The Big Sur

The Brisas del Mar was a great hotel. Roomy, quiet, beds of heavenly comfort, continental breakfast provided. It didn't have a view of the beach but it was only a short stroll away. 

We departed early as we have a lot of miles to cover in just a few days. We all really enjoyed the journey up Highway 1, following the coast, marvelling at the view through the early morning mist, which lifted to reveal a sparkling ocean.

We had breakfast at Denny's in San Luis Obispo, and it didn't disappoint. Big meals, good service, and bottomless cups of awful coffee. 

We stopped often to take photos of the cliffs, surf, fabulous bridges, elephant seals (yes, a whole beach full!) and sea birds. 

It has been 15 years since I first made this drive, and it is even more spectacular than I remembered. Truly one of the world's great drives. I would like to try it southbound next time, as the view and the turn outs are on the coast side. 

We drove through Monterey and stopped for coffee at Cannery Row. From there we drove to Half Moon Bay for Gab to check out the Mavericks, a renowned surf break. We arrived at dusk and couldn't access the beach, but I think she still felt as though she'd 'been there'. It was a lovely coastal town. In fact, many of the towns along the way have been 'pretty', with attractive houses and beautifully kept gardens. 

We had intended to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Petaluma, so as to clear the heavy traffic of San Francisco. As we neared SFO the traffic worsened and night fell. Everyone was tired so we agreed that we should stay in town overnight and depart early. I knew where I wanted to stay - right in town. We drove straight to the Westin - St Francis. Luckily they had rooms available at a good price, so we dropped our bags and headed out into the cooling evening. The concierge gave us a few suggestions for dinner, and we decided on John's Grill, one of the oldest restaurants in SFO. Seated upstairs in a busy restaurant, the service, menu and food were all fantastic. It had a lovely cosy, dark interior, comfortable chairs and live music. 

Back to the hotel via an eye-opening wander through Walgreens, and into the delightful Westin beds!

LAX to Santa Barbara

The flight went smoothly. We had enough room to move about and I stretched out in some empty seats for a sleep.

The class of travel wasn't quite as good as a Premium Economy on Qantas (but it has been several years since we've travelled with them). The food was tasty, but the same as in economy class. No cloth napkins or real cutlery. We were very happy with the extra room, though. The staff were wonderful, especially when my youngest fell ill during the flight. They looked after her well, sitting with her and placing her on oxygen. Thank you! 

We arrived into a thick sea fog, and the aircraft auto landed, with the runway lights only visible at about 20 feet! I was amazed to see the fog lit up from below by the city lights - an incredibly beautiful and strange sight. 

I was very happy to arrive at the newly refurbished Tom Bradley terminal. For as long as I've been coming to America, I've arrived and departed from the same, sad, featureless terminal, where the highlight was sitting in the restaurant watching the planes arrive and depart with a cold beer in hand. Now there is a new, slick terminal, with quick (read: no long transit up and down and round and round through odd corridors) access to an improved immigration point. Huge hurrah. 

We were through quickly, onto the Alamo bus, and into our Chevy Suburban without hassle. Usually we turn up and they try to upsell to a different type of car. This time, all smooth. It was great to get what we actually wanted. 

Out into the traffic with our trusted GPS, and off to the Camarillo Outlet mall, north west of LA, off the Ventura Freeway. Traffic was heavy at that time of day, but we still arrived we'll before anything but Carls Jnr was open. So, second breakfast was burgers and fries, and then into the shops.

Despite the dollar being down a little since our last visit, the prices are still amazing. We all had fun shopping today; finding styles, sizes and prices to suit. 

Another 40 minutes down the road to our accommodation at Santa Barbara, Brisas del Mar. 

Check in was easy and our rooms were spacious, next to each other, and pleasant. We opted for a nap, which was short but refreshing enough for us all to be able to enjoy dinner. 

We walked down towards the beach in the encroaching sea fog, and checked out the restaurants along the pier. We chose the eat at Moby Dick's on the pier. Great staff, lovely food, fine entertainment. A very enjoyable night. 

On the walk home, we spied locals playing baseball under lights, and watched a few innings. It was wonderful to feel a little more attached to regular life in the USA. 

Lovely day for a fly

Check in and immigration were a breeze - having Gold membership with Virgin's reward program has paid off in spades. 

We purchased our duty free for arrival back in Brisbane (saves the hassle when we're tired on the way back) and had a great breakfast at the Coffee Club, as I couldn't get us all in to the lounge. 

We boarded 'Avalon Beach', a B777, and were ready to go on time, but spent 15 minutes waiting on the bay so that we wouldn't arrive in LA too early. It is only a 12 hour flight today due to the strong tail winds, and apparently Customs don't start til 6am at LAX. 

The Premium Economy seats have lots of leg room, are nice and wide, and the section was only half full. The plane seems only half full, but it is the end of school holidays in Oz. 

Champagne on arrival, amenities kits, noise canceling headsets to borrow - we're all set. 

I love the moment that we taxy onto the runway. To me, that is when we are really on our way. The runway is the promise of great adventures and new sights. 

Back to the US of A

My husband and I have enjoyed our trips to the USA so much that, when we could organise our rosters to have 7 days off together, there was no question about where we'd be holidaying. 

I have done a 4 day trip to LA before, and that was easy. Seven is a luxury! 

We're flying with Virgin Australia again, on the Boeing 777. I had booked economy class tickets, but when offered a chance to bid for an upgrade by email, I accepted. I recieved notification three days prior to departure that we'd been successful, and we are now travelling in Premium Economy. What a treat. 

Our plan is to hire a car (we usually use Alamo - their office is easy to get to, staff are pleasant, there are not usually crazy lines of people waiting) on arrival in LA and drive to Seattle to visit relatives. Our first night will be spent in Santa Barbara, and then we'll find accommodation on the run. I'm not a big fan of 'winging' accommodation on international holidays, but I don't want to either limit or over stretch how far we can drive each day. It is an 1840 kilometer trip, and I'd like to arrive in Seattle before lunch on the third day. Unrealistic? We'll find out. 

Friends at work have lent us some SIM cards for AT&T, which they had sent to them by Mobi Passport. I should be able to insert the sim and call up on arrival in LA to buy credit.