I was recommended to Lily by her friends who I had recently organised a honeymoon for. She and her husband Marcus needed assistance for their honeymoon - a belated California fly-drive. I was more than happy to help...
Amanda did a fantastic job organising our belated honeymoon road trip - we couldn't have planned it any better ourselves.
From the moment we enquired to the catch-up call after our return, we couldn't have asked for anything more.
We flew with Virgin and upgraded for the journey home which was 100% worth it for such a long flight.
Our first stop was San Francisco, where we stayed for three nights at The Handlery Union Square.
Amanda had advised the hotel that the trip was for our honeymoon, and we received a complimentary upgrade and a welcome bottle of Champagne.
We had pre-booked a bike tour, and on our first full day cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and then took the ferry back to Fisherman’s Wharf. This enabled us to see so much of San Francisco, including the famous sea lions down at the Wharf and 'Mrs. Doubtfire’s House'.
On our last day, we walked to the car rental, just five minutes from the hotel, and decided to upgrade to a Dodge Challenger.
Santa Cruz was the first stop of the road trip for a quick lunch break - there is a lovely pier here with lots to see and do.
Onward to Yosemite for a couple of days and the amazing Tenaya Lodge, where we were surprised with Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses and rose petals scattered on the bed and around the room. There are excellent food options here so no need to worry about where to go to eat.
We spent one day at Mariposa Grove looking at the incredible giant sequoias and drove further into the park the following day to check out the Half Dome and El Capitan, Yosemite Falls; and we climbed most of the way up Nevada Falls.
The next stop was Carmel-by-Sea and we tried to do as much of the journey as possible along the spectacular Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway.
This is a cute little town with plenty of great restaurant options, including a Clint Eastwood-themed one which we loved.
We stayed two nights at the Tally Ho Inn, spending one of the days at Monterey Bay on a whale watching trip, luckily seeing humpbacks as well as dolphins, and of course more sea lions. We also visited the aquarium which is full of magnificent sea life.
Continuing down the coast, we stopped at Pismo, grabbing ‘American Diner' food before resting for the night at Oxford Suites.
Our final leg was to Los Angeles for three nights at the Garland Hotel. Making our way to the hotel, we stopped at the famous Rodeo Drive and Hollywood sign before checking in.
This was a great hotel to end our trip, every night they show movies, which is a really nice way to wind down after a busy day.
A stay in LA is not complete without a trip to Universal Studios and we spent a fantastic day here as well as plenty of sightseeing from the Walk of Fame to Venice Beach, where we had a lovely afternoon watching the skateboarders, roller skaters and surfers.
On our final day, we drove to Anaheim to see the hockey stadium and to do some shopping, before making our way to LAX, dropping the car off and catching the flight home.
Overall, the trip was amazing and such a good way to see everything. We had also discovered that I was pregnant shortly before going, but it didn't affect the trip in the slightest. Exciting times.
Thank you, Amanda, for making our belated honeymoon dreams come true!
xx