California Coast to Desert: A Family Travel Diary
Our trip from Los Angeles all the way to the desert was even more incredible than we had planned. We saw and did so much every day, it felt like five trips in one! However, we didn’t feel tired or overloaded with events and plans because it all went so smoothly. The weather was gorgeous – all the sunny days you would expect on a trip out west.
Below is a recap of what we ended up doing each day of our seven day adventure in California, spanning from Manhattan Beach, to Santa Monica, a few other key locations, and all the way to Joshua tree for a two nights stay in the desert.
Check out all of our photos at the end of the post. I find sharing photos is the best way to document our experience, to give you the best idea of what it looked and felt like, and hopefully help you decide whether it’s a place you’d like to visit too.
Our first two days there, we went to Universal Studios Hollywood. This was a surprise for our kids as they didn’t even know there was a Hollywood Studios in California. Earlier this year, we surprised them with a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando. The Florida locations are definitely, a step above the Hollywood Universal Studios, however, we had an absolute blast and got to see some unique attractions that Florida does not have including Super Nintendo world and the Minion area at Universal Studios Hollywood. They also have a CityWalk area outside of Universal Studios in Hollywood, which has a bunch of restaurants and shops, and we spent our evenings there after the park closed.
Of all the places we went, Manhattan Beach was definitely the favourite of all of us. Their downtown has street upon street of adorable high end shops, all set along a beautiful, clean beach. The Airbnb we stayed at for most of our trip was located in Manhattan Beach, so we could walk down to the beach in the morning to catch the sunrise or watch the sunset from our living room window. It’s a wealthy area, felt very safe, and also gave us an idea of what life is like for some people living near LA in such a gorgeous spot.
“Our trip from Los Angeles all the way to the desert was even more incredible than we had planned. We saw and did so much every day, it felt like five trips in one! However, we didn’t feel tired or overloaded with events and plans because it all went so smoothly. The weather was gorgeous – all the sunny days you would expect on a trip out west. ”
The shopping in Laguna Beach was nearly as good as the shopping in Manhattan Beach. There were quite a few cute little downtown streets with clothing, shops, candy stores, bookstores, and many restaurants and cafés. The quality of everything was fantastic, the people and staff and every shop were very friendly, and we got a few select beautiful items to take home. Laguna Beach’s waterfront area was a great way to spend an afternoon with the kids. After shopping and grabbing some food, we spent the rest of our time on the beach - an activity that always seems to keep our kids occupied for hours on end.
The weather was sunny but there can be a chill down at the water. In most locations we had to wear jackets or sweaters in the afternoon and evening. At the Santa Monica pier, it was quite chilly and we weren’t really prepared for the weather. We ended up getting jackets to wear and we’re still a little cold. Making sure you pack a lights sweater and a jacket for days outside of summer is usually a good idea as the weather can change quickly. While in Santa Monica, we took the kids to the fair area on the pier; went on some rides including the iconic ferris wheel, played whack-a-mole, and ate dinner at the Mexican restaurant overlooking the ocean.
Being in Joshua tree on our last two days was a little chillier as we were out in the desert with less bodies of water in order to regulate the temperature. It was only about 17°C while we were there, which made the unheated outdoor pool unusable. There was a hot tub set at a low temperature, making it a great option for us and the kids, and we stayed in it for hours our first day there. In the future, I would not plan to stay in a desert because of all of the threatening wildlife! I didn’t realize that it was possible for things such as tarantulas, scorpions, and rattlesnakes to be so prevalent in such a populated area as the one we stayed in. We did see a tarantula in our Airbnb, which had to be removed by their handyman. After seeing the tarantula, I was very scared for the rest of our stay! Staying in the desert is not for the faint of heart. On our first day, I saw coyotes walking along the line of our fence. The kids and my husband did not seem to be too scared, but I definitely lost some sleep. The landscape was gorgeous and it was a very unique experience to stay the desert. I’m glad we had the experience, but I will not be repeating it!
“I didn’t realize that it was possible for things such as tarantulas, scorpions, and rattlesnakes to be so prevalent in such a populated area as the one we stayed in. We did see a tarantula in our Airbnb, which had to be removed by their handyman... On our first day, I saw coyotes walking along the line of our fence. ”
On this trip to LA, since my husband and I have already visited a couple of times on our own about the kids, we skipped places like Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, and Malibu because we’ve been there before and didn’t think they were the best options were going with kids. I would recommend those locations if you’re going without them, or even Malibu with kids, but there isn’t quite as much to do as some other locations. LA and surrounding areas is absolutely massive, and the traffic is as bad as people say so it takes quite a while to get from one place to another. During your planning process if you’re looking at map times for travel, usually add about 45 minutes to the estimated arrival time! Almost every single day on our way to or from somewhere we hit an accident or a slow down. Apparently this is very common for LA, and it happened to us at every time of day. That being said, the drive was always pretty beautiful with lots of palm trees lining every street.
The food was great everywhere we went, and I highly recommend getting Mexican food as often as possible. Being from Canada, the Mexican food up here isn’t quite the same as it is over there; the tortillas are authentic salsa is great and everything else in between is absolutely delicious. We ate Mexican almost every day. We cooked most of our meals for breakfast and lunch at our Airbnb or had something simple before heading out for the day and usually only bought dinner out. I highly recommend this while travelling if you have an Airbnb. It saves a lot on food and we find breakfast and lunch pretty easy to make, as you can choose simple options. Dinner usually tends to be a bit more involved, so it’s always worth it to buy food out and save all the hassle and clean up. Eating out adds to the leisurely experience of a being on vacation.
I recommend staying in Airbnb when travelling with kids, as you often have access to a kitchen and a washer and dryer. Even on a seven day trip having access to a washing machine can make the return home much easier. We stayed at an Airbnb in Joshua tree which was a brand new construction, and had a great laundry room which meant I could wash all of our clothes before we got home, making the return much smoother. Sometimes when we return home from trips, I almost instantly feel overwhelmed with domestic tasks, but this time all I had to do was unpack a suitcase, and put away all of our clean things and souvenirs.
Overall, the trip was a great success and we all can’t wait to return!
Check out our travel photos below!
