It's our first time to USA so likely to do the touristy stuff from SF to LA.
Perfect, you'll love it.
Happily booked US cos SQ tickets fly into SFO and fly out from LAX is S$1100 per pax.
Oh wow, that's shockingly cheap. Honestly you've saved so much on the flights that you can afford to lash out a bit on everything else.
Hopefully it's not as bad as I've read. Just my hb, me, and my 14 and 12 yo girls so it's a little worrying with one man in our travel group. Have read up abit and will avoid tenderloin in SF.
Oh yeah, you'll be fine - there's no real reason to go to the Tenderloin or Mid-Market anyway. You might find yourself on a streetcar through that part of town if you're on your way to the Castro, Dolores Park, or Golden Gate Park, but it's honestly fine - just something you'll pass on the way to the nicer parts of town.
Thanks to everyone feedback here, I'd search for hotel near metro and will take public transport or lyft (cos 4 of us). Then rent a car when leaving SF to LA, drop off car in LA once we arrive.
Oh yeah. Anything around Union Square is fine - the Westin, the Hyatt Regency, or the Palace Hotel are all good picks. They're all close to Powell or Montgomery BART stations, as well - you want to be close to a BART station, because there's a direct BART train from the airport to the city.
Staying out in Fisherman's Wharf is more touristy, but it's also a lot more of a pain to get to, so you'll want to balance those two things.
This sounds like a really good plan.
I read up abt Turo and it's way cheaper than car rental. Not sure if i should even explore Turo..
I've used Turo, and... sometimes it's cheaper, but honestly it's a bit of a pain in the behind? I like just rocking up to the car rental place and driving off. (Pro tip: become a member of the car rental company's frequent driver program! At Hertz and Avis at least, if you're a member of their frequent-customer program you don't need to wait in the queue - you just go to the carpark, grab the car with your name on it, and go.)
There seems to be limited accom options at Big Sur especially when we r traveling with 2 kids.
Is Carmel by the sea area a good accom area choice? Or any recommendations?
Hmm. Check out the
Glen Oaks, it's the least-extortionately-priced accommodation option around Big Sur. If they don't have accommodation, then your other options:
1) Carmel is very nice, but also very pricey;
2) Monterey is an
excellent option - it's more reasonably priced, and spending a night there is a great excuse to go to the aquarium. (If you're a Marriott loyalist, the Monterey Marriott is a perfectly good pick.)
