Any advice/recommmendations PER-San Diego??

[drmikki]

Hi all,
I have to get myself and a colleague to San Diego for a conference next month. Sadly we work for the Health Dept and all travel is self-funded. :shock: Additionally we have to work the day before we leave and the day after we get back...
We are looking at flying out late on Feb 11th/early on 12th and back on the evening of Feb 19th (landing on the 21st, working on the 22nd)... Can anyone offer advice on best routing for price and/or comfort? I would consider PE but it's looking rather pricey on QF so whY may be more realistic.
At the moment it looks like UA is cheapest ($1770 return) but QF is $2010 and I have QC/Silver. UA was DREADFUL when I last flew them in 2006 - has anyone got recent experience on the Aust-LAX/SFO routes? NZ is also reasonable but I am not sure I can survive 12-14 hour layover in AKL whilst maintaining sanity.

All advice and help greatly appreciated - thanks!

 

[trooper]

If you can stretch it to a Feb 11 out and a Feb 20 back NZ are offering "Deal fares" at AUD $1340...

Pretty bloody good IYAM.....:shock:

For the same dates NZ's Y+ is selling for $2893.. Obviously a lot more.. but a very decent price nontheless... Only problem is the not-so-good PER-AKL flight...

AKL layover? What I would do is head into town... Spend a few hours at the Maritime Museum (again) ... maybe do one of the harbour trips (again) ..... eat well (yep).... Wander back to the airport whenever... (no lounge access right?) then use the pay showers to freshen up before the long haul...

 

[drmikki]

Thanks for the reply. I actually can't get AirNZ website to book SanDiego connections at all - although of course if I book from the US website SAN works fine.... The "live chat" person (?robot) told me I can book via the call centre although of course that then is an extra fee - $50 per person per direction apparently!

Buckleys chance of extending another day - had to sell my soul to get the Monday off work to get back... And I think they might be suspicious if I pull a sickie!

 

[cove]

Lovely city San Diego.
Pass on going over the border as it is too risky right now.
You could fly or drive from Los Angeles. Both choices are ok.
Check car parking cost at your hotel as it can be a lot.
For tipping go either 15% or double the tax on the restaurant bill.
There is a light rail system in the city.
Stay close to the conference venue and pick up one of the hotels offering the conference rate if you don't want a car during the busy part of the conference.

 

[drmikki]

Thanks cove, I will look at driving down from LA instead of flying. I didn't think about parking costs though, thanks for the reminder.

It seems that every man and his dog is attending this conference, as every reputable hotel within 5km is booked out (I found one with vacancies, but TripAdvisor reviews were hilariously bad... bed bugs, suspicious stains and reportedly a woman 'conducting business' from the room next door). Probably something a bit further away from the convention centre but without the bad reviews is a better option!

Is the border really that bad? A few people have given that warning now.... :shock: Worse than PNG and Cape Town?

 

[cove]

Over the Mexican border is only a problem if you are the one they kidnap for the quick bucks. We used to go there up to 24 months ago but I cannot get to a suppliers premises in Mexico as no one will accompany me from that San Diego company following shooting deaths. Go to Carlsbad outlets ,sea world ,Lego land ,the zoo or Ruths Chris Steakhouse,Ruby's Diner or Inn n out burger as they are all better life choices even if those last ones aren't super health food choices.
I tend to stay at Omni by Petco baseball park or the Marriott next to the convention center. Is that where your convention is?

 

[cove]

If you want to get the other doctors green with envy you could stay at Aviara which is a Four Seasons property out on a fantastic part of North San Diego if you can overcome the sticker shock.

Worse than is a hard idea to gauge but right now there is a drug war on in Mexico so the lower level crims are kidnapping to make up for the lost drug revenue.

 

[docjames]

Check if the conference provides shuttle buses to/from someof the hotels. You could always walk to one of the "official" hotels. Also consider that if you drive down from LAX, you'll have a car anyway, sure, you'll pay for parking, but it'll be convenient.

How do the VA fares compare for Y/Y+ if budget is an issue?


A Y+ fare ~ $3k at this stage (one month out) is a great deal. :shock:

A halfway house would be Y on UA and then pay for extra legroom in their economy plus (not a full Y+ but essentially extra legroom economy seating)?

Edit: there's not way i'd be crossing the border at the moment. IMO it's not really "mexico" anyway (you need to travelmuch further into mexico to experience the "real" mexico). Not worth the risk for what IMO isnt really a good cultural experience. There's plenty to do in SAN just i'd not be bothering. If you get really bored with the conference, you could always take a day in LA....

 

[danielc]

Dr Mikki,

My advice is to avoid UA trans-pacific in Y at all costs. I have made the trip several times and have used most the different carriers at one time or another (QF,CX,UA,NZ). From Perth CX is a viable option, except for your dates they showed as about $2400 return. Personally, I would suggest you give V Australia a go. If you want to keep the cost as low as possible, you may want to consider booking the trip as two segments: PER-MEL-PER, and MEL-LAX-MEL on VA. Using your dates I was able to price MEL-LAX return at $1157 on VA website. VB website has PER-MEL for $158 + $10 baggage each way for your dates. My math says this would work out at approx $1500 total for the trip. I would agree that driving from LAX is the better option, about two hours, as you would spend that same amount of time transitting in LAX.

Be aware that any US rental car is NOT covered by insurance for travel into Mexico so any trips into Tijuana would best be done by foot or bus. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[wandering_fred]

It is a little short notice to use my normal strategy but I will describe anyway

Cheap flight (J*) to SIN
Use the AA USA website to quote SIN-USA-SIN
return ticket SIN-PER-SIN

At the moment SIN-NRT-DFW-SAN is showing US$646++ for morning 12 Feb
The issue is that only B class are available SAN-LAX-HKG-SIN on19 Feb (or nearby) and that is $2279++ :shock:

The SIN-PER-SIN runs a bit more than AU$600 - so if V class or lower is available for TransPAC - you can save a bit of money. and have the return to SIN on a cheap ticket.

Alternatively the Australian AA website will sometimes show reasonable PER-NRT-USA and return fares.

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[Fantic125]

Air Pacific have a MEL-LAX-MEL flight for $1142 on those dates. Might be worth having a look at.

If you're considering driving from LAX to San Diego it takes about 4~5 hours. Depending on how much rest you get on the plane, it can be a looong drive, especially if you haven't driven LHD before. You may be better off getting the LAX-SAN commuter flight (American Eagle) - flight time is just over 20 mins.

I was over there six times last year for business. If you have a car then the Holiday Inn - On the Bay may be an option for you. The rooms are reasonable, they don't charge for parking and it's not far from the Gaslamp Quarter/Convention Centre, etc. Two other options ifyou want to stay a bit further out are the Hilton at Mission Bay (stayed there about 2 years ago, so can't vouch for what it's like now) or less expensive is the La Quinta on Bonita Rd at Chula Vista. If I don't stay in Tijuana then I usually stay at the La Quinta.

If you get the opportunity catch the ferry over to Coronado and have a bit of a look around there. There's a great Italian restaurant there - Il Fornaio's - which look's over the bay (a little pricey though). A good alternative is The Fish Market (just off Nth Harbor Drive near the Midway). Downstairs is casual, upstairs more formal.

To sample some good american atmosphere I like to have a beer at The Yardhouse (cnr 4th & Broadway - biggest selection of beers on tap I've ever seen) and The Gaslamp Tavern (cnr 5th & E Street).

I cross the border to Tijuana each time I'm there as the company I work for has a factory there, and it's not as dangerous as it's made out to be. The kidnappings are mainly of Mexican executives who work in the Maquiladoras, and nearly all the drug related murders and shootings are either members of the cartels or the police. It's safe enough if you stick to the main roads and don't walk around by yourself at night.

Having said that, I most probably wouldn't bother crossing the border as a tourist, as Avenida Revolucion (the main shopping strip) is only half what it used to be. The GFC & drug fighting has scared off most of the tourists and many shops have closed. You'd be better off either driving or catching the trolley to Las Americas (Outlet shopping) near the San Ysidro border crossing.

Enjoy San Diego!

 

[cove]

If you find the traffic is heavy take the Toll road San Joaquin one at about $4 and go at a safe higher speed.
I do it out of peak in about 2.5 hours LAX to downtown San Diego but it can be more.
Suggest you google the Toll Road.
Whoever is the driver needs to be sober as they jail DUI drivers.

 

[drmikki]

Thanks to everyone for their help. My colleague has had a look over the options and we have decided on Air NZ as the compromise between comfort and cost (I vetoed his United leanings). Flying there in Economy but LAX-AKL in PE and since I have a bunch of rather useless Airdollars I have put in for PE standby upgrades on the AKL-LAX leg.

For accomodation, we booked the Homewood suites liberty station near the airport - at a stretch walkable to convention centre, free parking, near a bus line to convention centre and most importantly for me, its a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite for $186/night including free breakfast/internet/reception. Although I get along well with my male colleague I'd rather not share a room for a week!

I rang AirNZ for a quote with the connections through to SAN and they quoted me an extra $1000/each, so the American Eagle flights sound good.

Now for lounge access - planning 6 months travel at the end of the year (following Formula One around the world, amongst other crazy plans) so I am thinking one of the paid *A programs now means I can tax-deduct it as "conference expense" but will be useful later on...

Does anyone have any advice re: Red Carpet Club vs US Air Club vs Continental Presidents Club vs Maple Leaf Club Worldwide? The only difference I can see is the price - 525 vs 500 vs 525 vs 649. Also Continental quote 970 lounges worldwide, compared with the 225-250ish mentioned elsewhere, but I have no idea where they have pulled that number from.

 

[cove]

Enjoy California,it can be a lot of fun.
The two bedroom apartment is a very good idea for keeping costs down.

 

[Fantic125]

I have Continental Presidents Club (due to expire soon, but have made *A Gold in the meantime) and have found a few international *A lounges aren't familiar with it. I've had a couple of lounges where they've had to search through their books to verify the entry requirements, and one lounge I had to show them on their website!

Apart from that, no issues with it. They are all fairly similar though.

FYI - there's no lounges in the San Diego commuter terminal (and it's quite small), so you're better off staying in the city until you need to check in.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Was over there a year ago & stayed at the Balboa Park Inn which was USD99.00 per night incl continental breakfast for two. It was a B&B type place but I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. It's right opposite Balboa Park where a lot of people go to jog.

We hired a car, well actually two as we dropped out bags at the hotel then the first car we got just wouldn't start again. The replacement car arrived about 3 hours later which looked like something out of Pimp My Ride - we were definitely 'pretty fly for a white guy'.

Make sure you purchase whatever insurance they offer so in the event of an accident you pay nil. Also ask if there is a secret button/lever or whatever to have to press before you can start the ignition. I also grab a business card off the counter & ask for their local number in case of any dramas. If I can't start the car I don't want to get a call centre half way around the world who may not have even heard of the make and model I'm driving never mind where the kill switch is.

Drove downtown in the car as we were trying to find the Gaslamp area to have dinner but I'm not even sure we found that area. Never mind street parking even finding a parking station downtown is a PITA. I believe San Diego is America's 8th largest city & it seems like everyone has a car - their freeways are not for the fainthearted.

I did see red metro buses that looked pretty snazzy so that could be an option to get around. They went past the Balboa Park Inn.

We flew arrived into SAN on CO from MCO (via IAH) then departed on VX to SFO then QF SFO/SYD so were able to avoid LAX altogether so you could consider doing QF SYD/SYD/SYD then VX SFO/SAN/SFO the latter would probably cost you USD49.00 pp one way.

Do you have an Amex card that has a free ticket within Oz? If so you could use this to fly DJ PER/SYD/PER. You may not have the time to go via Asia but you could always check if you can get a cheap fare on JQ PER/SIN/PER then a fare ex SIN to SAN or West Coast.