Recommendations for Honeymooning in Southern California

[missjaxon]

I am getting married on October 10, 2010 in Riverside California. We will also be honeymooning in California since this is a destination wedding. My fiance and I are trying to decide where in Cali we want to honeymoon and what must see attractions we should visit. The only thing we know that we definitely want to do is Disneyland, I have been once and FI has never been. I was hoping you wonderful ladies could give me some recommendations of attractions and things to do while we are there. It would also be nice to have a some recommendations for our guests since 99% of them will all be traveling to be with us.

 

[DMBFiredancer]

Here''s some ideas to get you started....

Our wedding will be in Redondo Beach, Ca - I am suggesting the following to guests (we have lots of baseball fans coming, hence the stadiums first):

Dodger Stadium –about 25 miles
Angels Stadium – about 30 miles
Disneyland – about 30 miles
Hollywood – about 30 miles
Universal Studios / City Walk – about 20 miles
Warner Brothers Studio Tour – about 20 miles
Los Angeles Downtown – about 10 miles
Venice Beach - about 10 miles
Getty Center - about 10 miles
Catalina Island – about 25 miles
San Diego – about 3 hours to drive

if you take a day in san diego, the wild animal park is great there and the gaslamp district for nightlife is a lot of fun

 

[choro72]

Oh my gosh! I live in Riverside! Where are you getting married at!? The Mission Inn?

Catalina Islands is beautiful. You can take a boat there. I also love Newport Beach. Griffith''s Park is beautiful too.

 

[lovesparklies]

I recently moved to southern California and don't have much to suggest in the way of attractions to visit, but if you're looking for a place to relax and unwind I suggest the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach. It's amazing, although not cheap. The St. Regis and Ritz in nearby Dana Point are also great. Are you looking for a place to vegetate for a few days or for a list of activities?

ETA: Oops -- sorry!
"I was hoping you wonderful ladies could give me some recommendations of attractions and things to do while we are there."

 

[missjaxon]

Date: 3/6/2009 1:11:48 AM
Author: choro72
Oh my gosh! I live in Riverside! Where are you getting married at!? The Mission Inn?


Catalina Islands is beautiful. You can take a boat there. I also love Newport Beach. Griffith''s Park is beautiful too.

Yes choro72!! I am getting married at The Mission Inn!! and am EXTREMELY excited. I was there last October and it is just so breathtaking. I just love Southern California soo much! Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[missjaxon]

Date: 3/6/2009 12:45:53 AM
Author: DMBFiredancer
Here''s some ideas to get you started....


Our wedding will be in Redondo Beach, Ca - I am suggesting the following to guests (we have lots of baseball fans coming, hence the stadiums first):


Dodger Stadium –about 25 miles

Angels Stadium – about 30 miles

Disneyland – about 30 miles

Hollywood – about 30 miles

Universal Studios / City Walk – about 20 miles

Warner Brothers Studio Tour – about 20 miles

Los Angeles Downtown – about 10 miles

Venice Beach - about 10 miles

Getty Center - about 10 miles

Catalina Island – about 25 miles

San Diego – about 3 hours to drive


if you take a day in san diego, the wild animal park is great there and the gaslamp district for nightlife is a lot of fun

Thanks for all of the suggestions!! That is exactly a list I was hoping to see, I know those are all attractions me and my guests would love to see. I really appreciate it!!

 

[missjaxon]

Date: 3/6/2009 1:20:33 AM
Author: lovesparklies
I recently moved to southern California and don''t have much to suggest in the way of attractions to visit, but if you''re looking for a place to relax and unwind I suggest the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach. It''s amazing, although not cheap. The St. Regis and Ritz in nearby Dana Point are also great. Are you looking for a place to vegetate for a few days or for a list of activities?


ETA: Oops -- sorry!

''I was hoping you wonderful ladies could give me some recommendations of attractions and things to do while we are there.''

No worries! My fiance and I will want to take at least one week to ourselves to just vegetate so I really appreciate your recommendations. Thank you!

 

[CNOS128]

I''d go to San Diego and just stay for a few days.
Or, Palm Springs since (I think?) it''s relatively close to Riverside and I love it there.

 

[KatyWI]

If you do make it down to the San Diego area, you MUST see the zoo! They have some amazing and different animals there!

 

[noelwr]

We LOVE SoCal. Went there 2 years in a row and will go back next year in Sep for our 1 year anniversary. We''d move there, but you only get 2 weeks holidays when working in the States so we''ll stay in Europe and travel.

Warner Bros. studio - do the VIP tour. We were able to walk on film sets and got a lot of inside info on the tv shows we love.

Seaworld, San Diego - I love how they can train these humungous orcas.

Venice Beach to Santa Monica Pier - we walked this. It was far, but fantastic to see the people biking/roller blading by. We even were able to watch a Body Building competition.

Universal Studios - Disneyland for adults.

Beverly Hills - Go on a tour to see famous people''s houses.

Hollywood - Take a tour to see Grauman''s Chinese Theater (famous people''s handprints) and the stars on the sidewalk.

Drive along the coast of Orange County. Newport Beach is beautiful (and their Fashion Island Mall is nice) and goes into Laguna Beach. We like to gawk at the mansions.

 

[panda08]

Congrats! I went to a wedding at the Mission Inn a few years ago and it''s absolutely gorgeous!

I live in So. Cal. You''ve gotten some great suggestions on places to visit. If you''re interested in the Getty, keep in mind there are two Getty''s, one in Bel Air and the other in Malibu. I prefer the one in Malibu, it''s a historic villa perched atop a hillside and has beautiful gardens and this incredible view of the ocean. Of course, the things inside are interesting too

So. Cal. is pretty spread out and it would be a bummer to spend a lot of time driving around. How much time will you be honeymooning here? Are you gonna be staying in one location?

If Disneyland is a must see, consider staying in Orange County, in the Huntington Beach or Newport Beach area, if you''re interested in a coastal location. O.C. is between L.A. and San Diego and is a good central location. I live in LA and work in OC and the drive can be anywhere between 40 mins. to 2 hours, depending on traffic. OC to SD is about a two to three hour drive.

Here are some other suggestions:

Catch a performance at the Disney Hall, which is in Downtown L.A. The building is lovely and the acoustics inside are incredible.

If you interested in doing some shopping, go to the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, which is a stone''s throw from Newport Beach.

The OC Performing Arts Center, in Costa Mesa, is also great.

See a Lakers/Clippers Game. The area around the Staples Center has undergone quite a renovation. Now there''s restaurants, shops, bowling alley, etc.

Check out the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The area nearby has lots of restaurants and shops.

If you''re into afternoon tea, have it at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach. The hotel is breath-taking.

If you want dining recs, let me know!

Hope that helps!

 

[Mediterranean]

The Mission Inn is really gorgeous, you''re going to LOVE your photos!!

A nice day trip, if you like the coast, is to rent bikes and take the beachside path through Santa monica. SaMo beach has the Pier (which has amusement park style rides and a little midway with games, plus a few little restaurants on the boardwalk) You can take the path up towards Pacific Palisades (which is gorgeous) or down towards Venice (which is very cool, too...and has cute little cafes like FigTree''s, right on the beach path)