California 2018

My California Trip Highlights

A reflective post about my California trip highlights. We spent two amazing weeks in Southern California at the end of January and made memories I will cherish for ever.

My first trip to California was back in 2011. We saw the Hollywood sign, went to Disneyland, drove to Las Vegas and visited the Grand Canyon, it’s a trip I will never forget, but this time around we all agreed we wanted to have a bit more of a relaxed vacation. Enjoy the sun and sea and generally have the opportunity to recharge. As it was our second trip, I didn’t feel the pressure to do as much, although I would be lying if I said we sat still much.

This was very much a family holiday, I live on the other side of the country with my now fiancé, so I don’t get to see much of my family, the best way to combat this is to plan exciting holidays together. A family member who lives In California invited us to her wedding and we jumped at the chance to beat the January blues and revisit the golden state.

Dolphin Watching in San Diego

Travelling

I’m not the best when it comes to travelling, in fact I hate it, but all-in-all our trip to and from LAX wasn’t too bad. We do live 4 hours away from the airport so it’s a bit of a drive but we set off early on Saturday morning and arrived in time for our afternoon flight at London Heathrow. The flight was 11 ½ hours long, as California is behind 8 hours behind, it meant we arrived very tired and had to try and keep our eyes open until it was nighttime to try and adjust to the new timezone. From LAX we took an hour long shuttle ride to our beach house in San Clemente.

We arrived just in time to watch the sunset and see the skies turn pastel peach, pink and blue. Everyday we were there I loved watching the sky change colour as the sun set, we aren’t spoils with such beautiful skies in cloudy England.

Sunset from the balcony of our beach house

We are here

The beach house we stayed at came with 6 bedrooms, which was perfect as there was 11 of use staying there overall. It was so much fun to stay in a house full of people and enjoy meals around the large dining room table all together. I think we managed to stay up till 10:30pm on our first day before having to call it a night. I remember my head hitting the pillow and I was out like a light.

Catalina Island

Our first full day in California was a really exciting one. We drove down to Dana Point and took a ferry over to Catalina Island. The weather was hot and the sky clear. The boat ride was over an hour and as I suffer from travel sickness I positioned myself as close to side of the boat as I could, I found the cool breeze helped a lot and kept my motion sickness at bay. I didn’t know what to expect from Catalina Island but loved it straight away. As soon as we stepped off the dock you can see rows of colourful houses snaking up the hills.

The island has an incredibly relaxed feel about it, we rented some golf carts to drive around and see the views. A short drive gets you to the top and views are truly breath taking. There are plenty of scenic routes you can drive around and if you are feeling adventurous you can even zip wire your way down. After exploring we visited the botanical gardens and had a late lunch at the seafront. As the sun was setting we caught the ferry back to Dana Point. It was a really wonderful day and the perfect place to visit if you can spare a whole day.

Ferry ride to Catalina Island

View from the hills of Catalina Island

Sunset at the back of the boat, leaving Catalina Island

San Clemente beach

Our third day was a bit more relaxed, we walked along San Clemente beach and did a bit of shopping at the really amazing outlets shopping centre. I brought a few clothes but mainly was enjoying the change of pace and seeing all the different things we can’t get back home. I never used to be a beach person but how can you hate sandy white beaches and clear deep blue water that meets with the sky.

San Clemente Beach

San Diego

Day four in California was actually my birthday. Of course I was thrilled to be on holiday for my birthday but I didn’t really have any plans on what I wanted to do. It was suggested we go for breakfast as at café called Ellie’s Kitchen and after the most delicious blueberry cheesecake croissant and a mug of coffee the size of my head, we formulated the plan to go to San Diego for the day. The weather was a little cloudy but it still lovely and warm and after about an hour’s drive we arrived at La Jolla Cove for a pit stop and to check out the sea lions that inhabit the beach. Yes they stunk like you wouldn’t believe but it was still great to see the locals and we had a great time climbing the rocks to get closer to the sea.

La Jolla Cove, San Diego

Coronado Island & Cocktails

Next stop was a drive to Coronado Island to check out San Diego’s skyline from across the bay. The beach was completely different to San Clementes and filled with shells, tiny crustaceans and even a shipwrecked boat sunken into the sand. The afternoon passed quickly and we didn’t was to miss our chance to make a quick visit to Balboa Park. I do wish we had more time to explore Balboa Park, as its jam packed with museums, the zoo, exhibitions and gardens to explore and visit. After a quick sprint around before closing we headed to the Gas Lamp District for some birthday cocktails. I have a delicious blackberry margarita while sitting outside watching the city go by.

The Gas Lamp District is packed with restaurants and bars to visit, I wish we had more opportunities to go back as there were so many places I would have loved to try. My birthday dinner was one of the best meals we had while in California. I had never been to a Korean BBQ before where you cook your own food on a grill in front of you, it was so much fun and extremely delicious. After a full, long day I can home to a birthday cake made with American frosting, it was better than any icing I’ve had in England and if I could have put one in my suitcase I would have.

View of San Diego from Coronado island

Gas Lamp District, San Diego

Dolphin and whale watching

Its so hard to pick my favourite experience from our holiday but the dolphin and whale watching is certainly up there. We took another boat from Dana Point and spent 3 hours on the water sailing around the coast in search of our aquatic friends. I was so delighted to see so many dolphins playing in the wake of the boat and chasing us along the coast, it was such a magical experience to see these beautiful creature in the wild. I could honestly watch them dipping in and out of the water all day and luckily, I have more photos and videos then I would ever need to remember those moments.

We had given up hope of seeing any whales. As the boat was turning around to go back to the harbour and then a grey whale and calf made an appearance. It was unbelievably exciting to see, David Attenborough had prepared me for this moment and I was living for it. The whales breached the water and everyone on the boat cheered with excitement. It was such a fun experience to see so many people cheering those wales on. Every though then looked tiny from where we were, I managed to snap a whale tail pic. Such beautiful creatures I’m so glad we managed to see so many.

Wild Dolphins, San Diego

Grey Whale breaching the water, San Diego

Turn for the worst

Things took a little downturn for me after that, I had a very serve allergic reaction that meant I had to go to urgent care, My skin was swollen, painful and noticeably sore. I was in a lot of pain and trying to avoid visiting a doctor, I am forever glad I got travel insurance. After an injection and a course of tablets, I was feeling a bit better. It took 8 days for the swelling to go down completely. I was feeling pretty self conscious for most of my trip from this point on. However, that didn’t stop me from having a good time. I of course wish it didn’t happen but it didn’t ruin my holiday by any means.

The Wedding

The next few days, involved the wedding, a visit to a mall and of course a Sephora, more lovely walks along San Clemente beach and copious cups of coffee. It felt great to relax and recharge and since I had been so stressed at work, I really needed it. The wedding was beautiful and so much fun, even though it was unlike me, I danced the night away.

Sunset at San Clemente Beach

Anaheim

On Monday we said goodbye to most of the people in our group. My boyfriend and I headed to Anaheim, to check into our hotel near Disneyland. We checked into our hotel room and I was delighted to see the king sized bed calling my name. We put our bags down and decided to walk over to Downtown Disney. To buy our passes for the next two days and get some dinner. After a pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. I spent way too much money in the Disney gift shop and Sephora, and then we made our way back to the hotel.

Engagement

Little did I know my boyfriend had a plan all along, that night he asked me to marry him. It was the sweetest thing and I was thrilled to say yes. He created a game full of love notes for me to collect all themed with my favourite things and memories from our 8 years together. It’s something I will cherish for ever and I love that he took the time to create it for me. His talent as a game developer never ceases to amaze me, I am not big on public displays and he knows that, so I love that he did something more private but every bit as special to pop the question.

California Adventure

The next day the two of us headed out bright and early to California Adventure Park. We had both been to California Disneyland before but never California Adventure so we decided to go there first. As a huge Disney fan I of course loved every minute but I think even if you aren’t the biggest fan it is still an amazing day out. Packed with fun rides, delicious churro’s and amazing spectacles, it’s just a magical place and with the beaming sunshine above we were in our element. As we set of so early and stayed late, we manged to hit every ride we wanted to.

Although it was a very exhausting day that’s for sure. Soarin’ around the world was the first ride we went on and still one of my favourites out of both parks, its a gentle experience where you are lifted and ‘soar’ through the air, travelling around the world through a huge projection that surrounds you. Not long after that we bumped into Pluto for a quick photo and then got ourselves soaked on the Grizzly River Run.

Grizzly River Run, Disney California Adventure Park

As it was close to the Lunar New Year while we were visiting, we were lucky to see the Lunar New Year procession. Featuring my favourite Disney princess the bad-ass Mulan and Goofy (year of the dog of course) preforming in a special Lunar New Year area that had been created. Selling authentic Chinese food and offering activities to mark the occasion. The procession was such a wonderful bonus and I am so glad we managed to catch it.

Goofy In the Lunar New Year Procession at Disney California Adventure Park

Dancers for the Lunar New Year Procession, Disney California Adventure Park

Highlights

My favourite area in the park was Cars Land. I have seen the film and enjoyed it, but I absolutely loved the 60’s vibe. Themed like the desert and inspired by the iconic Route 66. The Radiator Springs Racers was another of my favourite rides, the animatronics were amazing. As you weave though the factor, getting kitted-out with new tires. Before being hurled through the desert tracks. It wasn’t a scary ride, just lots of fun and as California Adventure is a new park, overall the rides were more enjoyable and really detailed.

The scariest ride by far was the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! I just wasn’t prepared for what was in-store and spent the whole time screaming my lungs out. As we where hurtled into the air and dropped rapidly down repeatedly. If you like thrills that ride is a must but I was pleased to see the ground again!

 Cars Land, Disney California Adventure Park

 Cars Land at night, Disney California Adventure Park

As the sun went down, we took a walk around the park again, all the lights make it feel completely different. We had some delicious tacos for dinner and waited for the World of Colour nighttime spectacular to begin. Spectacular indeed. Colourful jets of water illuminate the pier and clips from Disney films are projected onto the water. It lasted for about 20 minutes and I was in awe for every moment. It’s totally worth staying for and such a perfect way to end an incredible day. My feet stung from standing all day and my legs ached but the smile on my face kept me going.

Mickey’s Fun Wheel at dusk, Disney California Adventure Park

Disneyland

Day two at Disney we got up early again. Although, I must admit it was more of a struggle the second time around. As we had spent the entire day beforehand at California Adventure, day two was just for Disneyland. We headed straight to Space Mountain as we knew the queues would get unbearably long as the day progressed. Just like the day beforehand, we manged to hit every ride. Expect for Splash Mountain which was sadly closed for maintenance. We didn’t take as many photos in Disneyland. I think its because we were so focused on the rides, like the Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indiana Jones Adventure.

Highlights

The Indiana Jones Adventure wasn’t open when we originally went 7 years ago. It was easily my new favourite ride. You sit in a mine cart and get rushed around inside the temple. Packed with a couple of jump scares and even a giant boulder that looks like its going to hit you before you dip below it. Its such a thrilling ride that I highly recommend.

Mickey Fountain, Toon Town, Disneyland, California

Disney Castle, Disneyland California

Just like our first day at California Adventure, as the sun began to set we felt incredibly tired. But knew the Fantasmic evening show would be worth the wait. I didn’t think they would be able to top World of Colour but again my jaw hit the floor. As parades of floats, pirates fighting on the Black Pearl, Fireworks and even the riverboat (featuring dancing members of the cast) made their way around the river.

Fantasmic Evening Show, Riverboat at Disneyland California

Time to go home

It was the perfect send off to end our trip. The next morning we packed and headed to LAX to get our long flight home. The two weeks we were there whizzed by, but I have so many wonderful new memories to look back on. I always recommend California to anyone who asks. Even though I have visited twice, there is still a long list of things I would like to see and do. I hope we get another chance to go in the future again.

Where have you been recently, or where are you planning to go?

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