American Family Vacation

Fewer crowds, blue skies, blossoms all around, cooler temperatures — there are so many reasons to visit California and other neighbouring states during the early spring months. That’s what my family and I did during spring break to enjoy some of the best places that the US can offer. We’ve had this destination in our minds for some years. My husband has been to these places a couple of times. I have heard and read so much praise for this area in the United States of America, too. As a result, we were desperate to go there and have an American family vacation. We wanted to see as much as possible; that is why we decided to take some road trips and see different places.

We flew to LA and started our vacation in California. For the first time in our lives, we tried an Airbnb. We had a spacious apartment in the Marina del Rey area with a huge terrace and a stunning view of both the ocean and the LA hills. However, I can tell now that I am not a huge fan of Air B&B; I prefer a good hotel with all the amenities that it can offer – room service, dining, and a fitness center.

After settling in, we had a relaxed dinner in our new home and went straight to bed. We were exhausted after the long flight from Dubai. Surprisingly, we all had a good night’s sleep. And the reason for this, in my opinion, was the Timeshifter App. We followed all of the app’s recommendations before, during, and after our trip, and as a result, it worked out perfectly. No horrible jet-lag.

The next day, we decided to visit the San Diego Zoo. The traffic to San Diego was terrible. Luckily, we had an enormous American car that was very spacious. The ride was long, but at least it was comfortable. All the way to San Diego, we admired the beautiful yellow blossoms that covered the hills of California. The zoo itself was vast and busy. It was a wildly entertaining and tremendously educational adventure for all four of us. We saw quite a few animals that we had never saw before. As always, the kids were amazed by hypnotizing jumps of the different species of monkeys and had a quite scary but scenic view from the Skysafari aerial tram.

The same day, on the way back from San Diego to LA, we stopped at Newport Beach. A coastal city with a boat-filled harbor beach full of families had such a relaxing feeling to it. We had a long beach walk, watched a picturesque sunset, and later had a fantastic dinner at 21 Oceanfront seafood restaurant.

After a good night sleep again, which is surprisingly uncommon with 11 hours’ time difference, the next morning, we had a trip to the Griffith Observatory. The day went by quickly watching the live show in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, exploring exhibits about the cosmos and enjoying spectacular views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign.

One of the days in LA, we went to the Hotel Bel-Air to have an early dinner. The hotel with tropical greenery, swans, the lake, and colorful blossoms looked like to a beautiful sanctuary, rather than a place for tourists. It was almost a different world that was hidden among the hills of Los Angeles. Such elegance, glamour, and relaxation after casual and sometimes even shocking reality in the busy streets of LA. If paradise existed, probably, I would imagine it like this.

Our next destination was Las Vegas, which I found was an older and flashier version of Dubai.

After a couple of days spent in the city that never sleeps, a couple of shows and millions of bright lighted casinos, we had a long road trip to the Grand Canyon. We went to the south rim of the canyon and stayed in Tusayan town. In contrast to the beginning of our vacation, a couple of days here went lazy as we observed and admired the views of the beautiful mystery of nature. 

Our next stop was Death Valley – the hottest, driest, and lowest spot in North America. Beautiful sand dunes, snow-covered peaks, and incomprehensible distances make you feel like on a different planet.

Finally, after almost a week spent in the Nevada and Arizona deserts, we came back to green California. Our American family vacation was coming to an end. The decision to end our holidays in a beautiful coastal city – Santa Barbara – was just right. Our hotel, Santa Barbara Inn, a charming, Mediterranean-inspired boutique hotel, had a beachfront location. It was 3 days of experiencing beautiful sunrises and sunsets, tasting delicious food, and just enjoying a totally relaxed atmosphere of the town and sweeping views of the coastline. And that was the perfect end to our American family vacation.

XOXO Aurora

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