25thousandmiles – USA

We knew the minute we arrived in Laguna Beach that we had made the right decision.  We could sense the atmosphere straight away.  Laid back, friendly, big sandy beach, small secluded coves, attractive cottages and beach houses (beach mansions more like!) , cafes, no fog.  Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Our other option had been Newport Beach, not quite as far south of L.A. as Laguna Beach.  We drove through it on our way to LB and saw the hotel we had considered staying in.  We thanked our blessings, and instinct.  Newport Beach looked very smart, but also very upmarket.  I’ve never been to Monaco, but I’m sure Newport Beach attracts a similar crowd.  The hotel we had considered staying in (which I must say is only one of not many inexpensive choices) was a modern conrete monstrosity next to a giant shopping mall, 2 miles in from the coast.  Just so wrong.

The Tides Inn in LB was a totally different story though.  I would  describe it as a boutique motel – the rooms are great, the pool area attractive, comfy and relaxing, and it’s just across the road from a beach.  We had a room with a big kitchenette – none of your tiny studio rooms here though, it was wonderful!  We had a king size bed, which we think was even comfier than our own bed at home, loads of space to put our things away, a great shower and the kitchen was separated from the bedroom by an archway and breakfast bar.  It really was lovely.  Free wifi too, which is always a bonus.

Oh dear, I’m coming over all misty eyed just thinking about LB and I haven’t even got past our accommodation yet.

For our 5 nights there we just wanted to rest and enjoy a more relaxed pace after doing so much travelling.  We initially thought that we would visit some of the other places round about LB, such as Huntington Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente, but we never made it, and we didn’t mind.  In a nutshell we spent 4 days and 5 nights walking along the beaches and exploring the coves of LB, watching the sunsets, eating, drinking and getting to know the locals.

Our first ‘get to know the locals’ experience was when we decided to visit the Royal Hawaiian Restaurant and Bar, just across the road from our hotel.  The bar staff really loved to chat!   They have a cocktail ther called Lapu Lapu – gorgeous but potent.  They even took instructions from Angus on how to make his favourite cocktail – a woo woo (vodka, peach scnapps, cranberry, squeeze of lime and crushed ice, just in case you’re interested).  We got chatting to Bob, Doug and Jaimee, who had to disappear rather quickly, for reasons we’ll explain here.

Whilst in San Francisco I had been asked for ID twice when buying a drink.  Being 35 years of age I thought this was fantastic.  Who needs Botox!  However I realised when we were in LB just how strict the licensing laws are in the States.  This is what happened – a family came into the Royal Hawaiian for a meal and drinks.  From what I could gather, the parents ordered everything and when the food and drink was delivered Jaimee was pulled up because she didn’t ask the boy from the family if he was 21.  The family turned out to be ’mystery shoppers’ from ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control).  I realise that these things need to be taken seriously, but surely they could introduce some sort of system whereby you get 1 strike (like a warning) and if it happens again then it goes further.  Not in the States though.  Jaimee was charged by the police, she will have to pay a fine (of up to $1000) and the business is fined up to $3000.  It just seemed extemely harsh.

We were glad that we learnt all this info from Bob and Doug though, as we had been chatting to Jaimee earlier in the evening and she was so open and friendly.  We were talking about Europe and how she would love to visit the Greek Islands.  We decided that when we got home we would send her a guide book on island hopping .  However, we didn’t have to wait that long to get her spirits up – an hour later we bumped into Jaimee and her friends in Hennesey’s in LB!  We bought her a drink and had another good chat, then we all went onto another place for a boogie (I’m in my mid-thirties, I don’t know what these young ones call it!).

Needless to say the following day was spent recovering.  We managed to drag ourselves out of bed at some point and make it the 25 steps down to the sunbeds by the pool.  Damn, what a hard life.

Another side we saw of LB is the artistic vein which runs through it.  I believe that LB was always quite a bohemian haven in the past and you can see how that still lingers today.  There are lots of photograhpers, scultors, painters. musicians and writers.  Some have smart looking shops with big displays, others just sit down by the beach working on a painting or a song.  It seems to us that LB isn’t all about status, such as somewhere like Newport Beach, it’s more about character and community.

We left Laguna Beach vowing that we would go back.  There aren’t many places where we feel so at home and so welcome.  We really felt like we made friends.