Our latest adventure marked a very special moment in our lives — our 2 year wedding anniversary. Last year, we went big and celebrated by traveling to New Zealand — where Kevin assumed I was trying to kill him on a jet boat tour around Queenstown . But don’t worry, all was forgotten when we toured New Zealand’s real-life set of Hobitton. It’s hard to believe how much has changed since our wedding day. And that we’d be in the middle of a pandemic!
We’re married! Our special day at our wedding in downtown Los Angeles at the Oviatt Penthouse
Obviously, this year’s anniversary celebration was a little closer to home. And I knew immediately that La Jolla, Calif., located just 15 miles north of downtown San Diego and approximately two hours driving south from Los Angeles, would be the perfect spot. Whether you’re looking for a quiet weekend away or celebrating a landmark anniversary there is no end of romantic things to do while staying at an Airbnb in La Jolla for couples. Check out our top 5 picks.
5. Enjoy Some Extraordinary Desserts
Carrot cake, from San Diego’s famous dessert shop Extraordinary Desserts.
We’ve been doing trips to San Diego for years. But no visit is complete without stopping by Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego. We typically dine in at their Little Italy location since it’s a much splashier experience than their second location in Banker’s Hill. This time, we did pick-up given the current pandemic situation. And you know what? We enjoyed our desserts from the comfort of our Airbnb just as much as the restaurant, if not more. Kevin got his favorite, the chocolate croissant bread pudding, while I enjoyed a slice of their signature carrot cake. We even timed our dessert with a virtual wine tasting. I mean, who can’t beat carrot cake paired with a glass of wine?
If you don’t feel like driving 10 minutes to San Diego, we recommend hitting up La Jolla’s Sugar and Scribe. Home of Food Network Champion Chef Maeve, Sugar and Scribe is located in the heart of La Jolla and has a wide array of desserts including prepared cookie dough. Kevin recommends just eating rather than wasting time with that whole baking part.
My personal recommendation are the chocolate brownies, where 1 brownie can easily be split among 2-3 people. The shop is also super cute and worth stopping by to just peruse. Though, clearly I couldn’t help myself and bought several desserts and some bread.
Sugar and Scribe Bakery in La Jolla.
4. Take A Stroll Along The Ocean And Through the Woods
Kevin takes Doug (the dog) for a hike. Clearly, Doug’s definition of hiking is being carried.
There is just something romantic about walking along the ocean. And La Jolla will certainly not disappoint you. Our Airbnb was just steps away from La Jolla Beach Trail, a 2.2 mile hike along the coastline. While some parts of the trail were shut due to coronavirus, you can easily still walk the perimeter of the trail during those sections. To stay on track, we suggested following the map on our new favorite app, All Trails. The trail passes by seals and pelicans before crossing through some shrubs and wooden bridges among the multi-million dollar mansions. In total, the hike will take just about 1 hour. Though, it took us a little longer since we couldn’t help but take A LOT of photos.
There isn’t a bad photo opp on the La Jolla Beach Trail.
For those who are willing to hop in the car and drive away from the beach, another fun trail we recommend is Los Penasquitos Creek Trail, located about 20 minutes inland from La Jolla. This 6.4 mile trail features waterfalls, river crossings and plenty of overhead shade for those hot San Diego days.
Despite many trails being closed due to coronavirus, this one remained open. And we barely saw anyone during the entire hike with the exception of a family who warned us about rattlesnakes. Okay, so that’s not exactly very romantic. But luckily, no rattlesnakes were spotted. Though, things didn’t go exactly as planned halfway through when we reached a bridge crossing completely washed out. I recommended we just take off our shoes and walk through the river. I could tell Kevin wasn’t exactly so sure as he suggested I go first!
In total, the hike takes about 3 hours. Though, full disclosure, we did cut off a portion of the hike after hearing about those rattlesnakes! The family clearly could tell we weren’t hardcore hikers. But this was before our river crossing so I think we earned some bragging rights.
3. Wander San Diego’s Compact Little Italy
It doesn’t get much better than doing an urban hike through San Diego’s Little Italy. First of all, you won’t need to deal with any river crossings or rattlesnakes. I mean, we already had enough of that! But even though things were shut down during the pandemic, a lot of the small businesses here remained open. After all, what is Little Italy best known for? Pizzerias, bakeries and coffee shops. Clearly, this is a hike that is made for me.
Grabbing a cold brew coffee at Caffe Italia in San Diego’s Little Italy.
Before heading out, be sure to check out Assenti’s Pasta, a family run shop carrying house-made pastas and sauces, and Mona Lisa Italian Foods, located just across the street. Mona Lisa carries a wide range of wines, including rare-to-find wines in the US from Mexico’s Valle De Guadalupe wine region. As anyone who reads our blog knows, Mexico’s wine country is among our favorites places to visit. And it makes another incredible weekend getaway. I grabbed a bottle of red wine and a fresh made deli sandwich that tasted like the hoagies I enjoyed back home in Pennsylvania. Kevin stayed outside while I shopped. After one bite of the sandwich, Kevin told me he was so happy we met. So very sweet. And clearly, a hoagie is the secret to a successful marriage. So remember that!
2. Relax at a Cozy Airbnb in La Jolla, Overlooking the Ocean
Doug (the dog) is loving all the road trip adventures with us and especially the Airbnb’s big yard in La Jolla.
No doubt about it, our Airbnb in La Jolla had its quirks — the TV wouldn’t stay on and neither would the hot tub. But hey, we were willing to forgive all of its imperfections due to the sweeping views.
You can almost imagine waking up each morning and enjoying a cup off coffee and cinnamon buns.
Built on a hill overlooking the pacific, it was one of the first homes built in La Jolla. The home has been updated with a new kitchen as well as hardwood floors throughout. It was quite the zen space.
Doug loves all the windows and wandering around looking for food.
Best of all? It’s in the heart of La Jolla, just 1 block away from the beach and walkable to all of the shops and restaurants of downtown. While most of the shops were closed during the pandemic, we still enjoyed wandering the streets and exploring. Weekday rates run as low as $160 a night, but during the more popular periods can go anywhere from $300-$395 a night plus tax.
Kevin takes in the sunset inside our La Jolla Airbnb cottage.
1. Take a Virtual Classes From Home
Virtual wine tasting without leaving home.
Our #1 pick of things to do in La Jolla for couples shouldn’t be a shock to anyone who knows us. We love classes and learning new things. Whether you’re self-quarantining or just don’t want to leave home, online classes are a blast. We first kicked off our weekend with a wine tasting with LA County-producer Byron Blatty. Sign up on their Facebook page here for their free Friday night tastings. We joined to try their new Cabernet Sauvignon. Truth be told, I couldn’t find this wine anywhere. So I ended up getting their 2017 Pragmatic — a blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. As I said, ehhh…close enough? We still had fun, even if I had the wrong wine. Kevin’s favorite part? Watching everyone else on their web cams get progressively wilder as they polished off the wine.
Learning the world’s best selling wine in our Byron Blatty tasting. We were surprised Pinot Noir wasn’t much higher.
The next night during our anniversary weekend getaway, we did our favorite class of all — a cheese tasting with Murray’s Cheese Shop in New York City. Murray’s is bringing their classroom experience online by offering their Cheese 101 course. When you sign up, they’ll send you four different cheeses and accompaniments. You’ll get everything by mail and a link ahead of the scheduled time where you can join in with others from around the world.
Look at this cheese line-up. We’re so excited.
This class didn’t put us on camera, which I appreciated. Though, I’m sure Kevin was intrigued to see our fellow students. Even though we weren’t on, it was still incredibly interactive with a chat box where the instructor answered every question we had.
I’m having too much fun. I’m down for a cheese class.
They have classes for kids along with virtual cheese cave tours. Classes are $110 each. Sign up by visiting their Eventbrite page.
Looking for other ideas of things to do in San Diego? Check out our full coverage of San Diego must-see spots, including 8 fun date ideas for a weekend in San Diego. Love Mexican culture and food as much as we do? We highly recommend a day trip to Tijuana and joining Tengo Hambre’s Taco and Beer Tour or following our own self-guided tour through Tijuana. And if all else fails and you don’t feel like going anywhere, you can spend your nights working away on a puzzle. Clearly, we got wild on our 2 year wedding anniversary!
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