – a brilliant trip plan, a lot of really informative advice, a dash of opinions about how the OP should go somewhere else altogether because ‘reasons’ and then a descent into debating human rights standards across said destinations … never change HfP, never change ! 😀
Lol!
Re – Bermuda. I can’t recall when OP is undertaking this trip but there is a new Hilton Curio slated to open there next summer which I’m guessing will be a pretty good deal on points because of the horrendous cash prices there.
Got to love a US road trip as well. Our last one was Key West to Orlando and we had a ball!
@SteveJ, it’s very easily evidenced, unless you think Amnesty International and other comparable organisations habitually print lies? Just google “worst place to be a woman/gay/trans/other minority” and you’ll see the US is notably absent from the lists.
Human Rights Watch would very strongly beg to differ with your view (see latest Annual Review), particularly in fact with respect to the rights of women, gay and transgender people that has worsened following recent legislation in many states. The criminal justice system is positively barbaric and particularly bad for non whites. Human rights standards are way below what we consider the norm in Europe. Animal rights/welfare standards are also very low vs Europe.
@SteveJ, it’s very easily evidenced, unless you think Amnesty International and other comparable organisations habitually print lies? Just google “worst place to be a woman/gay/trans/other minority” and you’ll see the US is notably absent from the lists.
When vetoing a country based on their human rights records better to look at their worldwide impact rather than just their own shores. Just riles me that anyone could consider the US to be bastions of human rights, better saved for the ‘which destination would you not go to for moral reasons’ or whatever thread I guess.
I didn’t mention either vetoing or the US being a bastion of anything. And everything I have posted is based on information provided by internationally-recognised organisations, so you’d better take it up with them if you don’t agree!
I didn’t mention either vetoing or the US being a bastion of anything. And everything I have posted is based on information provided by internationally-recognised organisations, so you’d better take it up with them if you don’t agree!
My only point is if one of your criteria for picking a destination is based on it having “a rather better human rights record than many other countries which are also popular tourist destinations” then the US doesn’t warrant being in that conversation.
So I have now booked the US domestic flights. It was a mix of cash and award tickets. Amex transfers to Delta and AA awards through BA saved the day for us. Our final itinerary looks like this:
London > San Francisco > Las Vegas > Los Angeles > Kahului > Honolulu > Houston > New Orleans > Chicago > Miami > Orlando > Caribbean Cruise > Bermuda > London
Tigress is insisting that we do a cruise since we have never been on one. So whether Virgin Voyages comes up with an award sale or not, we are doing it.
@The Savage Squirrel Thanks for sharing the link. Instead of driving from SF to LA which is 6+ hours of driving, what we are doing is renting a car in LA and doing a drive to Santa Barbara (2.5 hours from LA) and Santa Monica (50 mins from LA). This way we will get the taste of Pacific Coast motorway without doing the whole drive. Our friends in SF are also taking us to Monteray on one of the days. So we just thought it was better to skip the long drive from SF to LA, and rather just enjoy it in bits and pieces.
We are also considering whether to do a driving day trip to San Diego or it’s better to hop on Amtrak and skip driving as I read horrible reviews of day trips from LA top SD because of traffic. This is because you will be crossing 3 counties on the trip and traffic is going to be horrible. Any suggestions regarding this are welcome.
@NorthernLass We will be in Bermuda in April 2024. I will check out if new Hilton Curio is operating by then. Based on your experience, we have added Key West to our itinerary but just for 1 night. So a massive thank you for that.Any suggestions on what is the best way to get around Florida state, specially between Key West, Miami and Orlando? Is driving the best way to travel there?
Thanks once again for lovely suggestions everyone. Your responses are well appreciated.
@Tiger Key west is a heck of a long drive for just one day. Even being the road trip warrior that I am in the US, I’m spending 2 nights there.
Miami to KW is a 4 hour plus drive as long as you don’t stop.
Miami to Orlando, there’s the new Brightline train (NOT Amtrak) which does the journey in comfort in 3.5 hours. I’ll be trying it out in Dec.
Unlike many other areas of the US, you can hire a car one way in both CA and FL with no drop off fees, so consider that in your planning.
In Miami, Avis/Budget has appalling reviews so I opted for Sixt, picking up at the Intercontinental location.
This trip sounds epic and I am incredibly jealous!
@Tiger – similarly to the comments above re Miami to Key West, LA to San Diego simply isn’t a day trip. It’s only about 125 miles but will take you a good three hours each way by car and the train is very scenic but also rather slow as it makes lots of stops, plus when you arrive you won’t have a car which is a big disadvantage, as like most US cities it is quite spread out; you won’t see a lot just walking.
One of San Diego’s attractions is that it is more Mediterranean, so there is a slower pace of life. You would see so little on a day trip that it probably wouldn’t even give you much of an idea whether you might want to come back. Another of the attractions of the city area is the nearby state parks and the smaller towns up the coast, none of which you could really visit in a day trip.
@The Savage Squirrel Thanks for sharing the link. Instead of driving from SF to LA which is 6+ hours of driving, what we are doing is renting a car in LA and doing a drive to Santa Barbara (2.5 hours from LA) and Santa Monica (50 mins from LA). This way we will get the taste of Pacific Coast motorway without doing the whole drive. Our friends in SF are also taking us to Monteray on one of the days. So we just thought it was better to skip the long drive from SF to LA, and rather just enjoy it in bits and pieces.
Sounds great. The Monterey Peninsula is amazing (the town itself not quite so much apart from the excellent aquarium – although it sort of merges into Pacific Grove which is more interesting and has far better restaurant options). Visiting Pebble Beach would excite any golfers amongst you (you can play a round at the 9-hole Hay without paying the $1500 each in resort and round fees it takes to get on the main course – in fact rather excellently it’s their effort to make golf inclusive and as a result it is FREE for under 12s!)
Anyway, to tie into the earlier theme of the thread that you can eat a good breakfast in all sorts of places, two excellent breakfasts that can be had in Santa Barbara…
Jeannine’s Restaurant & Bakery right opposite the pier on the seafront at the start of State Street (the premier shopping/restaurant street) is the high profile spot that everyone has heard of, and will have the location wow factor, while Jack’s Bagels and Coffee could not appear more average, being in a random strip mall just off the 101. Food at both has always been very good in my experience.I’d also agree with the above comments – very easy to get sucked into discounting distances on US road trips. The “6+ hour” drive you mention from SF to LA should take … about a week; there’s that much to see and do. San Diego as a day trip from LA and The Keys there and back in a day are similarly nowhere near sensible. I’m also a USA road warrior and have done Yellowstone to Vegas in a day and the like, but driving along interesting bits of FLorida or Cali is not like driving through emptyish Utah and Idaho desert areas where you’ve been before and have already seen the notable attractions. The interesting bits of America are when you get off the freeways…
Just accept that it’s a huge country and you will not see 99% of it even on an extended trip like yours. At least explore some little bits of it properly.
@davefl @JDB @The Savage Squirrel
Thank you for the nuggets of wisdom. I was definitely discounting the distances in the US. So a massive thank you for talking some sense into me.
Going by the comments, think we will skip San Diego this time, as LA has a lot to offer anyway. I am hoping we can still do Key West since we have 8 days in Florida.
But this has got me worried. So I want to run something past you guys. I am planning to start early morning and drive from Vegas to Grand Canyons (4.5 hours drive) with a plan to stay the night in Grand Canyon Village after exploring the area. Next day we are planning to start early again from Grand Canyon Village and drive up to Horseshoe Bend (2.5 hours drive), and then drive all the way back to Vegas (4.5 hours drive) to catch our flight to LA late in the evening.
On paper, this plan looks all right. But I want to get your honest opinion if this plan is feasible given the time and distance or is it asking for too much, in which case I will revisit my plan to accommodate more time for this itinerary.
Thanks again!
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