california trip re-cap: san diego + LA

A few weeks ago Michael and I took a trip to California – to see CU play UCLA and to also visit my brother who lives in Longbeach! We had such a blast in beautiful California. We stayed 2 nights in San Diego and 2 nights in LA. So today I just wanted to recap our trip for ya: where we stayed and a few of our favorite spots!

pink button down top | leather crossbody bag | sunglasses

The first two nights we stayed in La Jolla, California (aka a little piece of heaven on earth) at a gorgeous hotel called Estancia La Jolla. This is one of those hotels where you encounter ‘instagram heaven’ around every corner! It’s a hacienda-style resort with rancho-inspired architecture. The location is amazing because you’re right in between the seaside of La Jolla, and Del Mar. You’re also a 5 minute drive away from the famous Torrey Pines where you can find some GORGEOUS hikes with views of the ocean.

Sleep shirt (SO SOFT – wearing size XS)

Our room at Estancia was so pretty and so cozy. We had a gorgeous view into the courtyard of the hotel with amazing flowers and of course, palm trees. We also had a bottle of wine waiting for us in the room which was so nice!

The POOL at Estancia La Jolla was nothing short of a dream! They have luxury lounge chairs, little cabanas, a bar where you can order food and drink, and gorgeous views of the resort. It felt so weird being in a swimsuit in October, but the weather there is literally perfection year round!

One of our favorite parts about La Jolla was the AMAZING food! Some of our favorite restaurants:

George’s At The Cove – this is where the above photo was taken. You have the most beautiful view of the ocean and the food was also amazing! We had the tuna tartare and split tacos, and had an AMAZING chocolate cake for dessert. Their cocktails are also all really good.
Nine-Ten Restaurant – we went to dinner here on our first night and the food was SO good. They are all about seasonal cuisine so their menu is always changing in order to have the freshest ingredients. The menu is farm to table and everything tasted so fresh and full of flavor!
The Cottage – you must come here for brunch if you’re in San Diego! I got the benedict and Michael got the French toast. The restaurant is so cute and our food was delicious!
Taco stand – I had about 100 people recommend this place to me so I figured we’d try it! BEST tacos ever! We also got chips and guacamole which were so good. I got the shrimp tacos and they were heavenly! Definitely stop here for lunch when you’re in San Diego!
Herringbone – hands down our favorite meal of the trip. Pictured below, you’ll see how intimate and romantic the inside of the restaurant is. It feels like you’re in a tree house! Our food was SO good too – we started with the yummiest ahi poke I’ve ever had. For entrees, I had the halibut and Michael had the scallops – both were incredible. This truly is an unforgettable dining experience
PIN IT

After two nights in San Diego, we drove up to LA to see my brother! I don’t have as many restaurant recs for LA because we just let my brother play tour guide, and bc LA is literally massive and so spread out haha. BUT…

We stayed at Intercontinental LA in Century City and it was the most gorgeous hotel! The service there was also incredible and we felt so at home and taken care of! This was the view of LA from our room!

Oversized cardigan (comes in 3 colors!)

Intercontinental LA also had the swankiest restaurant where we had dinner with my little brother one night! Their crab cake was amazing and I got the salmon as my entree! Apparently I’m in a big fish phase right now haha

A few things we did in LA with my brother that I’d highly recommend:

Embroidered red dress (comes in several colors)

Spent an afternoon in Laguna Beach and OMG #GOALS to live there one day
Shopped on Rodeo drive
Went to Alfred Coffee
Drove to Malibu to go to Matador beach (gorgeous)
Went to Griffith Observatory (from La La land!) at night for the most gorgeous view of LA.
Spent half a day in Santa Monica – the piers are gorgeous, people basically brunch their for a living, and there’s alot of shopping!

Also I just have to say for any of you peeps that live in Southern California, it’s slightly my dream to live there one day! Haha it is truly such a beautiful place and we always love our time there!

Thanks for reading!

xo Lauren