In the Fall we traveled to Southern California for another one of my fun rheumatologist visits. Don’t be jealous, we can’t ALL have Lupus. Once again we stayed at one of my favorite hotels in Southern California, the Huntington Beach Hyatt.
This hotel is made of magic and fairy dust in my eyes. Anyplace that has surfboards hanging from the walls in the lobby has my vote.
We stayed for two nights and took advantage of every single second even though it was cloudy and rainy the whole time we were there. It’s okay, we’ll take rain over snow any day of the week.
This was the view outside our room. Not terrible is it?
The front of the hotel faces the ocean. In fact the only thing separating the hotel from the water is the Pacific Coast Highway. No need to worry though, the Hyatt has a private walkway and elevator to take you across the highway. When we weren’t luxuriating in every amenity the hotel has to offer {and they are many} we were oceanfront with our toes in the sand.
You don’t hear me complaining.
The hotel rooms are pretty standard fare for the Hyatt: comfortable and super clean with really soft beds. I’m always really torn when we stay here. I want to spend the entire time in the soft bed surrounded by down pillows with a remote in hand, all the better for watching terrible t.v. on the flat screen T.V., but I end up lured out by the jumping dolphins and ocean air.
Don’t cry for me Argentina, I know what kind of life I live.
This time around the hotel sent up a cheese tray along with some sparkling cider. The PR rep for the hotel found out we were Mormons who don’t drink so she didn’t send up Champagne. Thoughtful.
The hotel also has a bunch of fire pits dotted around the property, so we were given two s’mores kits for roasting marshmallows after our days at the beach. The kids were pretty thrilled about that one.
The second day there, even though the waves were crazy and it was pouring rain, I crossed #5 off my Life List. Jesse, the adorable girl who arranged our visit had seen my Life List and arranged for the entire family to have surfing lessons. It has literally been on my Life List in the back of my head to learn how to surf in Huntington Beach since I was about 9; having a lifelong dream come to fruition with my husband and kids was magical.
Naturally I had a really hard time getting up, and hopefully someday I’ll tell you all about my adventure of learning how to surf while my children laughed at me. Both of them got up and surfed like pros. Natch.
Lest you think there’s nothing else to do at the hotel {oh the humanity!} we were given beach cruiser bicycles for the afternoon after we finished surfing lessons. We rode up and down the length of Huntington Beach all afternoon on the bike path next to the ocean, all the time plotting ways to sell the house and move to California.
No, really.
And then we check out and drive home in a smelly car for 12 hours with whining children and wonder where all the magic has gone. We leave it at the beach every time.
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The Hyatt Huntington Beach covered the cost of one night hotel + the amenities we enjoyed while on the property. My love for the Hyatt Huntington Beach isn’t bought or sold, it comes from deep within my beach loving soul.
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
What a lovely hotel! Glad you got to surf!
This past week was overcast in Cali, but I STILL want to live there :) It didn’t slow us down at all!