San Diego

I’ve been extremely fortunate to travel to some amazing places in the world and thought I’d start to share some with you.  I thought I’d give you some insight into what San Diego, Southern California has to offer should you be struggling to find a place for your next summer holiday...in actual fact, it doesn’t have to be summertime to visit SD.  The weather there is pretty much always great...one of the most stable climates in the world...never too hot and never too cold.  Even in January you can walk around during the day in a T-Shirt..10-15 degrees...but for the most part..the weather hits 20+ degrees every day.

The beaches are amazing...so much so that here we are in November and I took my first surf lesson this week.  I had to meet my buddy at the beach at 5.30am...which is such an amazing time of the day...check out the clear blue skies...and then here is me looking eerrrr yeah.... moving on swiftly...

 So what else is there to see and do here...there is SeaWorld with Shamu the killer whale (http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-sandiego/ )... there is also the real home of ‘Top Gun’ Miramar...our company head office is right on the flight path for take-off for the F/A-18 Superhornet Fighter jets so we get to see and hear them every day.  Some great parks, coastal walks/runs...shopping malls everywhere...and golf courses....ahhh yes... golf courses...my favourite.  The courses here are fantastic...especially if you fancy parting with $200 to play Torrey Pines!!

So here’s some great places to eat, drink, party and play golf...clearly these are my favourites...but San Diego has so much more to offer.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House – A MA ZING Fillet Mignon steak sandwiches with blue cheese and Bearnaise sauce. Can be found here.. http://www.ruthschris.com/Steak-House/3505/San-Diego/Del-Mar?google_local

Flemmings – Main Fillet, Rare, Flemmings potatoes (dauphinoise potatoes with thinly sliced jalapenos inside) and asparagus...washed down with a bottle Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc....divine!!! http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/locations/ca/la-jolla

PF Changs – High class Chinese restaurant...stunning food and not too expensive - http://www.pfchangs.com/index.aspx

Poseidon – located in Del Mar, this is a must place to eat in order to witness one of SD’s many stunning sunsets...but make sure you book table for 30 minutes before sunset or you won’t get a table!  http://poseidonrestaurant.com/

Here is the sunset I saw whilst having dinner here..  

 ‘Georges’ at the cove in the Village of La Jolla -  The ideal time to visit this restaurant is for lunch.  You won’t need a sweater or an umbrella because it’s always sunny here... and it overlooks the ocean with amazing views...you might even spot some whales, dolphins or seals.  http://www.georgesatthecove.com/

Here is the view from the restaurant....

Westfield UTC – Although there are countless shopping malls, I like to go here - http://www.westfield.com/utc OR you can go to Fashion Valley... http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=765

Golf courses I’ve played and enjoyed at reasonable rates are: Carlton Oaks - http://www.carltonoaksgolf.com/ , Maderas (expensive but worth it...if you lose your ball in the canyons...leave it for the snakes!!) - http://www.maderasgolf.com/ , Carmel Mountain Ranch - http://www.clubcmr.com/

For a good night out partying....

Little Italy - http://www.littleitalysd.com/

Gas lamp district - http://www.gaslamp.org/

House of Blues – We had 2 parties here...had an amazing night both times with the live music - http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/sandiego/

One of the great things I like about the area is that everyone is happy and enjoys life...and they enjoy the outdoors (mainly because they get so much sunshine).  You really can’t help but become part of it...you just feel so happy when you’re here...it’s infectious.

If you want to experience something different whilst you’re there, within just 30 minutes you could be enjoying tequila in Mexico as SD is right on the border....or to live like the stars... you can take a 2 hour drive north to Los Angeles to drive through Hollywood or down Santa Monica Boulevard.  There is even Las Vegas which is only a 5 hour drive from SD....ROAD TRIP...for those that enjoy the bright lights, fancy shows and the gambling.

Another crazy thing about this area is that the mountains are within 45 minutes of the beach...so in the morning you can surf and by lunch you could be skiing or out in the desert off-roading... and still be back in plenty of time to get ready for your night out.

So in summary, there really are many compelling reasons to take a trip to San Diego so why not give it a go...you can fly into LA with Virgin Atlantic (who I fly with but have never been upgraded!!!), British Airways or even Air New Zealand (a great airline).

And finally..but by no means least...if you ever need any advice on anything to do in San Diego...you have to reach out to this guy....Todd Tichonchuk.  Quite simply he is like a brother to me...his family are like my own...they are amazing, caring, giving and friendly...and happy to help anyone.  If you need a gym buddy...Todd’s your man..he might even introduce you to 4x Mr Olympia Jay Cutler one day...like he did with me! You can find him on Facebook...you won’t find many people with the same name...send him a private message saying you know me and he’ll see you get the best treatment.

Enjoy your holiday!