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[bigletter]Oh how I LOVE doing my #RESORT guides at the end of each year! The perfect does of sunshine and a necessary peek at upcoming Spring and Summer when the holidays are through and yet another excuse for me to incorporate pink into my wardrobe.
This year’s inspiration came straight from the California Coast, a chillier one this time of year but not without it’s bold colors and resort-worthy design if you know where to look. For various reasons I found myself all the way up in SF for a hot second before making my way down to La Jolla, a seaside escape just north of San Diego. And my never ending search for bold prints, inspiring design and indulgent use of color seemed to hit the mark higher this year, which I can’t wait to share with you now, in addition to some stunning ideas for your next in-search-of-sun escape. Enjoy![/bigletter]
My resort series starts at the Proper Hotel in San Francisco where one of my first interior designer crushes, Kelly Wearstler, stunned us all once again with her colorful plays on a modern, yet collected space. While the location wasn’t ideal, the restaurant Villon was and it made my quick morning quite bright enjoying my breakfast amongst the absolute shade of blue!
Making a mental note for my future dream closet: shade of blue, staircase and shelving included.
And all the way back down the coast my mother and I found a little girls only getaway in the seaside town of La Jolla, one of San Diego’s well kept gems where one can find instant relaxation in this small and sunny, sleepy enclave. Upon arrival at our hotel, famously known as the ‘Pink Lady’ in town given it’s Hollywood history, La Valencia served up lots of Beverly Hills Hotel vibes. The Spanish tile details and picturesque views of the shore pushed us right on into resort mode despite the milder temps this time of year.
Our room had a stunning view of the pool and ocean with a balcony and lucky for us, the sunshine to go with it!
We immediately changed into our poolside attire, threw on a bathrobe and headed straight for a lounge chair. After putting in a drink order I bee-lined for the quaint little hot-tub alcove to warm up before joining my mother to bask in the afternoon sunshine. You never know this time of year, between Christmas and New Year’s, what the weather will bring but it’s safe to bet you’ll get a few good afternoon hours of sunshine somewhere in SoCal!
Before the sunshine left and my mother and I finished a refreshing round of poolside gossip we headed back to our rooms in time to explore the village before sunset. Most of the spots were fairly hit or miss in comparison to Los Angeles boutiques but we did however find some goodies at Sigi’s, a well curated lady’s shop with fabulous window displays and excellent customer service. I was heartbroken when I learned that one of my favorite evening wear brands, Alexia Maria, had started here in this town before becoming too big perhaps for it’s original shop location which I would have loved to see. Fortunately she sells in some of the chicest spaces of the internet, here.
More spots we loved were the elegant chocolates at Teuscher and stationery at Sweet Paper.
After some more retail therapy we settled into a stunning sunset view at We Olive, a great little place for a glass of wine and of course the best cocktail olives, cheeses and savory snacks before heading back to freshen ourselves up for a fabulous dinner at Marisi!
If you’ve ever dined with me before you know I base the majority of my restaurant choices off ambiance and decor, otherwise it’s typically only about the food and therefore it’s bashert when the two become one. Luckily for my mother and I this was bashert!
We sat in a cozy well furnished corner of the lemon room, which I OBVIOUSLY requested beforehand. The wallpaper, the tiles, the collection of art was sourced in perfect harmony, instantly filling me with all the warm weather holiday energy I was looking for!
Unfortunately they didn’t have the gemelli pasta with clams I was hoping to try but the excellent rigatoni in red sauce was simply divine, especially since I requested they hold the spice. It was as close to summertime Capri as any of us could get in December and I honestly wish I had opted for a spritz to fully embody the mood!
My mother loved her prawns and the burrata, while I couldn’t help but snap a pic in the gorgeously done restroom that fit my pink sweater and blazer duo well.
After our feast we cozied up in bed to watch Emily in Paris with some chocolates from earlier before immediately falling asleep!
Only to wake up to a cloudy morning with extra warm coffee waiting for us.
And a hunch for some French pastries at the Parisien Gourmandises, located in the back of chic little gift and homewares shop, Floral Palette before heading back up to La la land and the chaos that is home again!
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