vacation outfits

Pismo Beach day 1

August 9, 2021 in Travel tagged casual style / family / outfits / Pismo Beach / summer 2021 / travel style / vacation outfits by Bay Area Fashionista

pismo beach pier family vacation california road trip ideas — Pismo Beach view from pier

School starts mid-August this year, so we decided to take one last quick trip before our schedules become full of school-related activities; especially since we have a senior, and an 8th grader this year! It will be very busy!

Pismo Beach is one of the those places we normally stop at for lunch or brunch on our way to Southern California. We decided it would make a relaxing and easy road trip for a few days. After all, it’s a beautiful beach town, and since we have a senior, it’s a great place to stay while checking out Cal Poly SLO for our aspiring engineer! College tours can be fun for the parents and siblings too!

We arrived early, before check-in at our hotel. Our hotel was Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, which is part of the Marriott family of hotels. It was right on the beach with ocean view rooms, a pool, and a family-friendly deck and atmosphere. They were very accommodating, and held our luggage, as well as stored our car, until our room was ready. They even got our room ready a little bit early since we had arrived well before check-in. Loved that!

It was right before lunch when we arrived, so we took a walk around town and found Cool Cat Cafe. It had a casual and retro vibe which look appealing for lunch, so we put our names in for a table. The wait was only fifteen minutes and we were seated inside by a window. The staff was friendly and the food was delicious! I enjoyed a vegan burger with mushrooms and onion rings. Yum!

My Beach bag on the dresser inside our hotel room

Travel outfit details: sunglasses / lipstick / stripe tee (under $50) / bracelets / fall nail polish / stripe cross body bag / linen jogger pants / Gucci sneakers / Beach bag /

After lunch, we walked down the pier and checked out the view, took silly photos, and started to feel relaxed and ready for fun! Then, we headed back to the hotel and played cornhole on the hotel deck. It was fun! After an hour, our room was ready, so we settled into the room and planned the rest of the day.

Since the hotel was on the beach, it was easy to head down to the beach for an hour before getting ready for dinner. I highly recommend this hotel if you stay in Pismo. It’s very convenient! After the beach, we got ready for dinner, and headed over to Oyster Loft, which is on the other side of the pier from our hotel and on the second floor of a corner building.

The Oyster Loft had a beautiful view of the ocean and a great menu. They also had a few menu options for kids; which was perfect for my son who enjoyed chicken strips and rice. The food was delicious, we would love to go back someday!

Casual dinner outfit details: sunglasses / lipstick / puff sleeve tee (under $50) / snake buckle belt / jeans / bracelets / chain pouch / fall nail polish / espadrille mules /

After dinner we took another walk along the pier and then settled back at our hotel. The hotel has fire pits on the deck overlooking the beach. I brought my favorite evening tea from home and made myself a cup so I could enjoy it while watching the sunset. From our angle, we couldn’t see the actual sun, but we could enjoy the sunset colors over the beach. It was beautiful, and again, very relaxing!

Well, that was day 1 at Pismo Beach! It was an arrival day for us, so we got settled into our room and explored the area while getting a little bit sandy. Love!

Shop my travel outfit, and casual dinner looks online:

Stay tuned for more coverage from Pismo Beach!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Sunset colors over the ocean as seen from our hotel room balcony

Disneyland summer 2021

July 19, 2021 in General Fashion / Travel tagged anaheim / disneyland / outfits / summer 2021 / travel style / vacation outfits by Bay Area Fashionista

Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney outfit details: periwinkle ears / sunglasses / earrings / summer lipstick / white puff sleeve top (under $50) / cross body bag / snake belt / summer nail polish / distressed jeans / platform sneakers /

Life is getting back to normal! We went on a vacation!! Can your believe it? There is life after the shutdown-thank goodness!

I cannot even begin to tell you how free and relaxed we all felt jumping in the car and driving down to Anaheim to go to Disneyland. We walked into our hotel without masks, and freely went into restaurants and businesses without our masks. We felt protected from our vaccines, and life in Anaheim looked almost normal! The only hint that it was the end of a pandemic was seeing employees at restaurants, Disneyland, and the hotel wearing masks. Other than that, the crowds are back, the lines are long, and Disneyland appears business-as-usual!

The evening of the day we drove down to Anaheim we walked over to Downtown Disney for dinner at Catel Restaurant. The food was delicious, and the vibe was fun. Ears on! It’s Disney!

Despite the fact that I packed my old silver ears, I felt the need to splurge on a new pair. This periwinkle pair of ears offered a fun bow and a beautiful color. I was sold! My middle child bought new ears too. Sometimes you just need a refresh!

Although I packed my small, convertible handbag, I ended up wearing this striped cross body bag to the parks. It holds more items then my smaller bag, and added some spice to my overall look.

In addition to dinner, we walked around, and window shopped in Downtown Disney. We also gawked at the amazing figures inside the Lego store. The details are incredible! It was a great way to kick off our vacation!

Medieval Times dinner and show

If you are a Real Housewives fan like me, then you remember seeing Medieval Times on Dallas. It looked like a lot of fun, so when I found out there was one close to Disneyland, I knew we had to go. My kids were excited too!

This was such a fun night! We went to the show on our second day in Anaheim. Instead of Disneyland, we enjoyed the water park at our hotel, and then went to Medieval Times for dinner. It was a great choice!

This is a really organized event, and they are amazing at making it historically accurate. Each group or party is sat together, and the food is served as a feast. There is a lot of food! You are given a giant chicken leg, half a potato, half a corn cob, soup, and dessert. There is also a vegetarian option, which is what I ate since I am on a diet from my doctor. The food was yummy, and my kids not only ate it, they enjoyed it! Love that!

There are six royal houses and a Queen; who we are all guests of at the venue. We got lucky, and ended up being in the green royal house. Our Knight was amazing, and did really well in the tournament. If you are visiting Disneyland, I highly recommend taking an evening to attend Medieval Times, you will love it! Also, be sure to grab VIP tickets. It’s worth it.

Disneyland

Disneyland outfit details: periwinkle ears / sunglasses / earrings / summer lipstick / black top (under $50) / snake belt / distressed jeans / cross body bag / summer nail polish / platform sneakers /

Our third day in Anaheim, we went to Disneyland! It was SO MUCH FUN! The morning crowds were low, so we were able to hit a lot of rides right away. As the day wore on, the crowds were appeared, and the lines were 30-60 minutes long.

We had lunch reservations at Cafe Orleans. They do not have Vegan options, so it was a little bit difficult for me to stick to my doctor’s diet. Keep this in mind if you have dietary restrictions. Otherwise, the food was delicious!

I tried really hard to get into the new Star Wars rides, but we were unable to. The crowds were too large, and the virtual queue was filled in under a second. My son was disappointed, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Hopefully in a year or two it will be easier to get on the Star Wars rides.

Despite not getting to check out the new Star Wars rides, we were able to get on almost all our favorite rides, and have a blast. Disneyland is always fun!

Disney California Adventure Park

Disney California Adventure Park outfit details: periwinkle ears / earrings / sunglasses / summer lipstick / stripe puff sleeve top (under $50) / snake buckle belt / cross body bag / distressed jeans / summer nail polish / platform sneakers /

Disney California Adventure Park is my favorite of the two parks. This was very crowded too. The line for the Cars ride was 90 minutes long when the park opened, so we never made it on that ride. Despite the crowds, I was able to get in the virtual queue for the new Spiderman ride. The queue was six hours long, and when we arrived to stand in the physical line, we waited about 90 minutes to get inside the ride. The ride itself was SO MUCH FUN! Hopefully the lines will shorten as time goes on. It’s a really fun ride, and I want to be able to go again next time we go to Disneyland!

We enjoyed lunch at Wine Country Trattoria which has a large menu, and plenty of healthy items; as well as vegetarian and vegan. The food was delicious, we will definitely return!

All in all, it was an amazing vacation! It was so nice to finally be able to travel and feel safe. We loved the feeling of normalcy; even though that included long lines at Disneyland! haha

I can’t wait to plan more vacations this year! Three cheers to going back to a normal life!

Also, do you notice my clothing is a little baggy? The diet my doctor gave me is working, and I am down twenty pounds now! I have ten more pounds to go, and then I will buy new clothing in my new size. Please excuse the baggy looks. Thank you for your support!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Disneyland summer packing list

July 13, 2021 in General Fashion / Travel tagged disneyland / packing / summer 2021 / travel / travel style / travel tips / vacation outfits by Bay Area Fashionista

What to pack for Disneyland in the summer

Disneyland summer packing list from top left: shorts / sunglasses / beaded bracelets (local designer, $25 each) / white drop earrings / black eyelet sleeve tee / Gucci sneakers / black eyelet skirt / stripe puff sleeve top / summer jeans / cross-body bag (hot IT bag under $300) / coral ruched sleeve tee / silver ears (sold out, also love this pair) / linen joggers /

Disneyland is open! We are so excited to take a trip to Disneyland and enjoy ourselves! This is a fun road trip we are familiar with, and the whole family can enjoy. I mean, who doesn’t love getting lost in the fun at Disneyland? I know I do!

We normally head to Disneyland during the cooler months. Hot summer days at Disneyland are foreign to me, so I had to be strategic in how I packed for the trip because Anaheim can get really hot in the summer. So if you are like me, and you are wondering what to pack for Disneyland in the summer when it is hot outside, then read on!

In order to combat the heat, I knew I needed to pack cool clothing that also protected me on rides. I like to wear pants on the rides because it feels cleaner, and it is more comfortable. In the cooler months, I usually wear jeans; they’re just easy. Of course when it hits 90 degrees outside, jeans are not exactly what one would call comfortable. Despite this, I did pack one pair of jeans just in case the weather ended up cooler than expected. Otherwise, this pair of linen pants will be my Disneyland go-to pants when the weather is really hot. They are cool pants and just as comfortable as shorts on a hot day. Plus, since they are pants, my legs feel protected on the rides. Love that!

Tee-shirts are a must when it is hot outside. Of course, we don’t always want to wear a basic tee. These tee’s with ruched and puffy sleeves are right on trend, and are more elevated than a basic tee. The fun part is that these tee’s don’t look like basic tee’s, yet they offer the same comfort as one. Plus, the fabric is so soft, love!

The shorts and the skirt are for when we are back at the hotel and I want to change for dinner, or another activity. Stay tuned for my Anaheim trip coverage to see what else we did besides Disneyland!

A small, cross-body bag is a must. This one has two straps, so I can wear it cross body at Disneyland, then switch the strap for other activities. It’s two bags in one, which is great for travel. Love that!

Shop my Disneyland summer packing list online:

Now you know what to pack for Disneyland in the summer when it is hot outside! What is your favorite time of year to visit Disneyland?

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for my trip coverage!