Where should I stay in Las Vegas?

Where to see and stay starting in San Fran, finishing in Las Vegas, via LA?

• I am planning my honeymoon for June 2013 and are looking to fly into San Fran, drive down to LA and finishes off and fly out of Las Vegas I’m after advise with what’s recommended to do and stay in these 3 places and where to see and stay on the drives down in between, I’m planning on 14 days round trip flying to and from London, UK San Fran - this is where we want to start out. Other than Alcatraz, the bridge and trams, we are not too sure what else to see or do here. Also, is there a particular area that is ideal to stay? I was thinking around 2-3 full days here, setting off early on the 3rd / 4th day to start the drive down to LA On the way to LA, I’ve seen Yosemite National Park is a must and the Big Sur, but not really sure what way or what sites are best to break the journey up - maybe look to take a couple of days to drive to down to LA, so what would be recommended to see / stay over? When we get to LA, we want to see all the normal sites - Venice beach, Hollywood etc. Would like to do a couple of parks, Disney etc and are both quite into films, so the Hollywood walk of fame etc would be good to take in After LA to las vegas, would it be worth stopping off anywhere in-between or just drive straight to Las Vegas? Want to do a a few days in vegas too, see all the hotels, a show or two, grand canyon & the damn etc. We are fairly active people, but I don’t want to be doing anything too strenuous on my honeymoon! We would want to look at taking in maybe a basketball game somewhere too amongst all the normal must see sights, so anything anyone could recommend would be brilliant Budget wise is fairly OK - we wouldnt be looking to do it all on the cheap, but equally do not have a fourtine to spend, so somewhere in between would be good! Thanks in advance!

• Answer:

  The Southwest is a vast region (California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico). It is home to some 55 million people. There are entire guidebooks devoted to each state. And they barely scratch the surface of what's out there. I am certainly not going to even try to do it justice in a couple paragraphs. What I will do is suggest a few experiences in San Francisco that might interest you. ------- - Walk the Land's End trail from the ruins of Sutro Baths to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. The palace is a beautifully executed replica of an eighteenth century French chateau set amid a golf course ($10, Closed Mondays). However, it is the relatively easy hike that steals the show. With towering cliffs, cypress groves, and the mighty Pacific waves crashing into the rocks below, it is hard to imagine you are in the middle of a large city. http://legionofhonor.famsf.org/ - San Francisco's Anglican Grace Cathedral on top of Nob Hill is, by American standards, pretty grand. The exterior is actually inspired by Notre Dame in Paris. The stained glass windows and labyrinth are from Chartres. England did get the honor of casting the church's massive bells though. Across the square from the cathedral is the famed Fairmont Hotel. Inside is the horribly kitschy, but fun, Tonga Room. http://tongaroom.com/ - The agricultural estates north of San Francisco produce the finest wines in North America. Because the industry has been so successful, the valleys are now littered with all sorts of extravagant houses. The line up includes temples, chateaux, and even an authentic Medieval castle imported from Italy. Grab the Napa and Sonoma Moon Handbook to do the drive yourself. Or join a tour group: http://www.viator.com/tours/Napa-and-Sonoma/Customizable-Wine-Country-Tour-from-San-Francisco/d914-2402WINELOVERS - There are a couple places in San Francisco that will thrill movie buffs. Treasure Island stood in for SFO in the first Indiana Jones movie and Berlin in the third movie. The Disney Family Museum in the Presidio chronicles the life and career of Walt in a surprisingly frank manner ($20). Also in the Presidio is the headquarters of George Lucas' ILM. The studios are closed to the public. But there's a statue of Yoda and a pleasant park. Ironically, Star Trek fans will recognize the site as the home of that franchise's Starfleet Headquarters. As an added bonus, the Palace of Fine Arts is just a short walk away. This particular "palace" was a 1915 attempt at creating romantic Roman ruins. But the architect ended up making it look vaguely, well, Parisian. Which is in keeping with the theme of San Francisco I suppose. http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/calendar.html About 10 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge is Muir Woods. The woods are a spectacular sight in their own right. But they have also starred in many science fiction movies (see if you can tell which ones). This is a stop on the tour group circuit though, so you can expect crowds. - If you want to know why Roosevelt's jobs program during the Depression was (and still is) so controversial among conservatives, look no further than Coit Tower. The tower's Social Realist murals show fearless workers, um, working. They were installed under the direction of Diego Riviera. This is one of the few examples of Socialist art in the U.S. to survive the purges of the 1950s. And the view from the top isn't half bad. - San Francisco has fantastic gardens. Golden Gate Park has a wide variety of botanical delights in a largely natural setting (pay gardens $7 each). While the Filoli ($15, Closed Mondays), south of the city, is more evocative of an English manor. http://filoli.org/