A California vacation combines glorious sandy coastlines, beautiful rolling winelands, plenty of swanky bars, and whole heap of celebrity hangouts. Aptly named the Golden State, sunny California is hard to beat for honeymoons, family holidays or the ultimate self-drive road-trip.
Conjoined by Highway One, the world’s most spectacular coastal road, California boasts some of the America’s finest locations: vivacious San Francisco, home to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and an invigorating blend of cultures; the awe-inspiring valleys, gushing waterfalls and giant, humbling sequoias of Yosemite National Park; sprawling Los Angeles, the birthplace of showbiz and home to Hollywood celebrities, and the superb surf of chilled-out San Diego and the Orange County beaches.
Yet California’s also got the substance to back up its style, and beyond the pearly smiles and shimmering surfaces there’s more than enough depth to satisfy culture vultures. Allow some time on your luxury vacation in California to venture inland, making a stop at its iconic wine regions. World-famous Napa Valley is a short drive from San Francisco, and beyond the obvious wine tasting, we recommend an early morning hot air balloon ride as an unmissable way of drinking in this region’s beautiful scenery. Neighbouring Sonoma County, while not as famous, also makes the most of California’s sunshine and verdant soil to produce award-winning wines, and the region’s world class cuisine is the perfect accompaniment.
Other California vacation highlights include spotting breaching whales from the California headland; snorkelling with playful sea-lions in San Diego; chowing down on the best clam chowder in San Francisco; grabbing your board and heading for the surf at Venice; or scaling the tallest peak in Yosemite National Park. However you choose to spend it, get set for some unforgettable adventures on your vacation in California.
