A Pacific Coast rite of passage

Dominated by the Golden Gate Bridge and views of Alcatraz Island, San Francisco has so far been a city full of surprises. We rode the historic cable cars today with our guide, exploring the waterfront marketplace of Fisherman’s Wharf. And we were in our element in Union Square, spending the evening dining the Michelin-starred way before heading to the ballet.

We collected our hire car and drove to Carmel Valley this morning, but there was one last surprise before getting there. The kids were ecstatic when they saw the private seaplane ready to take us on an airborne journey over San Francisco. Tomorrow, we’re going to spot whales and other sea life on an eco-raft in Monterey Bay and Point Lobos.

We’ve made a one night pit-stop at Pismo Beach to break up the journey. We’ve had quite a jam-packed schedule so we both thinks it’s good for the kids to rest. We’re up early tomorrow though for a surf session (you’ve got to make the most of these waves) before moving on to Santa Barbara.

It’s not hard to see why Santa Barbara is known as the ‘American Riviera’, the city’s Mediterranean-style charm is exquisite. We’ve been spending the days here in the water, paddling the wildlife-rife caves and coastline and snorkelling the kelp beds of Scorpion Anchorage. I think a sunset horseback ride down the beach is booked for tonight too.

There’s a reason Los Angeles is the longest leg of this tour, there’s just so much to do. The La Brea Tar Pits and Universal Studios themselves have taken up the last two days with in-depth VIP tours. Today we’re hitching a ride around L.A. to take in the sights like the Hollywood sign and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, but we’re discovering some local places too.

I personally can’t wait for today, we’re all meeting up with a resident journalist and heading to the water to go paddle boarding while they let us in on all the secrets of L.A. We’re going on a bike ride down Venice Beach boardwalk with them too which is going to work up an appetite.

We’ve swapped the shiny city for more pristine coastline in Laguna Beach. We chose here as more of a place to wind down, however, we do have one more behind-the-scenes special on the horizon – Legoland. The kids are thrilled, we’ve got priority access to rides, attractions and shows with either a private factory tour or building workshop thrown into the mix. We went for the latter.