Orange County

For college my younger sister went to UC Irvine, the first and only member of my immediate family to move to the west coast. She has since moved back to the east coast, but for a few glorious years I would go visit her in Orange County 1-2 times a year (and eat lots of In n Out).

She always lived in Irvine, which is only a short drive to Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport, and so many gorgeous and more well known areas of California. I had somewhat of a routine down, we would always go hiking to top of the world in nearby Laguna with beautiful views, we’d go whale watching in Newport, we’d go eat and shop in Lido village and hit a few dive bars too. Every time I would visit she would show me even more beautiful beaches that I hadn’t seen before.

My last trip there was for her graduation, part of her gift from me was to stay a few nights at the Pelican Hill resort in Newport. Amazing experience and I would highly recommend it there if you feel like splurging.