Breakfast isn't included in the price of a room at La Valencia, so our first stop was Starbucks - located just a couple of doors down from the hotel entrance. We bought coffee, croissants and parfaits to take to the picnic benches at La Jolla Cove. Here, we were able to eat and drink in the sunshine, with the distinctive fishy smell of the resident sea lions lingering in the air - but the amazing views made up for it.
After breakfast, we stepped down onto the beach to see the sea lions up close - but not too close. The lifeguard's warning, to keep a safe distance from these wild animals, went unheeded by some visitors. The sea lion selfie was clearly more important than safety! They are such noisy, boisterous creatures though and we had great fun watching some of their antics.
From La Jolla Cove, we enjoyed the amazing views as we walked along the beach footpath to Nicholson Point Park beach, to spend a few fun hours in the huge waves, as well as sunbathing and building a fort to try and hold back the tide (the tide won!).
One lost pair of sunglasses and a few scrapes later, we left the beach for a late lunch at a nearby cafe Sugar & Scribe. The food was delicious. We enjoyed a beautiful chicken and avocado salad, tuna on croissant, cucumber salad and waffles with fruit.
Once back at the hotel, we decided to use the hotel pool for a while. The extra comfortable sun loungers, pool towels, fabulous setting and super poolside bar service made for an extremely pleasant end to the afternoon.
Later that evening, we walked the short distance to one of the nearby Italian restaurants: Bistro Pazzo, where we enjoyed lasagne, rigatoni pasta and spaghetti bolognese, plus a very nice bottle of wine, before heading back to the hotel to bed.
