Last Days of Our California Trip 2021

September 23, 2021



If you'd like to catch up on reading about our California trip, you can below.

California Trip 2021 - Day 1 - Here
California Trip 2021 - Day 2 - Here
California Trip 2021 - Day 3 - Here

On the morning of our fourth day, we had our last breakfast at our friend's house who lives in Los Angeles.  We were headed for the last three days of our California trip to Laguna Beach.  The drive down south to Laguna Beach took us about an hour.  We did take a detour on our GPS and were happy we did due to some traffic.  We were able to find a beautiful shopping area at the Crystal Cove Shopping Center that had Starbucks and Trader Joe's among many other stores and restaurants.  We were able to get our coffee and lunch at the shopping center a few times during our stay in Laguna Beach.
 
We had reservations at The Inn At Laguna Beach.    


Our hotel room didn't overlook the beach but it was still nice.  The room was clean and it had a small refrigerator we could use to stock food and drinks.  The hotel is located right on the ocean and everything was within walking distance to the hotel.


We had to wait a bit before our room was ready, so we had lunch at Las Brisas.  We both shared salsa and chips and Caesar and Kale salads which were all delicious tasting.

 The hotel had free coffee set up every morning, in the afternoon fresh baked cookies, and for the evening's wine.  For our breakfast, we bought blueberry muffins at Trader Joe's and enjoyed coffee and this view of the beach and ocean.


Look at this lifeguard stand and the beach.  The weather was delightful in the '70s and it was a nice relief from the 90-degree weather we had in New York.


We took long walks all around the town. 


There is an open street that you can walk down to see the many shops, art galleries, and restaurants.


We wanted to eat at an Italian restaurant but it was too busy, so we ate a place called Brussels Bistro.  We shared the shrimp and bread.  I had a falafel dish with rice and my husband enjoyed his stew and noodles. 

The next day we didn't want a big lunch or dinner.  We decided to have salads and wraps that we bought from Trader Joe's for lunch.  We walked around town that evening and came across Whole Foods Market.  We bought pizza slices and drinks and enjoyed our dinner by the beach.  


I had the pleasure of meeting with Ping from @mynomfictionlife after so many years.  We've been blog and Instagram friends for a long time.  We had so much fun drinking coffee at Starbucks and chatting with each other.  

Please check out Ping on Instagram at @mynomfictionlife as she shares a lot of yummy food and is also a talented baker.


The hotel had beach chairs, umbrellas, and towels that we could bring to the beach.


This was my view of the water and beach for the next three luxurious and relaxing days.


One afternoon my husband wanted to drive around and have In-N-Out burgers again.  We shared the fries and a drink again.  



We went to the pool one afternoon and had it all to ourselves.  The pool water was warm and we enjoyed swimming that afternoon.



We loved getting up early for our morning walks on the beach.


On our last night in California, we decided to have dinner in Newport Beach.  We sat outside and dined at Modo Mio Rustic Italian Kitchen.  We both had cocktails and they brought out marinated mushrooms for us that were delicious tasting.

My husband had pasta e Fagioli and I had a salad for our appetizer.  I had fish with vegetables and roasted potatoes.  My husband liked his mushrooms and meatloaf.  It was the perfect way to end our vacation in California. 
We had a great time vacationing in California and I miss it already.  Thanks for coming along with me on this awesome trip.

Have you been to California?  What do you recommend we see on our next visit?



California Trip 2021 - Day 1 - Here
California Trip 2021 - Day 2 - Here
California Trip 2021 - Day 3 - Here

Click HERE to see the blog parties I will be linking up to.

Julie 

26 comments

  1. Wow this all looked fantastic. That hotel looked lovely with a perfect location. All of your food looked amazing! How cool that you got to meet Ping! You look cute in all of your photos. I love walking on the beach in the morning. That pool looked sweet too! Thanks for sharing your wonderful CA trip Julie!

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  2. I've never been to CA but I've loved seeing your photos.

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  3. WOW - the inn looks amazing and a great location! Glad you had such a great trip - thanks for sharing your adventure!

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    1. The Inn at Laguna Beach is amazing and such a great location. Thanks for coming along on my adventure in CA Ann.

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  4. Wow what a great trip all around. I bet you cannot wait to go back to California. Walking on the beach in the morning ahhhh heaven. Love your cute top. Have a good day today. xoxo Kris

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  5. That ocean view is amazing! Sounds like you had such a great trip.

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    1. Yes Joanne, this hotel has amazing views and in a great location. I'd love to go back again and stay there. It was a great trip that we'll be talking about for a long time.

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  6. My husband used to work at Torrey Pines in LaJolla. We spent the first 3 years of our marriage in California. I loved it so much. Laguna is so pretty!! Thanks for taking me along, Julie!!

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  7. Oh, Julie, this looks heavenly! I've never been to Laguna Beach, and I know I'd love it, based on what you've shared here. So glad you enjoyed your vacation! I enjoyed reading about it!

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  8. Looks like a great trip, Julie! You really made the most of your time there. Ps. Love the outfit you're wearing in front of the lifeguard stand. Cute!!

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  9. What a great trip! I loved seeing your photos, California looks like an amazing place to visit.

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    1. Yes Alhana, it was a great trip and we loved visiting California!

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  10. Sounds as if you had a wonderful time!

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    1. Thanks Michele, and yes we did have a wonderful time in CA. I can't wait to go back again.

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  11. I'm behind with my blog visits and am back reading about your adventures. A wonderful trip, Julie, I'm happy for you.
    Amalia
    xo

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  12. I’m so excited you got this trip! I’ve never been to California! You had such a great view!

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    1. Thanks Andrea, we loved our trip to CA and you would too. I hope you get to visit CA sometime in the future.

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  13. Such a lovely place California, reminds me of my trip so many years ago to Venice and Santa Monica beach area. Thanks for sharing, just so much fun to see!

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    1. We loved our trip to California and enjoyed visiting Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Laguna Beach!

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  14. Thanks so much for sharing your trip Julie! We are trying so hard to get out there this year but work keeps getting in the way! You spent your last night in our old stomping grounds. We kept our boat docked in Newport for years when the kids were growing up. I so love it there. Katie now lives in San Diego so we are planning on putting a boat there when we retire. It's the only way we can spend a lot of our time there with the cost of homes completely out of reach for us! Besides, there is so much less traffic traveling up the coast by boat! It looked like a wonderful trip and I loved seeing your pictures. Thanks again and have a wonderful week.

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    1. We have family and friends that live in California. It was so nice to visit and stay with our friend that lives in Los Angeles. I enjoyed seeing Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Laguna Beach. It's nice that you have your daughter in San Diego and putting a boat there when you retire. Thanks for the blog visit.

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  15. Julie, I hope this. Moment goes through. So glad to hear you enjoyed. Your summer vacation in California, my home state. I grew up in Southern California, so I do know Laguna beach and it’s surroundings. San Diego has great weather year round. There’s so much to do there. I lived in Anaheim and every summer, we could see Disneyland’s fireworks. I also lived close to Knott’s Family Farm, which was free years ago. The wax museum was another favorite plus the Knight’s place, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. The beaches are free and the mountains are close. In and Out makes the best burger. Happy to enjoyed yourselves.

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  16. Julie, what a treat to see your trip to Laguna Beach. We were there years ago and stayed at a hotel right on the water. Can't think of the name of it, but the balcony of our room was right over the water! Sitting out there felt like being on a cruise! I'd love to be there right now, enjoying some of those fabulous meals you had there. Glad you included food photos.

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  17. I'm so pleased you had a lovely trip to California, Julie! Laguna Beach looks lovely. I really miss our California visits - we used to go there two or three times a year pre-pandemic. Hopefully we will be able to return again soon. I love Beverley Hills, Half Moon Bay, the Napa Valley and the Bay area as well as Carmel and Pebble Beach. Also love the drive down Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Thank you for sharing your amazing holiday with us - and I'm so pleased you met up with another fellow blogger!

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