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Holidays Thread : Where you off to?


RancidPunx

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7 hours ago, Monkee said:

Admins, can we rename this The Holiday Thread rather than starting a new one please?

- - 

My friend and I are doing a West Coast US trip in May. We’re going for 18 nights and booked a fly-drive with BA last night for £547 each direct from Heathrow to LA.

Tip: Check our Jack’s Flight Club for some great deals on flights!

Anyway, the first half of the holiday is a road trip up to Seattle and back. We’re spending 7 nights in LA at the end but have no idea where to stay for a reasonable price but isn’t too far away (thinking about LA traffic) from some main attractions, i.e. Disneyland, Universal Studios, WB studios, Hollywood sign, etc. We want something relaxing, maybe near a beach.

Anyone been to LA to recommend something? I’ve been before and stayed on Hollywood Blvd but only because I didn’t have a car at the time and thought that’d be the best place to stay.

Thanks for the Jack’s Flight Club trip. We’re in the early stages of planning a California trip so best flight options are definitely something to look at.

Plan is to fly into LA and head to Anaheim (which doesn’t have an airport? I think? I don’t even know that) for Star Wars Celebration, then a couple of days to see Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.

We’d then fly LA to San Francisco and have a few days there before flying back from SF.

People who’ve been to California... does this sound feasible?

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Looking down the barrel of a fairly quiet 2020. We done loads of city breaks, gigs etc in the last two years and we're getting married next year so we've sort of made this informal promise that we'll chill out here and camp around Ireland and explore our own land for a change. I wouldn't mind a cheap week in Barcelona towards the tail end of summer, though. Literally just to laze around stoned in somewhere that's not Amsterdam, because I'm 29 and not 22. I've been dry for ages now and don't smoke regularly anymore, either, but the idea of going somewhere where I can have a bifter on a quiet bit of beach when she has a drink greatly appeals. Just to close out the summer. No gigs, no great plans, no arriving only to practically be planning your trip back to the airport the next night. 

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@Monkee - I think if you have a week set aside for LA, I’d recommend taking an overnight trip to San Diego during that time. Only 2-3 hours’ drive but an absolutely boss place. Scenic, laid back whilst having a hive of activity in the downtown area. 

LA itself wasn’t all that when I went and whilst there’s lots to see/do, you could easily slot the best of if into 3-4 days. I’d swerve Hollywood itself, though, as it was a rough-arse dump with pimps and women on the batter on every street corner when I went. From what I’ve read since then, it’s got worse.

@HarmonicGenerator - when you say a few days in San Francisco, how many are you talking? I went in September so have loads of recommendations I can fire over but I don’t want to overload you if you’re pushed for time. A day trip to Yosemite would be right up there towards the top of the list if you’ll be in SF for more than 3 days (any less and you’ll probably do yourself out of some of the best parts of the city). Regardless, brace yourself for homeless situation in downtown San Francisco. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and out of control.

Whilst I’m here, does anyone have any shouts for a long weekend in Barcelona? I’m going in mid-February and aside from going to the match and seeing the beautiful horizon, we’ve planned sod-all else for the 5 days we’re there. Ta.

Edited by Frankie Crisp
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2 minutes ago, Frankie Crisp said:

 

@HarmonicGenerator - when you say a few days in San Francisco, how many are you talking? I went in September so have loads of recommendations I can fire over but I don’t want to overload you if you’re pushed for time. A day trip to Yosemite would be right up there towards the top of the list if you’ll be in SF for more than 3 days (any less and you’ll probably do yourself out of some of the best parts of the city).

This is another of the things I don't really know! From my very preliminary research I'd guess we'd maybe be there about 5 days? Anything you can recommend would be gratefully received and much appreciated!

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4 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

This is another of the things I don't really know! From my very preliminary research I'd guess we'd maybe be there about 5 days? Anything you can recommend would be gratefully received and much appreciated!

Oh that’s loads of time to fit the best bits in! I’m away with work today but when I get back up north and have half an hour I’ll send over some of the highlights from our recent trip.

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9 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

I’ve decided this is the year I’m going to Sarajevo (although I’ve just seen dirt cheap return flights to Japan on Jacks Flight Club) Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated. 

Careful with a lot of the flight prices as 90% don’t include check-in luggage, even a lot of the long haul ones. I was getting great prices for LA until I realised it didn’t include luggage and it bumped up the prices by £150-200 in some cases. Not so much of an issue if your doing short breaks though probably. 

10 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

Plan is to fly into LA and head to Anaheim (which doesn’t have an airport? I think? I don’t even know that) for Star Wars Celebration, then a couple of days to see Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.

We’d then fly LA to San Francisco and have a few days there before flying back from SF.

People who’ve been to California... does this sound feasible?

I don’t know what internal flight prices are like but seriously consider a fly drive. LAX isn’t that far from Anaheim and we’re driving up to San Francisco. It’s not a short journey by all means but it probably works out the same as flying.

3 hours ago, Frankie Crisp said:

@Monkee - I think if you have a week set aside for LA, I’d recommend taking an overnight trip to San Diego during that time.

LA itself wasn’t all that when I went and whilst there’s lots to see/do, you could easily slot the best of if into 3-4 days. I’d swerve Hollywood itself, though, as it was a rough-arse dump with pimps and women on the batter on every street corner when I went. From what I’ve read since then, it’s got worse.

Already done San Diego. It was a while back but I don’t think there’s much more I’d do to be honest. I’ve also done LA but the seedy side exactly like you’ve described. That’s why we’re doing a beach this time plus a few theme parks thrown in. I think we’re heading for Redondo Beach based on some tips from other people.

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3 hours ago, Frankie Crisp said:

 

Whilst I’m here, does anyone have any shouts for a long weekend in Barcelona? I’m going in mid-February and aside from going to the match and seeing the beautiful horizon, we’ve planned sod-all else for the 5 days we’re there. Ta.

As soon as you can do the bus trip. Theres constant buses round the city, you buy a ticket from one of the many kiosks and you can get on and off all day. You can also get some headphones to plug in on the bus that gives you a recorded set of tour information about what you are passing in the city. A great way to see what's about and decide what sounds or looks good.

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Just booked a tidy week in Rome in the first week off May. Got it for £860 /2 people from Jet2CityBreaks, which is about £100 cheaper than what it was costing to book everything myself separately. I've not been before so has anyone got any tips, do's & donts? Looks like a cracking place with way too much to do and I'd wager there'll be tourists clogging up all the major landmarks. I don't mind all the hustle and bustle though.

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27 minutes ago, Accident Prone said:

Just booked a tidy week in Rome in the first week off May. Got it for £860 /2 people from Jet2CityBreaks, which is about £100 cheaper than what it was costing to book everything myself separately. I've not been before so has anyone got any tips, do's & donts? Looks like a cracking place with way too much to do and I'd wager there'll be tourists clogging up all the major landmarks. I don't mind all the hustle and bustle though.

My top tips:

 - If you want to go to big touristy places like the Colosseum, book in advance and try to go first thing, it's just that tiny bit quieter and cooler. I can't remember where we booked our tickets from (might have been Viator) but you got a free audioguide download with your ticket which is easier than trying to read labels past the crowds.

 - If art's your thing the Vatican is overwhelming. There's so much everything there. It's beautiful. And it's packed. We booked a 'skip-the-line' tour in advance (this was definitely through Viator) which bypassed some of that, but even a three hour tour means you only get a cursory glance at a lot of the stuff. It probably needs a full day to do properly, and we probably should have, but it's SO BUSY you'd probably want to get out of there after a while anyway. If you do the Sistine Chapel, try not to get distracted by the cat and mouse game between the security guards and the tourists desperately trying to sneak photos.

 - The Spanish Steps are also very busy, but just next to them is the Keats-Shelley House, a tiny museum in the apartment where Keats spent his final days. You have to buzz the buzzer to get in, but it's quiet and contemplative and interesting if you're into Romanticism (Byron pops up as well). It's all English-language too. It won't take more than an hour, but it might be my favourite thing to do in Rome (other than, by sheer happenstance, bumping into Charles Giordano from the E Street Band near the Trevi Fountain. I SHOOK THE HAND THAT'S SHAKEN SPRINGSTEEN'S).

 - Find Giolitti for gelato. The best in Italy.

 - Keep an eye on the street sellers. They know the weather before anyone else. If they start switching from selfie sticks or whatever the on-trend thing is right now to umbrellas and ponchos, it's about to start raining. Also it's funny when the police catch them scamming someone somewhere they shouldn't and they leg it faster than anyone you've ever seen before sneaking back ten minutes later.

Edited by HarmonicGenerator
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