Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu, & Laguna Beach
Visited in August 2026
LA has never been on my bucket list, but now I will recommend it to everyone to visit at least once! Something you will learn about me is I am a very outdoorsy person so once I started researching the coastline and the beaches I was beyond excited! My friend and I rented a car as soon as we landed and that was a must to maximize our trip as well as have flexibility.
We were definitely tourists hitting up Erewhon for the viral smoothies and of course getting In-N-Out, but our first real stop was the Getty Villa. We did not look up anything about it in advance so we were in awe at the gardens, reflecting pools, Roman architecture, marble walkways and the ocean views had us passing our phones back and forth for photos. It turned into a two hour photoshoot and one of the most memorable locations for us!
From there, we drove to Santa Monica Pier. I will keep it real, the pier is not what we imagined, it’s very touristy and as two women we did not feel the safest. We got dinner at the farthest restaurant on the pier, which was underwhelming, then we walked around past Palisades Park before heading onto the beach to watch the sunset. The view was unbeatable and we ended up swimming as the sun was setting in the back behind the mountain valley. I still think everyone should visit Santa Monica, just be aware of your surroundings and enjoy the beach!
On day two we fit two completely different versions of LA into one day. We started by visiting the Griffith Observatory, it was early in the morning so we did not get a chance to go inside but the outside was beautiful, it reminded us of the iconic white buildings in the Greek Islands. Next we went up the trail to get a closer view of the Hollywood sign, it’s an easy uphill hike that’s totally worth it! We also drove to a location where you can see the sign closer up and straight on, but parking was chaotic so we got photos out the window. Then we drove to see the stars on Hollywood Blvd. Honestly the street seemed very deserted and dirty, but I wanted to see the stars at least once. Before heading back we stopped at the famous Community Goods coffeeshop near West Hollywood and I would say the matcha was worth the long line!
After freshening up, our second part of the day consisted of driving to Beverly Hills, down Rodeo Drive, admiring all the palm trees. We got there towards the evening and lots of the stores were closing, but it didn’t seem as crowded as it could’ve been so we took photos in front of the Beverly Hill Garden Park sign. And when there, you have to make sure you treat yourself! 🛍️😂🕶️ We concluded our packed day with dinner at the Galerie on Sunset back in West Hollywood, definitely gave cocktail bar vibes, but the pasta was delicious! Also make sure to look for news vans or billboards, we witnessed a billboard that was being filmed promoting a Netflix movie that was coming out that week with a person staying overnight inside this billboard! And lastly, we made a quick stop at Urban Light at LACMA to see the sculpture lit up at night!
The next day was Malibu day and exactly why we rented a car. We drove through Calabasas to the Malibu coast, paused at the Point Dume lookout, parking was scarce so we made our way along the coast until we found public beach access. It was still early in the morning so we had this secret beach spot all to ourselves! It was an incredible feeling, immediately we took in our surroundings, walked around the rock formations and went in the ocean. After our beach day we grabbed a bite to eat at Neptune’s Net since I was craving some fried seafood and it hit the spot. We ended the day catching the sunset at Westward Beach. The cliffs and scenery were some of my favorites here.
Our flight wasn’t until later on our last day, which obviously meant I was going to squeeze every possible minute out of LA. We left early and drove down to Laguna Beach, which has still left me speechless. We had breakfast at AhbA and made our way to Treasure Island Beach and literally frolicked here until we had to head to LAX. Of course I went in the ocean, the water was so blue I couldn’t believe it, but the waves were massive and the current was super strong, if I was not a good swimmer I would have steered clear of the water that day, they even began closing sections of the rocks because the waves were coming in so high. The atmosphere and beach itself were one of the prettiest coast views I’ve seen in the USA.
LA is huge, and if you’re not a big researcher you may not even realize all the nature and outdoorsy areas it has to offer. Initially my idea of LA was city, bougie lifestyle, and Disney, but the version I’m taking home with me are the beautiful mountain coastal drives, ocean dips, breathtaking hidden architecture, and reminding myself that the touristy activities will always provide a unique experience to everyone.
From one friend to another💌
Notes from friends 💌