**DISCLAIMER – This was written a couple of days after we got back! Just completely forgot to post it!**
I’m writing this post a little late, and now over the jet lag! We are now back in the UK from our trip. No words can explain how amazing it was and I am so grateful for the experience!
We felt a little weird over the first couple of days back home. I think it was because we have been away for just short of 4 weeks and it’s been an emotional, action packed, amazing trip – that we can’t really believe it has come to the end.
San Francisco
So my last post ended with us being in San Francisco – in hindsight we were most probably there a day too long, and we would have rather had that extra day later in the trip, but all in all, San Fran was great and we really enjoyed our time there!
On our last day we walked from Pier 39 all the way along the waterfront to the Golden Gate Bridge. It took us most of the day as we stopped at this really cool craft market, a food fair, a coffee truck that sold Mojito Iced coffee (basically added mint to the coffee….weird combo I though, but tasted amazing!) and stopping at the beach were there were loads of kitesurfers.
It was a lovely walk, and I would really recommend it!
San Francisco was amazing! Cute walks, independant coffee houses, date nights at the Exploratorium, Ubers everywhere, iced mochas – looking back, whilst we were there a day too long, it was an amazing city and I am so so pleased we went! Tip though….when you go, no matter how nice the hotel is I would personally avoid the Tenderloin area!
Vegas and Grand Canyon
So as you may know if you have been following this series, we were driving down the West Coast of the USA. Starting in Seattle and finishing our trip in LA! When we originally planned our trip, we were going to drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas. However this was going to be a solid 8/9 hour drive! We thought in the grand scheme of things, that 1 day of full on driving would be ok! But when our lovely friends Tash and Will suggested about catching a flight for this part, it wasn’t something we had considered.
This meant we would be gaining an extra full day in our schedule.
So working out at only £50 more expensive, it was a no brainer! So we caught a flight from San Fran to Vegas, a super quick hour and a half flight with Virgin. We arrived in Vegas and the drive in was exactly as I expected! I am so pleased we arrived in the evening seeing it completely lit up as we approached it. We arrived at our hotel, Vdara, which was insane! We very much appreciated the upgrade we received and had a view of the famous Bellagio Fountains! We arrived at about 10.30pm, showered changed and then headed out at about 11.30pm! Not wasting any moment, we walked to the Bellagio which was connected to our hotel, and with $5, I lost that in about a minute as had no idea how to use the machine I was on!
We definitely aren’t gamblers, so we were just doing it for abit of a laugh. We have both played Roulette before, lessons courtesy of my brother 😉 And headed over to a table! Cashing out at $88 for in the first 20 minutes – was super chuffed with that! Curly on the other hand, got to $85 and then lost it all!
I was surprised at how casual Vegas was – considering seeing it in the movies, the glitz, the glamour. But it was super chilled out. We wondered around in the day, chilled by the pool. We saw a show, had cocktails, ate amazing food, played more roulette. I am really pleased we went to Vegas, we were there for three nights and two full days and personally we felt that was plenty of time for us!
On our last day, after we collected our second hire car, we headed out super early – packed and ready to go! Making our way into the desert heading to the Grand Canyon. We drove only for a short while before we reached the Hover Dam. It was pretty amazing! I know it might sound like a really random place to stop or want to go and see, but the scale of it was insane! Its absolutely huge!
The driving this part of the trip was definitely not as picturesque compared to Route 101 down the coast. Really it was just all desert and highway! After a couple more hours driving we got to the Grand Canyon, where we were planning to spend an hour in the air for a Helicopter tour! The loveliest engagement present from Curly’s parents! We have both been in a helicopter before but were super excited to see the Canyon! No words can explain the vast size of it! It was incredible, a part of our trip that will always be super memorable! Not only because of the views, but because (looking back at it now, its hilarious!) the family who were also in the helicopter all were spewing up throughout the entire trip!!
It was incredible, and I am so so grateful we were able to see the Canyon in this way. The pictures just don’t do it justice! We had our tour with Maverick…. they were incredible, the team were really great! This initially wasn’t something we were going to be able to do, and we were just going to drive into the park and see if we could somehow get to the egde of the canyon. I can’t recommend enough seeing the canyon by air! There is no way we would have had the same experience if not.
Palm Springs
A break. A day to chill by the pool. To have some quiet time and relax. I thought our trip was going to be super full on and hectic. Every day making the absolute most of it. So I made the suggestion that we stayed in a beautiful resort hotel with a pool and nice facilities just before then heading off to LA. Literally we would be staying there for an afternoon and one evening.
I did my research, and having always wanted to go to Palm Springs, and missing out on Coachella this year…gutted!…there was no way we weren’t going to stop in Palm Springs.
We stayed at a stunning, peaceful resort, Two Bunch Springs. Funny story – I didn’t realise it was a yoga sanctuary retreat. So when we got there and there were signs saying you were entering quiet zones….looking at Curly I quickly realised this was his worst nightmare! For me on the other hand, it was amazing!
Relaxing and tranquil.
Hot springs, excellent staff, healthy food and healing drinks – I am so pleased we made the decision to stay here. I was gutted we weren’t there for longer as I didn’t get the chance to do any of the classes they had on offer. I would love to go back!
On our evening there, we headed to Downtown Palm Springs, which had a great Food and Music Street Festival on! Luckily they have it every Thursday night! It was such a nice evening, walking down this street, loads of hustle and there was such a great atmosphere! Live music, street food BBQ’s, smores handed out, fresh lemonade. It was so much fun!
Los Angeles
LA! The place we were both looking forward to the most! We were so fortunate to be able to stay with family whilst we were there in West Hollywood. We didn’t take as many pictures here as I wanted to, but mainly because our trip had been so camera and video heavy I think it was nice just to take it all in.
We did so much whilst we were here! Universal Studios, Venice beach, walked the canals, watched street performers, Al Fresco dining most of the time! Comedy nights, eating french toast at The Griddle (You must go if your ever in LA!), Cheesecake Factory, wandering Rodeo Drive and Hollywood Boulevard. Evening walks to the Griffith Observatory and epic views over LA and kayaking in Newport Beach.
The final part of our trip was amazing, I can’t wait to go back to LA again as there is much we didn’t get to see. But it was so cool to see LA like local!
