Southern California in 4 Days
Southern California in 4 Days
We traveled to California in January in search of warmer temperatures and the sunshine. It was definitely warmer than Michigan and we did see some sun but we were there at the tail end of the rainstorms so also experienced some of that.
If this feels like a deja vu kind of post, I get it! We’ve been to Southern California three times now as a family and an additional time as a couple. (Fingers crossed,) it is becoming a family trip tradition! You can check out these previous Southern California posts below:
Laguna Beach/Dana Point: Where to Stay, Where to Eat, and What to Do
Southern California: Where to Stay
When we search for hotels in Laguna Beach, Dana Point is often included in the search. Dana Point has more of a “we could live here!” feel as there are less tourists and it has more of a sleepy town feel in January. We ended up staying at the Marriott Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa. It was lovely! There were two pools, a hot tub, lawn games, an attentive staff, two restaurants, and the walking trail was right outside the hotel. Bikes were provided and we rode by the harbor and into town for lunch one morning. We also walked down the path to search for shark teeth and rocks and to watch the surfers.
Our room was very clean, and we of course enjoyed the Nespresso coffee. As a family of four, we often book a hotel room with two double beds. We were pleasantly surprised when our room wasn’t ready and we were provided our typical room plus an attached living room with a pull out bed. We rented a car from the airport for the week, and Dana Point provided easy access to the highway to take us down to San Diego and up to Los Angeles. I included the days of the week below for travel and restaurant wait considerations. We also tried to travel during non rush hour times if possible.
On previous trips, we have stayed at The Ritz- Carlton and the Monarch Beach Resort & Club. Their prices have increased over the years and didn’t make sense for us on this trip. That said, if you are traveling for a special occasion, they are very nice places to stay!
Day 1 (Thursday)
We knew that there was little-to-no rain in the forecast on our first full day in Southern California, so we headed down to Torrey Pines to hike. We had been there on a previous SoCal trip and I could not wait to go back. We make it much farther on the trails (even the short ones are amazing, though!) and the sights were breathtaking. The color pallette was so soothing and definitely a goal for our house in Michigan.
After we finished hiking, we drove into La Jolla for lunch. We happened upon Spiro’s and were even able to eat outside. The food and ambience were perfect for us.
The blue and white tiles on the floor were beautiful and the wall tiles against the lighter wood color in bathroom is something I am definitely saving in the “travel-inspired design” part of my brain.
We then walked around and did some shopping. La Jolla has so many great stores, both local and national (Aviator Nation, Vuori, Lululemon, Ralph Lauren, and Brooks Brothers to name a few). When a certain 9 year old could not help picking up the crystals in one store, it was very nicely suggested that we visit a place called The Cave Store for a more kid-friendly crystal shopping opportunity.
We put The Cave Store in our maps and headed that way. Immediately, we noticed a cave with steps going down. We were told that the 144 stairs were dug in 1902 and went down to into a sea cave. Rumor has it the stairs were used by bootleggers during the Prohibition Era. We were warned that if a sea lion was on the deck when we got to the bottom to immediately turn around and come back upstairs. Fortunately, there weren’t any sea lion sightings in the cave while we were there.
After coming up from the caves, we headed back to the hotel, got ready, and went to dinner at Coastal Kitchen in Dana Point. Again, we were able to eat outside by a fire. The food was amazing. The interior design was beautiful and appropriately coastal for this village on the ocean. I was glad that we made a reservation because even on a week night, there was a wait.
Day 2 (Friday)
The next morning, we walked down to the beach in search of shark teeth and cool rocks. There were so many surfers in the water too!
We then rented bikes and rode by the harbor and into town for lunch at Station Craft. Yet again, we ate al fresco. The salad I ordered was as delicious as it was pretty.
We enjoyed some time outdoors by the pools and playing lawn games together before driving to Laguna Beach for shopping and dinner. We ate first at Alessa which was sooo good with their locally sourced ingredients combined with a traditional Italian menu. We ended up ordering 3 dishes for the 4 of us to share (a pizza, a salad, and a pasta dish). One mistake we made was not looking at when the stores were closing because we only had about 15 minutes to buzz into some stores before they closed. Naturally, we had to pull over for yet another rock and crystal store.
Day 3 (Saturday)
On Saturday, we saw the overcast skies and the rain in the forecast and decided to drive down to San Diego to check out some museums at Balboa Park. But first, we stopped in Seaport Village for our favorite bagels. Ever. On a previous trip, we stayed within walking distance of Spill the Beans and looked forward to starting our mornings there.
Because we somehow missed it on our last trip, we also popped in to Kansas City Barbecue. Do you recognize it? Fame does not seem to have affected it.
After some debate (per usual), we ended up going to the Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park. It was interesting and there were a few hands on activities, but our kids have not yet mastered the art of the slow, take-it-all-in museum stroll, so we were in and out pretty quickly.
We had dinner back in Dana Point and semi-planned our next (and last full) day in Southern California, which included LA Lakers tickets!
Day 4 (Sunday)
On Sunday, we headed up to the Los Angeles area. Being fans of the movie La La Land, we wanted to check out Griffith Observatory. I had no idea that the drive up and all of the trails around the observatory would be so beautiful! We were even able to get a photo with the Hollywood Sign in the background. The architecture of Griffith Observatory itself is gorgeous. Of course, I loved the scallops. The flowers were beautiful, too- they remind me of a pretty, exotic bird. Inside, the exhibits caught our kids’ attention and were at once fascinating and educational.
We had some time before the basketball game and decided to check out Santa Monica. The town is so cute and I’d love to go back to explore (and eat) more! We ate at North Italia and then walked to Santa Monica Pier. Unfortunately, the rain had begun so we didn’t stay long. (And took little to no pictures.)
Driving into the basketball game was surprisingly seamless. We waited in line for awhile to park but were directed to a spot just steps from the stadium. Perfect! It was also the Lakes 75th Anniversary. As such, we were greeted with 75th Anniversary gifts (bucket hats for all). Of course, 3 out of 4 of us love a good souvenir and immediately headed over to the stand to get even more Lakers gear- haha. The warm ups, game, music, and general entertainment were so.much.fun! This was a highlight of the trip for all of us.
Southern California Summary: Who Liked What
That’s the gist of our trip! We had some overlap but here are our Top 3 Lists.
MY TOP 3
Torrey Pines
Griffith Observatory
Lakers Game
R’s TOP 3
Torry Pines
Griffith Observatory
San Diego
12 Year Old TOP 3
Laguna Beach
La Jolla
Lakers Game
9 Year Old TOP 3
Spill the Beans
Shark Teeth/Crystals
Lakers Game
Southern California Travel Inspired Design
Just click on the affiliate photos to be taken to the link to shop. Photos/links are affiliate photos/links, meaning that if you click and purchase, I may receive some compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
The blue and white painted tiles here are also beautiful!
