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Welcome to Leah B Lively! A blog filled with guides to help you make your travel dreams a reality. @leahblively

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Home / Travel / US Trip / A Perfect Pool Day in La Jolla: La Valencia Hotel

A Perfect Pool Day in La Jolla: La Valencia Hotel

Couples Trip, Girls Trip, US Trip

This September, my parents, sisters, Mitch and I took a long awaited family vacation! We spent 5 full days exploring San Diego! Spoiler Alert – we LOVED San Diego and everything there was to do there! And while hard to choose just one – I have to say one of my favorite things we did on the trip was spend a day in La Jolla.

san diego pool

La Jolla is a posh suburb with gorgeous Pacific Ocean coastline, located just 20 minutes from downtown San Diego. If you’re looking for a fabulous day, look no further than La Jolla! And I highly recommend a pool day at the La Valencia Hotel.

la valencia hotel spanish style

La Valencia Hotel

During our trip to San Diego we stayed at an amazing Airbnb – the only thing missing was a pool. All of us girls, but especially my mom, wanted some pool time! Luckily Resort Pass has tons of options for day passes at hotel pools in the San Diego area!

We booked our day passes to the La Valencia Hotel in advance through Resort Pass, which allowed us all-day access to the incredible Pacific Ocean facing pool!

This iconic pink hotel, built in 1926, is truly a landmark with it’s unique Spanish-style architecture and rich history. Making it a wonderful spot to have a luxurious, memorable day in the sun!

la jolla pink hotel

While the passes were a bit spendier than other hotel pool options in the San Diego area, we were glad we splurged a little for this experience. We spent all day at the pool and then explored the nearby area on the coast before eating dinner just a couple blocks away.

Things to Know Before You Go

  • No outside food is allowed – we ordered lunch by the pool and all loved our food! The food and drinks are a bit more expensive (this is a theme in the San Diego area ;)) but were well worth it in my opinion
  • Get there early to get a comfy lounge chair! While not guaranteed, if you get to the pool early you should have a better chance of getting a spot by the pool. We got to the hotel around 10 am and had no problem finding lounge chairs.
  • In La Jolla it is common to experience clouds and fog in the morning. While it can remain overcast all day, it usually clears up by noon or mid-day depending on the time of year. We had clouds and fog until about noon and then it was pretty sunny the rest of the day!
  • Book in advance if you can – I noticed some days were full and resort passes were not available every day. Of course, make sure to review cancellation policies to ensure you understand the cancellation policy and when you would have to cancel to receive a refund.
la jolla pool

I hope someday to come back to this gorgeous hotel. It was such a fun experience with my family and I’ll never forget it! I think it would be an awesome place for not only a family vacation, but also a couple’s getaway or a fun girls’ trip too!

la valencia hotel family

After a day at the Pool

After a day at the pool, you won’t want to miss walking down to La Jolla Cove and the Children’s Pool Beach – a popular spot to watch seals!

And if you’re looking for a dinner spot nearby check out Duke’s La Jolla! We had a dinner reservation at Duke’s and it was the perfect way to end our day in La Jolla. They have a fun Hawaiian menu and a beautiful ocean view patio.

Check back soon for my full blog post on San Diego!

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November 7, 2021 ·

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Cheers to the freakin weekend !!! I’ve been liv Cheers to the freakin weekend !!!

I’ve been living in Charlotte just over 2 months! And I LOVE it 🤍

It’s such a fun, vibrant, growing city with amazing weather ☀️, so many things to do, and an incredible restaurant scene! 🍽 

If you’ve never been to Charlotte, definitely add it to your list! I’ll be sharing more of my favorite spots!
Pretty details plus wine 🍷 @folktalewinery is l Pretty details plus wine 🍷 @folktalewinery is like something out of a fairytale✨

#folktalewinery #carmelbythesea #carmelcalifornia #gardendesign #beautifulplaces #beautifulwinery #fairytale #castle #cawine #carmelvalley #girlslovetravelling #girlstrip #prettydetails #winecountry #leahblively
Disneyland or Disney World?? What’s your favorit Disneyland or Disney World?? What’s your favorite?

Disneyland was just as fun as 10 year old me remembered ✨ 

My friend and I went back in February and here are my top tips!

1. Book your tickets in advance (popular days can sell out well in advance) 🎟 

2. Get there early - the morning is less crowded ☀️ 

3. Seriously consider the fast pass (aka Genie Plus)! For an extra $20 each, we thought it was so worth it! 👏🏼 

4. Make sure your phone is fully charged! Especially if you get Genie Plus, b/c you’ll have to schedule rides using the app! 📱 

And last but not least…
5. Rides you don’t want to miss (or at least my favorite ones 😋)
-Space Mountain 🚀 -Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ⛰-Pirates of the Caribbean 🏴‍☠️-Haunted Mansion -Indiana Jones 
-Matterhorn Bobsleds -Its a Small World (not your typical ride but a classic) 😉 

And Disneyland is my favorite ❤️ I went there many times as a kid and have so many great memories! But Disney World is pretty cool too 😉 

#disneyland #disneylandcalifornia #disneylandfood #disney #california #mickeymouse #girlstrip #vacationmode #wanderlust #travelgram #cltblogger #leahblively
Well, we made a big move 🏠 and life has been a Well, we made a big move 🏠 and life has been a little crazy these last few months! 

We’re excited to call Charlotte, NC our new home and have been busy the last couple weeks exploring 🤍 

That’s why I’ve been MIA for awhile :) I’m sure I’ll be posting again soon! But wanted to share this little update!

Hope you all have a great rest of the week!!

#travelblogger #southerncharm #clt #charlottenc #queencity #northcarolina #nc #newcity #leahbively
Embraced the cold today and explored the Ice Castl Embraced the cold today and explored the Ice Castles ❄️ 

Beautiful day for it ☀️ We hadn’t been in a few years - when it was in Stillwater! The Ice Castles were stunning and a lot bigger than we remembered! 

📍 New Brighton, MN
Just a fun day in the ☀️ If you’re ever in Just a fun day in the ☀️ 

If you’re ever in San Diego don’t miss incredible views at Cabrillo National Monument 😍

Happy weekend everyone!

#sandiego #nationalmonument #nps #cabrillonationalmonument #california #beautifulcoast #oceanview #sandiegotrails #wanderlust #travelcouple #leahblively
San Diego Zoo 🦒 … is it worth it?? 100% yes! San Diego Zoo 🦒 … is it worth it??

100% yes!  Not only is the zoo filled with so many animals 🦁 (my favorite animal spotting was the koalas sleeping in the trees 🐨), but it is truly a beautiful park with so many gorgeous plants and flowers 🌸 

Some of my family thought about skipping the San Diego Zoo on our trip but everyone was so glad we all went! Definitely worth it! 

+ I would recommend trying to go in the morning as the animals tend to be more active earlier in the day! 🐻 

I haven’t finished up my blog post on San Diego quite yet as I’ve been busy enjoying time with family and friends, but I’ll be posting a full San Diego Guide soon so check back on the blog soon 😉
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