I’m so excited to finally share our Disneyland and Mexico trip with all of you today! I’ve been dreaming on this trip since the moment I found it I was pregnant with Mia lol! This trip was BEYOND what I thought it would be because we not only spend 5 amazing days in the most magical place on earth, but we also go to tourist in Los Angeles, San Diego, Tijuana, Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico!! I felt like I was transported to a completely different world that was free of worry and anxiety, I was all in soaking in every moment, excited about everything I was seeing and living.
The top reason why this is in my opinion the most epic family trip is because it has things for EVERYONE! Kids and adults, lots of awesome views, wine, rides, everything to make a family trip the most memorable.
Let’s start with Disneyland. Disneyland has attractions spread across TWO incredible Theme Parks: Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park! One of the things that I was hesitant about this trip, was how Matias would react to this whole trip. If you have been following me on Instagram I recently shared that my baby boy was diagnosed with Autism, so I feared how crowds, line-ups and all the stimulation would affect him, but thankfully on a Facebook group I learned that Disneyland has a DAS pass! That was the pass that literally saved our trip! We were VIP in every ride and make us have the most awesome time in the most magical place on earth.
Another plus we had was that we stayed at the Disneyland Resort. Every single detail in the room, the washrooms, everything was so amazing! You are basically 5-minute walk from the theme parks making way easier with small kids if you need to take a break. Another cool thing? By the end of the night we were dead tired but we got to see every day the fireworks from our balcony!
Back to the park, here is a list of our favourite rides:
*Star Wars ( Matias favourite)
*Radiator Springs Racers (my top favourite one)
*Ariel’s undersea adventure
*It’s a small world (my mom’s favourite)
*Mad Tea party (Mias favourite)
*Guardians of the galaxy (Francisco and my brother favourite)
*Indiana Jones
After 5 amazing days in Disneyland, we headed over to San Diego to spend the night there, and we stayed on this super cool hotel called Bar Moxy SD.
This hotel is perfect for families with BIG kids (I’ll say 10 years and up) they have lots of games and the décor and details of the hotel is super cool. The hotel is located in downtown, their beds are small (that’s why I said 10 years and up) but it feel so good to be welcome with a drink after you check in!
Walking distance from this hotel we had the most delicious breakfast in a place called Breakfast Republic, great coffee and awesome chilaquiles!
From there, we crossed the border to Tijuana, Mexico. Tijuana is one of the most horrible cities in Mexico lol! Really, nothing good to see, however, if you stop by, you HAVE to try “tacos el franc” BEST TACOS IN TOWN! I ate 3 tacos and a quesadilla in less than 10 min and I stopped because my dad was scared of how much I was eating lol!
An hour away, you’ll find a city called Ensenada, which is a very nice small city with great beaches, and 30 min from there, is the most visited place in Mexico for wine lovers: “Valle de Guadalupe”.
The first winery we visited was “El Cielo”, this is an amazing place to go with your lover or your girlfriends and spend the best afternoon with a cheese board and wine.
Next day we went for breakfast to the award winning and most famous place for breakfast “La Cocina de Dona Esthela” their Machaca was awarded “best Breakfast in the World” by International culinary website and mobile app FoodieHub, and I couldn’t agree more. All of their breakfast were SOO good but the Machaca was extraordinary!
After that we visited another winery with the best wine ever! The place is called Baron Balche, we tried 3 of their top wines, but my favourite wine was this one:
Next day we headed back to San Diego and stayed at the Sheraton Marina, very affordable hotel with great location and views, excellent for families. We did the whole walk to the Marina and at night we went to the little Italy in downtown for dinner, I just can’t find the name of the restaurant, but man, everyone on the table said it was a hit!
Next day we stopped by La Jolla, to have some breakfast at Sugar and Scribe Bakery, great coffee and again, awesome chilaquiles lol! but the best thing about this place was the moment when the owner or manager, not sure who she was, took the time to talk with her team and thank them for saving us on New Years Eve, she was closing the restaurant early so they can spend the evening and night with their love ones. Then we headed to Santa Monica, to enjoy the pier with the kids. If you are there, try the “tosti ceviche” or the “Mexican corn” sooo damn good! At New Year’s we went to Nick & Stef’s steak house for some delicious meat and wine and to say good bye to 2021.
On January 1 we went for a walk at Hollywood Blvd and Beverly Hills, before going back to the hotel.
This was honestly one of the best trips I’ve ever done, and number one so far with my family. We did so much, we explore so much, we ate too much and most importantly created the best memories with family.
Hope this can help you as a guide if you ever want to explore that part of the west coast!
XO,
Athenas
