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!

California Trip 2023 - Newport Beach/Laguna Beach

 We're just back from our family trip to California and it was so great to have that time as a family and revisit some old favourite places and discover some new spots.

We landed at LAX, grabbed the shuttle bus to Avis to hire a car for the trip and drove the hour to Newport Beach. We checked into the VEA hotel in Newport Beach for 2 nights to check out the OC.

We were blessed with amazing weather throughout our whole trip so it was great to soak up the sun, recover from the flight and get on California time.        

Across the road from our hotel was Fashion Island. A great mix of restaurants, shops, Starbucks etc. There was also a Wholefoods where we stocked up on water, snacks and fruit.

We drove to Newport Pier, checked out Lido Marina/Village, ate at Malibu Farm, admired the cute houses. We also hired a boat from Balboa Island and it was great to sightsee from the water.

On day 2 we drove to Laguna Beach to have a look around. The views along PCH from Newport to Laguna Beach are beautiful! We walked through the town and admired the beach from Heisler Park. Stunning!

There is also a great Shake Shack at Crystal Cove State Park.

Amazing views as well.

We had a great time exploring the OC and on Day 3 we drove to Anaheim to check into our Disney hotel.

On the way we had to stop at Walmart and Target so Noah could check out the American lollies etc!

We checked into Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and I'll share more of our Disney stay in another post.

Let me know if you have any questions?

Our Family Holiday to California - Part 2 - Newport Beach - Southern California

Today I'm continuing to share details of our recent family holiday to California.......

You can read Part 1 here if you need to catch up :)

Day 4 - Huntington Beach/ Laguna Beach / Newport Beach

After checking out of our L.A hotel we jumped in the car and headed south to our destination of Newport Beach. Along the way we drove via the famous surfing town Huntington Beach and stopped to check out the beach and walk the pier. At the end of the pier is a diner called Ruby's where we had the best shakes and ice cream. We then sat on a bench and watched the surfers catch a few waves.

We then drove up to Laguna Beach for a browse through the town before checking into our hotel in Newport Beach. We stayed at the Marriott Newport Beach.
(When booking the hotels for this trip the location was my main priority. I knew we wouldn't be spending much time in the room so as long as it was clean and the hotel had the amenities we needed that was enough.)

The Marriott was great for us as it was close to shops and restaurants as the big Fashion Island complex was just across the road. We had dinner and a late night browse around the shops before calling it a day.

Day 5 - Balboa Island / The Wedge - Newport Beach

This day we drove to Balboa Island which has the cutest little houses and neighbourhood and looks like the movie version of America. There are quaint little shops to explore and apparently the frozen bananas and ice cream sandwiches are a must try but we didn't get around to it.

You can drive your car onto a ferry and cross the water to the Fun Zone. This was a bit of a novelty and only takes about 5 minutes. If you look closely you can sometimes see sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks. The Fun Zone has a couple of rides for the kids and an arcade to waste your money on ;) We gave the kids a few quarters to play a few games before heading off.

After the Fun Zone we drove a couple of streets away to check out The Wedge. The Wedge is situated in a beautiful neighbourhood and is a famous surf break known for one of Southern California's gnarliest waves because of how the water bounces off the rocks and "wedges up" 

It wasn't really suitable for the younger kids to swim so we sat and watched Finn and Simon catch a few waves. They found it fun but one of the most powerful waves they've been in and only stayed in for half an hour or so.

As the kids wanted to have a swim we headed back to the hotel and hung around the pool for the afternoon. Noah definitely knows how to relax!

Later that night we had another wander around Fashion Island. I loved checking out Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Forever 21 and we found this fun shop that sold supersized candy. 

The boys were in heaven!

Day 6 - Laguna/ 3 Arch Bay Beach / Shopping

We had a sleep in then decided to spend a few hours at the beach. One of my friends from Instagram got in touch and organised for us to have access to a private beach called 3 Arch Bay in Laguna.

The boys loved running on the sand and had a quick swim. We couldn't believe how cold the water was though!

On the way back to Newport Beach we stopped for lunch and a bit of shopping at the Irvine Spectrum Centre which was huge. We were happy to have a few relaxing days in Southern California as we knew we had a busy time coming up as Disneyland was our next destination.

Some places I had on my list.......

Balboa Island - car ferry to Fun Zone

Wilma's Fish n Chips

Frozen bananas/ ice cream sandwiches

The Wedge

Fashion Island

Nick's Restaurant

Thalia Beach

Thousand Steps Beach

Montage Beach

More to come tomorrow!