Last Thursday I flew to San Diego for a five-day road trip with friends. On the itinerary: two nights in San Diego and one night stays in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Carmel with stops at Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, and Big Sur. We rented a 4-door Jeep Wrangler through Avis (highly recommend) and had ourselves a grand old time. Over the next few days I’ll be sharing our recommendations on how to make the most of your time in each of the four cities. First stop: San Diego!

Breakfast: The Cottage. Dine out on the patio and enjoy the farm-fresh eggs.

Lunch: Cody’s La Jolla. A charming Southern California restaurant with succulents, views of the ocean, and delicious food.

Dinner: George’s at the Cove. Go for the incredible view and sunset (sit outside on the ocean terrace). The sticky toffee Pudding Cake was delicious.

La Valencia Hotel: Located in the heart of La Jolla, this hotel evokes old-world-charm with Spanish mosaics and Mediterranean influenced architecture.

Cedros Avenue Design District in Solana Beach. We enjoyed a leisurely shopping excursion down Cedros Ave. making stops at my favorite home decor shops: Bixby & Ball, SoLo, and Wax and Whimsy for novelty items. PS: The Benefit in La Jolla has a blowout bar…first one I’ve come across!

Visit La Jolla Cove and veg out (take advantage of the hotel pool).