What does the San Francisco, Las Vegas and Cancún trip include, and what does it cost?
Thirteen nights. Three nights in San Francisco at the Hilton Union Square or similar 4★, four in Las Vegas at the Bellagio or similar 5★, and six in Cancún at Secrets The Vine or similar 5★ on an all-inclusive basis. Return UK flights and the internal flights between the three are included. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Meals in San Francisco and Las Vegas, shows, car hire, the ESTA and travel insurance are not included.
Is this the best value of our three American trips?
On the numbers, it makes a strong case, and it is worth laying them side by side because the lead-in prices are close enough to be misleading.
Thirteen nights for the same lead-in as the eleven-night trip, with a 5★ Las Vegas property and an extra Vegas night. If you are choosing on value alone, this is the one. The argument against is San Francisco itself — it is a very different city from Los Angeles, cooler, hillier and more compact, and it suits some travellers far better than others.
The one caveat on the extra Vegas night: three is what most people want. Four works if you intend a full day out to the Grand Canyon or Death Valley, and drags if you do not.
What you will actually do
In San Francisco, the Hilton Union Square is central, which matters in a city built on hills. Three nights covers the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz — book that well ahead, it sells out — the cable cars, Fisherman’s Wharf and one neighbourhood with real character, whether that is the Mission for food or Haight-Ashbury for the history. The city is compact enough to walk if you accept the gradients.
In Las Vegas, the Bellagio is one of the few Strip hotels that is a destination in its own right — the fountains, the conservatory and the art gallery are all on site. Four nights gives you the Strip properly plus a full day out: the Grand Canyon’s west rim, the Hoover Dam at forty minutes, or Death Valley if you want somewhere genuinely strange.
In Cancún, Secrets The Vine sits in the Hotel Zone on the long sandbar between the Caribbean and the lagoon. Six all-inclusive nights after seven of American cities is the decompression, and there is enough within reach — Chichén Itzá, Tulum, the cenotes, Isla Mujeres — to fill as many days as you want and no obligation to fill any.
When is the best time to go?
January is the cheapest month, and it works well here: San Francisco is cool and often clear, Las Vegas is comfortable for walking, and the Mexican Caribbean is in its dry season.
December is the most expensive — the festive fortnight in Cancún drives that rather than anything about the American legs. July is close behind, with Las Vegas at its most punishing.
One local quirk worth knowing: San Francisco’s foggiest, coolest months are June to August, not winter. The summer months are the least reliable there, which is the opposite of what most visitors expect.
What changes your price?
- The month. January at its cheapest against December at its dearest across the same thirteen nights.
- How the nights split. Three, four and six is standard; dropping a Vegas night in favour of Cancún is priced on request and is what we would usually suggest.
- Departure airport. Priced from the UK, with the routing and any regional supplement confirmed at enquiry.
- Room grade. All three properties are as named or similar; Bellagio tower upgrades and Cancún ocean-view categories are quoted individually.
- What you spend in the cities. Seven nights across San Francisco and Las Vegas, both expensive, before shows or excursions.
Who this holiday suits
- Travellers who want the most nights for the money across three genuinely different places.
- Anyone who would rather see San Francisco than Los Angeles — a real preference, not a compromise.
- Couples and friends who want a beach week that costs nothing extra at the end.
- People who want a full day out from Las Vegas rather than three nights on the Strip alone.
- First-time visitors to the American west with a fortnight to spend.
Who might prefer something else
- Prefer beaches and Hollywood? Los Angeles is the warmer, more famous choice. Our Vegas, LA and Cancún trip does that for £1,999.
- If four nights in Vegas sounds like too many, it may well be. Ask us to shift one to Cancún.
- For everything included, seven of the thirteen nights are not, in two expensive cities.
- If you expect San Francisco to be hot, it is not. Summer there is foggy and cool, and people pack for it wrongly every year.
- If moving twice is the issue, a two-stop trip such as New York and Cancún is simpler.
- Not sure this is the one? Browse our other multi-centre holidays and tell us what appeals.
- Worth comparing against our 7 Nights New York & Barbados Twin Centre, which covers similar ground.
Ways to upgrade
All quoted at enquiry against your dates.
- A Bellagio tower upgrade or a fountain-view room
- A San Francisco hotel nearer the waterfront or in a quieter neighbourhood
- Ocean-view, swim-up or suite categories in Cancún
- Car hire in California, including the coastal drive south
- Alcatraz, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Chichén Itzá or cenote trips booked in advance
- Extra nights in Cancún, or Los Angeles added as a fourth stop
What is not included?
- Meals and drinks in San Francisco and Las Vegas — only the Cancún leg is all inclusive, and that is seven nights in two costly cities.
- Shows and entertainment in Vegas.
- Alcatraz tickets, which sell out weeks ahead and are not something to leave until you arrive.
- Car hire, fuel and parking in California.
- The ESTA, $40.27 per person including children.
- Excursions in Mexico and anything outside the all-inclusive list.
- Travel insurance, which matters for US healthcare costs and for hurricane season over the Cancún leg.
How should you use the four Las Vegas nights?
This is the decision that separates a good version of this trip from a slightly baggy one, because four nights on the Strip alone is a night too many for most people.
Two evenings on the Strip is enough — one walking it end to end, one for a show. The Bellagio’s own fountains and conservatory fill part of another without leaving the building.
One full day out is what justifies the fourth night. The Grand Canyon’s west rim is the obvious choice and a long day. The Hoover Dam at around forty minutes is the shorter version. Death Valley is the one fewer people do and the one most come back talking about — genuinely strange country, and best avoided in high summer for obvious reasons.
One slow day at the pool before the flight to Cancún. After three nights in San Francisco and two on the Strip, that is not a wasted day.
If none of that appeals, ask us to move the fourth night to Cancún instead. It usually costs less and it is the change we are asked for most often on this itinerary.
Getting there and getting between
Return UK flights and the internal flights between San Francisco, Las Vegas and Cancún are all on the same booking. San Francisco is around eleven hours from the UK, San Francisco to Las Vegas about ninety minutes, and Las Vegas to Cancún roughly four and a half with a connection. California and Nevada run eight hours behind the UK, Cancún six.
San Francisco is walkable with cable cars and a decent transit system, though the hills are real. The Las Vegas Strip is walkable in theory and further than it looks. Cancún’s airport transfer to the Hotel Zone takes around half an hour.
Entry requirements for UK travellers
Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026. We re-confirm before you travel.
United States: an ESTA is required before you fly, costing $40.27 and valid two years for stays of up to 90 days. Every traveller needs their own, including children, and it applies to transit as well as entry.
Mexico: no visa, with an entry stamp allowing up to 180 days. The online immigration form applies to land entry only, so flying into Cancún from Las Vegas does not require one. Border control may ask for a return ticket, proof of accommodation and evidence of funds.
Booking and protection
Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. Thirteen nights is the longest trip we sell. Four flight sectors have to align, so availability tightens sooner than on a single-destination holiday, and January dates go first for being both cheapest and best.