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Le Meridien Bora Bora (French Polynesia)

Address: Motu in French Polynesia

The Le Meridien is a luxurious resort on an islet in Bora Bora and surrounded by the most beautiful lagoon overlooking the famous Mt. Otemanu. Bora Bora is surrounded by lots of small islands known as Motus. Le Meridien was built in the late 90’s and is the first luxury resort situated on a Motu. Le Meridien resort has 98 guests rooms and suites with complimentary Wifi’s, 3 restaurants, 2 outdoor pools, lagoon and white sand beach. Most of the resorts rooms were overwater bungalows and a few beach bungalow villas situated around the beautiful lagoon. The resorts has a one of a kind turtle sanctuary and an ecological center located behind the resort’s protected lagoon. The different types of accommodations are Pool Beach Villas, Overwater Lagoon Villas, Overwater Lagoon Premium, Overwater Otemanu Premium, Overwater End of Pontoon.

It took us about 9 hours flight one way from San Francisco to the Island of Bora Bora. My family and I had to fly from San Francisco to Honolulu and took another flight (about 5 hours) to the town of Papeete in Tahiti. We stayed overnight at the Inter-Continental Resort in Papeete and took a smaller plane in the morning to Bora Bora which took us about 45 minutes. As soon as we arrived in Bora-Bora Airport we were greeted by a representative of the Le Meridien Resort. We were escorted and directed to the private speed boat that took us to the resort. It was about a 20-30 minutes boat ride from the airport to Le Meridien. It was a fun ride as the weather is sunny and we had a friendly boat driver. The driver explained the history of the Island and showed us the different areas or point of interest. My daughter was happy and surprised when our boat driver removed the top cover of the boat for us to enjoy the beautiful warm weather.

Upon our arrival at the resort’s loading dock, we were greeted by a friendly front desk attendant named Ning and another staff member that was singing and playing Island music with a ukulele. We were amazed with the clear turquoise ocean water, overwater bungalows. lagoon, pristine white sand and the amazing view of Mt. Otemanu. We ate at Te Ava restaurant and explored the property as we waited for our room to be available. Te Ava was a casual, cozy, outdoor restaurant on the sand with purple adirondack chairs and caribbean theme settings. The restaurant is open daily and serve meditterrean menu and other such as sandwiches, pizzas, and fresh local seafoods.

We rode a golf cart to get to our one bedroom Beach Villa with large terraces, double hammocks, sunbeds and has an outdoor private swimming pool. The best part is that our Villa is very spacious and in front of the beautiful lagoon with clear water. We had a view of the beach, lagoon, and the resorts restaurant. My wife and daughter opened the Villa and were surprised, happy, and speechless to see a complimentary bottle of champagne for our Wedding Anniversary and a special cake for my daughter’s birthday. Our Beach Villa had a really nice Island style decor, a huge bed with a canopy, a private tub, open standing shower room and an outdoor patio overlooking the beautiful blue lagoon.

We ate breakfast and dinner at the Hotel’s signature restaurant called Le Tipanie which means “Breakfast” in Tahiti. It’s a very romantic, cozy, open air setting, overwater restaurant with a view of the beautiful lagoon. The restaurant is open daily and serves breakfast buffet and an a la carte menu for dinner with international flavor and French Polynesian traditions. The fun thing about the restaurant is that they provided us fish food to feed all the fishes in the lagoon. They even have large rocks under the lagoon water that spelled “Le Tipanie” and it’s also illuminated at night. The food was very good, fresh and has a wide variety of choices that includes the local Tahitian dish called “Poisson Cru” which is a raw fish marinated in citrus juice and coconut juice.

The best part was when we visited the “Turtle Sanctuary ” and Ecological Center. My family and I had the opportunity to learn about the turtles, watched the feeding of turtles, cleaned the turtles with a brush and swam with them in the private lagoon. It was a very unique and memorable experience for us that we will treasure forever especially my daughter. We had to book and pay a fee for the special experience. Guests can even renew their vows or get married in their beautiful overwater Chapel with a glass bottom floor overlooking the lagoon and Mt. Otemanu. The white sand beach with warm, crystal clear, calm water and overlooking the overwater bungalows and Mt. Otemanu is an unforgettable experience. The white sand on the beach was so soft and powdery. They even offer free stand up paddle boards, kayaks and snorkels for guests to use and have jet ski’s available for rent.

Overall, we enjoyed our short stay at the Luxurious Le Meridien Bora Bora Hotel which is a beautiful paradise hotel with soft white sand and a view of Mt. Otemanu. It was a one-of-a-kind experience for my family to stay on a large Beach Villa with your own private swimming pool. It was fun waking up in the morning with the stunning view of the lagoon, beach and Mount Otemanu. The Hotel’s landscape was very clean, lively due to its colorful tropical flowers. It’s a great unique and romantic place to stay with your family and loved ones while enjoying the overwater bungalow experience. It was a fun and memorable experience to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and Birthday celebration in a luxurious, Island themed style Hotel in one of the most romantic place in the world called Bora-Bora.

Tips: We stayed for another 3 days at a resort close to Le Meridien called InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa. We were transferred from Le Meridien to Thalasso Spa via private shuttle boat. InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa have a beautiful overwater bungalow with a private swimming pool. They even offer a sting-ray feeding experience for it’s guests. Le Meridien Hotel has an on-site wellness center where you can book private massages and facials. The hotel offers it’s guest a complimentary shuttle boat from the hotel to the main town of Vaitape which takes about 20 minutes one way boat ride. The beach fare attendants can also show you how to open a fresh coconut. Le Meridien Hotel has a large chessboard, foosball tables and chair lounges all over the property that is great for watching the sunrise or sunset. If you want to save money, go to the town of Vaitape and buy your groceries at the town Market.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Le Meridien Resort in Bora Bora after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel/room at Le Meridien Resort Bora Bora or it’s surrounding areas.

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Bodega Head State Park (Sonoma County)

Address:  3799 Westshore Rd, Bodega Bay, CA 94923

Bodega Head Trail State Park is in Sonoma County and situated on a small town called Bodega Bay. Bodega Head shelters the bay and harbor from the power of the Pacific Ocean and is about four miles long and one mile wide. Bodega Head is good for people who enjoy sightseeing, nature walking, photography, hiking, whale watching, or simply watching the sunset. Bodega Head has two trails which are family friendly and the trailhead protects both the North and West sides of the Bodega Harbor from the Pacific storms. Bodega head bluffs and cliffs have a 360 degrees views of the Pacific Ocean with the deep blue seas. There are 2 parking lots available onsite which are the upper area which is less maintained road and the lower area which is made up of sand and rocks with large potholes. There is no admission or entrance fee to visit the State Park. And no drones are allowed in Bodega Head.

The East Trail is a 1.7 mile loop that passes through the southern coastal bluffs of Bodega Head. While the west trail is a 1.2 mile loop that leads to the coastal bluffs and overlooks the view of the Horseshoe Cove. Bodega Head is one of the great spot to Whale Watch by the west trail parking area.

Bodega Head is about 1 hour and 30 minutes drive (77 miles) from San Francisco to Bodega Head State Park via US-101 North. But we came from Napa area (Yountville area) which only took us about 1 hour drive to Bodega Head. We passed through a couple of towns, local stores along the way such as the Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery, Estero Cafe, Valley Ford Supermarket. The cool place that we made a stopped over and ate is the famous “Bodega Bay Oyster Company.” We had our late lunch and ordered the famous “Kumamoto” bbq oysters, clam chowder, shrimp tacos and garlic bread.

We also passed through the popular Bodega Bay “Spud Point Crab Company” which is famous for its signature clam chowder. Bodega Head is about 3 minutes away from Spud Point. We made a right turn at the end of the road and drove up on a two-way, winding, narrow paved road. We had to be careful and paid attention to the other oncoming cars driving downhill and leaving the area. The large parking area was very busy since it was almost sunset and made up of sand and gravel with large potholes.

Overall, it was a fun, beautiful place to watch sunset with a 360 view of the Pacific Ocean with the deep blue seas. We enjoyed and experienced the power of the ocean as the waves crushed at the huge rocks and mesmerized by the beauty of nature at sunset. There were other hiking trails available at Bodega Head that you can explore with the entire family.

Tips: Watch out when you are driving uphill towards Bodega Head as the roads are narrow, slightly winding and two-way streets. Always watch out for oncoming traffic and pay attention to cars coming in and out of the parking space. There are public restrooms onsite but without a sink, so bring your toilet paper and hand sanitizer.. Bring binoculars to see all the different species of birds, wildlife and whale watching. Parking lot is made up of sand and gravel (unpaved) with large potholes. Watch out for dangerous cliffs and bring a jacket or sweater as the weather changes.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about Bodega Head State Park after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel close to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve Park.

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Kaneohe Sandbar (Oahu)

Address: 47-86 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744

Kaneohe Bay is located on the East side (windward) on the Island of Oahu. The Kaneohe sandbar is a natural formation and a collection of exposed islets surrounding coral reefs. The Kaneohe Sandbar is one of the unique, best-kept secrets, and exciting places to visit in Oahu. The sandbar is only exposed during low tides in Kaneohe Bay. The Kaneohe Bay is the largest bay of the main 8 Hawaiian Islands. The bay is protected by reefs from the waves of the open ocean. From the shoreline, the beautiful sandbar is about a mile away and only accessible by boat or kayak.

We drove for about 35 minutes (16 miles) from our Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel to Kaneohe Bay via HI- 63 North. We arrived at the He’eia kea Boat Harbor at around 9 am and parked in front of our boat. We paid and reserved a tour under Captain Bruce Kaneohe SandbarTour company. There is also a public restroom available onsite and a small Cafe, that serves snacks, ice cream, and sandwiches. We were early enough to find a parking space in front as parking is limited. We checked in with the staff members and decided to take pictures while we were waiting for the others. We were given safety instructions and basic information by the friendly, fun, and knowledgeable Captain Crystal and her staff members. We were also instructed that we had to remove our shoes, slippers or aqua socks before boarding the boat. There were some snacks, drinks, fruits and water games, and snorkeling gears for guests to use.

The boat ride from the harbor to the sandbar only took us 10 minutes. We were all in awe as we approach the Kaneohe Sandbar with its clear deep teal blue color and white sand. The boat anchored at around 9:50 am and we were informed that it was free time and our departure will be at 12:15 pm. We all jumped into the pristine clear blue water and proceeded to the other boat that stored all the free use of kayaks, (SUP) stand-up paddle boards, floaties, tubes, and many more. We choose to use the tubes and stand-up paddle board and took pictures with the background of the mountains. The bay water was warm, clear, and shallow (knee deep). After an hour, we were all called and were asked who wants to participate in snorkeling on the reef to see some fish and turtles. We decided to not do snorkeling since we already had experience with snorkeling. The best part of the tour was when it started to rain just for a few minutes followed by the sunshine. It was an amazing, memorable, experience for me and my family to enjoy the tropical rain in the middle of Kaneohe Bay.

All the guests were busy either kayaking, snorkeling, having lunch, playing beach volleyball, taking pictures, or just simply enjoying the beautiful, picturesque panoramic views of the Koolau Mountains and nearby islets.

Overall it was a great, memorable, and one-of-a-kind experience for me and my family. It is our first time visiting a sandbar and was a good treat or surprise for my daughter’s 13th birthday celebration. We even saw a few turtles (honu in Hawaiian) swimming through the clear blue turquoise water in the bay.

Tips: Ensure that you pack lots of bottled water to stay hydrated, and wear aqua socks or just barefoot since the sand is fine. You can bring your own snacks or food but the tour company provided us with some snacks, drinks, and water gears for us to use. Be at the dock or harbor earlier since parking is limited. There is also a small cafe with outdoor tables that sells sandwiches, snacks, and ice cream in the Harbor area. There were plastic cubbies available to use underneath each seat. The common tour hours that are being offered are either 9:30 a.m. and 1 pm.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about Kaneohe Sandbar after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel or place to stay near Kaneohe Sandbar in Oahu.

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Lanikai Beach (Oahu)

Address: Mokulua Dr Kailua, HI 96734

Lanikai Beach is located on the windward eastern side of the Island of Oahu. The word Lanikai means “The Heavenly Seas” in Hawaiian. Lanikai Beach is a beautiful, stunning beach on windward OĘ»ahu, with the famous twin Mokulua Islands, which has an interesting history. The beach is about half a mile long and it’s one of the most scenic stretches of coastline on Oahu. The Lanikai area/community is considered an upscale neighborhood in Hawaii.

We drove for about 40 minutes (16 miles) from our Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel to Lanikai Beach via HI- 61 as we passed through Nu’uanu Pali Lookout, Buzz Steakhouse, Kailua Town, and Kailua Beach. We arrived at the famous Lanikai Beach around 9 am and were lucky enough to find parking in the residential area. There was only limited parking on the street and lots of “No Parking” signs.

It rained for a few minutes when we arrived and the sun came out right after. We grabbed our backpack and packed all the essentials as there are no restrooms or showers available on the beach. We just walked for about 10-15 minutes from the parking to the main entrance which is a residential area. We had to pass through a narrow area and were surprised at the stunning view of Lanikai Beach. The amazing, panoramic view of the clear blue water, cool breeze, and white sand were very relaxing. There was even a coconut tree (good for taking pictures) right in front of the entrance to the beach. We had to set up our beach blanket, beach towels, sunblock, and spam musubi for our snack. The beach sand was very soft and golden. We played in the ocean water and explored the beach including the reef area. My daughter enjoyed swimming in the water with the view of the two islands from afar called “Mokes” while my wife took a few pictures of the fishes near the reef. We only stayed for about 1-2 hours on Lanikai beach as we have to visit other places.

Overall it was a fun experience for us to be able to visit one of the most famous, beautiful beaches in Hawaii with Turquoise clear blue water, soft sand, and a cool breeze. It’s a place to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle lifestyle in the city such as Waikiki. I would highly recommend this place when you visit the Island of Oahu.

Tips: Get to Lanikai Beach as early as possible (before 9:30 am) due to the limited parking spots. Bring everything to the beach (chairs, towels, sunblock, bottled water, snacks or spam musubi and there is no public restroom available. Pay close attention to the “No Parking” signs as they will tow your car. There is also a closer beach called Kailua Beach which is more developed and has public restrooms and picnic tables available. Some people park their car in Kailua Beach and just walk or hike to Lanikai Beach as these two beaches are not connected.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about Lanikai Beach after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel near or around Lanikai Beach.

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Partington Cove ( Monterey County)

Address: 57100 CA-1 Big Sur, Ca. 93920

Partington Cove is a remote inlet with a wooden tunnel, rugged beach, and a dirt trail located in Big Sur, California. The Cove is named after John Parrington who owns a tanbark transporting business in the 19th century. The cove is a conveniently accessible place to load and unload a cargo of Lumbar.

It took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes (151 miles) drive from San Francisco to get to Partington Cove via US 101 South, SR 156, and Highway 1. The drive was very beautiful, scenic, winding, and relaxing once we got to Highway 1 which is also called Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). We arrived at Partington Cove at around 12:30 pm and there were a lot of cars parked on the side of the road. We parked our car a few feet away from the gated entrance along Highway 1 since it’s our only option.

The hike to Partington Cove trail is open from 8 am until sunset about 1.1 miles out and back moderate hike. It took us about 2 hours since we took pictures and explored both the Cove and beach area. You can easily miss the gated entrance to the Cove Trailhead so look to your right when driving downhill coming from the North. A good indicator is when you see a lot of cars parked on the side of the road near a bridge. And if you reached McWay Falls that means you have gone too far. The trailhead is made up of dirt, up and downhill, zig-zag, and short steep uphill climb on your way back. The Partington Cove trail is used for nature trips, hiking and is accessible year-round.

When we reached the bottom of the trail, we then proceeded to the right and saw a “danger” signage stating that wading and swimming are unsafe. If you proceeded to go straight or to the right after the danger signage it will lead you to the beach area. But we made a left, passed through the wooden bridge, a creek, and went through a short wooden tunnel. We came out of the tunnel and were mesmerized by the amazing view of the Cove, the clear blue-green color of the water, and a great view of the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the trail is a wooden bench facing the ocean waters that is a great place for a photo opportunity but be careful as you walk through the rocks.

The other trail leads to the beach area with big rocks, a creek, and small running waterfalls. As a reminder to watch out for strong or sleeper waves for safety. You have to go through some big rocks to navigate your way through and can enjoy the ocean water. It’s also a great place to have a picnic or take great pictures.

Tips: When parking on hwy 1 watch out for oncoming cars as you don’t have enough space on the side of the road and try to park your car properly or correct orientation. It’s easy to get side-swiped when getting out of your car or walking on the side of the road. Bring a hiking or comfortable shoes, hiking poles as needed, drinking water, and sunblock. Be prepared to walk on a short, steep uphill dirt mountain trail. Arrived at the Cove earlier on weekends to avoid the large crowd.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Partington Cove after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, comment, and share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Salt Point State Park (Sonoma County)

Address: 25050 CA-1, Jenner, CA 95450

Salt Point is a 6,000 State Park in Sonoma County with California’s first underwater area. Salt Point State Park is good for people who enjoy sightseeing, photography, picnicking, jogging, scuba diving, painting, and nature study. The park is famous for its coastline, strong waves, fascinating sandstone formations, colorful underwater life, and tide pools. There are a lot of different trails to choose from within Salt Point. It has 20 miles of hiking trails and over 6 miles of rocky coasts. Tafoni’s are sandstone rocks with unique honeycomb formations found in the southern Gerstle Cove area. It is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Typically, the drive to Salt Point is about 2 hours and 30 minutes and 101 miles from San Francisco via US-101 North and CA-1 North. But we drove to Salt Point after our breakfast at Coast Kitchen Restaurant which is about 15 minutes away. We arrived at the main gate at around 1:00 p.m. and paid the park ranger $8 for the day-use entrance fee. The Park Ranger gave us a map and instructed us to just go straight until we hit the end of the road. We accidentally made a left towards the visitor center/south Gerstle Cove area and the road was very rough, with lots of gravel, rocks, and potholes. We even saw a few deers on our way back to the main parking of Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve. There were a lot of parking spaces and public restrooms at Salt Point Main Trailhead. From the parking lot, we walked for at least 15 minutes towards Gerstle Cove. The trail led us on a downhill path up to the Cove’s beach area. From the cliff, the water at the Cove is clear pristine turquoise water. But as we descended down to the Cove area we had to navigate through all the large rocks all over the beach. And my wife even saw a few jellyfish floating in the clear water. The Salt Point Trail is beautiful, scenic, easy, and one of the main attractions. The trail on the Salt Point area is great for nature trips, bird watching, hiking, and walking. The trail was easy and saw a few spots great for a photo opportunity. The descent up the hill from the Cove was slightly challenging.

Overall, it was a fun, easy, short, and scenic trail that is great for all ages. There were other hiking trails available that you can explore at Salt Point State Park which is strenuous or challenging.

Tips: Watch out when you are driving inside Salt Point State Park as the roads are narrow and two-way streets. Always watch out for oncoming traffic and pay attention to cars coming in and out of the parking space. There are public restrooms and picnic tables onsite throughout the park. Stay back from bluff edges and watch out for rogue waves that can sweep you out to sea. Bring binoculars to see all the different species of birds and wildlife. Watch out for dangerous cliffs and bring a jacket or sweater as the weather can get windy.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about Salt Point State Park after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

Click here to find a hotel close to Salt Point State Park in Sonoma.

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Natural Bridges State Beach (Santa Cruz)

Address: 2531 West Cliff Drive Santa Cruz, Ca. 95060

Natural Bridges State Beach is famous for its Arch Stone, Monarch Butterflies, tide pools and great sunset views in the Santa Cruz area. The beach has originally have 3 natural arches but the outerpart arch first collapsed sometime in 1905 or 1906. While the inner arch collapsed in 1980 during a storm. As of now, the only arch remaining is the middle arch which may also collapsed due to erosion by wind and waves. The Arch is usually full of birds which they use as a refuge and can also be seen from the Vista Point.

It took us about 1 hour and 30 minutes (68 miles) drive from San Francisco via CA-1 South/Cabrillo Highway North. My family and I enjoyed our scenic drive to Santa Cruz via Ca-1. We passed through beautiful beaches, small coastal towns, organic farms, and a popular lighthouse along the way.

When we arrived at the gate we paid the Ranger $10 for the day use parking fee which is also good for all the other parks in the area. There were a sandy parking area right after the entrance gate but we drove for about 3 minutes to the main parking lot near the Visitor Center. The park or state Beach offers a beautiful beach, public access tide pools and a Monarch Grove where you can see or watch Monarch butterflies on the Eucalyptus Trees.

We only get to visit the beach, Arch Stone, tide pools, and Visitor Center. We didn’t get the chance to visit the Monarch Grove because it was not season yet and there weren’t no butterflies. The butterflies starts arriving in mid October and leave by mid February. But we did enjoyed the beach, picnic area, tide pools and took a lot of pictures with the famous Arch Stone. There were public restrooms available in the main parking lot. We also visited the giftshop which is located inside the Visitor Center and is only open on Friday to Monday from 11am-4pm.

But the best part was watching the beautiful and picturesque sunset with the Arch Stone on the beach. The Ranger also reminded us that they do close the park on sunset. We saw photographers came in to take pictures of the beautiful sunset while the daytime beach goers were leaving. Overall, we enjoyed our memorable experience. Natural Bridges State Beach has something for everyone either by relaxing at the beach, taking pictures of the Arch Stone, watching the Monarch Butterflies, exploring the tide pools, have a picnic or just watching the sunset.

Tips: For safety, try to visit the tide pool when it’s low tide as the waves are strong and unpredictable. There is a Vista Point parking available for 20 minutes only before the entrance gate. Some visitors end up parking outside on the residential area and just walk to the beach to save parking fee. Try to take the West Cliff Drive route going to Santa Cruz beach boardwalk as it is scenic and a few tourist spots to stop along the way. Best time to view the Monarch butterflies is late October and entire month of November.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Natural Bridges State Beach after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Goat Rock State Park:

Address: Salmon Creek, Jenner, CA 95450

Goat Rock Beach is located in Jenner California which is about a 2 hours (84 miles) drive from San Francisco, California. A huge arched sea stack connected to the land by a narrow isthmus, the flat-topped rock is said to have derived its name from goat herds that grazed nearby more than a century ago..

From Bodega Bay we drove through a series of narrow, curvy winding roads with a beautiful view of the coast and a lot of smaller beaches to take pictures. While driving on CA-1 North after we passed Shell Beach we and saw the signage stating ‘Goat Rock Beach”. We made a left on the Goat Rock Road and drove for at least 20 minutes through another curvy winding road. As we passed the gate entrance, we drove on a downhill road and took the narrow road to the left towards the parking lot of the Goat Rock State Park. If you take the road to the right it will lead you to Goat Rock Beach where the sea lion sanctuary is located. We were surprised that the road to Goat Rock was narrow and both ways were taking turns or giving way to oncoming cars. The narrow road that led to the parking lot is made up of gravel, sand, and rocks so we drove slowly. There were a lot of parking spaces available and a public restroom on site. We took a lot of pictures along the area and even saw the famous Archstone Rock from a distance with the waves crashing through the rock. There were a lot of people laying or relaxing on the beach and we watched a few surfers riding the waves. But we were cautious as the waves were very strong around the area.

Overall, Goat Rock Beach is a very unique, and a good place to unwind or have a picnic on the beach with a gorgeous view of the Archstone Rock from a distance.

Tips:  Drive slowly as the road going into the parking area is a one-way road only. The parking area and the road are made up of gravel, rocks, and sand. There is a public restroom available near the parking area. You can also see the Archstone Rock from the distance at the parking area. The entrance to the Goat Rock State Park is after the Blind Beach overlook. There is a lot of smaller vista points that are good for a photo opportunity along the way to the Goat Rock.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Goat Rock State Park after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Whale Rock at Seaside Beach (Fort Bragg)

Address: 30000 Shoreline Highway North of Mackerricher State Park Fort Bragg, Ca. 95437.

Seaside Beach is about 4 hours drive from San Francisco via Hwy 101, Hwy 20 and Hwy 1. Seaside Beach is located about 10 miles north of Fort Bragg. Seaside Beach is popular due to its sandy, long beach and huge rock formations.

We passed through the town of Cleone and Inglenook on our way to Seaside Beach from Fort Bragg. It took us about 20-30 minutes from Fort Bragg to Seaside Beach as we navigate through Hwy-1. We parked at a small parking area (about 8 parking spaces available) in front of Seaside Beach.

It was low tide, sunny but windy when we arrived at the beach. It is a very long sandy beach and not overly crowded. We even saw a few dogs running around and playing in the water without a leash.

We then proceeded and walked towards the left side of the beach from the parking lot. During our walk, we saw a few high monolithic rocks, caves, and tidepools.

As we were walking further, we end up seeing the famous Giant Whale Rock with a few smaller cave tunnels which are only accessible during low tide. The Whale Rock shape or outline is more visible if you are walking from the south going back to the parking lot. We even went inside the smaller caves and took pictures but be very careful about the changes of the tide. We took a lot of pictures of the unique, huge rock formations and beautiful homes on the bluff.

Tips: Seaside Beach is also close to the boardwalk at Mackerricher, the 10-mile bridge, and the 10-mile river. It’s a good place to enjoy the sun, bring your dog, and explore the different rock formations and hidden caves. But pay attention to the high tides when going inside the caves. Overall, the Whale Rock was the main highlight of our trip to Seaside Beach.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about the Whale Rock at Seaside Beach after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you

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Black Point Beach (Sonoma County)

Address: 60 Sea Walk Drive Sea Ranch, Ca. 95497

Black Point Beach is located in Sonoma County. It is a public beach situated in the Sea Ranch Community. The beach is about a mile and a half long with a rugged cliff as a backdrop.

It’s about 2 hours and 40 minutes drive and 113 miles from San Francisco via Ca-1 North. As we arrived at the entrance, the parking area is small and about 15 parking spaces available. We also saw a few dogs on leashed and they also have a public restroom available near the parking lot.

We followed and walked through a short trail that goes straight ahead and that led us to the edge of the cliff. We even stopped and took pictures with some of the beautiful colorful wildflowers blossoming along the trail or bluff.

Once we got to the edge of the cliff, we saw and walked through a huge wooden staircase that led us all the way down to the beautiful beach below. We walked, took pictures, and played with patches of black sand. It is not as black sand as the beach in Hawaii. We saw a few warning signs that indicated that the beach is one of the most dangerous beaches in California due to its strong current. Just a reminder to don’t walk closer to the ocean water or cliffs.

As we reached the top of the wooden stairs, we noticed that the property around the beach and the trails were private. Overall, it’s a good beach to relax, have a lunch picnic, or stroll along with great views of the ocean.

Tips: The Black Sand Beach is a few minutes away from the famous Sea Ranch Lodge and from Pebble Beach.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Black Sand Beach after your visit in the comments below. And kindly subscribe, share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you