{"id":3016,"date":"2009-12-17T07:57:11","date_gmt":"2009-12-17T13:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=3016"},"modified":"2016-12-16T23:45:40","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T05:45:40","slug":"new-years-eve-ring-in-2010-with-a-california-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/new-years-eve-ring-in-2010-with-a-california-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year’s Eve: ring in 2010 with a California vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SanBy Lena Katz<\/em><\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s Eve falls on a Thursday this year, giving us a four-day weekend to welcome brand, shiny and new 2010. Party promoters, event planners and venue owners in California\u2019s big cities are planning a merry-making marathon that lasts ’til Saturday p.m. (Which still gives you all of Sunday to lie around on the couch going \u201cOwww my head,\u201d and watching reruns of America\u2019sNext Top Model.) If you\u2019re up for the challenge, and ready to book a room at your favorite San Francisco hotel<\/strong><\/a>, San Diego hotel<\/strong><\/a> or other Cali destination, here are four cities ready to ring out 2009 with a bang.<\/p>\n

Hollywood\/West Hollywood<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Roosevelt

Roosevelt Hotel<\/p><\/div>\n

If you really want the \u201cVIP-table, champagne-all-night\u201d experience and don\u2019t mind paying up the hoo-ha for it, then join the flesh-baring, camera-ready, status-jockeying masses at Party Central: AKA Hollywood. Just about every club, restaurant and Los Angeles hotel<\/strong><\/a> from the Cahuenga Corridor all the way over to the WeHo rock star zone will have a special New Year\u2019s Eve program with a special jacked-up price to go along with it. Start scouting now for the place you want to be at that countdown moment.\u00a0 It might be a club like MyHouse or King King; perhaps a posh lounge like Bardot or H.Wood; or if you\u2019re smart, you\u2019ll stay in a hotel like the Hollywood Roosevelt<\/strong><\/a>, the Sunset Marquis<\/strong><\/a>, or the Mondrian<\/strong><\/a>, where you can use the \u201cguests only\u201d entrance to the party, and skip the velvet rope altogether.<\/p>\n

San Francisco<\/strong>
\n\"SanThough San Francisco would never admitit — liking to consider itself altogether more artsy, sophisticated and intellectual than silly Hollywood — its party scene gets as frenzied as anywhere on a big holiday weekend. And New Year\u2019s might be the biggest of its calendar year. There are parties overlapping other parties all over SOMA, Potrero Hill, and downtown \u2026and of course, bars from the hipster-ish Mission to fratty North Beach to the yuppie Marina will be jam-packed. If you want to book a San Francisco hotel room, you may try one of the Personality Hotels like Hotel Union Square<\/strong><\/a>, Hotel Diva<\/strong><\/a> or Hotel Frank<\/strong><\/a>; or the Joie de Vivre properties like Hotel Kabuki<\/strong><\/a> or the White Swan Inn<\/strong><\/a>. If you feel like splashing out a little, I think the Hotel Palomar<\/strong><\/a> and W San Francisco<\/strong><\/a> are reliably chic all the time.<\/p>\n

San Diego<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"San

San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter (Photo: San Diego CVB)<\/p><\/div>\n

If you want a scene that\u2019s a little less about getting past the rope and a little more about having fun and being crazy with your friends, San Diego might be the New Year’s Eve spot for you. Downtown is mayhem any weekend, with students, military and younger professionals packing the clubs and bars — not to mention, the sidewalks. On New Year’s it\u2019s going to be a few notches up from there (consider yourself forewarned). Surprise guest Aubrey O\u2019Day (oops! There goes the surprise!) will be doing the countdown at the ragingly popular Hard Rock Hotel<\/strong><\/a>, while local nightclubs Onyx Room and Stingaree are already selling discounted tickets for people who want the full-on club experience. If you want to check out one of the newer San Diego hotels in the Gaslamp district or near the waterfront, I would suggest the Hotel Indigo<\/strong><\/a>, Se San Diego<\/strong><\/a> or the Sofia Hotel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Palm Springs<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"hotel\"

(Photo: Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism)<\/p><\/div>\n

My last pick isn\u2019t nearly as big or busy as the first three, but these things are all relative, and for fun per square foot, I think Palm Springs is nearly unbeatable. It\u2019s wild, welcoming and walkable all at the same time, whether you\u2019re hanging at a posh hotel (like the Parker Meridien<\/strong><\/a> or a gay bar (Alibi). There are a slew of cute little Palm Springs hotels<\/strong> <\/a>downtown that won\u2019t kill a budget: futuristic-sexy Hotel Zoso<\/strong><\/a>, posh yet cozy Colony Palms<\/strong><\/a>, and the Moroccan-inspired Korakia<\/strong><\/a>. Just outside of town are the big desert resorts, where days of spa and golf can balance out your hyped-up New Year\u2019s Eve antics. The JW Marriott Desert Springs<\/strong><\/a> may top the something-for-everyone list, but I think the Miramonte Resort and Spa<\/strong><\/a>, Agua Caliente Resort<\/a> <\/strong>and Hyatt Grand Champions<\/strong><\/a> are all great properties.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/h3>\n