Take a Romantic Vacation in California
If you are looking to take a romantic vacation with your loved one this year, California should definitely make it to the top of your list. One of the things that makes California a great state is the variety in geography and cities, and it’s this variety that also makes it a prime target for vacation.
If you and your partner pampering on your romantic vacation in the Golden State, a great destination is Palm Springs. Between spa treatments and strolling around the golf course, there’s something for everyone in Palm Springs. If you’re looking for a quiet get-away retreat to spend time reconnecting with your spouse whilst soaking up a little California sunshine, this is a great choice as Palm Springs is located in the Mojave Desert and it rarely falls below freezing - even in winter.
If connecting with nature is more your idea of a romantic retreat, northern California may be just the ticket. Yosemite National Park has it all: Beautiful scenery, lavish hotels, and if you seek them out, special offers that give you the chance to enjoy it all without breaking the bank. Whether you want to be a hiker out in the daytime wilderness with your loved one, or whether you want to snuggle together at night next to a roaring fire, Yosemite may be just what you're looking for. If you’re looking for a romantic winter break, northern California has great skiing to offer to both novice and expert alike.
Of course, you can't forget the tourist destination, Disneyland. It may not sound romantic, but if that’s the reason for your vacation, you’ll find that you’ll have relaxed quality time during the day as you wander around the park, then at night you can relive the memories of the day over a candle-lit meal at one of the restaurants in the area – and what could be more romantic than watching a fireworks display with someone you love?
So whether your idea of a romantic vacation is wanting to relax, hike, or sightsee together, you'll love what you find in California.
Visit here for The vineyards in the Napa Valley are a wonderful place to explore, many of them open their doors to the public – some owners even allow wine tasting (so check in advance what’s available if this is something you’d like to take part in) evenings – and give visitors an opportunity to see where and how the wine is nurtured and matured. Some vineyards also offer a restaurant service, accompanied by good wine of course, and because they aren’t commercial restaurants, they usually only cater for small numbers making it a special romantic experience.
You don’t have to like wine to enjoy a romantic vacation in the Napa Valley. This part of California doesn’t attract as many visitors as either the larger cities, or even the nearby Yosemite National Park, and the kind of visitors who do choose the Napa Valley are usually those who are looking for a little peace and quite on their holiday. Because of the tourist demographic, you are unlikely to encounter large groups with families and loud teens looking to party – both of which could ruin a time when you want to spend quality time with your partner!
That doesn’t mean however that the Napa Valley is without its own form of excitement. There’s more to this area than watching grapes grow, and wandering around musky wine cellars! The scenery of the Valley is one of it’s major features, and the perfect way to celebrate a special occasion such as an anniversary would be to take a hot air balloon ride over the area. There are a number of different options available to you, but most of them start at the crack of dawn so be prepared for an early start to the day. Once the balloon rises, and the Napa Valley spreads out below you, the tiredness will soon be forgotten however! Make your reservation for the trip of your choice before you leave home, balloon trips are quite popular and especially in peak vacation times have their places booked out quickly!
If you are in the process of planning a vacation for you and your partner, and want to go somewhere romantic, take a closer look at the Napa Valley. It could be just what you’re looking for.
Visit here for There’s a good reason for this. Orange Country is an amazingly beautiful and diverse area, with Mediterranean-like weather year-round. Residents surf the waves on Christmas, something that people from northern states like Idaho or Wisconsin could only dream about. Many consider Orange County to be one of the most perfect places on earth because of the juxtaposition of temperate weather, beautiful scenery, high job growth, and of course its ideal proximity to Los Angeles and San Diego.
Of course when all of these factors combine together into one area, you'll quickly find that another, not-so-perfect aspect comes into play: soaring housing prices and cost of living. As a place to vacation however, this only affects the average tourist in terms of the cost of accommodation and eating out as this may be higher than in an area where property owners/restaurateurs have less overheads to pay. The main problem isn’t so much that holidaymakers are faced with higher prices, but rather that Orange County isn’t a vibrant cosmopolitan city with many different cultures woven into its backdrop. Many tourist attractions, and even stores, are generic with little local color. This doesn’t apply everywhere however, the world famous surfer’s paradise of Huntington Beach can be found in this area, as can the unique Crystal Cathedral! For kids there’s Disneyland, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and even a toy museum to keep them amused.
You may not be able to relive the highlife from the TV show – unless you are part of that scene, but you will have a great holiday because the natural beauty of Orange County can’t fail to charm you.
Visit here for The first thing you need to do is decide what you’d like to do on your vacation, this will help you locate the right part of the state to begin your holiday. Do you want to center your vacation in one of the major cities of Los Angeles or San Francisco, and either have a one-center holiday where you explore only that city? Alternatively, do you want to use that city as your gateway and base for a vacation that allows you to explore the coastal areas such as Santa Barbara, or the desert areas of the Joshua Tree National Park? Are you hoping to sample some home-grown Californian wines in the Napa Valley? Is the Yosemite National Park somewhere you’ve always wanted to go? Are you interested in the anticipation of celebrity spotting? Are you hoping for a round or two of golf? Does the idea of taking a short trip into Mexico excite you? Are you taking children who are hoping to visit theme parks? All of these factors will help you identify which part of the Gold State is the right one for you. One things for sure, you’ll be able to do all of those things and a lot more besides in this vibrant state!
Once you know where you’re going, identify what you’ll need. How will you get there? If you intend to hire a car whilst you’re there, is there adequate parking around the place you hope to stay? Would public transport be a better idea for most days with car hire on the days you want to go outside the city? Do you need to make reservations for any accommodation? How about attraction tickets? Do you need to book in advance for any special event at the Rose Bowl? What about any sporting activities you hope to do – is equipment available locally to hire or do you need to take your own?
There are endless opportunities for a vacation of a lifetime in California, and you’ll be able to pack a number of them into your holiday as long as you plan the right destination, so take a good look at the map and carefully plan out a preliminary itinerary – you can always change it when you get there, but at least you’ll be off to a good start by being in the right part of this beautiful part of America.
Visit here for One of the most important things to remember is that this is legally leaving the US and so you MUST have your passport, or other forms of ID (including photographic) with you otherwise you’re going to have problems getting back into the US! Although you can’t use your driver’s license in place of a passport, you can use this as photographic evidence along with other proof of nationality. Whilst you are in Mexico make sure that you keep your official papers in a safe place and never unattended.
The US/Mexico border is open 24 hours a day, so there’s no closing time, but if you are relying on the trolley bus to get you back to central San Diego, you need to find out the time the last trolley runs each night and ensure you cross the border at least an hour before that – depending on how many tourists have spent the day in Mexico, and how many of them have paperwork problems on their return, it can take over 45mins to clear customs – better still, aim to catch the one-before-last trolley so you have a fallback plan if something goes wrong at the border patrol!
If you have a hire car for your California vacation, you won’t be allowed to take this across the border so be prepared to park it on the American side of the border and then either walking or taking the shuttle bus across. If you have your own car, you have the option of taking your car into Mexico, or parking it on the US side of the border. If you take your car, note that you will need to allow for more time to clear customs and immigration at the US border on your return into America, than you would if you were on foot.
Make sure you get a map with local information on it before entering Mexico. Find out which areas are “safe” and tourist friendly, the areas to avoid, and where you can go for help if you get into some kind of trouble. Most tourists to Mexico have a great time and return to the US unscathed and wanting to return another day, there are however, those who don’t. As long as you stick to the tourist “rules” and take warnings issued by the US government seriously, you’ll have a great time and be one of those people who long to return to Mexico another time.
Visit here for For example, if you like the desert then you’ll love Palm Springs where there are many golfing vacations available. The Classic Club offers up a beautiful view of the desert, and you’ll have a great course to try your luck on. This 18 hole green has 7,305 yards to play in with 14 bridges and little lakes to work around. This is desert area however, and temperatures can soar during the day and drop at night so make sure you pack for both extremes!
If desert isn’t your idea of a fun golfing vacation location, about the beach? Imagine waking up and hitting some balls in front of the ocean as the sun is just starting to rise. Monterey Courses has various packages available, and their golf course is 18 holes over 7,009 yards.
If you want to combine your love of golfing with a family vacation however, you could do worse than to base your location in Orange County which is close to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm – and has a golf course where you can relax whilst the rest of the family enjoy the thrills and spills of the local attractions.
Once you’ve decided on where you want to spend your vacation, check with the local clubs in that area as to whether they hire out equipment, or if you need to take your own. If you don’t want to pack the equipment, this could be a final deciding factor in which of California’s many beautiful golf courses you decide to play on.
Visit here for Most children delight in seeing things that are just unbelievable or disgusting and they can find all sorts of “odd” items over at Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Museum. Imagine their faces when they see a two headed cow or a cable car made entirely out of matchsticks. These are just a few of the weird things they have in this two floor museum,
If the museum isn’t to their liking maybe they’d like to walk over to the Golden Gate Park. Try burning off some of that energy they have by taking them to the children’s playground. There are swings to swing on, a carousel to ride as well as many tubes to slither through. The adults may enjoy a picnic at one of the benches, followed by visiting the De Young Museum. Before you leave, make sure you all get a chance to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. This will be something they can tell all their friends once they get home.
Older children, and boys in particular, should be fascinated by a trip Alcatraz – and even if the ex prison itself isn’t of interest, they’re sure to at least enjoy the boat trip to get there!
If you don’t think your kids will be scared, a visit to the Wax Museum down at the Fisherman’s Wharf is a good way to spend some time. Your child will get to walk through the chamber of horrors, meet King Tut and all his glory and walk back through the history of sports and entertainment. Each figure looks so like the real thing it’s freaky.
Back in the outdoors Pier 39 is a great place to take kids, and in particular, a visit into the Aquarium of the Bay where they can not only admire the many varieties of sea life on display, but can walk through an arch where the fish swim overhead! Less gentle entertainment can be found at the Riptide Arcade and nearby Turbo Ride.
San Francisco is a great place for adults to spend a vacation, but it’s also a city that has something for everyone – including the kids!
Visit here for La Brea Tar Pits- Imagine being back in the time of the dinosaurs. Well for a brief while you can walk the lives of the ancient animals as once they walked on the Earth. You’ll take a walk along paved paths that overlook the La Brea Tar Pits. Animals such as the Saber Tooth Tiger, woolly mammoths and many others can be found in the pits. These animals have all been preserved because of the Ice Age and they are in the very spots they were found. Now you can see them as once they were. Inside you’ll be able to actually watch as paleontologists dust off bone fragments of those they’ve found, or take a tour inside and look at the dinosaur bones they have on display. If your kids love dinosaurs, they’re going to love this!
Santa Monica Beach/Pier- The Santa Monica Pier never closes, so you can arrive at night or bright and early in the morning. The best part of the pier for adults is that it’s free. Children will love the Playland Arcade which has over 200 different types of games, even teens will be happy here! The pier is also where they have the beautiful antique carousel, designed in 1916, that your child will beg to go on repeatedly! There are more than just rides and games on the pier however. There are restaurants, vendors, shops, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and the Pacific Park itself.
Griffith Park - Inside this park your children will be entertained by the Merry-Go-Round and the railroad. The Merry-Go-Round was actually built in 1926 but still runs smoothly today. Children aren’t the only ones that’ll enjoy this park however; even adults will have a great time exploring its horse paths, golf course, etc. The train station has many types of trains from throughout history and even two special trains for the kids to enjoy. The secret botanist in you will love all the different types of greenery at the park. Before leaving this park don’t forget to visit the “Griffith Observatory,” this is the place that’ll let you view the entire city from atop its roof. You’ll be amazed at just how beautiful everything looks, especially at night.
Los Angeles is more than just a place for celebrity spotting, and expensive high profile theme parks, take a look around at the smaller parks, you’ll be surprised at how entertaining your children will find them.
Visit here for The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum which focuses on marine life is one such place. Alternatively, the Museum of Natural History is home to eleven different exhibit halls, containing many birds, mammals, insects and much more. Paleontology will be busy trying to discover what it is they’ve found, while you examine all of the marine life they’ve discovered. As you tour the building, don’t be shocked when you turn a corner only to discover many varieties of reptiles! The museum’s planetarium is a fascinating place to visit and even has introduction to astronomy shows for children.
Animals are another big attraction at the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens where you’ll be able to see over 700 animals from across the globe, not to mention walk amongst the beautiful gardens. Built in 1817, the Casa de La Guerra is still standing and a very interesting place for anyone with a passion for history, but if railways are more your thing, take a look at the Stow House & Railroad Museum. Wine aficionados however will be looking to travel a little bit further north of the main Santa Barbara area where they can find the local vineyards.
Although Santa Barbara is well known for it’s ocean views and lifestyle, there’s more to the area than just sand, sun and water – it’s a place where you can spend some of your time enjoying the beach, and the other part of it checking out the other various activities the area has to offer.
Visit here for Put on those walking shoes because your first stop in San Diego should be Balboa Park. Why? Simply because this place has so much to do that it’ll make your vacation in San Diego one you’ll never forget. Imagine 15 museums, beautiful gardens everywhere and the added attraction of concerts. If you’ve children with you they’ll enjoy the mini railroad and carousel within the park. On the northern side of the park you’ll find the San Diego zoo. The zoo consists of 800 species of mammals such as the giant pandas to the hundreds of slithering snakes, but one of its greatest attractions is actually the Skyfari cable car! If you want to see more animals, you should also check out the San Diego Wild Animal Park which you tour around on a monorail that takes about 50 minutes to complete the loop which circles a preserve containing many types of wild animals such as zebras, rhinos and giraffes.
One “must do” activity on your vacation should be to the San Diego maritime museum. It may look on the outside, but looks are deceiving as it has a lot of amazing exhibits inside. This museum itself is housed on a ship. If you like pirates, you’ll love Pirates of the Pacific, inside this ship are all the wonders from William Dampier. Many other ships such as Berkeley, Californian, Pilot, B-39 Submarine, etc are on display. If you are in anyway interested in ships or love maritime history this is going to be a fun place for you.
For something completely different, make sure you visit the La Jolla Underwater Park. This is an awesome natural marine environment complete with caves, sandstone cliffs, reefs, canyons and kelp forests.
San Diego may not have the glitz and glitter of LA, but it has a character all of it’s own, and one things for sure, you won’t get bored there!
The first place you need to stop at is Yosemite Village. If you’re planning on staying overnight in the park, this is also the area you’ll probably be sleep as almost all overnight park guests prefer to stay within this 8 square mile area. The Village is where you’ll find a good map to help you locate all the park highlights (invaluable if you don’t have much time to spend in the park!), as well as tell you what’s happening around the park that day. If you want to take advantage of any of the shuttle buses that operate between the Village and some of the park’s highlights, this is also the place you need to be.
If you want to get more in touch with nature, whilst not getting to far off the beaten track (and there’s plenty of opportunity for that too!), then plan to explore the eastern side of the park where there are stricter restrictions on transportation with cars not being allowed into the area. Here you can ride the shuttle bus into the area and then enjoy some hiking or alternatively cycle in, without the sound of constant car engines interfering with the sounds of nature.
Yosemite isn’t just for summer, and although some of its finest views such as the meadow will be covered over, it’s also a winter playground for those who love snow sports. If you plan on visiting the park during the winter months however, make sure you check what parts of the park are accessible and open, and what facilities you’ll find there. You’ll also find that the type of accommodation will be more limited during the winter months so book in advance around any main holiday periods.
Even if you only have a day to spend at Yosemite National Park, you’ll see things that will provide memories to last a lifetime, whether it’s the Yosemite Falls (North America’s highest falls), the huge redwood trees of Mariposa Grove or the alpine beauty of the Tuolumne Meadows.
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