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Get away for the weekend, gather up your girls, and take a roadtrip over to San Diego. We stayed at the Pacific Shores Inn, right on Mission Boulevard which gave us so many restaurant and bar options within walking distance. From the Phoenix area it’s about a 5 and a half hour drive to the beach, so it’s not too bad if you’re planning on staying for a couple nights.

San Diego

Pacific Beach
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Friday

Mavericks Beach Club

Check in: Pacific Shores Inn, CA Dinner: Mr. Moto's Pizza Nightlife: Mavericks Beach Club

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Saturday

Annie's Canyon Trail

Morning: Lay out on beach Afternoon: Grab breakfast from Kono's Cafe. Hike Annie's Canyon Trail Dinner: Ramen Ryoma

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Sunday

Travel Day

Morning: Walk around the Pacific Beach Pier Afternoon: Drive back to Arizona

Friday

Mavericks Beach Club

We left around 10 am and checked into our hotel around 3:30 pm (2:30 pm PST) which gave us plenty of time to explore the area. There’s so many cute little boutiques and souvenir shops around the pier so we ended up walking along, popping in and out of some until we got hungry for dinner. 

For dinner we ordered ourselves a large pizza from Mr. Moto’s Pizza and picked a spot along the pier to watch the sunset over the beach. Even though it was a bit chilly, dozens of surfers scattered the water, floating along the rhythmic waves either watching the sunset or waiting for that perfect wave to take off. I think Pacific Beach was the beachiest, beach town I’ve ever seen. It seems like a whole different way of life here, just so laid back and peaceful. I will say though, it was definitely very crowded even though it wasn’t peak season.

At night, our plan was to go bar hopping, but we ended up staying at our first stop, Mavericks Beach Club, until they started cleaning up for closing. There was a $15 cover fee, and the drinks were pretty pricey, so I’d say only bring with you what you’re willing to spend. I loved the vibe here though. You could stand outside by the bar, where you can easily sit and talk with your friends, or you can go upstairs and it turns into a club. I definitely recommend going upstairs if you’re one who likes to sing and dance the night away under the fluorescent lights.

Saturday

Annie's Canyon Trail

After we woke up, we walked over to Kono’s Cafe for breakfast and laid out on the beach. Even though it was in the 50s – 60s and we were wearing coats, it was nice to be back at a beach. In my opinion, it’s the only thing Arizona’s lacking in. It’s been so long since the last time I got to lay out in the sand with the sounds of the waves crashing around me, so even though we were all bundled up, I’d say it was very nice and relaxing (until the wind would blow). It still amazed me how many surfers were out on the water, and honestly so cool to watch as they took turns riding the waves. 

After we left the beach we headed out to check out this trail we had heard of that’s in an ecological reserve, Annie’s Canyon Trail.

It was only a 30 minute drive to Solana Beach, and the hike (1.4 miles) was one of the most unique hikes I’ve ever done. If you’ve seen Antelope Canyon, it reminded me of a smaller, golden yellow, version of that. It was pretty crowded when we went so we had to wait our turn to climb up the ladder between the canyon walls, but honestly it gave us more time to soak it all in. Since it’s all sandy, you can see thousands of names scratched out into the walls. If you’re claustrophobic I would say to skip this hike and try one of the other ones at the preserve because it does get pretty tight and crowded as you make your way to the overlook. 

After our time exploring we headed back to our hotel to freshen up, then walked to grab ramen at Ramen Ryoma. I had never had real ramen before (only those little instant packets you buy in bulk), so I don’t have anything to really compare it to, but I found it delicious and would definitely go again. I ordered the basic Miso Ramen and had them add in extra noodles. After dinner and catching the sunset, we just played cards and board games in our room.

Sunday

Travel Day

Our check out was at 11 am so we woke up at 8 am to give ourselves time to pack up and explore before we had to hit the road. We stopped at Baja Beach Cafe along the pier for breakfast. I’ve never been a fan of Mexican food, so I ordered their Morning After Burger, which sounds like a lot for this early in the morning (which it was), but I ate the whole thing. Their more authentic brunch items include their Breakfast Burrito, Huevos Rancheros, Chilaquiles, etc. So, if you love Mexican food this is a very good place, and if you don’t, I recommend the breakfast burger. 

We spent what time we had left walking along the water, snapping some last photos to remember our trip by, and, of course, falling into the tourist trap of buying souvenirs. I got a San Diego pin to add to my corkboard map.

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All in all, I’d say it was a successful little getaway. (TIP: Wait to buy gas, if you can, until you cross over into Arizona. You’ll save a couple bucks).