There aren’t many places on this earth as much fun to explore as a teenager as Southern California. From the endlessly good weather to its larger-than-life experiences, Los Angeles and its surrounding cities can’t fail to enthral even the moodiest of teens.
A week isn’t quite enough – there’s no getting around the fact the jetlag is rough. If you can squeeze 9 or 10 days out of a half term or holiday, you’ll find that just about perfect. And you’ll still have a list as long as your arm of things to do next time!
LA from The London hotel's vantage point just off Sunset Boulevard
Where to stay in Los Angeles
For a luxury start to your SoCal adventure, you can’t do better than The London, West Hollywood. Perched on the corner of Sunset Boulevard, with views of Sunset Strip's bigger-than-lifesize billboards, and within listening-distance of music venues with their place in showbiz history, this spot is guaranteed to get any surley teens in the mood. The rooms are enormous – and the perfect antidote to a sleepless flight across the pond.
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Suites interconnect allowing super-sized family accommodation with bathrooms as big as entire hotel rooms in New York, boasting sunken tubs, double showers and a feeling of A-list luxury to get your LA holiday off to a perfect start. You’ll sleep well – which is an important start to a SoCal roadtrip, and the rooftop pool will literally take your breath away. With views from the Hollywood Hills down to Downtown, Century City, even the beach beyond, it’s everything you ever dream of when you think of the ultimate LA life.
The London pool is too cool for words
Kids are welcome in the pool (on our trip there were plenty of beautiful people lounging around, but not so many taking a dip, so they had it blissfully to themselves) and the setting, with loungers, palm trees, pop art and blue skies couldn’t make for a more perfect Instagram backdrop. Even breakfast (a scrumptious continental comes with the room) has a vista to die for.
What to do in West Hollywood
This is the perfect star-spotting neighbourhood to start any trip to LA. A lot is within walking distance of the hotel – Selling Sunset’s real estate agency is around the corner, the ultimate cowboy bar, Saddle Ranch, which featured in Sex and the City among many others, is down the strip. You’re a short hop from Runyan Canyon (where many celebs take a hike with views to the Hollywood sign), Griffith Park and observatory which featured in La La Land, not to mention Hollywood Boulevard and the Chinese Theatre where just about everyone’s favourite actor can be found, immortalised in either handprints or golden stars on the famous walk of fame.
The London, West Hollywood is the perfect first stop in LA
Hitting the road to Santa Barbara
While it would be easy to spend 10 days in LA, you mustn't miss jumping in a car and taking a trip up Highway 1 to Santa Barbara. In less than two hours, city slickers morph into surf dudes, and the experience of taking off on an adventure along the Pacific Coast Highway is one you and your teens will remember for a long time.
After hitting the ocean at Santa Monica, your journey hugs the Atlantic for almost the entire duration of the drive. Keep an eye out for dolphins and stop off to enjoy the delights of Ventura, Oxnard or Montecito, now home to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Where to stay in Santa Barbara
El Encanto sits on a hill overlooking Santa Barbara bay
El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel, is nestled in the hills that overlook Santa Barbara and the views from the property on a fine day are breathtaking. The resort is like a Mediterranean village, with rooms laid out within white Spanish-style villas, all around a central hub, housing the restaurant, spa, the infinity pool with views to the ocean, and the fitness centre. Food at The Dining Room and Terrace is divine – it’s a formal environment (those with teens might prefer the more low-key fare on offer in the Lounge) but for a special meal it’s quite unbeatable. Service, food and drinks were delicious, with outside dining even in fall, thanks to snuggly blankets and patio heaters.
El Encano really is a little piece of heaven (if you can, leave the teens in the pool for a bit while you hit up the spa – bliss!) and complimentary morning yoga or strength classes are available for the whole family.
The desserts at the Canary Hotel are unreal
Another beautiful spot, down the hill in Downtown Santa Barbara, is the Canary Hotel, by Kimpton. We didn’t stay there this time, but had a delicious meal at their restaurant Finch and Fork. It was ideal for teenagers, a relaxed and casual environment paired with extremely high end food and service. The main courses were bliss (the pork chop and the steak our favourites) but dessert….wow! The milkshakes and churros made it onto social media accounts moments before they made it into happy bellies. The ultimate in teen-friendly food!
What to do in Santa Barbara In two days
Inspiration Point is definitely worth the trek
it’s hard to even scratch the surface of what there is to do in this fun, laid back city. Things you must put on your list are taking a bike ride along the beach, exploring red wood trees at the Botanic Garden, and heading to Inspiration Point to hike up to the most incredible view point in time for sunset (bring a torch for the descent!).
The redwood trees at the Botanic Gardens are stunning
There are museums galore (the Natural History and Sea Centre looked a lot of fun), cat therapy cafes (hello Instagram again!), boat trips to watch whales, trips to the nearby Channel Islands. And don’t miss out on simple pleasures like a walk along the mainly pedestrianised State Street for a tinkle on one of the many multi-coloured pianos which decorate the sidewalks. After a couple of days in Santa Barbara, we had planned a trip to nearby Ojai – inland a little bit and a favourite of some friends of ours for its cool, hippy vibe and relaxed vacation feel. In the end however we decided we couldn’t leave the beach – being by the Ocean, the palm trees and the October sunsets was too good to be true so we headed down the coast a mile or so, to hang out with the A-list crowd in Montecito.
Where to stay in Montecito
A keen follower of celebrity lifestyle, my kids knew exactly where they wanted to stay in Montecito – following in the footsteps of the Kardashians, we booked into the Rosewood Miramar Hotel. The hotel is incredible, located literally just off the 101 freeway on a patch of pristine white-sand, palm backed beach that belongs in any Hollywood movie, it’s no surprise that this elegant resort is a favourite of LA A-Listers looking for a weekend away from the city.
The Rosewood Miramar hotel is spectacular
The resort is almost like a step back in time to a modern day rendition of classic Hollywood glamour. A huge lawn rolls down to the beach from the main house, which houses a couple of restaurants, some bars and a luxurious spa and gym. Either side of the lawn sit immaculate, cabana-surrounded swimming pools, one for families (under 21s must stay put here) and a second for adults only, with a pool-side bar.
Sunset in the vast hot tub at the edge of the family pool was an experience like no other – we sat there alone, watching the sky turn pink and the first stars start to twinkle in the sky, a truly magical experience. As you wander across the lawn, you come to a railway – one which actually runs and whose crossing is closed every hour or so as the honks of the train making its way up the coast to Northern California ring out across the resort to signal its arrival. It’s a unique but curiously exciting experience waving to the commuters from your spot on the lawn or the Beach Bar the other side (where delicious light lunches and dinners are served alongside the best cocktails you’d ever wish for, with incredible views).
Sunset walks on the beach as the dolphins jumped in the ocean
And then there’s the beach. This strip of sand, which you can walk along from headland to headland, is the epitome of SoCal perfection. The first evening, we set out for a wander as far as we could go to the south, passing artists, sunset joggers and dog walkers, making the most of the fall sunsets. As we returned, facing the palm-tree strewed cliffs, watching the sun set as the surfers bobbed in the water below, a family of dolphins jumped out of the water ahead of us. If I hadn’t known better I’d have thought a Hollywood director had just called ‘Action!’. This hotel is a very special place indeed.
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What to do in Montecito
There are plenty of things to do (and Santa Barbara downtown is literally minutes away) but I’ll be honest, we spent our time swimming in the pools, paddle boarding in the ocean and generally enjoying a bit of R&R before our trip back the coast to LA. Next time we’ll definitely head to Montecito hot springs, pictures of the hike looked fun. We ventured into town for dinner (the pizza bar Via Vai was a great teen spot) and imagined Harry and Meghan mooching round town, as they'd been photographed doing just a few days before, and that was enough excitement for us!
Back to LA – what to do and where to stay
Airbnb was a good second stay option for us in LA. We have friends in the valley and enjoyed a few days in Sherman Oaks where the houses decorated for Halloween gave us a great feeling of living 'real life' in the city. Universal Studios is a must-visit destination for any teenager – the park is so much more than the rides (though the rides are fun!), it's a real peek inside a working studio in Hollywood, and the famous back lot tour remains one of the ultimate highlights, constantly updated to refer to current films and TV shows to engage a younger audience.
The Harry Potter area was new to me – the recreation of a snowy Hogwarts is a lot of fun, as is the experience of tearing through the sky behind Harry and Ron during a game of Quidditch. And a visit to Springfield to hang out with the Simpsons is something not to be missed. There’s so much to do, it’s hard to squeeze it in during one trip – the Express pass, allowing front of line queue-skipping once per attraction is a really worthwhile investment.
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Other adventures for teens? Surf lessons, a visit to the LA Lakers or a Dodgers game, catching a celeb who is performing in town (Harry Styles was here for our visit) and a horse ride through the hills to the Hollywood sign are all recommended. But so is a trip to Target, a wander through the aisles at Ralphs (where 5 litre bottles of bright blue raspberry juice and gallons of ice cream make teen minds boggle) and a trip to the cinema complete with butter-dripping popcorn is also going to hit the spot.
Still unsure where to travel? Check out our Bucket List of Holiday Destinations.
