California road trip

I have always wanted to visit California; it is one of the iconic destinations that has to be on most people’s list! We decided to try and do and see as much as possible but allow enough time in each place so that we could have time to enjoy it as well. Tall order! Our first stop was Las Vegas- “Vegas baby!” (My kids forbade me shouting this out within hours of arriving!). Wynn hotel didn’t disappoint, it has one of the most amazing lobby’s we have entered. Rooms are spacious and have floor to ceiling picture windows! As it was so hot the pools were very welcomed. Given it was 40 degrees we literally spent whole afternoons in the pool. In the evening we did the Strip walk, from our hotel all the way down to Bellagio fountains. Entertainment all along the way didn’t disappoint. We did book a show in advance (The Blue Man group) which was fun and family friendly! On our first night we had a dinner at the Stratosphere restaurant with fab views of the Strip at night, great food if a bit pricey. Our highlight whilst in Vegas has to be the Grand Canyon helicopter flight. Truly awesome! Next stop was Death Valley, what a place! Hottest inhabited place on earth truly lived up to its reputation. Very eerie and unique and well worth an overnight stop. Then onto Mammoth Mountain resort, some 3 hours’ drive north of Death Valley and only 1.5-2 hours south of Yosemite East gate. This was real unexpected little gem, the resort is small and Alpine in look, you could easily be in Switzerland. The added bonus was the chance to do some serious mountain biking from the top of the Mammoth Mountain. Not as scary as it sounds as you can choose the track you come down on, thankfully. Yosemite was our most back to basic stop, we booked 2 cabins in the Valley (Curry Village) and camped for 2 nights. This allowed us to do a whole day trek up to the Nevada Falls, the only ones with any water left in the height of summer. San Francisco was next, all I can say if you are driving in like we did, remember, it’s very hilly. We nearly rolled back a few times, as oncoming trams scared us witless. Still laugh about our arrival that evening. Thankfully Fairmont hotel made it all worthwhile. Fantastic location on top of Nob Hill (I know, kids kept giggling about the name) with the iconic tram stop just outside. We had to use it, of course. San Francisco is such a lovely place, small enough to explore in the 4 days we had, and diverse enough to find something different. We did the classic sights; Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Pier 39. Despite the hordes, was well worth it. We waved goodbye to San Francisco (and promised to come back again) and drove south to Carmel. This little place is famous for having had Clint Eastwood for its mayor back in the 90ies, but also for having the quaintest coastal resort on Californian coastline! There are so many restaurants and art galleries in such a small place and all very individual and worth exploring. Our most anticipated day of driving came after the Carmel, the iconic Highway 1 (Pacific Coast road), down to Los Angeles. As is often the case, summer in Northern California can be a bit foggy, especially the mornings! We got to see some of the views shrouded in mist but thankfully sunshine came out soon enough for us to enjoy the famous drive down to our next stop, Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is very chic, with many lovely restaurants to choose from and the famous beach, of course. Our last night was in Santa Monica, Loews hotel, overlooking the Pier! Fab location close to the beach and 3rd St Promenade with its shops and restaurants. Amazingly, we managed to visit Universal Studios and do the Hollywood tour in a space of 24 hours! All too soon our California adventure was over, we cannot wait to go back!