Hi everyone!
I just wanted to say I went on this trip before it was apparent how serious COVID-19 is, and before all the social distancing mandates. That being said, I still wanted share what we did in California some weekends back! This year, my boyfriend and I took a long weekend trip to Newport Beach to celebrate my 23rd Birthday and I’m so glad we did. Sometimes when life gets hectic it’s important to take a step back and make some fun and relaxing time for yourself!
We stayed in Balboa Island since it is a little more low-key and just so beautiful! I would highly recommend searching Air Bnb’s in the surrounding area of your preferred destination if you can’t find what you want in the exact city you’re looking at! At first, we wanted to stay in Huntington Beach, but we couldn’t find what we needed in the right price range. Newport was second on our list, as well as Laguna Beach, and luckily both Huntington and Laguna are a short drive from where we stayed. We ended up getting three destinations in one. What I’m trying to say, is there’s usually always a solution if you look hard enough. We had a blast, and I can’t wait to share what we did each day!
Friday:
We wanted to spend this day in Balboa to just get settled in and explore where we we’re actually staying! We decided to go to the shops at Marine Avenue. I absolutely love this little area, there’s beautiful homes and boats to look at, as well as shops in the center. There’s also Dad’s Original Famous Frozen Banana AKA Balboa’s little famous treat as well as tons of other amazing eats, and this adorable candy shop. If you are heading to Balboa, check this area out!
Saturday:
Morning-
This day we decided to spend half the day in Huntington Beach and half the day at Laguna Beach. We started the day heading to Huntington and grabbed breakfast there so we could make the most of our time. I got a Banzai Bowl by the way, never disappoints. The first thing we did was shop around. Huntington Beach has SO many shops from everything like your regular chains to local stores. My personal favorite is the American Vintage store, you can find some real gems there! We also sat by the beach, took a walk on the boardwalk, and made a pitstop at my favorite diner, Ruby’s. If you get a chance to eat at any Ruby’s on the pier, do it! It’s absolutely adorable, and the ocean views make it even better. If you know me, you know how much I love retro things, so Ruby’s is a dream come true for me considering the theme and music.
Evening:
We decided to take a drive to Laguna Beach! Even the drive is so scenic and beautiful. We decided to just explore the beach areas and tides in Laguna. Although, they do have so many amazing shops and restaurants as well. If you’ve been to Laguna, you know what I mean! It’s just so beautiful that sometimes spending some outdoor time is plenty 🙂
Sunday:
Sunday was a travel day so we decided to stay in the Newport area! We started the morning at a wonderful farmers market in Newport. We got so many great goods! Honey, berries, lemons and almond butter were my favorites!
We also headed to the Balboa Fun Zone. Mostly, we wanted to just be by the water and boats again but this place was just too stinkin’ cute to pass up! Perfect place for some vintage photo ops if that is your kind of thing! We got a caricature made, headed to the arcade and explored the area. This day was just some good old fashioned fun and a great end to the trip 🙂
Lastly we just explored a little more of Newport before heading home, including the Newport Boardwalk!
I know things have been hard right now with COVID-19 and social distancing, but I just wanted to say we will get through it! Stay positive and safe! Try to take this time to reflect, have gratitude and better yourself in any way possible, this way when this is all over, the future memories to be made will be better than what we’ve had in the past 🙂 Who knows, maybe you’ll even learn a new passion or hobby! We got this! 🙂 In the meantime, I am holding so much gratitude in my heart for this trip, and looking forward to when we can travel again. Where are you most looking forward to go when this is over? What’s your happy place?!
With Love,
Jenna