njt Iow Your personalised ebrochure California & The Golden West created: 9 April 2015 call Not Just Travel Isle of Wight direct on: 01983716727
California and the Golden West West Coast charm, Las Vegas and Yosemite The Mamas and the Papas 1965 hit California Dreamin neatly encapsulates the attraction of the Golden State. From gold rush pioneers to film industry starlets, the optimistic, the adventurous and the ambitious have made their way to California in search of fame and fortune for two centuries - the epitome of the American Dream. Our most popular tour introduces great cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, iconic stretches of Pacific coastal road and Route 66, and the bewitching expanse of Yosemite National Park, along with the highlights of neighbouring states - the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon, the Wild West landscapes of Arizona and the extraordinary Las Vegas, America s playground. For 2016 our much-loved itinerary is new and improved, ensuring the beginning and end of your holiday is more leisurely. On arrival in Los Angeles, stay overnight before travelling onwards the following day. Additional time has been added in Flagstaff, providing more opportunity to explore the Grand Canyon if you wish. The perfect conclusion to your holiday is a night s stay in seaview rooms at the lovely Californian resort of Huntington Beach Includes: 14 nights in hotels and 1 in flight Macy s 10% discount card Included excursions and visits: 13 VIP Home Departure Service from your home including from the Isle of Wight
California and the Golden West Itinerary Day 1 London - Los Angeles Titan s VIP Home Departure Service collects you from home, for your journey to London Heathrow Airport for a direct, scheduled Virgin Atlantic or British Airways flight to Los Angeles. On arrival we transfer to the Hyatt Regency LAX. Days 2-3 Los Angeles - San Diego This morning, enjoy a brief tour of three icons of popular culture - Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard and TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman s), where the handprints of the stars are famously immortalised, before travelling south to San Diego. On arrival, we check in to our hotel, the Sheraton Hotel and Marina. This afternoon, a tour introduces this attractive harbour city. The evening and tomorrow are at leisure to make your own explorations and sample San Diego s superb restaurants. Day 4 San Diego - Scottsdale We travel from California to Arizona by way of cactus-studded landscapes reminiscent of countless westerns and a stop at Palm Springs, the fashionable desert resort town whose former residents include Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe. We continue to Scottsdale in the afternoon. At our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, a welcome drink awaits.
Days 5-6 Sedona - Oak Creek Canyon - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff We travel to the charming artist colony of Sedona, breathtaking Oak Creek Canyon and the Grand Canyon, one of the most awe-inspiring natural sights the world has to offer. This geological wonder is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and one mile deep; a huge expanse of richly-coloured rock enclosing the silvery Colorado River far below. Perhaps enjoy a pre-bookable optional flight for stunning views of the canyon. Later in the afternoon, we make our way to Flagstaff, and the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, where we stay for two nights. Day 6 is at leisure in Flagstaff. Days 7-8 Flagstaff - Las Vegas Following a brief visit to the historic train depot at Williams, we proceed to Las Vegas, America s entertainment capital. By turns chic, glamorous and awe-inspiring, brash, excessive and outrageous, Las Vegas is certainly never boring. You don t need to be a high roller or slots wizard to enjoy this shimmering neon mirage in the heart of the forbidding Mojave Desert - there are shows that dazzle, from the famous Cirque du Soleil and the Beatles-inspired Love to the regular open-air spectacles, as each iconic hotel along the famous Strip tries to outdo the next in the extravagance of their performances. Some of the world s best restaurants may be found here, along with a vibrant nightlife, relaxing spa centres, immaculate golf courses and quirky museums. Our chosen hotel is the Tropicana, located on the Las Vegas Strip - perfect for discovering an extraordinary, unique city which somehow manages to live up and down to its various reputations simultaneously and in enthralling style. Included for those who wish, is a short morning excursion to the Hoover Dam - a spectacular engineering achievement built in the 1930s. This huge dam is an awesome sight and its construction created Lake Mead, which is 100 miles long and 500 feet deep. Day 9 Calico - Visalia We cross the Mojave Desert en route to Calico, a once-thriving centre of silver mining, now an enjoyable reminder of the days when cowboys roamed its streets. Visalia is our destination, where we stay at the Holiday Inn.
Day 10 Yosemite National Park One of the world s great natural sanctuaries is Yosemite National Park, in the Sierra Nevada. With its craggy mountains, postcard-perfect lakes and verdant forests of dogwood, sugar pine and white fir, Yosemite is endlessly photogenic - the reason why it so appealed to the great photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams. Adams visited Yosemite for more than 50 consecutive years, recording luminously beautiful photographs of the park s dramatic landscapes, many of which have become instantly recognisable icons of the American wilderness. After a memorable day, we continue west to our hotel, the DoubleTree Modesto. Days 11-12 San Francisco Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco as many others have before and since. A sightseeing tour presents an orientation of this most cosmopolitan, liberal and attractive American city, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square and vibrant Chinatown. We stay for two nights. The following day at leisure offers opportunities for relaxation or further exploration - perhaps a boat trip to notorious Alcatraz Island, where visitors may explore the remnants of the federal prison, learn about its famous inmates, discover the story behind the Native American occupation of 1969-71, or take a walk around the quaint district of Haight-Ashbury, so beloved of hippies, artists, writers and musicians, which became the crucible of counterculture in the 1960s. Our hotel is the Hyatt Regency or Holiday Inn Golden Gateway. Day 13 Monterey - 17 Mile Drive - Carmel - Cambria We travel south to Monterey, the old Spanish and Mexican capital of upper California, then proceed along the famous 17 Mile Drive, one of the loveliest coastal routes in the world. After lunch in the delightful town of Carmel, we continue south to Cambria by way of the curving Big Sur coastline, inspiration for Jack Kerouac s autobiographical novel, where the dramatic Pacific breakers crash against the rocky shoreline. Our hotel for the night is the Cambria Pines Lodge. Day 14 Santa Barbara - Huntington Beach Santa Barbara, a town favoured by artists, with an appealing harbour promenade and palm-fringed streets, makes a memorable lunch stop en route from Cambria to Huntington Beach. Our hotel is the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, where we stay in seaview rooms. This seaside city in California s Orange County is known for it long stretch of sandy beach and beach culture.
Day 15 Huntington Beach - Los Angeles - In flight We travel on to Los Angeles Airport for a direct, scheduled, overnight Virgin Atlantic or British Airways flight to London. Day 16 London Arrival at London Heathrow Airport where you will be met and guided to your Titan vehicle, for the journey home. Please note... Visa is not included, please call for details Please note: 2015 departures follow an alternative itinerary - on arrival on day 1, transfer straight to San Diego, stay one less night in Flagstaff and conclude with three nights in Anaheim - please call for details. On day 13, it is not always possible for us to be informed of 17 Mile Drive closures as it is a private road. We do expect that the 17 Mile Drive may be inaccessible for some departures in September, however if this is the case alternative arrangements will be made. Most Reasonable Travel dates subject to availability Prices from 1615 per person Based on two people sharing with a departure date of 23rd November 2016 Various departure dates available throughout 2015 / 16 Please call for details. All prices subject to availability.
What is Included 14 nights in hotels and 1 in flight (accommodation as specified or similar) Macy s 10% discount card Included excursions and visits: 13 Orientation tour of Hollywood Tour of San Diego with local guide Visit to the artist colony of Sedona Entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park Williams Depot and shoot-out re-enactment Visit to the Hoover Dam Visit the Old Silver Mining Town of Calico Entrance to Yosemite National Park Tour of San Francisco including the Golden Gate Bridge with local guide 17 Mile Drive the beautiful coastal route Stops at Carmel and Monterey Big Sur coastline drive Santa Barbara Plus all these benefits: VIP Home Departure Service Free connecting flights from regional airports Check-in service by on site staff with porterage Services of an experienced tour manager Scheduled Virgin Atlantic or British Airways direct flights Best available coaches with experienced drivers Hotel porterage (one bag per person) Airport taxes, security charges and fuel surcharges UK Air Passenger Duty (APD)