Whether it’s the state’s towering redwoods, sun-kissed beaches, palm tree lined streets, wild deserts, or its extraordinary wine, beer and culinary scene, California is – appropriately enough as it’s home to Hollywood – truly cinematic.
Our 2021 Christmas and new year trip to California was our third foray into the Golden state. We had first visited in 2013 during our honeymoon and enjoyed Mendocino wine country, cocktails and jail cells in San Francisco and jaw-dropping vistas in Yosemite. Returning in 2018 we were thrilled to see tarantulas in the Mojave desert and experience the spooky majesty of Joshua Tree National Park, before a few laid-back days in Palm Springs, San Diego and an afternoon in L.A.
This time around we flew into San Diego and sped north-east through a tropical storm to Palm Springs where we spent three nights, before heading to La Jolla for two nights. We then drove to Los Angeles where we spent two nights in Hollywood and three nights downtown, before heading back to San Diego for three nights before heading home.
Palm Springs
Having already spent a few heady days in Palm Springs and loving its groovy, Mad Men-esque vibe we knew that when we returned we just had to stay – once again – in the incredibly hip and totally beautiful mid century modern paradise that is the Orbit In. Think cocktails by the pool. Think hummingbirds dancing on birds of paradise flowers. Think swaying palm trees in the breeze. Extremely dreamy! We had stayed in the Atomic Paradise room last time and on this trip plumped for the Frey Lounge. Attracted by both the prospect of a fireplace – which felt festive and appropriate seeing as we’d be spending Christmas day here – and exhilarated by the outdoor shower which – despite the desert being a little chilly during mornings in December – was a bracing and bold start to our days. The room was gorgeous and we loved using the hotel’s bikes for a pooter around downtown Palm Springs and getting to flex our big boomer energy when we had night-time dips in the hot-tub. The staff are so great, the ‘orbitinis’, breakfasts and snacks by the pool are fab and the location – in the historic tennis area club area – is perfect – we highly recommend these lodgings.
Because we’d already been to Palm Springs and enjoyed visiting Salvation Mountain, the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway, Moorten Botanical Gardens, and Elvis Presely’s Honeymoon Hideaway and with it being Christmas – and a chance for some serious rest and relaxation – our agenda for this trip was looser and laid-back.
Awoken by jet-lag at the crack of dawn we swung by Bristol Farms to buy some provisions – and were astounded by how fancy this chain of supermarkets was (an even more decadent version of Whole Foods!?) and we enjoyed picking up all manner of tasty morsels to enjoy in our room and by the pool. We enjoyed a trip out to see the Cabazon dinosaurs – this time they were decked in Christmas garb – and swung by the nearby retail outlets with the aim of buying seasonal gifts (for ourselves). We had a boozy lunch at Kings Highway at the Ace Hotel where we ate big salads (when in California, right….) before walking to Bootlegger tiki bar and Las Palmas Brewing for very stylish and delicious night-caps before grabbing a pizza from Bill’s Pizza to eat in front of the fireplace in our room. Gorgeous.
The next day – Christmas Day – we awoke early and drove to Tahquitz Canyon for a hike to the 60-ft waterfall. The trail was beautiful – craggy rocks, wild flowers and stark desert vistas – and it was great to stretch our legs before a day of indulgence. After sunbathing and reading books by the pool we got out of our swimwear and into our gladrags and walked to Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge for our christmas lunch – we had lots of fizzy wine, several courses of really delicious festive food on the patio and listened to American christmas pop songs – which turn out to be very similar to UK christmas pop songs but with a few odd inclusions and omissions (no Wizard?) Service was excellent and it was such a treat to have al fresco fancy food. We walked back to the Orbit In for a cocktail by the pool, a soak in the hot-tub and festive snacks by the fire. A perfect end to a perfectly magical christmas day – we felt very lucky and didn’t want this dreamy time in the desert to end!
La Jolla:
After we had celebrated the most perfect of Christmas Days in Palm Springs we headed back to the California coast for a two night stop in La Jolla. La Jolla is only a few miles north of San Diego and is more or less a neighbourhood rather than a city in its own right, but its very pretty indeed! It can be on the pricey side, and we had two nights booked at the Hyatt Regency close to the University. Its basically a choice between staying in that part of town, or right in La Jolla village which tends to be more expensive. More to the point, the “attractions” we had in mind for our stop were quite spread out so being somewhere central wasn’t such a concern for us.
The Hyatt is a nice enough stop in any case, its sort of a resort hotel with lots of activities and a nice big pool area, plus the requisite large and comfy rooms. We took advantage of the firepits and s’mores kits you can pick up inside one evening as well which made for a very pleasant experience. Before we even got to La Jolla though we made a quick stop at Torrey Pines State Beach. Now, since we visited on Boxing Day it was actually quite busy with people on their post-Christmas walk, but it was no less lovely for that. Some of the trails were closed because of recent heavy rain but we went on a beautiful sunny day and loved huffing and puffing our way up the steep hill to the top of the park and back again. After we’d worked up an appetite we swung by La Jolla village for a tasty Mexican lunch at Puesto (too many free tortilla chips were consumed). We spent a couple of hours walking around the various local beaches, including a close encounter with a (mostly) friendly sea lion.
One of the downsides of winter trips is that the days are shorter – but it does mean you can squeeze in a sunset before dinner and drinks. We made the short drive out to Black’s Beach and the Torrey Pines Gliderport and enjoyed a classic West Coast Pacific sunset. It really was spectacular – but beware, this isn’t a “hidden gem” – we were joined by A LOT of people. There’s plenty of coastline so its easy enough to get a good picture spot, although care should be taken by those with a fear of heights, the cliffs are rather sheer!
On our first night in La Jolla we made the short-ish walk to Regent’s Pizzeria, famed not just for its pies but also its extensive beer list and boy were we impressed with both. You’re never short of a quality beer or two in Southern California but the range in a place like this is always exceptional – we had brews from some of the West Coast’s finest including Pure Project and Great Notion. Our second day in La Jolla was a very chilled-out affair, shopping like a (restrained) local in the nearby Bristol Farms – yes, we were obsessed by this stage – before a lunch stop at a nearby Veggie Grill. We’d sampled the chain’s Beyond Burgers a couple of years back and loved them, this time round it wasn’t quite as good as we’d hoped but it was a quick and cheap lunch stop.
We then had an afternoon touring the clutch of breweries who have based themselves just east of La Jolla and north of San Diego – Pure Project, Mikkeller San Diego and the legendary Alesmith. We were lucky enough to catch Alesmith on a day when the resident food truck was Zoe’s Place – tacos and burritos galore and boy was it tasty! Obviously the plethora of imperial stouts – an Alesmith speciality – didn’t hurt either. After one final breakfast in our “special place” (Bristol Farms) we had to depart beautiful La Jolla but it was a great little stop on a Californian road trip. Next stop – Los Angeles!
Los Angeles:
We drove into Los Angeles via the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, located in Yorba Linda. As two political nerds (who both have a healthy-ish obsession with West Wing) we’ve absolutely loved visiting as many Presidential Libraries as we could along this quest. And as with the others it’s fascinating to see what stories are told about these men – their highs, lows, their foibles and mistakes, their triumphs and legacies – and which ones are omitted. Admission was $25 and we highly recommend this – and all presidential libraries – to fellow nerds.
With “I am not a crook” ringing in our ears it was onto lunch and we drove straight to the Anaheim Packing district. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time/budget to visit Disneyland on this trip but Anaheim is where it’s located. Whether or not you are planning on seeing the world’s most famous mouse, the Packing District is worth a stop. Utilising one of the last remaining citrus packing warehouses in OC this space is now historically preserved and retrofitted as a chic and lively market hall. We enjoyed some very nice BBQ (Josh) and noodles (Hannah) before grabbing delicious beers at Monkish as we admired some very nice dogs on the sun-filled patio. Worth noting that parking for this food market was quite expensive and quite limited – so may be annoying.
Appetites vanquished, we drove to the first of our L.A. hotels: the Everly. As is typical from a Kimpton hotel it has pared-back decor and a stylish lobby where you can enjoy morning coffees or complimentary evening wine hours. We loved the views – of the Hollywood sign! – from our comfortable suite. It was too chilly/rainy for us to use their open-air pool but it would be gorgeous in Summer we’re sure.
After stashing our suitcases in our room and exploring the hotel’s shared spaces we decided to explore the Hollywood Walk of Fame and… it was… kinda rubbish. Not sure what we expected but it was fairly scuzzy and very touristy. I guess it’s one of those places you feel you have to visit – like the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen – but leave you feeling distinctly underwhelmed. Still, you might enjoy seeing the stars of Britney Spears, RuPaul or Marilyn Monroe and many many others…
Because the pandemic was still in full swing when we visited California we were being cautious about eating and drinking indoors and choosing patios and al fresco options where possible. This meant a last-minute change of plan and we ordered sushi and Impossible burgers at The Godfrey hotel. The views and food were decent but I wouldn’t add this to your must-do lists if you ever visit L.A. We had planned to go to some neat looking bars – Davey Wanes, Frolic, The Dude’s – but between covid and the rain we decided to play it safe. We then had a couple of very rainy days in L.A. so we drove to our beloved Bristol Farms for a breakfast pincic before we enjoyed a soggy walk around the Getty Museum in Beverly Hills. Home to a beautiful collection of paintings and photographs we had a pleasant few hours exploring although it was too storm-soaked to enjoy the cactus garden or enjoy what on good days is a stunning view of the city below.
Now, we’re not saying that L.A. is a car-crazy city… but one morning we drove to Runyon Canyon to try and go for a hike and literally could not find a parking space so had to abandon that plan and visit Malibu beach instead. Which wasn’t too bad a way to spend a morning! Malibu gives off the very laid-back surfer vibes you might have dreamt about and the Malibu Farm Pier Cafe is a gorgeous spot for lunch or drinks.
The following day we had a windswept visit to Venice – we took in the historic boardwalk and rippling – if somewhat damp – bodies on muscle beach before exploring the extraordinarily gorgeous canals and strolling along the very hip Abbot Kinney boulevard where we bought expensive coffee and enjoyed lots of window shopping. With the rain pelting down we had an in-car lunch of cheap – and very cheerful – burgers from The Window. They serve smashburgers (including Impossible ones) and dipped ice cream cones – at really good prices. We highly recommend this spot! That night we had planned to go to Tar and Roses for dinner – a buzzy restaurant in Santa Monica – but what with the rain making the patio seating we’d booked seem a dismal prospect and our nervousness around catching covid, we got take-out pizzas and charred brussel sprouts from the Everly hotel’s excellent restaurant – Jane Q – and ate them alongside a netflix movie in our room.
After a couple of days in Hollywood, we checked out of the Everley and headed downtown. We swung by Pine and Crane on the way to eat absolutely sumptuous dan dan noodles (in our hire-car because of the previously mentioned stinky weather/covid paranoia) but even the ‘delights’ of our Corolla couldn’t detract from the powerhouse of flavours that Pine and Crane delivered. Located in Silverlake we highly recommend this place.
We checked into the Hotel Figueroa – founded in 1926 as a women’s business hotel – this downtown L.A. spot has very stylish rooms over 14 floors and a pretty courtyard featuring a huge cactus. And a coffin-shaped pool. Perhaps the only coffin-shaped pool we’ve ever experienced! We had a Junior Suite with a snug living room, comfy bed and stylish bathroom – it was a beautiful hotel and a great place to explore this lively neighbourhood. That evening we had dinner and drinks at (the now very sadly closed) Modern Times Dankness Dojo before a few beers at First Draft.
The next morning we enjoyed a walk – in the very welcome sunshine – around DTLA taking in Little Tokyo, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and grabbing some baked goods at Grand Central Market. When it opened in October 1917, the “Wonder Market,” as it was then called, was billed as “the largest and finest public market on the Pacific Coast.” Today you can source everything from currywurst to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tacos to pizzas. It’s fun to explore and try dishes from here and there.
We continued walking around L.A. before heading back to Silver Lake so that we could grab another delicious smashburger – they have another The Window here – and line our stomachs before we caught an uber to Chinatown for some new year’s eve pre-game drinks at Highland Park and Homage. One of the great joys of journeying through America, especially State like California, is finding a new, great, brewery tucked away. Homage have only recently opened but their sour beers are already on the Jester King scale of things. The Jester King of California perhaps. Then it was back to Downtown L.A. for another trip to Grand Central Market for snacks as, unfortunately, the lavish new year’s eve dinner we had planned to eat at Otium, was cancelled as the restaurant decided to cancel all bookings due to Covid.
We should say that despite our plans being thrown into disarray and exciting bookings being cancelled throughout this trip – due to the pandemic and the storms – just getting to be in California was a treat enough. We got used to making plans on the hoof – which was very unusual for us planning-dweebs, mind.
And so it was New Year’s Eve and we’d booked two tickets to the party our hotel was throwing. It was very L.A. It was expensive to get in, there were whole swathes of the party dedicated to VIPs-only, guests were looking nipped, tucked and glamorous, there were fire breathers, contortionists, champagne girls and assorted posers. And us. It was wildly fun and we enjoyed the snazzy drinks and pumping music at the party before heading up to the balcony to see in the new year and look across DTLA and the fireworks and shimmering city lights.
The next morning we fed our hangovers at Cafe Fig – the cute breakfast spot at the hotel – before we drove to Santa Monica where we had a Whole Foods sushi picnic on the beach and a day enjoying the pier in the sunshine. That night we had a really lovely dinner at Joey DTLA. They had delicious wine, decent curries (with tofu for Hannah) and it was lovely to sit outside and people-watch.
San Diego:
After a brilliant few days in LA we sped off down Highway 1 (briefly) bound for the altogether more sedate San Diego. Sedate, but no less fun! We made a quick lunch stop at the Modern Times Far West Lounge in Encinitas. We were driving so beers were off the agenda but Modern Times have become something of a specialist in vegan fayre – think charred Brussels sprouts, kale caesar salad, vegan smash burgers, that kind of thing. Highly recommended (and although we didn’t imbibe, the beer list was as good as you’d expect).
San Diego, like La Jolla, isn’t the cheapest of places to holiday but we’d booked a room at the reasonably-priced-but-terribly-named Marriott Vacation Club Pulse. It’s perfectly located in Downtown SD, near to everything – the Gaslamp District, the bay, about a 20 minute walk from Balboa Park. Its not chic or boutique in ANY way, but the room was huge, the view was nice and the service was impeccable – no complaints (apart from one of those weird lift-to-the-lobby-and-then-a-different-lift-to-your-room setups).
After we’d dropped off the car (tactical drop off at the nearby San Diego airport to save two days of car hire cost AND the extortionate hotel parking fees) and got settled in our comfy room we headed out for another evening sampling the world class San Diego beer scene. Southern Californian craft beer is so well established that breweries like Stone, Karl Strauss and Pizza Port seem old hat, which in a way they are, but they are still churning out beer that is the envy of brewers the world over. The Stone downtown taproom also has a really nice outdoor area with firepits which warmed us up on one of those evenings where you hadn’t worn a jacket but it is night time at the end of December so you need a little boost. Just up the road from Stone is the tap room of Burgeon Beer, a relative newcomer on the scene brewing up some spectacular IPAs and sours. After filling ourselves with beer we headed to the rooftop bar at the Nolen for views and some tasty nibbles. Not far from there we gobbled down a ginormous ice cream in a chocolatey and nutty waffle cone at Cali Cream Ice Cream before heading back to THE PULSE.
The aforementioned Balboa Park isn’t just a beautiful lush green space close to downtown, it’s also home to tonnes of great sights and museums…BUT…you gotta do your planning. Some of the museums are open Mondays and Tuesdays, plenty are not, some are open odd days so keep your wits about you especially if you get the (very good value) museum pass. And before we even got to the park we stumbled upon one of our favourite ever coffee shops – Mio + Tuo on Ninth Avenue – the iced coffee in particular was incredible! Our first morning in the park we’d scheduled a visit to the Air & Space Museum and the Japanese Friendship Garden, on day two we took in the Museum of Art, the Automotive Museum and the Natural History Museum and on the final day we did the Museum of Us. All of them were brilliant and we didn’t really have enough time to appreciate it fully, but it does get your step count up walking to and from the park!
Our first lunch stop in SD was at Market Place near the west end of the park, they serve up your classic MASSIVE American salads which we took back to the park and ate in the sunshine. Very lovely. After filling up (and these salads are very filling) on lunch we hopped in an Uber to the North Park neighbourhood. It is walkable from the park but quite a lengthy one so we planned to walk back instead. Our first appointment was with Original 40 Brewing, where we managed to nab the last outside table in the sun and enjoyed watching the little dog in the window opposite (plus the beers, the beers were predictably excellent). Then we made the short walk along University Avenue to North Park Brewing who are one of the stars of the SD beer scene (and that really is saying something) where we drank…a little too much.
We had dinner booked at Kindred where Hannah had been wanting to go since our last trip to San Diego. It’s a brisk half hour walk down 30th St from North Park which helped shake off some of the booze. Kindred is a vegan-only place serving up absolutely delicious food, it also has an incredibly stylish interior – especially the impressive ceiling. We had planned to walk back to the hotel from there but…we’d already clocked about 30,000 steps so we hopped in another Uber.
Our second morning in SD entailed more Balboa Park museum-ing (as did the third, for that matter). We stopped for lunch at Hidden Craft which also happens to be a pour-your-own-beer hotspot, before we headed into Little Italy for yet more beer at Mikkeller and Bottlecraft. At the latter you can sit on the lovely outside patio and watch the very low-flying jets coming into San Diego International Airport. For a plane nerd (Josh) it was a lot of fun, plus the beer was absolutely astonishing. We had dinner booked at Starlite just up the road from Bottlecraft, complete with its own very cool Star Wars-esque doorway, where we had delicious Impossible Burgers and cocktails before heading back to the hotel.
For our final breakfast in San Diego we got up early and sped over to the uber-fashionable Morning Glory, which includes what has to be one of the most spectacular window set ups around, along with a very fancy and plush pink interior, serving up very tasty breakfasts and coffees for good measure. But you gotta get there early – you can’t book and by 8.15am the queue was out onto the street – justifiably so.
We were very sad to be leaving San Diego, and Southern California in general, but we absolutely crammed the most we possibly could into the thirteen days we had. As with so many American destinations, the more time we spend in California the more we love it. And the Golden State is pretty hard to beat!
Rate the state: 10/10
Good for: beer, beaches, cuisine, art, culture, celeb-spotting (maybe?), forests
Bad for: cold-weather fans?
Fifty States One Day 