Making the Most of My Last Day of Vacation in Dana Point, California

Monday, October 13, 2025

Los Angeles-Dana Point, California

Making the Most of My Last Day of Vacation in Dana Point, California

And finally (I could hardly believe it myself!), I reached the last day of my vacation. After being on the go for more than a month (London—which suddenly seemed ages away—Chicago, Connecticut—with New York City thrown in, for good measure—and, eventually, Northern California—where we had a motoring tour to remember), the day dawned when we had to bring it all to a halt. And what better way to do it than at Dana Point, California—a place I had always wanted to visit (ever since my former neighbor and now close friend, Rosemary, had told me that her daughter Jenny loved living there for over a decade). As it turned out, I would be returning to Bombay tonight, but Llew would be extending his stay in the US for another two weeks and would be spending them, first with friends in San Diego, and then with more friends in Somerset, New Jersey. Accordingly, we were to meet Valentine and Jacinta, our San Diego-based friends, at Dana Point. They would be hosting Llew for a whole week in their lovely home in their lovely town and had agreed to meet us halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego—that spot was Dana Point: the perfect meeting-point and one that would allow me to see why Jenny and her family had loved this place so much.

Off to Dana Point by Car:

Llew and I awoke early so that we could shower, get ourselves organized, take our baggage downstairs to the hotel lobby and probably pick up a bit of breakfast at the restaurant on the ground floor before Chriselle and AJ would arrive to pick us up and drive us to Dana Point.

Breakfast was just a croissant (which we shared) as there were no other baked goods to be had. It turned out to be a holiday (Columbus Day?) and their daily shipment of baked goods had been delayed. We enjoyed our coffee, however, (and too a few photos) knowing that this would probably be the last time we would stay here in this hotel. Chriselle and AJ arrived on cue at about the same time that we made contact with Kevin, AJ’s brother, who happens to be the general manager of the hotel and who kindly made special arrangements for our stay on both legs of this trip. We were happy that we were able to meet and thank him in person. And then we were off.

The drive out of Los Angeles was nothing to rave about: we did pass downtown in the distance and could see the skyscrapers of the city. Then, we were in the midst of traffic, making our way south towards San Diego. It was a pleasant enough ride for about 90 minutes before we entered the little hamlet of Dana Point which is on the coast—a typical, swanky seaside town. You can just imagine how pretty it is, being both coastal and affluent.

Discovering Dana Point:

drove straight to the waterfront as Chriselle knew that there was a large public parking lot there. This would be the perfect meeting-point for our rendez-vous with Val and Jacinta. And indeed, we had a lovely reunion with them in just fifteen minutes after we reached there and parked. It was terrific to see them again. We could not remember when we had last seen them; but we think it was about four years ago. Of course, we are constantly in touch with them online.

After our meeting, we decided to take a stroll along the coast. It was a very cloudy day and the sky was heavily overcast. It really did not suit the sea-side ambience of this town, but at least it was not unpleasantly cold. In fact, it was very mild indeed as we strolled alongside the marina to take in the fancy boats moored there. We made our way to the very end where a few restaurants and souvenir shops and boutiques caught our eye. Because we are long past the summer season, every place we explored was practically empty. In fact, most of the shops seem to be in closing mode and it will not be long before this area becomes a mini glost-town.

This part of Dana Point seen, we decided to drive towards the downtown area. Here, there is a maze of pretty streets, laid out in most organized manner, containing shops, restaurants, etc. that would give us quite a good idea of the shopping opportunities available to the locals. We walked through a couple of them, after finding parking for our two cars pretty much alongside each other. We then walked towards the ocean and when we arrived there, a most glorious view awaited u. For perched high up on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean is a look out point that offers panoramic views of the town the beach, the marina, the boats harbored there, the cliffs, the upscale homes clinging to the sides and the beautiful skies stretching out way beyond the horizon. Yes, Dana Point is beautiful and every bit as grand as its reputation suggests.

After taking severa pictures at this vantage point, we looked out for a place to eat brunch (as we’d barely eaten any breakfast). We found a place right in front of us and decided to simply settle down there, It was a very casual place with a wide balcony which could allow us to eat ‘outside’ as it were. Also, we found that the place offered Fish Tacos and since they are such a standard item on menus in Southern California (and we hadn’t had any on this trip), that’s where we decided to go and what we decided to eat. We ordered a variety of tacos—pulled pork, lamb, beef and, of course fish and shrimp tacos—and with this assortment in front of us, we all dug in and had ourselves a really delicious meal. It would be my last meal of this trip and I was really glad it ended on such a joyous note—with terrific company, much laughter and catching up (I had only about three hours with our friends and wanted to make the most of it) and superb casual and very reasonably-priced food.

As if this amazing repast were inadequate (Llew treated us all), Val and Jacinta decided to treat us too. They figured dessert would be just what the doctor ordered to end a lovely daytrip. So, we strolled around a bit more (to work a few more calories off) and then headed to Bruster’s for Real Ice-cream). And oh my! What a variety of flavors were available for our choosing pleasure. Each of us got a cup with two scoops and they were simply loaded. Of course, some of us went for the tried-and-tested types such as Chocolate and Strawberry while others feasted on more exotic choices such as Chocolate and Dark Cherry or Salted Caramel Mocha (which I picked). It was indeed the perfect treat with which to end our day. From this point on, you can bet I resolved to go on a diet—especially a no fat one—so that I could return to my regular wardrobe instead of living in drawstring pants!

Another stroll was called for as we had about half an hour to kill before we would start off on our return drive to Los Angeles Airport where I had a flight leaving at 7.00 pm. Val, Jacinta, Llew and I left Chriselle and AJ to their own devices as we chattered, nineteen to the dozen, and eventually, at 2.30 (the time we had decided to take off), we met again at our parking lot, said our goodbyes to our San Diego friends, left Llew in their happy charge, and left for Los Angeles.

Drive Back to Los Angeles:

We did not realize that since it happened to be a holiday, there would be barely any traffic on the freeway. We took much less time than the 90 minutes we had expected—with the result, I reached the airport well in time for the reporting hour. I unloaded my baggage, said goodbyes and thank-yous to AJ and Chriselle and with my baggage safely in the concourse, I was inside and getting ready to check in.

All went well with my check-in procedure. I have to say that I had a lovely traffic assistant who gave me a window seat (without making me pay for it), My baggage too was well within the weight limit and with no worries, I set off for Security. I had plenty of time to window shop but as I had a heavy backpack and a strolley to lug along, I decided to simply get to my gate and relax—even if it was a whole hour before boarding.

And that was what I did. I killed time at the gate by blogging and in no time at all, we were ready to board. Yes, darkness had fallen over California by the time we were airborne but as my flight was going from Los Angeles to London, I made sure I watched a movie after drinks and dinner were served (I watched ‘Heretic’, a really scary movie with Hugh Grant) and then sleep washed over me and I gave in to it.

What a fantastic last day it had been! And how memorable had been my entire trip! All I had to do, before I slipped into Dreamland, was think about a safe landing in London and onward flight to Bombay and then a really interesting homecoming as I would be alone for the next two weeks.

Until tomorrow, see ya’…