San Diego

Perfect weather, lots to do, and well, the ocean- not much to dislike about San Diego. While the crowds of Mission Bay were more than I’d usually subject myself to, this was the selected destination for a reunion with family I too rarely get to see. We gathered here from around the country and spent the week in a double condo on Mission Bay.

EXPERIENCE

While in San Diego, my primary focus was reconnecting with family. Since I arrived a bit before everyone else, I also rendezvoused with an old friend in lovely La Jolla for brunch. The family spent the week at Mission Bay and enjoyed the ocean and our beach house. From here we could walk to the Pacific to play in the huge waves and people watch. My sister and I tried out stand up paddle boarding on the ocean side and did some boogie boarding on the ocean side. One memorable beach event was an evening bonfire complete with s’mores and kids with sticky fingers. We ventured out a little bit throughout the week to check out Point Loma and the beautiful overlook at the monument there. Another excursion took us to Balboa Gardens, the kids hit the San Diego Zoo and I hit the Balboa Botanical Gardens and Mexican Artisan Art Village. This is a great place to visit if you want a break from the beach and offers a huge variety of museums and attractions all in one compact location. Sailing was the other highlight of our week. My cousin’s husband had taken a special course to sail a 45-foot boat, and hosted the family on a day out at sea. This was by far the largest sail boat I have ever been on and this ended up being a really special memory for us all.

STAY

On this trip we stayed in a beach rental condo. This worked out perfectly for our large family gathering, with easy walking distance to both the beach and bay sides of Mission Bay. While the parking and driving were quite challenging, once we were in the unit we felt really comfortable. Again, this is not my usual digs for a trip, but this was not my usual trip.

EAT

This trip was completely hosted by my aunt and she graciously cooked every meal in our condo for us. While I enjoyed a beautiful brunch at Estancia La Jolla upon arrival, I cannot speak to any other bar or restaurant recommendations since this trip was all home cookin’ 🙂

Sailing Mission Bay

Balboa Gardens