My Trip to California!

Hello everyone! I'm finally getting around to sharing my trip to California this past July. This was such an exiting trip for me since I had never been to the West Coast. So let's get into it!

This trip came about because I won the Five Star Award at work! This gave me the chance to stay at any Ritz-Carlton in the US. After a lot of thinking, and help from coworkers, I decided it was a good idea to travel to California, since it was never a place really on my list. We definitely wanted to be on a beach, and it was even better since I had never been to the West Coast.

I landed on The Ritz-Carlton, Bacara for the first leg of the trip. The property was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS and right near the coast. The decision was also easy for me (being a huge Michael Jackson fan😂) since the hotel was less than an hour away from Neverland Ranch. Once I figured that out, the rest of the trip was a no brainer.

If you're looking for a great spot for a vacation, The Ritz-Carlton, Bacara IS IT! The staff and service were impeccable! They were so excited for me and my accomplishments.

As a surprise to us, we were given access to their Club Lounge! I would definitely recommend adding the Club Lounge to your stay. The atmosphere was so warm and cozy, and the food was delicious!

We flew into LAX and drove to Santa Barbara, which took about two hours. The hotel was actually located in Goleta, right near the coast. One thing I was not prepared for was the temperature difference. The coast averaged at about 70 degrees each day, but inland was up to 90 degrees! For this reason, unfortunately I was not up for getting in the pool😂. But the views made up for it!

The second day was exploring Santa Barbara, and the main event was supposed to be me getting up to the gates of Neverland. The weekend before we left for the trip, a wildfire broke out and got dangerously close to Neverland. I kept checking the news to see if it was safe to go, but I knew I was going up there no matter what.

The drive was about 50 minutes from the hotel, and we could definitely see the smoke as we got closer. We were literally FIVE minutes from the gate when we got stopped by the "road blocked" sign😐. Devastated isn't even the word. I was seriously ready to go home after that!

It was here where I realized just how big of a fan I am. The way I could barely function after not being able to see a GATE (not even the house) should probably be studied😬.

But, it will be a great excuse to come back!

The day was ruined, but the show still had to go on! We then drove to downtown Santa Barbara, ate lunch on the pier and walked around.

The next day we drove back to Los Angeles, and to The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey! Just like Bacara, Marina del Rey was right on the water. The temperature difference truly baffled me!

I was still feeling down from the day before, but I probably had one of the best Caesar salads from the hotel restaurant.

The staff at Marina del Rey truly outdid themselves. The agents at check-in were truly excited to welcome me. And I'm still gagging at the sight of walking into my room!

The concierge helped us schedule a classic cheesy Hollywood tour for the next day, which got me really excited about getting out and seeing MJ related things.

We did a lot of walking around Beverly Hills, drove through Hollywood Hills and got to the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Besides Neverland, seeing MJ's star on the Walk of Fame was a huge To-do on my list. I didn't realize his star was right in front of the TCL Chinese Theater, where so many stars have their handprints and signatures in the cement! This was a highlight of the trip FOR SURE!

We got to eat lunch at The Farmer's Market, which was one of the coolest experiences ever. There was a stand for literally any type of food you could want! I wish we could've stayed for longer to try more foods and do more shopping. It was so hot that day, so we decided to get giant salads, and I also had the best strawberry lemonade.

After the tour, we went back to the hotel to hang around. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant that I unfortunately cannot remember, but it was very delicious!

The next day, I decided to visit the Grammy Museum. I knew they had MJ-related things, but I didn't know exactly what. It turns out they were still celebrating the 40th anniversary of Thriller! They had a video playing on the impact of Thriller, and even the music video playing on a giant screen on a loop. Of course I sat and watched the whole thing🤭.

I also stared at this jacket for way too long, but it was SO worth it!

For lunch, we went to Elephante in Santa Monica, which was a restaurant I found online. The ambiance and view were beautiful! It's a modern, laid-back Italian restaurant, and I could've sat there all day. The pizza was delicious!

For dinner, we stayed at the hotel and ate at their restaurant. The staff at Marina del Rey went above and beyond to make me feel special! It was also the most beautiful night. It really put into perspective how exceptional the Five Star award is, and how hard I worked to receive it. The whole nigh was a perfect way to end the trip!

If you've been to LA, what are your favorite spots?