Southern California by Motorhome

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Los Angeles. Upon arrival, independently make your way to your hotel, where you spend the first night of your adventure.

Accommodation

Included

The Garland, Los Angeles

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The Garland, Los Angeles

Often described as an urban oasis, The Garland is a boutique hotel offering the perfect balance of retro-cool and casual sophistication. Chic and contemporary, the 242 rooms and 14 suites each have wireless internet, flat screen televisions, coffee-makers, mini-fridges and private balconies. The popular Family rooms boast a queen size bed which is partitioned from two bunk beds. Suites are even more spacious and have the added benefit of a dining area and living room.

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Pick up your motorhome from Cruise America in Los Angeles and head just under four hours along Route 101 to reach Santa Barbara, often called “America’s Riviera” for its beautiful beaches and excellent restaurants, making it a perfect stop along the way. While there, visit the Chumash Painted Cave to admire the intricate and colourful rock paintings that have survived for five hundred to a thousand years.

Backtracking just 11 miles on Route 101, turn towards the Pacific Ocean and join California’s spectacular Route 1 at San Luis Obispo. About an hour along, you’ll reach Hearst Castle, the extravagant estate built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, or you can enjoy the nearby San Simeon beaches. Don’t miss exploring San Luis Obispo itself—often called SLO—which invites visitors to embrace the laid-back lifestyle of southern California.

Head north on Route 1 for one of the world’s most scenic drives, making sure to stop in Carmel and Monterey. Don’t miss the famous 17-Mile Drive, which winds along the Pacific coastline past iconic golf courses and grand mansions in Pebble Beach. Your journey leads to San Francisco, just a few miles from the city’s major sights. Along the way, visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, where many of these towering trees have stood for over a thousand years.

Head east toward Yosemite, one of California’s most famous national parks, where no visit is complete without experiencing its magnificent scenery. The drive is relatively short, and once there, you can explore Yosemite’s valleys, rock formations, lakes, waterfalls, and towering peaks. Be sure to visit Bridal Veil and Yosemite Falls, and if you’re up for it, tackle the 2.5-mile hike to Inspiration Point. It gets steep toward the end, but the reward is the classic view of Yosemite Valley framed by the peaks of El Capitan and Half Dome.

Continue south on Route 395 through the Sierra Nevada and into the flatter expanse of the Mojave Desert—a gentle three-hour drive. Stop in the town of Barstow, a historic crossroads once traversed by The Old Spanish Trail and Route 66, now known for its two outlet malls and over a hundred stores. Nearby, you can visit the silver mining ghost town of Calico.

Today, you’re heading to Newport Beach, home to the expansive Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina, set at the entrance to the Back Bay Nature Preserve. Enjoy a mile of beachfront, perfect for swimming or letting the kids play, and explore the waters by renting a sailboat, electric boat, or taking a kayak tour through the Back Bay.

After breakfast it is just a short 30 mile drive back to the Cruise America depot in Los Angeles where you return your motorhome. Make the short journey back to the airport and check in for your flight back to the UK.