A trip through Western USA

We reserved a standard room, but they put an executive room on our bill. When we complained about it at the reception, they changed our bill without a problem. After that, we had breakfast at the hotel. This was complimentary with our room rate. We both choose an American breakfast with eggs and potatoes. The breakfast was very good, just as the service was.

After our breakfast and check-out, the shuttle bus took us to the airport for the pickup of our rental car.

This was a great hotel and one of the best during our trip thought the southwest. We definitely will stay here again when we come back to LA. We paid $88 for the room (tax and breakfast included) and booked online at www.doubletree.com. If you register for Hilton Honors, you can collect points for a free stay. And for the people with a car, there’s free parking!

The people from the reception are friendly and very helpful. When we checked in, we even received our warm chocolate cookie without requesting it. The rooms are large and very well appointed. There’s everything you need in the bathroom. The twin bed is large and comfortable. Every morning, we received a free newspaper. We had two good nights of sleep in this hotel.

There is a pool in the hotel, but we did not use it. You can also have breakfast in the hotel, but we went to a supermarket (Vons) near the hotel and bought some breakfast there. Another great thing about the hotel is the free use of their business center, where you can check your emails for free. This was a very good hotel but a bit far from all the major sights in Los Angeles. If we stay in Los Angeles again, we will choose a hotel more in the center (e.g., at the airport) because you lose a lot of time by driving to the major sights. The hotel has a free parking.

We paid $93 for the room (tax included) and booked online at www.doubletree.com.

At the check-in desk, the staff was not very friendly. They handed over our key, but we received no explanation of the hotel, not even the way to our room. When we asked for our complimentary warm chocolate-chip cookie, we were told then they did not have them anymore and had to ask them the next day, but the next day, they were not ready, as we left around 11am.

Our room was clean and well-appointed. The room was very large by European standards (but almost all the hotel rooms in America are). Our room had one king-size bed, a sofa, chair, and a work desk. Our room also had a private balcony overlooking the outdoor pool. The room is fully equipped with a television, refrigerator, coffeemaker and ironing board. In the bedroom, you find everything you need, like soap, towels, and a hair dryer. We paid $115 for one night (including taxes). We’ve chose for the dream deal, so the American breakfast is included. The breakfast was served in the Panini Grill & Bar. Breakfast was good, and here the staff was friendly. Other amenities in the hotel include a pool, fitness room, laundry service, and business center.

Overall, the room was good, but the staff was not friendly. For the same money, you can find better deals I think (and a better staff).

In our search for a hotel between San Diego and Joshua Tree NP, we found this nice hotel: Hampton Inn and Suites Palm Desert. This hotel is located close to the I-10 and in the middle of the desert. When you arrive at the hotel, you get a warm welcome.

The room is very large with all the comfort you need. We booked a studio suite with a king-size bed. There was a small kitchen in our room with a microwave and a fridge. The bathroom was also very clean and has all the toiletries you need. Every weekday you get a free copy of a newspaper delivered to your room.

Breakfast is complimentary and served in the lobby. There was plenty of choice and they even had some hot items. You can also use the business center and the internet for no charge. They also have a large outside pool, and at the reception you get free pool towels.

We paid $85.50 for one night without taxes. The only minor thing on this hotel is that it’s a bit away from the village. It’s very isolated in the desert, but really close to the freeway. A very good choice for a one-night stop!!!

This was the best hotel on our trip. It’s located close to the entrance of the Zion NP and along the river. They have different building: one at the pool and one along the river. The rooms are very large and very modern. They have a wooden floor. The rooms are equipped with one king bed (what we had) or two queen beds and a sofa-sleeper. They also have a small kitchen with a microwave, Sink, fridge and a coffee maker.

The bathroom is divided into two rooms: one with a tub or shower, toilet and a bidet, and the other one with a closet and a sink. It also have all the bottles you need… The rooms also have a private balcony or terrace depending on where the room is located (ground floor or first level). They have a very large pool were you can relax after a day of hiking in the Zion NP. There’s also a hot tub.

At the reception you can hire video’s for free to watch in your room. All the rooms have a video recorder. We watched “Bugsy” as a preparation for our visit of Las Vegas later. Right in front of the hotel, you can catch the free shuttle bus that runs through Springdale and to the entrance of the Zion NP. This is very handy because you can park your car at the hotel. The parking in the park is most of the time very crowded.

The Best Western at Ruby’s Inn is the closest accommodation to the Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s made of several buildings and has enough parking spaces. The also have a campground and an RV park.

We had a room in the main building, and it was large and clean. The room has airco, a TV, and a coffee maker. Our room even had a jacuzzi located in the bedroom, very lovely and relaxing after a full day of hiking.

'You can have breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is all buffet. We had lunch and dinner in their restaurant because of the lack of other options. The food was average. They also have a very large supermarket where you can find everything you need, but it was a bit pricey. Also in the main lodge is an indoor pool, but we didn’t use it.

If you need tickets for the Bryce Canyon, then you can buy them at the office in the hotel. You can also get their park maps and other information. Right in front of the hotel is the Bryce canyon Shuttle bus stop.

For our stay in Las Vegas we wanted to taste some of the glamour. We decided to stay in The Venetian. The Venetian is located on the Strip. When you arrive at The Venetian, you can park your car in the parking garage. Note what floor your car is parked on, because their parking garage is huge. After parking our car, we started searching for the reception desk to check-in. It took us almost 30 minutes to find it. There are almost no signs to the reception desk. If you take the elevator from the parking lot to the hotel, you can choose to go to the casino or the Grand Canal Shoppes (no sign of reception). We made the right choice and went to the casino. After some walking through the casino we found the check-in desk.

Check-in was fast but not so good. The first thing they told us that our room was not ready, although it was already after the check-in time, but after a few minutes later they found a room. Then I had to sign for the rate, but it was not correct. The guy at the reception said that this was no problem, but I refused to sign, and after a small discussion he changed the rate. Don’t sign anything that’s not correct!!!

The room was lovely. The only rooms in the hotel are suites. It had a twin bed and a sunken living room. The bed was good and looked romantic. The room also has two televisions, a minibar, a safe, three phone lines, and a personal fax/printer/copier. This is one of the best-equipped rooms we have seen. The room was also very clean. The bedroom is very large (maybe the largest we’ve seen in a hotel). It is finished with Italian marble and has a large bed, separate shower, two sinks, and a small  table. There’s also a separated toilet (with a phone near it).

There are three pools and a spa. You can visit the Guggenheim or Madame Tussauds museum. There’s, of course, their casino. If you want to play in their casino, become a member of their players club. For the people who want to shop, this is a paradise. In their Grand Canal Shoppes you find a lot, from clothes to books. The mall is completely in Venetian style, with a canal running through. On this canal you can take gondola rides. The main square is the San Marco Square, and at a set time they let pigeons fly over the square.

This hotel is worth every penny if you have a bottom rate like us. We paid $129 per night without taxes. Be prepared for a lot of walking in the hotel if you stay here, because it’s very huge and the layout is a bit confusing. If you don’t sleep at this hotel, then you must visit it!!!

The Comfort Inn in Lone Pine is located at the base of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, close to Mount Whitney, but for us it was just a stop between Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Yosemite National Park. It’s 40 miles from Death Valley and around 125 miles from Yosemite.

When you arrive at the hotel, you can easily park your car, because they have plenty of parking spaces. On the outside the hotel looks fine. The lobby is small and cosy. The owners are very friendly when we checked in and give you a good feeling.

The room we had was not too big but also not small. I think we had one of the smaller ones. It was clean and had a king-size bed as requested. The room has a phone, and you can make local calls. It also had a cable television, air-conditioning, microwave, refrigerator, and free newspaper every morning. The bedroom was small but clean and had a hair dryer. The hotel also offers a free continental breakfast. It has a limited choice but is good to start the day. Next to the hotel there’s the pool. The pool was clean and large enough for the hotel, but when we where there, it was very windy. The swim we took was not a real pleasure.

Overall, we found this hotel a bit pricey for the things you get. We paid $80.95 per night without taxes. This is also the hotel located the farthest from the town center. The hotel is a good choice, but maybe there are better choices in town.

If you come from Yosemite, then you find the Best Western at the end of Maripose. It’s located on a 45-minute drive from the park. The hotel looks like a lodge and a bit old. The staff was very friendly and helpful on check-in.

We had a room on the second floor facing the street. We didn’t hear any noise at night. The room was large and clean but could use a bit of refurbishment. The room had a king-size bed and is equipped with an alarm clock, television, phone, coffee/tea-maker, air-conditioning, and phone. You can make free local calls. The bathroom was clean and had a tub/shower combination. You also get some toiletries.

The motel offers free continental breakfast. The choice for breakfast is limited, but there's just enough. The breakfast is served in their conference room, which isn’t very inviting. They also have a pool and whirlpool, which we did not use. This motel is okay for the price we paid--74$ per night without taxes. Mariposa is a nice small town with a few choices for dinner. We found the motel a good second option for people like us who want to sleep in the park but are too late to book.

The Hampton Inn is coveniently located close to interstate 80. It’s a 30 minute drive to the wineries from the Napa Valley. The hotel looks very modern. The check in was very friendly en the people of the reception are very helpful. Across the reception desk you find two computers on which you can access the internet for free. If you got further in the hotel, you enter a large atrium. This atrium is very large, and all the rooms are located around the atrium.

The rooms are large, but if you book a single room suite, then you expect something bigger. The beds are very comfortable. The room is equipped with air conditioning, an alarm radio, a coffee maker, high speed internet access if you have a laptop, television, and a phone. The bathroom was large and clean with all the necessary amenities.

The breakfast is complimentary and is served in the atrium. You can find hot and cold items on the breakfast buffet. You also receive a free newspaper every morning. The hotel also have a pool and a fitness room. We did not visit the fitness room, but the pool was a bit spartan and located on the side of the freeway, so very noisy.

This hotel is a good value, but not so cheap. We paid $107 without taxes per night. If we come again to the wine area in California, we would stay here again.

Hollywood Boulevard
One of the main attractions in Hollywood is the Walk of Fame with all the stars. To make your visit a bit easier, try to get a free map of Hollywood Boulevard. We found the "Hollywood Visitor’s Guide and Map 2004-2005" in our hotel. With this map, we easily found the stars of our favourites, like Mickey Mouse, Elvis Presley, Sting, Tom Cruise, and many others. On this map, you find the 30 stars that attract most people. It’s not easy to find other stars between the 2,000 others.

Another major attraction is Mann’s Chinese Theatre. This theatre looks great and is one of the best movie theatres I’ve seen. This theatre is opened in 1927 with the movie "King of Kings." Its founder, Sid Grauman, also invented Hollywood longest-running publicity stunt: the handprints and footprints and autographs in cement of movie stars in the forecourt. You can check whose hands and feet you have. Along Hollywood Boulevard, there are also a few museums, like Ripley’s Believe It or Not and the Hollywood Wax Museum. We did not visit them because of a lack of time, but also because we think that these are more tourist traps than interesting museums.

If you like shopping, you can visit Hollywood & Highland. From the main square of this center, you have a nice view of the Hollywood Sign. In this center, you find the Hollywood Visitors Information Center and a lot of shops, dining places, and of course, movie screens. We had a drink at the Mongolian BBQ.

A few other things along the walk of fame are El Captain theatre (an Art Deco theatre), the Clarion Hotel, Hollywood Roosevelt, and Frederick’s of Hollywood (with their Celebrity Lingerie Hall of Fame).

After our visit to Hollywood, we drive to Beverly Hills via Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard.

The day before the game, we picked up our tickets at the stadium. From the parking lots, you have a very nice view of downtown L.A. It’s worth the visit for the view alone. Then we went to the visit the Top of the Park Gift Shop. As we entered the stadium (the shop is in the stadium on the top decks), we’re amazed about the stadium. It’s huge! It has 56,000 seats, and that’s a lot.

It’s game day! The game is against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After paying for the parking, we parked our car and enjoyed again the view of downtown. Now only the security check keeps us away from the game. Our backpack seems too big (they measured it with a square on a table), so we need to go back to the car and pick our camera out. The game begins with the National Anthem, and all the people rise (we also rise). Because did not have dinner, we go for the Dodger Dog. It tastes good, and I take a second one. You must try one. The game is not that interesting, because none of the two teams can score. Luckily, the scoreboard gives us some animation. After the 7th inning, something strange happened. Everyone rises for the 7th inning stretching. I’ve never seen something like that. The only other thing that the visitors do is drink and eat.

In one of the last innings, the Dodgers finally get some points with a homerun and win the game. Everyone is happy, and with a happy feeling and an amazing view of downtown by night, we go back to our hotel.

Santa Monica Pier
One of the main attractions in Santa Monica is the pier. It’s constructed in 1874 and rebuilt many times since then. On the pier you find the amusement park Pacific Park. Here you find a roller coaster, bumper cars, Ferris wheel, and arcade games. You can walk around in it for free, but you need to pay for the attractions. I think it’s better to save your money for a "real" attraction park, like Universal Studios or Six Flags.

There’s also a beautiful carousel on the pier that’s worth looking at. At the end of the pier you find people fishing. Sit down for a moment and watch them fishing. If you want, you can do some fishing by yourself, because it’s free for everyone.

Palisades Park
Palisades Park is a small park that stretches from Malibu to Palos Verdes. It’s lined with palm and cypress trees. The Santa Monica visitor information center is also located in the park. They can give you a freed handy map of the town. We watched the sunset from the park, and that’s something you may not want to miss.

3rd Street Promenade
Two blocks east of Ocean Avenue, between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway, you find the 3rd Street promenade. This is one of L.A.’s best shopping streets. It’s free of cars!!! You can stroll around here, shop, watch the people passing by on one of the benches, enjoy the street artist, or have drink or something to eat. We had dinner here in the Sunset Bar and Grill, and it was a real pleasure to have dinner on this street.

Some practical information
Parking your car is very easy in Santa Monica. There are plenty of parking lots, and some of them offer some free hours. For more information, see parking.santa-monica.org.

After parking our car, we walked through City Walk to the ticket boots. A ticket for the park costs around $50, but there are many ways to get a discount. You can use your AAA card or search for a voucher in your hotel. Almost in every hotel in LA you can find vouchers for a discount. Ours was good for a discount of $8 per person.

Upper lot
Our first attraction of the day is the Shrek 4D show. As a fan of the movie, I find this show great. After that, we go "Back to the Future." In this show, you get in Doc Browns high-flying time-traveling machine. It’s a rough ride, but we never saw such a good simulator.

After our journey back in time, we’re going for the most important attraction of the Universal Studios: the Studio Tram Tour. You will be driven through the back lot of Universal Studios, where you can see real movie sets like a New York steer of "The Sting," the creepy, old mansion from "Psycho," the snowy Whoville of "The Grinch," and many more. But there is also more action. Jaws attacks the tram as it passes over a bridge. You’re in a flash flood, and just as the tram crosses a bridge, it collapses. The two most sophisticated attractions are King Kong and Earthquake. If you want to know what really happens to you, you’ll have to be part of the action. During the 45-minute ride, you’re informed about everything you see through a live guide, but you can also see movie scenes on the screens in the tram.

Another good show is Terminator 2:3D. It’s a show with some real actors and a 3-D movie. This gives you the feeling that you’re in the middle of the action. It’s nice to see, but we found it not too spectacular.

Now it’s time to cool down. We’re entering the world of the dinos in Jurassic Park, the Ride. In this ride, you get in a boat the goes through the jungle. You’re attack by dinosaurs. At the end of the ride, the boat goes down a waterfall. It’s one of the best water drops we’re experienced. When you enter the ride, know that you’re getting wet. The scenery is great.

The only roller coaster in this park is Revenge of the Mummy, the Ride. It’s an indoor roller coaster. At the entrance are lockers for your backpack. Each car of the coaster is equipped with surround sound. The car is launched into the dark with a high speed, so be aware of your neck. Half way the ride, it turns backwards. It is one of the better roller coasters we have done in our life!

Back in the upper lot, we go our last attraction of the day: Van Helsing, Fortress Dracula. This is a haunted house you need to walk through. Inside are some real actors who try to scare you, but as for the rest, it’s not really spectacular.

For the people who love shows, you can go to Waterworld. This show should be great, but we missed it. Maybe we’ll see it next time. If you’re hungry, you can get a lot of food, but it’s expensive. For our dinner, we did choose a restaurant on City Walk.

It was a great day!!!

Joshua Tree National Park is located around 30 miles from Palm Springs. The visitor center of the park is in Twentynine Palms. The entrance fee for the park is $10 per car for a week or $5 for a week if you walk in. You can also buy a Joshua Tree Pass for $25, valid for 12 months. For us and many visitors, the best option is to buy a National Park Pass. The pass costs $50 and gives you and your family or vehicle entrance in any national park where you need to pay an entrance fee.

Because of lack of time, we only spent a few hours in the park, but as U2 fans, we wanted to see the famous Joshua trees. You can only find the Joshua trees in this area, and they can be as high as 9m and 1,000 years old. We entered the park from the west entrance station and followed Park Boulevard to the north entrance station. When you enter the park, you pay your entrance fee to the park ranger (or show your National Park Pass). Then he gives you a nice color map and a park guide with some very useful information about the park and wildlife in the park. In this park you need to drive your own car. There are no shuttle buses like in other larger parks. We stopped a few times along the road to take some pictures and enjoy the views of the park. Because it was so hot, we only made a few very short walks. The most remarkable moment of our visit is when a wild coyote came to our car. When we stopped the car, the coyote came as close as 1 meter. We never saw a wild animal so close.

The park is worth a detour. The nature is great, and the coyote made it unforgettable. If you want to take longer walks through the park, you need plenty of water (always bring plenty of water), because it can be very hot!

The main entrance from the Grand Canyon National Park is located 80 miles from Flagstaff and 275 miles from Las Vegas. The entrance fee for the park is $20 per car for a week or, if you walk in, $10 for a week. For us and for many visitors, the best option is to buy a National Park Pass. The pass costs $50 and gives you and your family and vehicle entrance into any national park where you need to pay an entrance fee.

The park is split in two parts, the north rim and the south rim, with the Colorado River running in the middle. We visited, like most tourists, the south rim, and all the information we have is about the south rim. When you enter the park, you receive a copy of their free guide and a nice color map. After that you need to park your car and use the shuttle buses. We parked our car at the Mather Point. Here we had our first impression of the Grand Canyon, and it was amazing. Very breathtaking. From here you can walk to the visitor center. You need to visit the visitor center. They have great information about the park, like maps and pictures, but they also provide a lot of information about the activities in the park, like the ranger programs.

From here you can go farther into the park. For this, use the free shuttle buses. There are three routes: Village (blue), Hermits Rest (red), and Kaibab Trail (green). We first took the blue line to the starting point of Hermits Rest. This route runs along the canyon to Hermits Rest, and this part of the park is closed for private vehicles. We got off at several points, and the views were spectacular and unforgettable. At the end point (Hermets Rest), we made a call home (Belgium). It was a great experience calling home with a view of the Grand Canyon.

Then we bought some souvenirs in the village and returned to our car. Because we needed to drive to Zion, we did the Kaibab Trail route by car. There are also some great stops with special views, and at these viewpoints are a lot fewer tourists. We stopped at Yaki Point, Grandview Point, and Desert View.

We loved the Grand Canyon. It has much to offer, but you need at least one day to get a good view of and feeling for this park. If you stay on the main roads, it can be crowded. We regret that we did not have one day more, but once in our lives, we will go back for more than one day. We would like to hike in the canyon to the Colorado River. I think this is the only way to experience the greatness of the canyon. One thing's for sure--we will go back to hike!!!

From the six national parks we’ve visited during our trip, the Zion National Park is one of the two best. We don’t really know what it makes so beautiful: Was it the lovely village Springdale or the hotel or just the park itselfs.

The park is located in the south of Utah. The entrance fee for the park is 20.00$ per car for a week or if you walk-in $10 for a week. For us and for many visitors the best option is to buy a National park pass. The pass costs $50 and gives you and your family or vehicle entrance in any National Park where you need to pay an entrance fee.

We entered the park via Highway 9 (the Zion – Mt Carmel highway). This way goes down to the bottom of the Canyon and has some great views. We first drived to our hotel to park our car. From the hotel in Springdale we took the free shuttle bus to the park.Th Springdale loops connects Springdale and the Visitor Center. We first visited the visitor center to learn something more from the park. From there can can take the free buses into the park. The park loop has 8 stops. We stopped at 5 of them.

Somewhere in the middle of the scenic drive, you have the Zion lodge. Here you can sleep if you book well ahead. There’s also a small shop and you can have something to eat or drink.

Through the park are several trails from a firrerent difficulty. We did the Emerald Pool Trail. This trail starts at the Zion Lodge and then goes up the canyon. You can go to the lower and middle pool but you can also go the the Upper pool just as we did. Firt you need to go up to the higher pool. You can see the water coming out of the wood into the pool and then palling of the rock into a waterfall. Then you can go back to the lodge by going a little further and going down passing at the waterfall behind the waterfall. The whole trip takes 2 to 3 hours to do.

Zion National Park was one of the greener parks we’ve seen and also one of the best. Everything in the park is well arranged. Also all the hotels in Springdale where cosy and looked very nice. I think the presence for a village so close to the park makes it very nice.