Hi friends!!! Holy cow, seriously long time no see! I feel like I always come back and promise that I’ll be back writing on the blog for a while, and then life happens again and again and I don’t have time to blog. I also just have been having terrible writer’s block for the longest time. The struggle is so real! It’s crazy though, because I have an insane backlog of photos that I want to share on the blog, but I never know what to write about. If y’all ever have recommendations PLEASE send them my way because I’m seriously having a hard time!
Anyway, today’s post might be a little rambly, but I’m excited to share with y’all a recap of our trip to Carlsbad! Akash & I visited last weekend, and it was the best little getaway. Carlsbad is in Southern California, right near San Diego. The main reason for the trip was to actually visit the Flower Fields. For anyone who doesn’t know about the Flower Fields, basically every spring in Carlsbad there’s a HUGE bloom that lasts a few months. It’s absolutely stunning, and honestly the photos can’t do it justice.
Even though our main reason for visiting was to see the flower fields, we also got to do a ton of other things while we visited. Carlsbad sits right on the water, and has a ton of absolutely beautiful views. I’ll break it down for y’all!
WHERE WE STAYED
As a disclaimer, none of this trip was sponsored! We paid for everything ourselves, including the hotel. One of my newest latest finds is Hotel Tonight! I love to take spontaneous weekend trips in SoCal, and Hotel Tonight has been my best friend as of late. I’ve done my homework, and compared it to other hotel sites, and HT usually does actually have the best rates. Also, you don’t even have to book it literally ‘tonight.’ For Portland, Palm Springs, and for my upcoming trip to Seattle I’ve booked in advance. The key is to keep checking the app, because they have a lot of random flash deals. You can seriously score some amazing deals on the app, so keep an eye out! HT is also perfect for staycations, y’all. You’ll thank me later.
Anyway, I booked our hotel, the Cape Rey Carlsbad, through Hotel Tonight. We locked in an amazing rate at $120 a night, and the property was truly so worth it. They have a gorgeous pool that overlooks the ocean, and all of the staff was so nice. The restaurant also has an ocean view! We didn’t eat there, simply because we had a ton of stuff on our itinerary, but we walked by a few times and it looked great.
The hotel has all the bells and whistles- including one of my favorite perks: complimentary bikes! Early Saturday morning, we got up and biked down the coast. It’s a bit of a trek, but was so fun. Nothing like a morning workout with a pretty view!
WHERE WE ATE
We had the absolute pleasure of getting to experience the Green Dragon Tavern in Carlsbad! It was just a short 3 minute drive from the flower fields, and the perfect end to our trip. They have a bunch of delicious seafood! We got to try a bunch of different menu items, including their Mac & Cheese, Lobster Roll, Wood Plank Salmon, and their Crab Cakes. Everything was so good, but the crab cakes were probably my favorite! Then we topped it off with their Limoncello Creme Brûlée… yum yum yum.
The coolest part about the tavern is that there’s a museum inside of it, full of American history. It was the perfect way to end the night, learning fun facts and seeing cool artifacts about American history. There’s a super cool story behind the ideation of the property, and if you’re in the area I highly recommend stopping by. Delicious food + after-dinner entertainment! What could be better?
The cutest place EVER! If you’ve ever seen these character buns on Instagram, this place is the place to go to find them. I’ve wanted to visit a place with buns like this for forever, but never found one near me. I’m actually surprised that I haven’t found one in LA! Anyway, they have a ton of fun characters on these Asian buns, and they have a bunch of other fun menu items too. Here are a few of our faves:
If you’re looking for a good brunch place, this is it! The service is great, and the food is even better. Seriously can’t recommend enough! We had Saturday brunch on their patio, and the weather was so gorgeous too. Made for the absolute perfect morning!
I actually don’t have any photos from here, but we stopped by for tacos on our way into Carlsbad. We got a variety of tacos, and then a plate of the nachos. Honestly nothing mind-blowing, but if you’re in the mood for some Mexican food, it’s a good choice. We went on a Friday night and it was filled with college students, so just keep that in mind. Definitely a more casual place!
WHERE WE PLAYED
Duh. I’ve talked about the Flower Fields enough already, but sharing a few more photos here! Let me know if y’all have any questions, but everything you need to know should be in the website linked!
Okay y’all hopefully that was fun for you to read! It was a pretty quick trip, so I don’t have as much as usual to share. If you stop by any of these places you have to send me photos! Have a great weekend y’all, xoxo