I was very fortunate that I got chosen to be on this work trip to Northern California: Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Sonoma County which was organised by my head office and Gate 7.
Day 1
We flew with Air New Zealand to San Francisco via Auckland in economy class which they were very comfortable. I was lucky enough to get a row with 3 seats to myself and because I was a smart little cookie, I worked out how to convert the seats into a sky couch.
What is a sky couch? Your foot rest elevate up all the way so you have a little bed that is big enough for an adult and a child to lay down comfortably. I had about 5-6 hour sleep so that was awesome.
Food was quite decent and their ice cream: Kapiti Spicy Apple Crumble was to die for. I don't like sweet stuff but this was yummy. Free flow wine and friendly flight attendants. Their in flight entertainment was really great. I thought I had to rely on my tablet but I didn't use it at all as they had so many new movies, tv series, games etc. Wifi was also available for FREE!!!!!! It wasn't the fast but enough for me to post on Facebook, email and whatsapp.
The immigration process and line in San Francisco airport was terrible. Never ever have 2 hour transit if you have a connecting flight as the potential of you missing your next flight is high. Once we cleared custom, we caught the sky train to the car rental building and got our sexy 7 seaters Dodge car for our road trip.
Our first pit stop was In N Out burger which I had a burger with lettuce as a bun. I don't know why people are raving about this burger as I think it was mediocre.
The drive took us 4.5 hour to Mariposa where we checked in for our 1st night. We didn't have time to do much, just dropped our bag and headed to 1850 restaurant to meet our lovely host Julie for dinner. Everyone got their own dish which a few of us got the short ribs ( special for the night). It was delish but each plate could feed 3 grown ups. Whenever you have to order something in the US, ask them about the portion size so you know whether you should be sharing your meal or not.
Day 2
Next morning we drove to Yosemite and man, I was blown away by the landscape and everything about it. We were a bit late and nearly missed our tour bus. Our guide was moody and it felt like he was doing his job for over 100 years and super over it. I understand that doing the same things over and over again can be mind numbing but you always have a choice in life.
If you are doing a self drive, no need to book a bus tour as you can easily do it yourself with a map from the tourist office. Oh and make sure to download your map prior as the reception in the National Park is very limited.
We had lunch at the Yosemite Valley Lodge which was so so as it was like a food court. There was a souvenir shop as well if you want to get some pressies for family and friends. After lunch, we checked out The Ahwahnee hotel was a 4 star within Yosemite park and has the back drop of El Capitan. Their restaurant reminded me of the dinner hall of Harry Potters. Come here for lunch and some drinks if you don't mind spending a bit more.
After Yosemite, we drove another 1 hour to Tenaya Lodge. There are 2 sections of the property, hotel and cabin which we were told that we had to go to the cabin. At this point, I was like "OMG I cannot do cabin" as I'm a big princess.
Checking in at the cabin area, you can either get a room key or a wristband, I opted for the wristband cus I wanted to be different 😝
Free flow beer and wine started from 4-5pm near the fire pit. I was the last one to finish checking in at 4.55pm so I thought I was going to miss out but cheekily asked our waitress if I can keep the bottle and she let me!!!!
After our drinks, we all checked into our cabin and set up the time to meet up before dinner. I was really scared that the cabin was going to be sh*t until I opened the door. I was completely wrong with the capital W 🤯
The cabin was super modern with 2 bedrooms, kitchenette, coffee machine, pop corn, marshmallow pack and a balcony overlooking the river. I was blown away how nice the cabin was and really wish we were here for 2 nights.
Everything little details was though of and I'd highly recommend anyone to stay here because it was amazingly great.
Day 3
Next stop for Lake Tahoe ( 5 hour drive). Since we have 2 cars we were meant to stop at Placerville for a lunch break but due to the fire and power outage, we didn't meet up and did our own thing and met up at our destination, Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge and Spa. We had dinner with our host, Tony at the Lake Tahoe Resort hotel which was lovely and got the do hotel inspection as well. We were in a private dining room which made me feel like I'm one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills 🤩
Day 4
We got up early morning and headed to Emerald Bay for a hike. This is something you need to see yourself as it was magnificent! The drive was only 20-30 minutes then we parked and hiked down. Make sure to bring your water bottle and don't drink too much water in the morning as the toilets at the park can be closed at times.
Hiking down was easy as it was probably 20 minutes max. Then we saw Mrs Lora Knight's castle who was a filthy rich lady and had a mini island for her own tea place where she summoned her workers to bring her tea on a rowing boat. Bad ass.
I'd also recommend to do picnic here as the bay was so breath taking. You can work your lunch off cus the hike back up was quite challenging.
In the afternoon, we took the cruise and saw Emerald Bay on the other side. Lunch was included and I had " Captain Dicks's Revenge" cocktail. I'd skip the cruise personally if you have hiked Emerald Bay already.
During lunch, we found out that there was a massive fire at Sonoma County ( our next destination) so we had to cancel that and stay put in Lake Tahoe for an extra night.
We had the late afternoon to chill for a bit then had pre-drink near the fire pit which the sun set was super pretty. After drinks, we inspected Hard Rock Cafe Hotel, had dinner and saw an adult only magic show at the Loft. Make sure to do the show as it was really fun. No photo allowed. After the show, we checked out the Casino where you can get free alcoholic drink as long as you gamble. I lost $20 but had 3 drinks so that was okay.
Day 5
Most of the gang went shopping today where I opted out to chill back at the hotel as my body is telling me that I need a break to rest. I woke up at 10.30am and just did some work and Netflix. Since we have been eating so much heavy food, I needed something light and fresh. I found a great Poke bowl place near Heavenly Village which was around 30 mins walk. Roaming around and getting lost was a great way to explore the town. I went to a pet store cus I wanted to get something for Pixie but nothing really pop out.
Day 6 - Last day
We left at 6.30am for San Francisco and our flight back home was at 7pm. On the way there was an accident on the road so we stopped on the side. The cop signaled us to come over and when we went, he accused us from driving on the wrong side and we were all puzzled to why he flipped. He kept being a douche about everything and asked Sim for her license which she was super nervous and frantically trying to find it. The cop couldn't wait and just told us to go. We didn't need to get coffee after this and were fully awake lol
On our way to San Francisco, the sky was very hazy due to the fire and heaps of traffic around cus people were evacuating.
Our first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge which we missed our turn so we got to travel on the Golden Gate Bridge twice 🌉
Then we went to Pier 39, did The Flyer simulator which was a 3D ride experience of San Francisco so you can see all the highlights in 10 minutes. We were going to have lunch first but we thought that the ride may make us vom vom out. After the Flyer, we did 7D experience which was a lot of fun as well. After lunch, we all went our own way to explore. Sim, Cath, Debbie and myself went to the infamous Lombard street.
At 4pm, everyone met at Hotel Zephyr to get our car and head back to the airport. If you are looking for a unique hotel and good location, make sure to stay here.
Before we flew back home, Sim and I had our last cocktail before our flight home.
To sum up my trip:
Flight - Air New Zealand
I'd definitely fly with them again. Great service, in flight entertainment, food, free wifi and highly recommend to pay for sky coach if you are flying in economy.
Accommodation
Americas Best Value Inn Mariposa Lodge - Simple, spacious and great for medium budget. Out dated style.
Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite - I ❤ this place and would come back again. Modern cabin, quite, comfy bed, fast wifi, free flow 🍺🍷4-5pm.
Tahoe Lake shore Lodge & Spa - Simple, spacious and great for medium budget. Out dated style. Walls and floor board were so thin that you can hear your neighbor at all hours. Amazing views from all rooms with fire pit and outdoor hot tub.
Highlights
Yosemite National Park
Emerald Bay
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco city
I'd also like to say a big THANK YOU to both itravel and Gate 7 for hosting this trip.
My fellow car gang Sam, Cath, Deb and Sim for our fun chat on the road.
Special thank Sim for taking good care of all of us. You have gone beyond to make sure we are all happy 😄
