In the fall of 2023 we took a two-week trip to California to visit family and friends but we also squeezed a bit of sightseeing in! I was desperate to get back to one of my favorite coastal towns in California, Santa Barbara, and I realised that we had never spent time in LA, despite flying in and out numerous times, so we decided to explore the area a bit more than our usual trips.

We started the trip out with a special treat for the girls: an overnight at Great Wolf Lodge with friends! It is an indoor waterpark with attached hotel that has an arcade, mini-golf and restaurant. Basically you never need to leave! Halloween was approaching so there were also some fun activities and decorations to get us in the spirit.

A few days later we headed north to Santa Barbara where we enjoyed beautiful beaches, hikes, hot springs, sunsets, and so much delicious Mexican food! Santa Barbara is a wonderful family-friendly destination with so much to offer! I would move there in a second if it weren’t so expensive….

We finished up our visit to Santa Barbara with a stop at UCSB, hoping to infuse some enthusiasm for studying at a university in the girls! It might have worked with a place as gorgeous as UCSB.

We stayed at the budget-friendly Sandpiper Lodge which was a bit run down and the breakfast was just packaged pastries, but the pool was a hit and it was walking distance to a few great restaurants, notably Maiz Picante Taqueria, which we visited twice in four days. We had the two-bedroom unit which worked great for the six of us.

We then drove back down south to the Best Western Plus Sunset Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. It was like a little piece of Italy right in the heart of LA with its beautiful pool area. It also had a good breakfast, though the room was a bit small for the six of us. Overall, I would recommend it, especially since it was pretty reasonably priced (considering the area).

Our first day there we met up with my aunt who happened to be visiting from Ireland at the same time! We headed over to The Getty where we enjoyed some fine art, gorgeous gardens and so much sunshine. Sometimes all we need is to lay in the sunshine for a bit to recharge.

The next day we met my sister at LAX and headed to the Santa Monica Pier where we ate yummy seafood, rode the most expensive roller coaster ever and watched Steffen participate in a street performance. Good times!

Then it was a drive down Rodeo Drive before heading back to the hotel. Then the adults headed out for a fun night of comedy with Chelsea Handler at the Pantages Theater!

The next day we drove up to the Griffith Observatory for a bit of science and gorgeous views. While we were there we found out an annular solar eclipse was coming the next day which we got to see! From there we drove to the Hollywood Sign and then the famous Grove for dinner and some shopping.

On our final day, we didn’t fly out until the evening so we made one more stop: the Piñata District. It was a bright, chaotic, colourful area of town that sells every type of piñata imaginable as well as candy, trinkets, toys and freshly made Mexican food on every corner. It felt like we were back in Mexico for a minute! For my sister and I, we were right at home, chatting in Spanish and soaking it all in. It was a new experience for Steffen and the girls so they were a little more held-back but got into the groove after a bit! It was a very cool experience that I highly recommend when visiting Los Angeles.

As always, we are so grateful to our friends and family that make these trips so special, and we were really excited to learn a little bit more about California!