Hey husssy,
Just reading the question is bringing back all sorts of wonderful memories, so thanks for that!
My brother lived in San Fran for a couple of years, so I've taken two trips over in the last couple of years.
One trip took in San Fran for the majority with a quick trip to San Diego and an overnight down to Mexico (worth doing just to see the turnstyle border crossing alone). SF is a real nice city with plenty of the normal touristy things to do (visit the rock [book early for a night tour if possible], take the golden gate across to Sausilito [sp??], excellent restaurants at very good prices [I don't think we ate food from the same region more than once on the trip], plenty of shopping around [Union Sq has all the big/expensive stuff with bargain spots (SFO - shoe factory outlet, was a huge hit with the other half) to be found a few minutes walk in any direction). The public transport and street layout make it real easy to get around once you pick up one of the many free maps available.
There's a great sky diving place out in Sacramento, but a bit of a treck if you don't have a car (it's out in the desert so getting there by buses etc. prob wouldn't be suitable). The staff are excellent and they really helped one of our lot who was very nervous when jumping.
We had a big gang of people to meet up with every night for food/drinks, so I'm sure that helped make the holiday... but I enjoyed the city a lot on both visits and would jump at another trip out there.
San Diego is a real beach town with a great chilled out atmosphere. I didn't think I'd be a big fan, I'm not really the sit on a beach type, but after a 3 or 4 day trip I wanted to stay longer. The Zoo over there is a must see, but it's a heck of a walk if you do the whole thing in one day. It's actually big enough that by the end of going around we were kinda happy to be done.
We also took the trolly (tram thingy) down to Mexico as we were celebrating a birthday over there... TJ wouldn't be to everyones tastes, but as an experience we had a real laugh down there. I'd heard lots of stories about how dodgy/dangerous it was, but the worst we saw down there was drunken Irish J1 students (and we weren't much better than them
).
On the second trip we took a few days stop off in Vegas. Again, really loved it. If most holidays are a break from the norm, Vegas is a break from real life! The heat is pretty intense, but the air con in every hotel (and a lot of hotels being so close or linked) makes it pretty irrevalent once you get there. Even if you've no interest in gambling, there's so much in Vegas it'll keep you entertained for days.
Lots of special offers around on the day trips (Grand Canyon etc.) so have a good look around before picking one up (one of the cheapest specials we spotted was actually from a spot beside the giant Coca Cola bottle on the middle of the strip so you shouldn't have a problem getting a good deal). Always lots of shows on worth seeing, so once you know your dates check out what shows are on as tickets can be tough to get (we were there for a big UFC fight, but it had been sold out for months in advance).
When picking your hotel, any of the large spots on the strip are fine. Be careful not to end up off the strip as the heat would be an issue and plenty of stories of it getting dodgy once you leave the main spots. Use the net to get specials, loads available. We stayed in the Luxor (fine, to be honest you don't see/use your room much, but nothing special) and in the Bellagio (stunning! it's normal rates are fairly pricey but if you can pick up a good deal it really is the place to go - again, even though it was stunning, didn't see it too often).
Each of the Casinos have a very different feel, so have a look at a few of them and you'll know the one that suits your tastes best. If your a Guinness drinker, check out the Irish bar that's part of the New York New York casino, it does excellent Guinness!
Never made the trip to LA so can't comment on that one. I've heard lots of bad stories about it, but never from anyone who has visited the city. Anyone I know who has been has loved it there. From what I remember when looking at flights, LAX will probably be up there with the cheapest routes so a couple of days at the start/end of the holiday might fit in nicely.
Apologies, most of that tended to ramble as things sprung back to me. Hopefully it'll be of some help. Most importantly, have a great holdiay!