Good morning, Cakies! Who else has the summer travel bug? If you previewed our IG stories last week you may have noticed Scott and I took a little staycation with our family at one of our favorite resorts in Southern California, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa. We’ve actually visited Ranch Valencia several times here on 100LC. (See this wedding and one of our last visits here.) There’s a reason we keep returning to this exquisite location and it has everything to do with its tranquil surroundings and laid back, relaxed atmosphere.
This time around, we soaked up all that Rancho Valencia has to offer while also touring downtown San Diego. For those of you looking to venture to the area, here’s a peek at a few of the highlights from our trip.
First stop, spa! Once I get to a hotel the first thing I like to do is hit the spa. I ditch the family for a few relaxing hours of me time. It sets the mood for your trip and instantly gets you into that vacation mindset. I recommend trying the Sixth Sense Body Treatment for a 120 minutes of pure bliss.
As the sun is beginning to set, it’s happy hour time! Head straight to The Pony Room for the most delicious handcrafted cocktails and appetizers. It’s the perfect spot to watch the kids run around and spot a few hot air balloons in the distance.
And, the fried calamari and shishito peppers are to die for!
If the kids are winding down but the parents still want to have a nice quiet meal, I recommend scheduling a baby sitter through the hotel, and then hitting the Veladora Room for dinner. The staff is top notch and they perfectly pair each course with wine, which is my personal fav!
The next few days we hit downtown San Diego by riding our bikes throughout Balboa Park. This is a must do! It’s so easy and you can just leisurely weave through museums and gardens while listening to the sounds of guitar players in the distance.
We also made a stop at the San Diego Zoo. To be honest, it was nice, but we could have easily skipped it and just kept riding throughout the park. But since our kids were with us we popped in to see a few animals, the 4-D Small Foot movie, and take a lift on the gondola.
To cool off, we stopped into one of Scott’s favorite breweries, Ballast Point in Little Italy. This was pretty fun for the kids as well because you can see the commercial planes flying over. If you want more restaurant recommendations, our friends over at The Venue Report created this pretty handy list of top spots in San Diego.
Lastly, to wrap up an amazing few days, we stopped off in Laguna Beach for the day before hitting the 405 traffic back to LA.
Thank you, Rancho Valencia, for all of your hospitality. For those of you looking for a retreat, we hope this inspires your travel plans this Summer! xo Jillian
