California Travel – Page 2

Recently, I took a trip to Pismo Beach to get away from the house for a bit. If you read my previous post, I recently made a wishlist of travel destinations for Californians that might still be stuck in their state due to the pandemic. Given that I’ve been working from home for over five months at this point, I decided that it was a good time to take a trip somewhere (also in the process getting my Marriott Platinum status).

The drive to Pismo Beach was relatively uneventful, with a quick three hour drive for someone living in Los Angeles. During the drive, you’ll have an opportunity to drive along the ocean side if you decide to take the 101 Freeway, as well as a scenic mountain drive as you head north towards Pismo Beach. California is known for its coast, so I decided to take the opportunity to enjoy the drive up to the beach.

Staying at the Vespera – A Review

Once we arrived to Pismo Beach, I dropped by my hotel right next to the beach. For this trip, I decided to stay at the Vespera Hotel, one of Marriott’s hotels that are part of the Autograph Collection. I chose this hotel for two reasons: the hotel is located right on the beach, and it would allow me to hit Platinum Elite for the year. Although the benefits are minor for status, for a regular traveler such as myself it is a nice badge of honor to have.

If you’re lucky, you might get a room with a balcony that has a direct view of the beach. Unfortunately, the pool needed to be reserved due to Covid-19.

Finding the hotel wasn’t easy, and I missed the street a couple of times, mainly due to most of the local streets not being marked very clearly. Surprisingly, the streets were also packed, with a lot of cars trying to make their way to the beach parking lot.

After some driving around, I finally found the hotel, modestly places on a street that also has residential houses.

The hotel is very much a luxury hotel, with a large price tag to boot. Although not the best option for travelling seeking a budget option, it is a great hotel if you are looking to splurge a bit. The hotel was quite busy, a telltale sign that most people are out and about travelling in spite of a pandemic going on.

The hotel is situated right on the beach, with direct access through the courtyard to the boardwalk, and less than a 1 minute walk to the beach.

The Room

The blue and white decor gives off a modern hotel feel while still maintaining the beach house atmosphere.

The blinds open up to a balcony that you can relax and take in the views of the beach.
Sadly, my view was angled more towards the street rather than the beach.

This is truly a modern hotel, complete with smart TV that you can stream from your favorite apps like Netflix.
It also has a Chromecast in case you want to stream directly from your device.

The bathroom is quite spacious, providing you the extra room in case you need to get into or out of your wetsuit after a day of surfing.

The shower is also very accommodating, you won’t be trying to squeeze yourself into this one.

The Town

The town of Pismo Beach was packed the weekend that I went. Even though we are still in the midst of a pandemic, every restaurant that had outdoor seating available for dining had lines out the door. Sure, part of that could be due to the social distancing guidelines set forth by the state, but there were a lot of people walking around the town, especially near the beach area. What surprised me the most was very few people were actually wearing masks (about 20%), which tells me that the people here weren’t too afraid of what was going on in the world.

Just one of many restaurants that offered outdoor dining, perhaps people just really want to go out and eat.

Another restaurant that was packed with people waiting to order. The BBQ looked great but the wait was too long.

Given the long lines pretty much everywhere, it was quite difficult to find a place that I could order from that wouldn’t take forever to get out food. I ended up choosing a place called Splash Cafe, which was known supposedly for its Clam Chowder.

The signage had a nice retro feel to it.

They only accepted phone or online orders, so I ended up waiting about 30 minutes on the line while waiting to speak with a person right on the other side of the door, then another hour of so until I finally got my food. They food was pretty tasty, but I couldn’t help but think about whether I could’ve saved time going somewhere else, or whether all the restaurants in the area had the same amount of wait time.

Conclusion

Overall, this trip was pretty fun. I was able to spend some time on the beach and take some photos, fly my drone, and to top it all off it was very cool compared to the heat wave we currently have in LA. Although I wished that there were perhaps less crowds since we are still in the middle of an emergency, I can’t fault people for wanting to spend some time outdoors and enjoy the weather and the beach. After all, if California has anything going for it, it’s the weather and the beaches.

Although there were still a couple at the beach after sunset, the good news is by this time most of the crowds were gone, so you can enjoy the sunset with your favorite person.

With Covid-19 currently raging across the globe, and most countries shutting travel down to/from the United States, I wanted to look a little closer to home when it comes to travel. Given that I am currently based in California, I wanted to explore different areas within the state that would be great for a little weekend getaway without introducing a lot of risks associated with travelling. Below are some of my favorite picks:

1. Pismo Beach, CA

Once the beaches open back up in California, consider choosing Pismo beach as your beach of choice for a day at the beach. Among other things, it is one of the few beaches in California that allows bonfires, as well as allowing vehicles on the beach. Although the beach is currently closed to vehicles due to Covid-19, you can still enjoy the atmosphere of the beach and the pier. It might not be as flashy as Venice Beach or Santa Monica, but for myself, that is what makes it attractive. If this place interests you, I recently took a trip here, and you can read my trip report here.

With views like this, what’s there not to love?
Source: flickr

2. Lake Tahoe, CA

Quite possibly one of the most iconic locations that people can travel to, Lake Tahoe is typically known for its slopes and great snow during the winter. During the summer however, Lake Tahoe becomes a fantastic summer getaway complete with hiking trails, kayaking, and shopping. Being right on the border between California and Nevada, you can easily head over the border and take advantage of the lower sales tax. There’s also a casino too, if you prefer to have a little more glitz and glamour in your vacation.

3. Idyllwild, CA

Definitely the lesser known location on this list, but this small town is nestled deep in the San Jacinto mountains, this location is perfect for the romantic forest getaway when you absolutely need to keep your social distance. It definitely has that small town feel, with a relatively small town center and a single small supermarket. Surrounded by forests with a variety of hiking trails, Idyllwild is a great place to enjoy nature without the crowds that you might find at some of the more popular hiking spots. Book a rustic cabin for yourself and your SO for a quaint getaway.

Just far enough to be away from civilization, but close enough to still get your basic amenities.

I have a trip planned to go to one of these places, so stay tuned for a new post about my experience. Where would you want to go? How are things going on where you live?

Tag: California Travel

A Post-Covid Weekend Getaway – Pismo Beach