When Ben and I booked our honeymoon, we knew we wanted to go to California, we wanted to start in San Fran and end in Vegas – we also had an idea of some of the things we wanted to do, but the fine details and itinerary were yet to be decided. I was at work one day and got talking to a colleague about the honeymoon plans and she said that she knew someone who had taken this trip many times and just so happens to be a travel expert for Kuoni – Who was this expert? Could she be the one we needed to make our dream trip/ honeymoon a reality? The answer to these questions...
1. her name was Nicole Winter
2. YES! Nicola knows her stuff, she truly is an expert – she listened to our needs and also suggested some things we would like – she took time to get to know the things that both myself and Ben liked and disliked…. She was amazing! The end result was a trip of a lifetime and a honeymoon that was unforgettable…
The trip started in San Francisco then on to Napa Valley - Yosemite - Monterey/ Carmel, Santa Barbara, L.A then Las Vegas! In this series of blog posts I will be giving you my thoughts on the trip and possibly inspire the discerning traveller to visit the golden state of California!
San Francisco
“San Fran” is an truly an amazing place – it is the second-most densely populated major American city behind only New York, it is also has a minority-majority population, meaning that this vibrant city has a diverse mix of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality and languages. The diversity shows in its vibrant culture, laid-back feeling, in the 1960's (during the hippie movement) the hippies made San Fran their home and it’s had a positive influence of peace and love. The city is also steeped in colourful history so colourful it is believed to be the birthplace of the LGBT+ Rainbow flag… something that celebrates 40 years since its creation! The city is often seen as the “the gay capital of the world” and we see its influence and struggles in films such as The Normal Heart and Milk , written by Social activist Dustin Lance Black
GETTING THERE
We flew from London Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic departing London at 11:35am. We travelled economy, its a long flight to travel in economy, but to be fair the seats were comfortable; The cabin crew friendly and attentive. when i say it was a looong flight - I mean it. I think it may even be the furthest you can fly with out a stopover (I could be wrong). The friendly on-board service, fantastic food and complementary drinks made the journey whole lot more enjoyable. Virgin also has incredible in-flight entertainment with a ton of on-demand services - I can tell you that this helped the time pass quickly.
We arrived at San Fran by 14:35 and jumped in a cab to the hotel. We paid a lot of money for the cab – and knowing what we know now- we would book a transfer in advance!
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at Hotel Fusion, an “urban boutique hotel”, when we arrived we were greeted and checked-in by reception staff. The reception staff of any hotel can set the tone of your stay from the first interaction, this time was no different! They were incredibly friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the city, they were very accommodating - can i just point out a brilliant use of an adjective there, i mean, its almost a pun! anyway, they each morning they would have a chat with us and asked what we were up to for the day, then they would suggested things that we could do/ see or good restaurants and cool bars - the staff here really positive impact on our stay. so, back to the first day - Once we had checked in we were taken to our room and I've got to say I was Impressed – they were good size rooms (not always the case with city hotels) and the beds were super comfortable! Possibility more importantly or perhaps equally as important as a good bed (for me anyway) the hotel and our room was very clean –spotless! The rooms were also quiet, you would never know that, just outside of the hotel was the busy San Fran Streets.
The location of the hotel was brilliant and for us, it was the perfect place to stay… it’s located a very short walk (just 2 blocks) from Union Square where you can find shops, bars and restaurants - as the hotel website says "San Francisco is a city known for blending diverse cultures and styles and this hotel matches these qualities in equal measure" - I agree!
GETTING AROUND
The iconic Cable Car turnaround and the Powell Street BART station are less than a block away from the hotel... This makes it super easy to get around and make the most of the city and explore multiple San Francisco neighborhoods, in one direction we could jump on a cable car and head
down to the famous Pier 39 in the other direction we could head out the Castro District - commonly referenced as The Castro, it was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States in the 1960's and it remains one of the most prominent symbols of LGBT+ activism and events in the world. in 2014, the LGBT Walk of Fame was installed in with an inaugural 20 sidewalk plaques representing past LGBT icons in their field, who continue to serve as inspirations. The walk now includes 500 bronze plaques.
THINGS TO DO
There is so much to do and see in San Francisco not matter what you are into History, Arts, Culture, Entertainment, Shopping, Relaxing, Food and Drink San Fran has something to suit everyone. We only had 4 nights, but with good planning, advice from Nicole and help from the staff at Hotel Fusion we managed to fit in soooo many things in – although there are things we didn't get to do, that we will do the next time – and there WILL be a next time!
Bus Tour First things first, I think that it is always a good idea to take a bus tour of any city, Ben and I have been on many BIG BUS TOURS, We always try to do this on the first full day, it gives you a good idea of what’s about and where things are in relation to your hotel, we decided to do a Bus Tour and we woke up early, grabbed a bite to eat and a coffee at the hotel then headed down to Fisherman's Wharf, although it was July, the mornings can be a little chilly and often foggy (the locals have named the fog, Carl), it's easy and quick to jump on a cable car and ride down to the wharf, but we comfortably made our way from the hotel to main ticket office and took in the city along the way. When we arrived at the visitor center (that's american for "Centre") The delightful Big Bus staff explained our options and after some thought, we chose the premium 24hr hop-on-hop-off ticket and, as the name of the ticket suggests, it allows you to... you guessed it... Hop-on and hop-off for 24 hours. We were given a map of the routes and stops – there are 3 routes:
RED Route: Day Tour
GREEN route: Sausalito Tour, and
BLUE route: Night Tour.
We took the RED route that starts at the San Francisco Visitor Center and heads up to Civic Hall, the scene of major moments of the Gay Rights
Movement and a place where activist Harvey Milk held rallies and gave speeches. The tour also takes you to Haight-Ashbury (the vibrant and colourful area with a real hippie vibe), Golden Gate Park then over the Golden Gate Bridge, where you can jump off the bus and take the Green route into Sausalito – something we didn’t do and later regret for reasons you will find out late in the post. Anyway, back to the GREEN route... it takes you back over the Golden Gate Bridge (little fact: the bridge is NOT red, in fact it is “international Orange”) we then headed past the world famous Lombard Street and finally back to Fisherman's Wharf –where the tour ended - and where the tour had started began. So even though we could choose to "hop-on and off" whenever we liked, we decided to stay on the bus from start to finish and take in all the city …our bus tour had live commentary and our tour guide, Doug, like I said I have been on many bus tours and I have to say that Doug was THE BEST tour guide we have I have ever had, he was soooo good at getting the right mix of intelligent historical facts with the fun facts and a brilliant sense of humor!!!
The premium ticket that we had opted for, also offers 1 hour free bike rental with the purchase of a 1-hour bike rental from Blazing Saddles. This deal is available from any Blazing Saddles shop, where the team will equip you with all the necessary gear and explain how to make the most of cycling in San Francisco, the good thing about the free bike rental is that you don’t need to do it within the validity of your 24hr ticket.
We decided to hire the bikes on our last day and after trying – failing miserably with a tandem bike, we picked up our singular bikes and took a ride along the wharf towards Ghirardelli Square (Ill tell you about that in a bit) and off we peddled over the golden gate bridge – it was a fantastic experience and something I would highly recommend. When we got to the other side of the bridge we continued on a little further. The road then turns into a long-winding down-hill road into what I can only describe a beautiful, picturesque, charming, delightful, quaint, pleasing, darling little town called Sausalito – now,this is why I am gutted we didn’t take the green route on the day of our bus tour
If we had known just how beautiful, picturesque, charming, delightful, quaint... Okay, I think you get it... but if we had known about this place we would have been able to spend a little more time in this town that is full of boutique shops, restaurants and cafés. But to be fair the reason we waited until the last day to take the bikes was because this was the day that was due to be the nicest weather and that day was hot, sunny and clear; Carl must have been taking a day off! - Next time we go we will take some time to enjoy Sausalito. From Sausalito we jumped on a ferry – there was no way I was going to attempt to cycle up that hill! The ferry lets you jump on with the bikes from blazing saddles – but I have heard that some bikes are not allowed on, so- check before you head off… the ferry takes you back to old fisherman's wharf.
Once home to some of America's most notorious criminals, the federal penitentiary that operated here from 1934 to 1963 brought a dark mystique to “The Rock”. The presence of infamous inmates, like Al Capone a.k.a "Scarface" and the "Birdman" Robert Stroud, helped to establish the Island's notoriety. Yet, many people are unaware of the historical significance before and after it was one of the world’s most legendary prisons – I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed this tour – It was sooo interesting
Now, one thing to make anyone travelling to San Fran - Tickets for Alcatraz Island are available for purchase 90 days in advance. Advance purchase is highly recommended due to seasonal sellouts – I cannot stress enough how much of a "must-do" experience this is, and if you are thinking about it - book it! and do this as soon as you can, because if you don’t and then think “oh let’s do that today” the chances are you won’t be able to! - Alcatraz becomes booked up for weeks.
WARNING! there are many operators and ticket sellers claiming to sell on-the day tickets or discount tickets - the official ticket seller/operator is www.alcatrazcruises.com
All Alcatraz Island tour tickets include round-trip transportation, as well as the award-winning Cellhouse audio tour, available in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
SHOPPING
If shopping is your thing, San Fran will not disappoint! Within a 3 block radius of Union Square you can find an array of department stores and malls, including; Neiman Marcus, Macy's (separate men's & women's branches), Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Westfield San Francisco Centre.
A mix of upscale boutiques and popular retailers occupy many of the buildings surrounding Union Square. Among the luxury retailers that front Union Square are Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Bulgari, Loro Piana, Moncler, and jeweler Tiffany & Co.; while flagship Victoria's Secret, Williams-Sonoma, Nike, and Apple stores also occupy buildings surrounding Union Square. Other notable brands in the surrounding area include Chanel, Prada, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Goyard, Dior and Cartier.
EATING
Cheesecake factory If you have a sweet tooth and/or like cheese cake – this is the place for you, now, they do sell other food, from what I could see, as I peered around the room at other peoples plates; the food looked delicious and huge portions – but Ben and I had been out in the Castro the night before and we had had a few too many cocktails so we were feeling a little delicate, okay when I say delicate we where hanging! The only sensable thing to do was to have cheesecake for breakfast...
There are sooo many varieties to choose from and after what felt like hours deciding, in the end we choose Oreo Cheesecake and Snickers Cheesecake!!
If the food wasn’t a good enough reason to eat here, the restaurant is on top of macey’s and looks over Union Square – lovely views, lovely staff, amazing cheesecake!
Bubba Gumps Shrimp Co. Bubba Gumps is located on pier 39 and has a complete Bay View that spans the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge. The atmosphere is laid-back and the staff are super helpful, when we were first seated our server explained that there was a sign on the table one side said "run forest run" that signals the staff to keep on going past our table, on the other side it says "stop forest stop" I'm sure you can guess what this means, if not, let me put your mind at rest; it signals the server to stop at the table if you need a drink top-up or want to order anything, they constantly keep an eye on your table, so there is non of that awkward waiting for someone to walk past so you can grab their attention.
Now, the service and the venue may be good but the food!!!! oh my cod! the food is amazing!!! we had Shrimper’s Heaven This cost $22.99 but we there is soooo much shrimp we had it between us, it consists of Hand breaded Coconut Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp, Crispy Golden Shrimp and Tempura Shrimp. Served with homemade Dippin’ Sauces, Tangy Asian, Cajun Marmalade and Zesty Cocktail.
Ben and I love hard rock cafe and if there is a hard rock in the destination, we will eat there! The menu is pretty much the same wherever you go – and one thing you can be sure of, you are guaranteed the highest of standards from the staff, the venue and the food! – this goes for all hard rocks we have been to…. It’s a no-fail option. Hard Rock San Francisco is also on fisherman's wharf – its a beautiful place to take a stroll in the fresh bay breeze after filling up on the world famous hard rock food!
I have to say, I'm not a fan of american chocolate, although that's not entirely true - not when it comes to Ghirardelli. (technically the founder, Domenico "Domingo" Ghirardelli, Sr is Italian and Ghirardelli is now the american division of Swiss confectioner Lindt & Sprüngli).
Ghirardelli Square is a landmark public square with shops and restaurants and a 5-star hotel in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco - it started as headquarters of Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. As well as a plethora of shops and restaurants you can also find Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop - say no more! yummy
Auntie Annes This place changed our lives, ok that may be me being a little elaborate with my wording but Auntie Anne makes the BEST baked soft pretzels – and although they have franchises here in the UK and in NYC, they are not even close to Auntie Annes in San Fran and L.A. I don’t know why but the UK and New York City ones are just not good, BUT when it comes to the Auntie Anne's in California – OH- MY - PRETZAL! Mini pretzel dogs, cheese stuffed mini pretzel – with hot liquid cheese to dip them in! TRY THEM! I promise they will not disappoint (but only in California)
Ronald who!?! If you are looking for a quick, yet delicious american hamburger and fries - In 'n' Out is the place to go! if like me, you are a fam of cheese drenched french fries (or as us Brits call them - CHIPS), then you must get them from here!
NIGHTLIFE
The Castro
As I mentioned previously, The Castro is steeped in colourful LGBT+ history but it is also an amazing place to go for drinks and party - well an all-round good night out. With so many bars and clubs to choose from this district of San Fran is lively and fun! From our hotel we took the cable car up to the Castro and started the night with a couple of frozen margaritas from in the LookOut followed by a couple of shots, we then headed to a couple of other bars and a bar/club and danced the night away to classic pop anthems - including Spice Girls!!! – I would love to tell you the name and location of this amazing place but due to the margaritas and shots, our memory seems to be slightly foggy – but if one thing is for sure - it was a brilliant night out. the best cure to a night out in The Castro is cheesecake for breakfast at The Cheesecake Factory
Sir Francis Drake The Sir Francis Drake hotel website says From the moment the red-suited Beefeater doorman whisks you into our ornate lobby, it’s clear: you’ve arrived at a San Francisco icon. The grand staircases, gilded ceilings, sleek marble walls, and crystal chandeliers evoke an old-world charm you won’t find anywhere else - I have to say that this is very true. Ben and I stumbled across this place, we where looking for a place to have a drink and a dance in or around Union Square, we decided to ask someone (we didn't realise at the time it was a member of staff on their break) they told us to try Starlight Room at The Sir Francis Drake hotel. we thought "why not?" we took the elevator (Lift in British English) and , again, as the website says This is where cocktail culture, retro swank and a buzz-worthy ambiance all combine to ignite evenings guaranteed to be favorite memories-in-the-making. this place is wonderful, but defiantly not SNOBBY - it still have a chilled out San Fran vibe - the cocktails are also worth the visit to this bar on the 21st floor and if the cocktails aren't enough to tempt you then the stunning views from the dance-floor should do it!
San Francisco has it all and something to suit everyone's budget! 4 nights is long enough to do many things. for us, it wasn't enough - We would happily live in San Fran (if it wasn't so bloody hard to get a visa) We didnt want to leave, but the vineyards of Napa Valley were calling for us and we had to pick up the car by a certain time... NEXT STOP NAPA VALLEY...
Have you been to San Francisco? Do you have any suggestions for next time we go?...
Jack x