Balance June 2019 - 49

 

TRAVEL
CALI ROAD
TRIP

WAY OUT
WEST

Leaving quaint, quiet
Ventura behind, we
venture towards the bright
lights of West Hollywood.
Challenging all our
preconceptions, WeHo is
intimate in a way you
don't expect in a sprawling
metropolis like LA.
On arrival at Kimpton
La Peer, we head to the
rooftop for a concert and
cocktail hour with Rod
Stewart's daughter, the
first of many "LA pinch
me" moments. We eat
surrounded by Silicon
Valley-types and WeHo
locals, visiting Viale dei
Romani for pasta and fish.
In the morning, we head
to Unplug Meditation on
Melrose for a revelatory
sound healing experience.
Unplug is minimalist, a
blank canvas for your own
meditation. Feeling well
and truly zen, we amble
through the Design District
to Gracias Madre for a
vegan brunch. Taking cues
from the crowd around,
we order guacamole,
Coliflor Frito and crab
cake tortas.
Rated as California's
most walkable city, two
nights in WeHo is an
unexpected but welcome
break, giving us an insight
into authentic LA life as
we amble from the Sweat
House (the infamous
infrared sauna house) to
Salt & Straw (for dairyfree, hazelnut ice cream),
all in the name of balance.
visitwesthollywood.com

After an encounter with the
infamous LA traffic, we head
south to Laguna Beach, a coastal
destination synonymous with
MTV's The Hills. It's home to
over 20,000 acres of wilderness,
canyons and miles of verdant
hills, and we stay at the 87-acre
canyon oasis The Ranch, a Mecca
of calm and tranquillity. The
Ranch is where canyon and ocean
meet, with a five minute walk to
the beach.
On arrival, we hunt down a
small group of individuals who
call themselves the Laughter Yoga
Society. With one rule to follow
(strictly no talking), we spend an
hour pretending to be seaweed,
dolphins and eagles, laughing
non-stop and ignoring the looks of
early-morning dog walkers. While
it felt forced at first, after an hour
my cheeks ache, endorphins are
flowing and I am full of admiration
for this group who have met every
morning for the past 14 years.
Next, we head for Ocean at

NICE ONE,
SAN

Our final port of Californian
call, in San Diego, is the
Catamaran Resort Hotel.
Unlike Laguna Beach, San
Diego is 70 miles of sprawling
coastline and giant bays, best
explored by bike. We rent
a couple from a surf shack
beside the hotel and quickly

Searching for the
Laughter Yoga Soc
iety

LAGUNA
MATATA

Main for their signature, coastal
California brunch plate of ahi
poke and avocado on sourdough to
fuel us for an afternoon of paddle
boarding with La Vida Laguna,
followed by a visit to the Chakra
Spa Gallery to meet with fourth

generation psychic, Stacy. Fast
forward 90 minutes and after a
spine-tinglingly accurate reading
and Chakra balancing, I realise
I need to start saving for the four
kids en route...
visitlagunabeach.com

get lost winding in and out of the
palatial beach houses.
The highlight of our time is not
on land, but out on water during
a kayak tour of La Jolla Ecological
Reserve with Everyday California.
A Marine Protected Area that's
home to a thriving underwater
ecosystem, we stop often to
watch nearby humpback whales
breaching the surface before us;

just another day in California.
Finishing our journey down the
PCH with a bang, we head to
Puesto for a last supper.
Located in the heart of downtown
San Diego, we are blown away by
the lively atmosphere inside the
expansive two-floor taqueria,
and are even more impressed by
the plant-based menu: esquites,
three variations of guacamole and,
truly the best jackfruit tacos we've
eaten.
Our trip down the PCH - South
is proof even in California (where
they are leagues ahead of the UK
in terms of trends), approaches to
wellness can, and do, differ.
While Ventura's Botanical
Gardens provide a welcome break
from the road, West Hollywood is
abundant with niche, next-level
classes; a dichotomy that sums up
the Balance approach. There is no
right or wrong way to wellness, as
long as you find yours. B
sandiego.com
visitcalifornia.com

49
http://www.visitlagunabeach.com http://www.visitwesthollywood.com http://www.sandiego.com http://www.visitcalifornia.com
Balance June 2019

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