San Francisco was just a small town, until 1840 when Sam Brennan discovered gold and within a year, 50,000 had moved in, not only from the USA but also from mainland China. Now it is a huge and bustling city, very popular for tourists.

The city is built on 40 hills, each providing a very different atmosphere. This was the setting for the 'Summer of Love' in Haight-Ashbury. There is the opulence of Knob Hill, where the wealthy built extravagant mansions in the 1870's, and the wealthy of California still live today. You can also enjoy the sights of Fisherman's Wharf popular with tourists and sea lions, full of shops, silly museums and family fun. Still a working wharf, its vendors sell thousands of tons of fish and shellfish. San Francisco streets can be explored on foot, taking in the various neighbourhoods - Chinatown, Japan town, Italian North Beach and Russian Hill. Sample delicious local seafood and take the ferry to Alcatraz Island, home of the world's most notorious prison. The Golden Gate Bridge must be walked over and an afternoon in Golden Gate Park is a delight. Sonoma and Napa wine valleys are slightly north with Carmel and Monterey 2 hours south down beautiful Highway One.

Whitcomb Hotel 3*

The Whitcomb Hotel is perfectly situated in the city's cultural, arts and business districts including SOMA and Hayes Valley and is just across from the Orpheum Theater and the Asian Art Museum. Moscone Center and Union Square, with its exclusive shopping and world-famous cable cars are within walking distance and with public transportation, guests are minutes from the Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Golden Gate Bridge, AT&T Park, Nob Hill, the Castro District, the Palace of Fine Arts, and Ghirardelli Square. The hotel served as the seat of government for San Francisco from 1912 through 1915. Officially opening its doors as Hotel Whitcomb in 1916, the hotel soon became the place to see and be seen. Concerts were broadcast nationwide from the Whitcomb Ballroom, and the hotel still boasts one of the largest parquet dance floors in the city. Through the years, Hotel Whitcomb has undergone various renovations and upgrades to maintain its level of elegance and charm, while remaining true to the gracious traditions that embody its spirit of San Francisco hospitality and community. Stylishly adorned with artisanal décor, richly furnished, each of the 460 guestrooms features personal climate control and many thoughtful amenities including free high speed internet, relaxing in-room movies, iron, ironing board, and room service.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles has littered the world with its paraphernalia. Disneyland, movie stars, TV, fast food and hype - it's all here in overdrive. LA may be a figment of its own imagination, but if you long to stand in the footsteps of stars and breathe their hallowed air, you've come to the right place.

Starlit and moonstruck, Los Angeles beguiles scores of curious tourists, hopeful starlets and wannabe rock musicians each day. But Los Angeles is more than the sum total of its mass-produced fantasies. It's a thriving hybrid, a conglomeration of 88 independent cities sprawling over a vast urban maelstrom.

No other city studies itself with such narcissistic intensity. If you're not prepared to embrace the dream, you'll doubtless find it just plain dumb. In this town, game show hosts are household names and nobodies erect billboard shrines to themselves.

Best Western Hollywood Hills 3*

This air-conditioned hotel comprises a total of 86 rooms. Amongst the facilities count a foyer with a 24-hour reception desk, a cloakroom, conference facilities, a currency exchange bureau (charges apply) and car parking. Further in-house offerings include a coffee shop serving reasonably priced meals.
This small, friendly hotel is located in the Hollywood Hills, just below the ‘Hollywood' sign. It is 2 blocks to Hollywood Boulevard.