Wanderlust: Dana Point + San Diego

California is quickly becoming one of my favorite places on earth. Every time I’m there I fall more in love with it and this summer’s trip was no exception. I had the chance to explore Dana Point and San Diego this time around and loved both spots! Dana Point, which is so close to Laguna Beach is just the cutest little beachside town. Every morning there was a thick layer of fog enveloping the beach and by lunchtime it had burned off into sunshine. Surfers line the beach and there are fabulous views from the cliffs in all directions. There’s even a snuggly little town with yummy restaurants and a few cute shops. If you’re looking to beat the more urban feel of parts of San Diego, Dana Point is perfect. But speaking of perfect, the weather in San Diego is perfection. Every. Single. Day. It’s almost not fair. A few highlights we explored were Sunset Cliffs Natural Park and Balboa Park. Sunset Cliffs is exactly as it sounds – amazing views of the sunset from miles of cliffs. There’s even a secret beach you can scoot down to (it does involve going around the warning signs) and hang in a cove surrounded by cliffs on three sides and ocean all around. Balboa Park was obviously a highlight for me because there’s a free greenhouse and botanical garden, as well as cactus gardens surrounding the park. The crazy plant lady in me was more than happy! Lastly, we also popped over to La Jolla to spy on the seals and watch them laze about. We ate our faces off all week and did a lot of laying by the pool as well. If you’re going to San Diego, I definitely recommend staying at the Pendry. Their bar Fifth & Rose has a New Orleans themed cocktail party every Sunday with an amazing live brass band that is the absolute best time. I only brought my 35mm film camera so I’m excited to share a full film travel blog! Big hugs to Goodman Film Lab for processing my scans. Until next time California…