Day Trip: Malibu

Although I've lived in Southern California my whole life, I rarely go to beaches outside of Orange County. With amazing places like Huntington and Newport Beach, there's really no need to travel any farther. But, I always love exploring so I decided to make a trip north to Malibu for the day and I'm glad I did.

There have been rumors that Gladstones, a perfect, beachy restaurant right on the water, will be closing next October. Despite news reports, the Pacific Coast Highway eatery says there are no plans to shut down. Fingers crossed that is the case because it would be a shame to lose such a great place.

It was my first time visiting so we opted to sit outside for the ambiance, however; the tables inside are also great and the windows are large so you get a great ocean view. I don't think there's a bad seat in the house.

I chose the ahi sandwhich ($21) and my mom went with the fish and chips ($26). The fish and chips were huge and my mom loved them. While my ahi wasn't the best, probably because the pieces were so large that they couldn't be properly seasoned, and my side salad wilted in the heat, the bun and toppings were very good. Don't get me wrong - I ate that whole sandwhich, so I don't feel like my money was wasted. Our server was great, and that added to the positive experience. Lunch is only served during the week, so if you can visit Monday through Friday I recommend it as you'll pretty much have the place to yourself and the beach won't be too busy.

When you valet for the restaurant, $9 gets you parking plus beach access. While we only walked around for a bit, visitors can bring their beach gear and make a whole day of it.

After eating we decided to drive up the coast and take in the beautiful views - which included some incredible beach mansions. If you decide to go to one of the many beaches, the lots are much cheaper than those of OC beaches and there is plenty of street parking. The only problem with street parking is you have to find beach access in between homes which can get a little tricky.

Have you visited Malibu? What's your favorite thing to do there? I'd love tips for my next trip!

Newport Beach, California

Earlier this week I made my way out to Newport Beach to take in a sunset. It's so gorgeous and peaceful.

If you ever visit SoCal, or live here and aren't in on the secret, north Newport is a great beach to visit for the free parking. Here's how to get there from the 55 freeway:

The 55 fwy south ends and turns into Newoprt Ave.

Follow Newport Ave. and take a right on Superior. 

Right after you pass Pacific Coast Highway make a right on River Ave. (small side street)

You can park anywhere you find a spot, at the very end of the street there are a lot of spaces.

It's a residential neighborhood and there are some restrictions on certain days, but if you get there early/late enough parking is free and fairly easy to find.

Whale Watching in Newport Beach

It was a beautiful weekend in Southern California. I've lived here my whole life and often take my region for granted, but it was days like Saturday that remind me just how amazing my little section of the world is!

To celebrate a birthday, two of my friends and I decided to do something a bit different and decided on whale watching in Newport Beach. We went with Newport Landing Whale Watching, located in the Balboa Island/Peninsula area. If you love being out on the water and sea life, this is am awesome activity!

Shh don't tell Beach Patrol, but we snuck in some pre-sail bubbly to celebrate the birthday girl! And then we continued drinking when we got on the boat. Ha.

Unfortunately we didn't see any whales the whole trip. Wah! BUT, we did see seals sunbathing and so many dolphins! It was unreal. They swarmed our boat and were swimming along with us. Pods full of them playing alongside us, jumping in and out of the water. We even saw quite a few babies!

 

Since pictures don't do the dolphins justice, check out this short 15-second video I captured.

Some tips if you plan on taking the Newport Landing Whale Watching tour:

• If you grab food beforehand, try Newport Landing. It's located on the Balboa Peninsula, they have tasty options, and they give 50% off coupons for the tour.
• Bring binoculars. We forgot ours and rented a pair for $5 but never used them.

I have more in-depth info about the trip over at Nautical By Nature. If you are interested in taking this tour, be sure to head over there to learn more. Happy sailing!

         

Adventures in Grand Turk

Continuing with my weekly recaps of my Eastern Caribbean cruise, today I'm talking about Grand Turk! I wrote about the breathtaking scenery of St. Thomas and the history of the Bahamas, and now I'm going to talk about the charm paradise has to offer. First, let's talk about the island.

The largest of the Turks & Caicos Islands, although only 7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, Grand Turk is the capital of this Caribbean nation. If it weren't for the cruise lines and a few resorts (which I didn't even really see) it would literally be a desert island. Pulling up to the dock (no harbor because it's too small) it's quite a sight. You can see the entire chunk of land and beyond. It's crazy how tiny it is. Look at this picture. You can see ocean on the other side of the island!

Despite it's size, the beauty Grand Turk possesses is huge. Of all the stops, this one had the most beautiful water. Underneath the boats you can see their shadows - that's how crystal clear the ocean is.

Upon docking, there's a beach just for people from the cruise lines. We hung out here for a few hours drinking coconut drinks, playing in the water, and soaking up the sun. I got such a bad sunburn that three weeks later I am still peeling. There's red, there's lobster, then there's the color I was. Not cute.

Later that afternoon we went snorkeling in that otherworldly teal water. In addition to seeing coral and fish, we also had a shark encounter! I'm pretty sure these sharks are "tame" but they are not captive. They live in the ocean, they are sharks...so when we first jumped in the water and saw one about 4 feet long, it was a tad surprising. It was spooked and swam away pretty quickly, but there was another that swam over to the boat and people were able to touch it. I'm so mad I missed out on that. I probably should've been more scared that I was - especially since the shark was scared of us. But who can say they swam with a wild shark?!

The sunset after leaving the island was probably most beautiful of the entire trip. So tranquil and serene!

Be sure to read my St. Thomas and Bahamas recaps!
Next week is my last recap and it's all about Puerto Rico.

Linking up for  Travel Tuesdays with Bonnie & Tina & Megan

Cruising the Eastern Caribbean

I'm back from my cruise! Seven days sailing the Eastern Caribbean seas with stops in The Bahamas, USVI, Puerto Rico, and Turks and Caicos on Carnival Cruises.

While a cruise was a great way to see multiple destinations, it wasn't really my thing. Too many people - pushy rude people at that, time limits on each island, and the ship entertainment wasn't really my thing. Had I went with a group my age, instead of my parents, aunt and uncle and their friends, I may be singing a different tune. Nevertheless, it was still an experience that I am lucky to have had!

Come back next Monday for a Nassau recap!