Incredible West

This year the holiday was devoted to nature, above all canyons and desert, lots of desert between California and Nevada, passing through Arizona. We chose to book the flights, the car hire and the hotels from here, so as to be able to enjoy the whole day in the parks without the worry of having to find a place to sleep at the last minute, risking being left "stranded" and having to move to the nearest town, which in these areas is never all that "near"... but, having tried it, I think it wouldn't be a big problem to find accommodation on the spot each time, though it very much depends on the season, and August isn't among the most favourable....

That said, the States are very easy to tour by car on your own: huge roads, not too much traffic, complete respect for the rules of the road, first and foremost the speed limit..., never had any problems with lunch or dinner (and never resorted to the classic fast-food places), the meat is truly fantastic and on the coast the fish isn't bad either, though the real problem is the portions...we understood right away on the second day why they always ask you at the end of the meal if you want a "box" for the leftovers.... what follows is a detailed description with advice on hotels, restaurants and places to see...