Car Rental - SFO to Long Beach

[Muumuu]

Plan on flying into SFO and there for 2 days. Then would like to rent a car to drive down PCH over 2 days to Long Beach for our cruise. Are there car rental companies in the Fishermans Wharf area? Or would we have to go back out to the airport?

Also any info on that drive would be so wonderful.

 

Thank you

[melika091900]

well the drive is very easy ... once you get to the 5 its a straight shot into LA.

heres a map

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

[BSQ]

but 5 isn't very scenic, except for cows and trucks.

 

I'm not sure about the car rental at the warf, but expect to pay a fairly hefty one-way rental premium.

 

Sticking to PCH, will take longer, but you're allowing two days so it should be quite nice. Not sure what info about the actual drive you are looking for.

 

Around SLO you'll be on the 101 down past Ventura I think it is. You don't mention what time of year you are planning to do this. Parts of 1 can be IFY in the wintertime.

[Muumuu]

Want the most scenic and will be March 2009.

Any info will be very welcomed.

[piper28]

I've actually been looking at doing the same thing myself, and have been doing a little research on car rentals. There are a couple of rental places at Fisherman's Wharf, definitely seems to be a Hertz, and I think it was Avis that I found. There's also several companies in the Union Square area.

 

I've found that you generally get one of two pricing schemes when you price this trip. You either get a fairly large daily fee with unlimited miles, or you get a much smaller daily fee, but no included miles. It seems to vary some depending on which company you go with, and what corporate discount you go with. (Heck, with Hertz I got the low fee, pay for miles with USAA, and the high fee unlimited with AAA). The high fee for one way so far seems to run about $110/day for unlimited miles, and the low fee has generally been more like $40-$50/day but with .25 to .30 a mile (with no allowance at all), so be sure to read the terms carefully when you're comparing rates. (So far, Hertz has been the only one that actually gave me an estimate of the total cost after miles, the others just show the base rate).

[Muumuu]

Thank you

[kenish]

Muumuu- There are 3 main routes between SFO and LA; I-5 is fast, inland, and boring. Excluding stops, it takes 8-9 hours. US101 is more coastal following inland valleys and the immediate coastline; allow 10-11 hours, it's a freeway the entire length. The slowest but most scenic is Hwy 1 that goes through Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur before joining US101. Add 3 hours more than staying with US101; the 120 miles between Monterey and SLO is a cliffhanging 2 lane road with some 15mph hairpins.

 

If you're going in March, Hwy1 often closes in winter due to landslides. Check the Monterey newspaper online, or the Caltrans website. (Caltrans is not updated very often, so it's good for long-term status but not reliable for day-to-day informaion).

 

There are other fairly recent threads about the sights along each route. Hwy 1 is not to be missed!

[BSQ]

anothing thing to think about, going from SF to L.A. is you'll be on the cliff side of the road. My mom hates that. It's winding roads and can have some narrow bridges.

 

Some towns I think are stop worthy along the way are Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon (Hearst Castle) Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo (Mission), Pismo Beach, Solvang (dutch lil town - though it's off of the 101), Santa Barbara (another mission).

 

here's some reading for you. It really is a beautiful drive.

[BigBearLady]

anothing thing to think about, going from SF to L.A. is you'll be on the cliff side of the road. My mom hates that. It's winding roads and can have some narrow bridges.

 

Some towns I think are stop worthy along the way are Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon (Hearst Castle) Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo (Mission), Pismo Beach, Solvang (dutch lil town - though it's off of the 101), Santa Barbara (another mission).

 

here's some reading for you. It really is a beautiful drive.

All of those suggestions are great. However, Solvang was settled by the Danish. It is a wonderful place to spend the day and or night. Lots of great pastries!!

[BSQ]

All of those suggestions are great. However, Solvang was settled by the Danish. It is a wonderful place to spend the day and or night. Lots of great pastries!!

 

LOL, well they both start with a D. I am VERY geographically challenged. :D

[Muumuu]

I've actually been looking at doing the same thing myself, and have been doing a little research on car rentals. There are a couple of rental places at Fisherman's Wharf, definitely seems to be a Hertz, and I think it was Avis that I found. There's also several companies in the Union Square area.

 

I've found that you generally get one of two pricing schemes when you price this trip. You either get a fairly large daily fee with unlimited miles, or you get a much smaller daily fee, but no included miles. It seems to vary some depending on which company you go with, and what corporate discount you go with. (Heck, with Hertz I got the low fee, pay for miles with USAA, and the high fee unlimited with AAA). The high fee for one way so far seems to run about $110/day for unlimited miles, and the low fee has generally been more like $40-$50/day but with .25 to .30 a mile (with no allowance at all), so be sure to read the terms carefully when you're comparing rates. (So far, Hertz has been the only one that actually gave me an estimate of the total cost after miles, the others just show the base rate).

 

Is yours from SFO to Long Beach?

May I ask the Hertz quote?

[Muumuu]

Thank you all for your help, I need it as I have no knowledge of the west coast.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If we're having a wet season (a couple of years ago was LA's rainiest season on record, but this last year was extremely dry), March could be pretty rainy. If it's rainy, travel time will be longer and scenary not as scenic.

 

The few times I've driven up north, I've done it in parts (eg. staying overnight in Morro Bay, doing Hearst Castle, then driving up the 1 to Carmel -- which took a while because of fog and landslides; staying a couple of days in Santa Maria --it sounded good, but turned out not to be that interesting, then doing some exploring south of SF before hitting the 5 back down to LA). Not all at once. You may need the cruise to relax from that drive.

[kenish]

There isn't a whole lot in Santa Maria, that's for sure! I'd recommend Monterey, Carmel, Cambria, Solvang, or Santa Barbara. It depends on a person's interests and preferences. Each town offers unique scenery, lifestyle, and attractions.

[gsmom893]

We live in Orange County, south of Long Beach. I'd suggest flexibility in your plans, because if it's raining or foggy you may need to change your route. Sigalert.com has good freeway updates. The fog in some areas is not to be ignored--it's down to the ground, zero visibility. On the other hand, it's March, some years that's the start of spring, the weather is great, minimal fog and the coast route is amazing. Just be sure everyone can handle the whole cliff hanging route (personally I hate it. Dh loves it, DD's in the middle). We tend to go North on the coast, come home inland, it's just easier on my nerves.

 

I love Santa Barbara, we run up just for the day every once in a while. Great restaurants on State Street, love the mission, nice beach walking...just a good day get away. If anyone in your group is in to shopping there is a large outlet mall in Camarillo.

[piper28]

Is yours from SFO to Long Beach?

May I ask the Hertz quote?

 

I was doing the Hertz from the Fisherman's Wharf location to either the downtown Long Beach or the airport Long Beach locations. Ours is mid-late December, and we got these as quotes (using AAA as the discount, was best for us out of our choices, all standard sized cars):

 

FW to LB downtown: $99/day unlimited miles

FW to LGB: $56/day, 0 mileage allowance .25/mile

 

With National, I was looking at rates through my university employee rate, which for oneways is $79/day unlimited mileage. Not as Fisherman's Wharf (750 Bush Street), and the closest dropoff looked to be LGB.

 

I think I looked at SFO to long beach downtown before, and was getting slightly higher rates with AAA, and with USAA was getting around $50/day plus .25/mile.

 

Unfortunately it's not really a good time of year for a convertible :).

 

Haven't decided myself where to stay on the way down. I'd like to get as far down as I could, even if it does make for a long day. Disadvantage of FW as a pickup location is they don't open to 7AM, otherwise I'd probably pick the car up earlier.

[kenish]

Muumuu- I would go for the unlimited mileage. They have a way of accumulating quickly in California. From SFO-LGB via Hwy 1 it's around 500 miles after adding in some modest sightseeing zigs and zags.

 

I usually don't get the best discounts through AAA (although I always check). Most frequent flyer programs have discount codes, also organizations you belong to, your credit card, Costco, etc. Be sure to check the rental car websites for deals too. Last thought, be sure to check one-way charges, they vary widely between companies.

 

For places to stay, weekends can get pretty busy in Cambria, SLO, Solvang, etc. There should be vacancies on weekdays and things won't be too busy in March.

 

A fun place to stay is the Madonna Inn in SLO: http://www.madonnainn.com/index.asp Each room has a different theme, click on the "Sleep" link to get an idea of the place.

[Muumuu]

Muumuu- I would go for the unlimited mileage. They have a way of accumulating quickly in California. From SFO-LGB via Hwy 1 it's around 500 miles after adding in some modest sightseeing zigs and zags.

 

I usually don't get the best discounts through AAA (although I always check). Most frequent flyer programs have discount codes, also organizations you belong to, your credit card, Costco, etc. Be sure to check the rental car websites for deals too. Last thought, be sure to check one-way charges, they vary widely between companies.

 

For places to stay, weekends can get pretty busy in Cambria, SLO, Solvang, etc. There should be vacancies on weekdays and things won't be too busy in March.

 

A fun place to stay is the Madonna Inn in SLO: http://www.madonnainn.com/index.asp Each room has a different theme, click on the "Sleep" link to get an idea of the place.

 

Thank you so very much for the info on the Madonna Inn. It looks wonderful and shall plan to stop there. Now this is the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks again.

[sultan_sfo]

I assume that "drop-off" charges has been included in the rates mentioned -- that is one rents at one location and returns the rental at another location. "Generally", the drop-off charges are minimal when one rents at one "airport" and returns it at another "airport". For San Francisco, it is fast and easy (without luggage -- about $12 with BART) to go pick up the rental at the SFO airport and drive back and pick up the luggage at the hotel. Both "drivers" may need to go to pick up the rental but usually spouse is automatically included as a driver. I have no knowledge about Long Beach end. /Sultan

[piper28]

The rates I was finding were one way rates, and had no extra fee for dropping at a different airport. They just either charge you a lot more per day or do mileage. Oddly, that seemed to be the way most of the companies I looked at were doing it, so I don't know if that's a California thing or whether companies have moved away from charging a drop off fee for one ways.

 

From looking at things, with a rental that takes 2 days, the higher rate with unlimited mileage tends to be slightly better. (It's fairly close, but if you do any side trips at all you can add up quickly). But if you have the rental car for more than 48 hours (even if it's just a fraction of a third day), the lower daily rate with mileage might be a better choice.

 

One of the companies wouldn't quote a one-way online (think it was Enterprise). Avis and National seemed to have similar rate structures to Hertz (again with no one-way fee, but either higher daily or mileage).