ter

Arriving in LA the end of November for 12 days. Any suggestions. Should we visit LA and North of LA or South of LA. We are in our 50's. This is my husbands first trip to California.

We would like to tour LA and spend the rest of the time enjoying the scenery and the area. Any advice on bird watching locations, hiking, must sees, hide-away restaurants, cafes etc., side trips, beautiful scenery, wineries etc??

We usually stay in B&B’s rather than large hotels. Any advice on reasonably priced B&B’s, inns, interesting getaways or itinerary would be appreciated.

POlson

Given the time of your visit (late November) I would reccomend LA and South.

Here are some ideas to get you started.....

Maybe a few days in Pasadena (3 nights) to visit the Huntington Gardens and Library, Norton Simon museum, old town, go for a hike in the foothills or climb Mt. Hollywood, enjoy some terrific dining, visit downtown (Olvera Street, Union Station, architecture tour). I'd suggest the Huntington for lodging but it is a grand hotel. I think there are a few B&Bs in the area but I am not familiar with them.

Then enjoy a few days at the beach (Manhattan/Hermosa, or Newport/Balboa Island) in an adorable B&B (3 nights). Consider a day trip or overnight to Catalina Island. Visit the Aquarium in Long Beach. Go kayaking. Walk on the beach. Shop the cute little beach stores, sit in a cafe and watch the people go by.

Then drive down the coast and stay a few days in La Jolla (3 nights). Wonderful walks, overlooks, terrific dining and shopping. Arrange a spa treatment and sunset dinner at Torrey Pines Resort. Go for a hike. Go into San Diego one day for breakfast at the Del Coronado and rent bikes.

Then head over to Temecula for a few days of wine tasting and a change of scenery (2 nights). Maybe hotair balloon? Lots of B&Bs in the area.

Then back to LA for final night.

POlson

Another few ideas....
An off the beaten path way to go LA and North - consider: Pasadena, Ojai, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and Paso Robles wine tasting and maybe as far north as Cambria to see Hearst Castle and then back to LA for final nights near the beach.

A really off the beaten path way to do LA and North would be to visit LA and then head up 395 to Whitney Portal/Lone Pine/Bishop. In the summer, you could go as far north as Tahoe but weather may not be very cooperative in November. And for a first trip, I'd stick closer to the coast.

I still like LA and South in my prior post better than LA and North.

stumpworks73

Although north of LA offers beautiful coastline, countryside and fine cities; most of the traditional tourist attractions are south.

The coastline from Corona del Mar to Laguna Beach is a beautiful hike.
This area is called the Pelican Coast just south of Newport Beach, with Corona del Mar and Balboa Island between.

You should consider Balboa Island as a quaint place to stay with a central location to many activities.
Corona del Mar has several excellent restaurants including Oysters, Five Crowns, and Bandera.

With 12 days you might consider relocating to Coronado Island for a B&B for a few days and take in the San Diego zoo.

You've got a great trip coming and considering all your alternatives should be a great part of the pleasure.

ter

Thank-you POIson for all your great advice. We appreciate your input and your tips. You seem very knowledgeabe about the area. You must live in California. We will start to put together an itinerary and let you know what comes up.

ter

Hi stumpworks73...Thank-you for the great advice. You have given us lots of food for thought. We have a couple of months to plan but we usually like to book some of our accomodations beforehand to avoid disappointment. We will plan an itinerary and then look for accomodations en route.
Thanks again.

socialworker

We were going to spend Thanksgiving in LA several years back and we were planning 2 nights at a B&B in Santa Barbara. When I expressed some concern to the owner about what kind of weather we could expect, she told us that November is often one of their nicer months.

Love4Language

South of LA is going to be much nicer during that time of year. I grew up (22 years) in San diego. And you will find that it is much more relaxed then LA, the air is nicer, and Downtown on the waterfront is amazing at night. Whoever posted about Staying in La Jolla was right, it's wonderful, but will also be subject to overcast mornings ( sometimes all day). I also would recommend wine tasting in Temecula, but maybe only for one day, on a bus trip. There is not much to do out there, but drink wine. I would recommend staying downtown for a few nights and getting a view of the bay. then drive over to Coronado and see the Hotel Del.

ter

Hi Love4Language

Thanks for the tips. We have decided to spend our holiday south of LA and La Jolla and San Diego seem to be a favorite spot. We did a wine tasting tour out of San Fran a few years ago and the limo/bus was a great alternative to driving. So, your advice is well taken. Looking forward to spending some time in San Diego. Thank-you