California Trip - L.A / Universal Studios

Our last couple of days were spent back in Los Angeles. We drove in from Palm Springs and headed straight to Erewhon (thanks Tik Tok) for a smoothie and some lunch.

We detoured via Rodeo Drive for a look then headed up the hills to Griffith Observatory.

A must to view the Hollywood sign and look over L.A. It was pretty smoggy when we were there but we had fun cruising the streets in the hills and found a great lookout at Jerome C Daniel overlook on Mulholland Drive.

We checked into the Hilton Universal City and hung out by the pool for the afternoon.

 Ready for our day at Universal Studios the next day.

We had booked our tickets online earlier - We chose the Universal Express which gave you the option to skip the lines on certain rides but were offered an upgrade at the gate to VIP tickets.

These were great as there were no lines and we really got to enjoy all rides with no wait times, multiple times. Noah and Jasper really utilised them when they went on a Harry Potter ride 11 times in a row!

We had a great Italian dinner at Buca di Beppo that night at Universal City Walk  (a bunch of restaurants and shops near the park)

We had a late check out on the day we were flying out. Our flight wasn't until 11.40pm so we had a whole day to fill. We decided to head over to Santa Monica to check out the pier and Venice Beach.

They are very iconic but a bit gritty and dirty!

We decided to have an early dinner before our flight so headed to the Cheesecake Factory at The Grove.

Some great shops to browse too.

All in all we had a wonderful time and it was so good to have that time as a family together.

It was a busy time and I'm thankful we have a week to chill before school goes back.

California Trip - Palm Springs/Joshua Tree

After our days at Disney we drove the hour and a half to Palm Springs

It was amazing to see the landscape change and the scenery is stunning!

We headed to Downtown Palm Springs (Palm Canyon Drive) for a browse at the shops and amazing houses. Such a cute little town.

We had to have lunch at In n Out. Yum!

Then we checked into our resort - Renaissance Esmeralda Resort Indian Wells.

We headed straight to the pool for a cocktail and a swim and enjoyed an easy afternoon.

 

On our second day we drove out to Joshua Tree and enjoyed driving the loop and stopping for photos wherever caught our eye. 

The desert is beautiful and the combination of blue sky, rocks, cacti etc is just stunning!

We then checked out Pioneertown on the way back and stopped for lunch at Pappy & Harriets. 

Such a random spot but great food! 

We then headed back to the hotel for another swim. This Palm Springs heat can get to you!

It was a nice slow couple of days away from the cities and crowds.

PS We love you!

California Trip 2023 - Disneyland/California Adventure Park

We arrived at the Disney Californian Grand Hotel on the afternoon of day 3. We chose this hotel as we wanted to stay close to the parks and use the early access that staying in a Disney hotel gives you.

We checked in and hung around the pool for the afternoon. For dinner we headed to Downtown Disney for food and a little browse around the shops before hitting the parks the next day. We ended up going to Splitsville for dinner most nights as they had availability, quick service and a varied menu. Some of the other restaurants booked out fast and there were long lines for walk ins.

For our park tickets we chose to do the 2 day Park Hopper ticket which allows you to jump between Disneyland and California Adventure Park. We also chose to get Genie+  which allows you to skip the long lines on some of the rides. (It's replaced the old Fast Pass system) It was so worth it!

You really need to download the Disney app which gives you all the information you need to plan and get the most out of the parks. From park maps, to ride times, character greetings, showtimes etc

You also need to make a park reservation when you book your tickets.

We started off our day in California Adventure Park and our favourite rides in the park were Cars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Grizzly River Run and the Incredicoaster. So fun! We went on these multiple times.

In the afternoon we switched over to Disneyland and our favourite rides were Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds and the Millenium Falcon. 

Disney were celebrating Halloween and 100 years while we were there and the decorations and vibe were amazing. It was such a fun time to experience.

Our second day was a blend between both parks again.We felt that 2 days were perfect for us.

The days at Disney are busy with lots of walking so make sure you wear comfortable clothes and shoes!

Let me know if you have any questions!