Surf City USA, Stay Classy San Diego and beware of Rattlesnakes

This spring I was lucky enough to be chosen to visit Southern California. Our trip included flights with American Airlines, stays at Huntington Beach, San Diego and Palm Springs. Here's a few thoughts on them all.

American Airlines provided great inflight entertainment. The economy seats were a bit tight, but no different from flying BA or Virgin. Service was a little lacking and the food wasn't brilliant. But hey, we left on time and arrived on time.

On arrival in California we drove to Huntington Beach aka Surf City USA. Traffic around LA is horrendous. 40 miles took over two hours.

Surf City - brilliant, loved it. Great beach, proper American seaside, really clean, lots of restaurants, cafes, brilliant pier. Cycling and jogging on the beach was a highlight. We stayed at the Hilton Waterfront, a brilliant resort style hotel with great facilities and just a short stroll to Pacific City.

After two nights we headed to San Diego and visited SeaWorld. It's not for me but I was their guest and wanted to see it for myself. San Diego is much more than Sea World or the Zoo. It’s a brilliant city, in fact now my favourite US city. I loved the atmosphere and the people are so friendly. I would highly recommend a stay at the Del Coronado, what an amazing property.

A trip to the USS Midway is a must too and if you can grab a game at the San Diego Padres, their stadium is awesome. Whether you like baseball or not, the experience is fantastic.

On to Palm Springs - I loved this area, so much to see and do and not at all what I expected. The Tramway is worth a visit to the highest peak in the Valley, the view and the air up there is amazing. I'd also recommend breakfast at the Ace Hotel Diner - wow!

The highlight of the trip for me though was the walk through the Indian canyons in Palm Springs, what an amazing experience but the beware of Rattlesnakes!

Get in touch with me if you're planning to see this area - alex.buckle@travelcounsellors.com