A number of people who are heading to California in the coming weeks and months have asked me for our highlights, recommendations, itinerary etc. so here goes. San Francisco, Monterey, Yosemite, LA (briefly) Disney and Huntington Beach.
We have been to California a number of times and I'm a research obsessive so this itinerary was based on a LOT of research - from local food bloggers to family bloggers, residents to friends.
Do note, we flew out for Marc's Mind The Product Conference so were lucky enough to have 7 nights in San Francisco. If this was a regular trip we might not have spent that long in the city although we love it and could easily have spent even more time there. We didn't repeat a number of activities we have done previously as lovely as they are - if it's your first time there it's worth considering cycling over the Golden Gate (even if you're fit consider taking the ferry back) or a trip out to Muir Woods. We are also keen to go to Stinson Beach one day or possibly head to the Apple Visitor Centre in Cupertino (maybe lunch at Buck's of Woodside - Silicon Valley legend on the return to SF.)
General notesI got a pay as you go “All in One 20+ sim from THREE to use in my phone once there. It worked brilliantly and gave me 12GB of data which we used for navigation on my phone via Waze (which was excellent) as well as lots of time online! We also had 3000 minutes and texts to UK numbers.I bought MUNI passes for San Francisco via the MUNI app. These can be purchased for 1, 3 or 7 days and are very convenient if you are likely to be using public transport a lot. As the cable car is $7 a ride, it pays for itself on those days quickly and having the app on your phone and the ability to show the driver rather than fishing for exact change was excellent.We didn’t hire the car when in San Francisco. Parking is difficult and expensive and its incredibly easy to get around on public transport or with Uber or Lyft. We picked up our car to drive out of the city from Budget/Avis at the 500 Beach Street location. Perhaps coincidence but it was the quickest, easier car hire experience ever (I’d actually booked it via Expedia). 0 hassle and we were in and out with the car in minutes. I’d previously hired from Thrifty (via AutoEurope) at their Downtown office in Union Square which was incredibly slow and hassly on collection.San FranciscoHotelDue to the incredible generosity of Marc’s Mind the Product “family” we were put up at the lovely Hotel Zetta. It’s virtually in Westfield shopping mall, right at the main MUNI stop close to Union Square in SoMa. Great hotel. Fabulous games area for the kids as a bonus.Day 0
Flight to SFDinnerArrived in the evening so had fast food at Popsons up the road. Boys still maintain that the hotdogs were amongst the best they’ve had.
Day 1Cable CarTook the Powell/Market line which starts right by The Zetta. Go literally first thing in the morning (If you’re up at dawn with jet lag even better!) Queues are crazy later in the day and we walked virtually straight onto the tram.BreakfastJoanie’s Happy Days DinerSimple but surprisingly nice little cafe spot near touristy Fisherman’s Wharf for giant pancake/waffle breakfast. Long queues at “Eight am” the cafe next door which inexplicably was ranked number 1 on TripAdvisor’s SF restaurant list! (though hard to see why)Open Top Bus TourDecided that the boys would like sitting on a hop on hop off bus to see the sights rather than committing to a long tour. Worked incredibly well. We took the Big Bus tour and booked in advance. The bus goes over the Golden Gate though there was a lot of fog in the city this year every morning we were there.LunchDim Sum at City ViewTrad SF dim sum, nothing fancy but relatively authentic for Chinatown. Only open from 11.30 to 2.30 each day, no bookings, lots of office workers. China Live is supposed to be good if you want the Chinese version of “Eataly”. The most authentic and buzzy Sunday dim sum though is now in the Sunset area which is where much of the younger Chinese community have moved to. In the past we’ve eaten amazing dim sum at both branches of Yank Sing. Quality is brilliant but it’s not cheap and both branches are in office blocks so decided not to take the kids this time.EmbarcaderoTook the boys down to the Ferry Building to have ice creams at Humphrey Slocombe (our fave) and enjoy the views of the Bay Bridge from the dock.DinnerGott’s Roadside at Embarcadero.Always a queue here, lovely place to sit in the sun and enjoy surprisingly decent food given it’s a kind of fast food place. Famous for their fabulous sushi-grade tuna burgerStreetcar back to the hotel (probably the boys’ favourite SF activity)Day 2BreakfastMel’s Drive In (behind our hotel)Trad California 50’s style diner, pretty average foodPier 39 and Fisherman’s WharfWould have avoided it given the choice but promised to take the boys to Pier 39 to see the sea lions, the sweet shop and the Mirror Maze. They loved it all. We didn’t 😊LunchPier 23 CaféBooked in advance for probably our favourite SF city lunch. Sat outside under umbrellas enjoying the view, awesome food and free straw hats. Lovely, lovely relaxed and unpretentious place.ExploratoriumBrilliant hands-on science museum right along the Bay. Could have spent hours there, it’s the Science Museum’s Wonderlab and Amsterdam’s NEMO rolled into one. Awesome for kids. Quite amazing for adults as well frankly! Be sure to check the outside activities too including the fog bridge if you’re there at the right time.DinnerPacific CatchBooked a table at the Sunset branch of this awesome family friendly restaurant. Our kind of place as it’s great for kids but really nice grown up food too. Boys loved it and so did we. There’s also a branch of lovely Chestnut Street but no bookings taken there as it’s smaller.Ice creamHoly GelatoWalked up the road for ice Creams at Holy Gelato (also walked past Hometown Creamery which is supposed to be good, as is Honey Crème in the area)Day 3Presidio PicnicBeing a Sunday we took the boys to a SF tradition – the Presidio Picnic with dozens of local families and the Off The Grid food trucks. Took a football and a blanket and although it was foggy and a bit chilly we had an awesome time.Bay Area Discovery MuseumPossibly our fave museum. Just the other side of the Golden Gate. Very low key, good for younger kids, lots of hands on activities and a gorgeous playground with incredible views of the bridge. Loved it here.Sausalito FerryJumped on the ferry back to the Ferry Building in SF. Always a winner, a classic experience. Does get busy.Urban PuttSpent the late afternoon playing indoor mini golf! It was kind of hell but literally the boys’ favourite activity out of everything we did in the city. Had to queue for a while (no bookings) holes are all crazy versions of SF sights, ate a pretty dire dinner in the café upstairs after but the kids adored the whole experience.Day 4BreakfastZazie’sTook the MUNI out to Cole Valley for breakfast at Zazie. Knew they’d enjoy it. It’s one of SF’s most popular brunch spots with crazy queues on weekends. We were there when it opened on a Monday morning and within 10 minutes the whole place was full. Great food, Adele’s favourite apparently!California Academy of SciencesPopular museum in the amazing Golden Gate park complete with Aquarium and Rainforest dome. Perhaps we’re spoiled because although the boys enjoyed it I thought it was slightly disappointing compared to some of the city’s other museums and experiences.Koret children’s playgroundLovely walk from the museum through the park to a fantastic playground complete with carousel, snack bar and great slides and climbing equipmentLunchTacoliciousTook the boys for a walk through the Mission and for Mexican lunch. Good children’s menu for an easy intro to Mexican food. Branches all round the city.Ice creamsBi-Rite CreameryLegendary destination for fabulous ice creamsPlayground in Mission Dolores ParkArguably an even better playground than the one in the Golden Gate park. This is in a fabulous, diverse park with a great view. Tons of play equipment and slides.
Day 5Picked up a hire car to drive down to MontereyRoaring Camp RailroadStopped on the way to take the boys on a steam train into the Redwoods at Roaring Camp in Felton (had booked in advance). Awesome experience. Very sweetly authentic old America style. Gold panning, candle making, blacksmiths and sweet shop – the train is FABULOUS and the trees amazing. You can also get a steam train to Santa Cruz from here.MontereyContinued the drive down to Monterey. Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which had a lovely pool and s’mores by the fire. Took the boys to the ghastly Cannery Row and Bubba Gump for dinner – dire fried food but the kids loved the whole shtick.Day 6BreakfastLumiere CaféApparently where the cast and crew of Big Little Lies hung out when they were filming in the area. Sweet but nothing special, fairly local at least and untouristy.Monterey Bay AquariumLoved loved loved the chance to take the boys to one of my favourite places. It’s reputation as the best aquarium in the world is definitely intact. Loads to see and best of all touch and amazing staff with many older workers offering information and enthusiasm. Love this place.Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkOn the way back to San Francisco we stopped at this traditional American boardwalk with loads of fairground style rides, activities and food. The boys adored winning soft toys and though not cheap it was wayyyy better than trad British fairgrounds.DinnerAcqualinaPizza and pasta in SF’s Italian district. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana is across the road which is a bit of an institution but it doesn’t take bookings, there were lots of tourists and crazyyyyy queues and our meal at Acqualina was great in the end.Day 7BreakfastBlue Bottle CoffeeBranches around the city for fancy coffee but they also do a small choice of lovely breakfast goodiesJelly Belly FactoryDrove out to Fairfield to the Jelly Belly Factory. The factory isn’t actually in full operation for about 6 weeks over the Summer but they run the tours all year round and of course the shop had huge appeal!!LunchFishDrove to our very favourite place for lunch – Fish by the harbour in Sausalito. Not on the tourist drag but by slightly further out at the working harbour for exceptional food ordered at the counter. Not cheap at all but worth EVERY penny for the food and ambience.Golden Gate ParkMarc and the boys took a football for a kick-around in the Golden Gate park in the afternoon whilst I packed. Lovely place to hang out, weather tends to be better in the afternoons when the fog has lifted.Day 8Drive to YosemiteBreakfastBlack Bear DinerLike the last time Marc and I came here we stopped off at a Black Bear Diner for breakfast. Feels like real America with ridiculously large portions and lots of locals. We went to the branch in Tracy this time (obv) but previously stopped at the Manteca branch.Rush Creek LodgeArrived at our FABULOUS hotel. I’ve been lucky enough to have visited Yosemite a number of times before and stayed both in and out the park. This place is by far the best of all worlds, right by the park entrance (which is still a 45 mins drive to the valley) but superb quality of accommodation and the first new property built in the area for decades. Highly recommend, great for kids – happy to give more info if interested.Day 9YosemiteSadly, due to the wildfires, most of our plans for Yosemite didn’t materialise. The two hour valley floor tour on an open top trolley/tram took place in a coach. Would have been awesome had the trolley been running, book well in advance. The Merced river float which was my other dream has stopped for the season due to lack of snow (melt) this Winter. Boys did do their Junior Ranger qualification though (pick up booklets at the Visitor Centre for 6-12 year olds) – huge hit with our two. Managed to at least walk to lower Yosemite falls though all the park views were sadly obscured.
Day 10Rainbow PoolsDue to the fire we decided to stay around the hotel but did head to a local site called Rainbow Pools in the morning. Natural rocky lake and waterfall with rocks for the (very brave) to jump from and icy water for kids to splash in. We were there on a Sunday morning and it was busy with locals. Carlon Falls was another option which is also supposed to be great.
Day 11LA DriveDid the loooong drive to LA. Due to the smoke, getting out the park on the 41 was slow and rather unpleasant and made Zacy car sick. We drove for three hours and then stopped off for lunch and toilet breaks at the most random place called the Bravo Farms store and café in Traver. It is pretty crap but it is exactly half way and they have a deathtrap “7 story treehouse’ for kids to climb in which we thought Zacy would like. Very, very hot in the desert on the journey. Total drive time to LA was about 6 to 6.5 hours, extended slightly with the stop. Stayed (on points!!) at the outrageously luxurious Waldorf Astoria in Beverley Hills, totally out of our regular league so won’t go into details but if you’re interested in finding out about it let me know. Popped out to Sprinkles to get cupcakes from the world’s only cupcake vending machine and had dinner at Pink’s legendary hot dog stand.I’m not a huge fan of LA generally and definitely not with kids. We’d decided to minimise time there and max out everything else. Couldn’t see my two being interested in tours of the stars homes, Universal Studios or shopping (which to be fair is great there!). Probably would have headed to the Griffith Observatory if we’d had more time, or possibly Santa Monica pier.
Disney
Days 12-14Spent the morning in Venice with my cousin before heading to Disney. I bought our park tickets through GetAway Today. It’s a US travel agency that I came across rather randomly via a brilliant Disneyland blogger called Disneyland Daily. Having looked into them they’ve been around for years and years and had by far the best deal I could find anywhere on park tickets. Not only that but they were significantly cheaper for our Anaheim hotel booking and even our Huntington Beach booking so I cancelled our Booking.com reservations and booked through them instead. I was nervous booking through a completely random company but they were brilliant, unbelievably helpful and responsive when I wanted to make changes (on live chat, email and phone) and everything worked perfectly with numerous communications, and confirmations beforehand from them as well as follow-ups during and after. I can’t recommend them highly enough and not just as they seem to secure bookings so very much cheaper than anyone else.We decided on single park per day tickets for three days. Day one (really just one afternoon) we spent in California Adventure and two days in Disney.HotelAfter doing loads of research I booked us into the Courtyard Marriott Theme Park Entrance. It’s a 5-10 minute walk to the parks (closer than the Disney-owned hotels!), the rooms are spacious with two doubles AND bunk beds, and it has a fantastic splash area for chilling out in the afternoon when Disney gets a bit hot and hectic – given its so close to the park, it’s really easy to pop back and then return to the park for the evening.DisneyI decided to go all out and book two premium packages for the evening parade/shows. They are insanely expensive but Oscy struggles so much with crowds I decided that having space to sit at a table with a guaranteed view would be perfect for us. The food at both is completely dire and the cost is eye-watering, but the seats were everything I hoped. For reference they were: the Sonoma Terrace reception in California Adventure for Paint the Night and River Belle Terrace premium upgrade for Fantasmic. For both we still arrived super-early. At Sonoma Terrace it paid off and we got a front row table. For River Belle, the tables are allocated according to when you booked, but as I’d booked 60 days out, we still got the table we wanted. For the Pixar Play parade in the day we just brought a lightweight throw and sat down early on the pavement holding our spot for another great view. Managed to do everything we wanted in the park and more whilst still spending chill-out time back at the hotel in the afternoons. Fireworks are visible from everywhere including the hotel if it all gets too late. We had a brilliant time at Disney, found it generally very well organised, queues to get in weren’t as bad as I thought and leaving after the fireworks was quicker and easier than in Paris.It's also worth noting that the Disneyland app is excellent. You can use it to book MaxPasses for $10 per person a day which gives you the ability to get fast passes for certain rides via your phone. You also get copies to download of all Disney photographs taken in the park that day (these are not just on rides but there are photographers around the park and with most of the characters). If you aren’t fussed about getting fastpasses via the app, it might still be worth one person getting a maxpass each day for the photographs. The app is also great for seeing when and where character appearances are happening and they have a newly launched service where you can order food via the app and collect from certain fast food places in the park without queuing.Huntington BeachDays 15-17HotelI booked the Hyatt Huntington Beach (via GetAway Today as mentioned previously). We found it good quality but rather too big for us. Walking from one end of the resort to another takes a long time – woe betide anyone who leaves something in the room and has to trek back to get it! That said, our kids adored the large children’s pool area with slides and kids activities on offer which included sandcastle lessons and a Saturday night kids pool party with lazers and glow sticks until 10pm. The hotel has a great bridge over to the beach which is wide and being the surf capital of the US, has waves. Very busy but fun on the weekend with families who bring tents and barbecues and party until the beach closes at 10.00.We were lucky enough that the Vans US Open of Surfing was on whilst we were there around the pier (about a 15 minute walk). Ruby’s at the end of the pier is a great diner with a fantastic view for breakfast. We had a brilliant dinner one evening in the very popular sushi café “Sushi on Fire” which had been recommended by a number of locals (they didn’t take bookings whilst we were there so we had a half hour wait for a table). They also own “Shabu on Fire” up the road. The next evening we ate in the Pacific City ‘outdoor mall’. Not a great deal of shopping to be had there but good places to eat. Lemonade had been recommended but we ate at the Bear Flag Fish Co for superb counter service fish. Really great food and atmosphere sitting on the terrace followed by amazing ice cream from Han’s Homemade Ice Cream in the food court behind (long queues).On our last afternoon we drove to LAX for the return flight home. The drive took about an hour and the car hire drop off added about 45 minutes in all on top.
