An LA Road Trip - Part 1

I had never driven in the US before. I have driven in many other places, but never felt confident enough to drive such big cars. So I’m glad that I did this time as the driving is so straight forward. I would highly recommend a GPS as it also came with free unlimited Wi-Fi meaning that we always had access to the internet as well as 30 minutes of international calls a day free of charge and 60 minutes of local calls a day free too (great for keeping in touch with home or if, like us, there were several cars we could contact each other via the free local calls if needed). I drove a full size car which was a Nissan Altima and was perfectly suited to 2-3 people travelling and would carry luggage for that number comfortably. Being automatic the only thing to concentrate on was the road and what was going on around you which made it much easier.

We arrived at our first hotel, the Loews Hollywood, at almost midnight and after parking the car in the hotel car park we checked in. I was on the 7th floor and had a room with a view of the Hollywood sign which was great! In a fantastic location, almost on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and easy walking distance to all of the famous sights, this was a great hotel choice. We checked out early the next morning as we had breakfast and a tour of the W Hollywood planned.

This was a great opportunity to compare the two hotels and see what both had to offer. It was interesting to find that the metro system directly outside the W Hollywood had links all over LA including the beach resort of Santa Monica meaning that this area is becoming more friendly to those not wishing to hire a car (although car is still the best and most convenient way to visit this area in my opinion). After our tour of W Hollywood we headed on a walking tour of Hollywood which was brilliant! It was so informative and interesting to hear the stories, see the locations of so many of my favourite films (standing in the spot where Richard Gere pulled up in his flash car in Pretty Woman was a highlight) and understanding Hollywood’s role in the film industry.

After our tour of Hollywood we set off for the laid back, wonderful resort of Santa Barbara, my favourite location of the trip. The drive was around two hours and was all highway, but with some pretty spectacular views as we headed further North. Beautiful weather with temperatures of around 24c greeted us and made the stay very enjoyable as we could make the most of what the area had to offer. Staying at the Harbor View Inn in a gorgeous room on the front overlooking the beach, sea and pier I found my home. The rooms were spacious with all the home comforts you could need. The staff couldn’t do enough for you, even to the point that I had packed the wrong power adaptor for the US and they provided me with one free of charge during my stay! We headed to the pier for wine tasting at Deep Sea Wines, who I loved as they produce wine that they sell to support local animal shelters, followed by dinner at a beautiful Italian restaurant a little way along the front from our hotel. It was an early night after a very eventful day!

The next morning we were up early for a walk into Santa Barbara for breakfast at the stunning Kimpton Canary Hotel. Breakfast was a feast of their signature lemon and ricotta pancakes and a huge bowl of mixed fruits served with coffee, juice and water. A great way to start the day!

After our tour we then headed to the Courthouse with it’s amazing clock tower which allowed 360 degree views from the mountains to the sea and was well worth the many steps to reach it (although there is also a lift). We wandered back to our hotel to meet the LandShark tour which I have to say was one of my highlights. Great humour but also really informative about the area and history made this a must do and we even got to see sea lions! The rest of the afternoon was ours to do with as we pleased so we did a bit of people watching and headed to the pier for a spot of lunch and to watch the sunset (the sun set around 4.50pm most days) before freshening up and enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. I am definitely a fan of pumpkin pie!

The next morning was an early start as we were heading south to Santa Monica but wanted time to cruise the Interstate Highway 1 with a brief stop in Malibu. It was a beautiful drive with very little traffic and totally worth the early start! We stopped off at a little beach café called Paradise Cove Beach and whoever named it certainly knew what they were doing! With its cute little pier (they love piers in California) and stunning pure sand beach it was totally paradise!