I’ve heard so many of my friends speak of San Diego throughout the years. “It’s beautiful”. “Once you go, you’ll always want to return”. “The weather is amazing and so are the views”. I knew I would love it. And I did!
It was a work trip, so I expected very little sightseeing, but somehow, it turned into a beyond memorable first trip to beautiful San Diego!
We stayed in the beautiful home of our friends. They let us stay in the upper guest room of their home. As soon as I arrived, I felt like I entered a fairytale. The upper room felt like a private Chateau filled with old books, vintage furniture, old world architecture and the softest light pouring through its windows. The home itself had a precious garden one could get lost in, a large pool that reminded me of southern Italy, and the very best morning coffee. We never closed the curtain to the main window of the room. The soft glow of the sunrise woke me naturally every morning. Somehow the garden trees softened the light just perfectly. This natural awakening helped my circadian rhythm to be in balance and I felt refreshed the entire time I was there. This is one reason I like to go away. To experience new surroundings and give my mind a fresh perspective on things. Ok, enough about the sensory aspect of my stay. Let’s get into the cool places we got to see :)ravel
We stayed in Mt. Helix. If you are ever in that area, you must go to the top of Mt. Helix at sunset or at night. Our friends drove us up there. It’s breathtaking! You can see all of San Diego from the very top. Just prior to that we had jumped into their pool for a swim and then headed to a sweet Taco spot. We spent the evening catching up over some of the very best tacos. That evening the conversation developed into the writings of Josephus and how these writings can expand our view of so many historical accounts. It was pretty neat. So, if you are ever in the La Mesa area, City Tacos and good conversations are a must!
The following day I was able to have a slow morning with a cup of coffee in the garden, and a few dips in the pool while the hubs attended his work meetings. We ended the week with a few drinks in La Jolla Cove, under a large umbrella at “La Valencia Hotel”, that sits with a view of the ocean. It was such a beautiful place. You could smell the ocean from pretty much everywhere. When we returned to Mt. Helix that evening we enjoyed bubbly and charcuterie goodness with some friends we had not seen in a while. It was oh so good for my soul.
The following morning, little did we know we would be in for such a treat. Our friends offered to give us the very best views of San Diego, from above! Yes, from their plane. We immediately agreed! We felt so safe with them. Our friend is such a great pilot and I’ll never forget making rounds over the Pacific Ocean and staying under 500 feet in altitude, to allow a banner plane to exit our airspace! That tower talk is the coolest thing ever! Saying it was exciting is such an understatement, It was a beyond memorable experience that we will forever be grateful for. Our coined tag line as we landed was “We’re coming in hot”, haha! After a perfect landing we drove back to Mt. Helix to join a backyard family gathering with our friends. We got a taste of a homemade German cuisine at it’s finest. Wow… by this point I was starting to realize that San Diego was really awesome, but the friends is what made it feel like home.
We loved La Jolla so much, we returned on Sunday to have breakfast at Brockton Villa. We heard they have a Coast Toast that’s to die for. So, we drove back out to see for ourselves. If I could purr like a cat while I ate them, I would, because they were that good! The view of the ocean during brunch was pretty neat too. We decided to walk a bit and ran into Bobboi Natural Gelato. I have to say that their lavender gelato is something serious. A must try!
From there we jumped over to Coronado beach. Now, this is a true summer California beach. We entered through the “Hotel Del”. This hotel gave me Hotel California vibes. Actually the song kept popping into my head as I walked through the lobby. But don’t mind me, my brain is always simultaneously creating a life soundtrack in my head. The courtyard is home to so many large plants and succulents and I just admired the variety of green life they so graciously have planted there. It really was a grand place.
As we headed to the beach, the outdoor area had restaurants, taco & bar huts, areas dedicated to beach fires, and plenty of walk ways. It was a truly poppin place with plenty to do, Our last stop, was Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. We went there to enjoy sunset and it was the perfect ending to an awesome day.
I did want to add that, on this trip, we jumped in the pool everysingle day we were there. We also went to the beach. I forgot to pack my Turkish towel and was so happy when my friend lent me hers. It was a life saver for a trip like this! Turkish towels are thinner than traditional towels, so they dry much quicker and fold into your suitcase needing very little room. A must for any “water” trip. This is the one I use: https://amzn.to/3CzUtu4
To sum it up, we loved it all! We’ll never forget how San Diego and it’s good people surprised us with the very best time! We are forever grateful.
Enjoy these Internet Links to the places we visited:
Mt. Helix Park: https://www.mthelixpark.org/about
City Tacos, La Mesa: https://citytacossd.com/locations-la-mesa
La Valencia Hotel: https://citytacossd.com/locations-la-mesa
Brockton Villa, La Jolla: https://www.brocktonvilla.com
Bobboi natural gelato, La Jolla: https://bobboi.com
Hotel Del, Coronado: https://hoteldel.com/?WT_mc_id=zlada0ww1xx2psh3ggl4ampbrd5dkt6multibr7_327310291_1003528
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park: https://www.gosandiego.com/parks/sunset-cliffs-natural-park-san-diego/
Hope you get to sneak in a trip to San Diego soon!
XOXO – Stacy
SimplyStacy 
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