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10 Things to do in San Diego During Quarantine

Hello my beautiful travel friends! – here is a list I have been working on all year from my many visits to San Diego in 2020!

It is my top 10 things to do in San Diego during quarantine!

1. Hike South Fortuna Trail

South Fortuna is part of Mission Trails Regional Park and it is the 2nd most popular hike compared to North Fortuna -BUT it is just as beautiful ! & WAY less people. Honestly it is the same view, if not better! It is around 4.6 miles, & has no shade so bring extra water.

2. Visit Hotel Del Coronado (Hotel Del)

A lot of people stay or visit this hotel when in San Diego! The outside of the hotel with it’s white walls and red roof is gorgeous. It is great place to stroll around the grounds or along the beach.

The view of the hotel behind you & ocean in front of you make for a great place to watch the sunset or take a photo on the massive black rocks along the sand.

3.Hike Potato Chip Rock

This hike is seriously gorgeous. Most people go for the cool rock formation (like I did), but truly the views were nothing short of incredible & I would do this hike again.

I do not reccomend doing this shot ^ it was a little risky. The initial drop below is at least 40 feet & then hundreds of feet below that. Many people don’t climb it but stand further away & pretend they are eating the rock (like a potato chip).

4. Climb Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Ho Chi Minh Trail is SUCH a fun little adventure. This mini trail is located in the La Jolla area. You can take this trail all the way down to Black’s Beach. It is less a hike in my book and more of a climbing escapade!

It is not the easiest to find.

But type in Ho Chi Minh Trail or 9883 La Jolla Farms Rd, La Jolla, CA in whatever maps you use. You will park in a neighborhood & the entrance is a little path between two private properties with wooden fences. There is no sign but the address above will take you right near it.

If at the beginning of the trail you rear to the left it will take you into the main part of the trail & into these cute sand colored rock formations.

If at the beginning of the trail you rear to the right & start to go up a little path on a hill you will have this awesome view of the beach!

5. Go Surfing at Del Mar

Rent a board & enjoy the water. This picture was my first & only time I have gone surfing thus far. I got eatn by ALL the waves, but it was still a blast to try! I would recommend trying at Del Mar Beach!

6. Visit the 1935 Old Cactus Garden

This place is pretty awesome for a fun photoshoot ! There was no one there when I went & it was just a fun little patch of Cacti !

7. Swim to Sunset Cliffs Open Ceiling Sea Cave

This cave is hard to reach but such a fun escapade. Type in Sunset Cliffs at Luscomb Point to take you there. When you arrive look for the rocky area to the right of the cove & that is where you can maneuver down to be able to swim into the cave (I used the local rope that is always there to climb down).

No one is usually here because it is that hard to get to. You should not try to reach this spot unless it is extremely low or negative tide. I went when the tide was lower & just a few feet high and it was rough getting in as the waves can hit you against the rocks pretty harshly. Go with someone & only if you are a great swimmer!

8. Find La Jolla’s Secret Swing

This little gem is also not easy to find. Type Prospect Place La Jolla, CA in your phone to get here. There is a curve of parking spots near some neighborhood homes & behind the parking is a little path. Go down the path & take a right, eventually you will see white fencing. This is where you stop off to the left to start down the path to the swing.

You can also go even further down this hill (using the rope) to get yourself all the way down to the beach.

9. Visit the La Valencia Hotel for brunch & pictures! They have COVID practices implemented & the restaurant is mostly outdoor seating!

Trust me, this adorable hotel will make all your pink travel dreams come true!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…..

10. Buy a pizza & take it anywhere on Sunset Cliffs to watch the sunset for dinner!

Trust me it will be SO much better than a night in watching Netflix.

If you have any question, leave a comment or DM me on Instagram: tori_churchill

X O X O

– D O L L

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Aruba: Top 4 Things to Do

Aruba: Top 4 Things to Do

This post is going to be a lot more pictures than words because they speak for themselves !

1 hotel rec + top 4 things to do + other fun little stops!

HOTEL REC

I stayed at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino & it was absolutely beautiful.

Me, Beachfront at the Stellaris ; )

The view from our balcony was truly awesome & dreamy.

There is a swim up bar & volleyball court!

They also have an adult pool that is more secluded & has cabanas

Had to work remote a few days from there so there office space was helpful (had to use wifi hotspot).

+ they also have a Starbucks inside, which I loved bc I needed a little familiarity in my diet while visiting

<Yes , this hotel was expensive, BUT there are quite a few restaurants and bars to walk to along the beach (see below) + everyone came to this hotel for the night life (it IS a Casino) ! I am all about being walking distance from everything because walking places is just so lovely to me.>

okay now for THE TOP 4 THINGS TO DO IN ARUBA !

#1 Arikok National Park

1. Arikok National Park

Arikok National Park is a MUST. If you go to Aruba & don’t come here, you are not cool. I rented a car for the day & drove around the entire thing. There are 21 stopping spots on the park map, below are my top spots.

Quadirikiri Cave

Quadirikiri Case is extremely picturesque. Many photographers go to Aruba just because of this cave with a hole in the top!

Dos Playa

Dos Playa was breathtaking. The water was actually this blue. Some locals come here to surf, but for most the water is too dangerous & you should not go in.

Fontein Cave

Fontein Cave was a lot smaller than Quadirikiri Cave, but the rock formations were pretty cool to me ( don’ t you remember learning about stalactites & stalagmites ? ) + the cave is filled with Indian Pictographs dating back 1000 years.

(Conchi) Natural Pool

You can actually swim in this pool! Every few minutes water will splash over the rocks & into the circular pool area that you can swim in! It is always packed during the day, so I would go early one morning.

#2 FLAMINGO BEACH ON RENAISSANCE ISLAND

2. Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Island

A guest pass to Flamingo Beach is $125……. & 100% worth it.

If you stay at the Renaissance Aruba Resort you can get a pass for free, but guest or not you need to book in advance. Starting at 6 AM (& you can only book for a visit the next day) you go to this website & book. Tickets were gone within a couple minutes every morning I tried. I got lucky my last day ; )

You get a boat ride to the island, a full meal & drink of choice from their menu, you get to see flamingos & other awesome little animals + the beach itself is so incredibly quiet & refreshing. Such a different experience on this beach/island compared to the shore.

I hung out with these guys for awhile. There are only 6 of them. They stay here on the island because their wings were clipped. Aruba is not filled with endless flamingos. If you don’t come to this island, you won’t see em! The island is open from 7 AM to 6:45 PM. Boats leave every 15 minutes.

#3 UTV TOUR

#3 UTV Tour

My aunt & I did a UTV tour which are pretty popular in Aruba as they are a fast way to see a lot of the island.

A UTV is a mix between a golf cart & an ATV, aka not this car behind us.

We did the Nautural Pool UTV Off-Road Adventure from De Palm Tours. This tour was around $230- $260. My aunt & I both went, so $100 something a person is not too bad. This tour included 6 stops, but you can pick all different kinds of tours with different sites to visit.

My fav 3 spots are pictured below:

(Conchi) Natural Pool
REAPEAT bc this place is in Arikok National Park & 1 of the 21 spots!
+ this is tagged all sorts of incorrect on maps in Aruba, but it is in the National Park !

Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins

Alto Vista Chapel

Everything you see on these tours, you can see on your own. But you would still need to rent a dune buggy (or jeep, something off-road friendly) which can be around $100 a day as well.

The reason I liked this tour was driving the fast UTV buggy around & it gave me idea of Arikok National Park the day before I explored it. (+ time w my Aunt <3). The reasons I did not like it, you have to stick to a schedule, a bit pricey, + you get COVERED in dirt.

#4 Sunset Cruise

Unfortunately, I did not make it on a sunset cruise, but there are a zillion offered on the island & I heard they are one of the best things to do in Aruba! I heard they can be very romantic (I went with my mom & aunt on this trip so I should be good that I missed! haha )

Those are the top 4 !

Below are a few more stops that I enjoyed so much!

Historic Lighthouse

Historic Lighthouse

This historic lighthouse is on the north side of the island and not near anything else, so I did this early on one morning. It just a pretty historic site to see & snap a picture. Keep in mind, from end to end the entire island takes a little less than an hour to drive across, but it was nice to check this off my list early!

Eduardo’s Beach Shack

Eduardo’s Beach Shack

You go to Eduardo’s Beach Shack for an awesome açaí  bowl, a fantastic view & of course a cute pic. I got the classic bowl & seriously ate it in under 10 minutes because it was so good! + I walked from my hotel to get there (1/2 mile).

Other things to do that I did not care for OR forgot to mention!

  1. Butterfly Museum (play w a tremendous amount of butterflies!)
  2. Donkey Sanctuary (play w Donkeys)
  3. Snorkel Cruise ( had just snorkeled in Hawaii + you can snorkel on the shore of the island)
  4. Baby Beach (I stopped but did not get a pic!)
  5. Palm Beach (my hotel was on Palm Beach so I explored it a lot. One of the best beaches)
  6. Eagle Beach (I stopped by in my car. A lot of ppl go here to take pics of the Divi Divi trees)
  7. Sunrise at Tripod/ Trinity Bridge (went but not during sunrise)
  8. Sunset Mangel Halto
  9. San Nicolas (a town with many beautiful Murals on buildings, saw a few from my car)
  10. Shopping in Oranjestad (I love shopping but not when on a beautiful island to explore!)

If you have any question, leave a comment or DM me on Instagram: tori_churchill !

I hope your trip to Aruba is as delightful & refreshing as mine was !

X O X O

– D O L L