Shop A Similar Dress
Dress: Here C/O (true to size) Make sure to sign up for their e-mails, you will get $10 off of your first order. Earrings: Here Shoes: Here (on sale for $109) Clutch: Sold- Out J. Crew Factory Tote: Sold Out- Forever21 Sunglasses: Here
Last Saturday we had the whole day to ourselves on our vaca, so we headed to Malibu. It was seriously amazing because I cannot remember the last time we had a full day to do whatever we wanted with just the two of us together. It was maybe second year of medical school? I am excited to share what we did in Malibu/Santa Monica and our recommendations for a day trip. I wore this adorable maxi all day from Shop The Mint, and it was perfect for the whole day. I brought a clutch and a straw beach bag so I would have the option to dress my outfit up or down.
Malibu
Lunch Recommendations In Malibu
Malibu was about an hour drive from our hotel, but it was so scenic the whole way. You pass through Santa Monica and several gorgeous beaches. Once we got there, it was about lunch time so we headed to Nobu. The whole time I was thinking of Drake and all of the rap stars, since they’re obsessed with Nobu. I was waiting for one of them to come in at any moment. Jake and I think we saw Heather from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but we were not positive it was her. Nobu was recommended to me by at least 3 bloggers who have been to Malibu, so we knew it was a must. It definitely did not disappoint!
Malibu Beach & Malibu Wines
After lunch we went down to the beach for a bit. The water was so beautiful and it really surprised Jake and I. After a bit on the beach, we decided to walk to a wine tasting place we saw. We walked for maybe 30 minutes near the beach before realizing we should just call an Uber if we didn’t want to waste the whole day walking there. Once we got our Uber, Jake realized about 10 minutes in we put in the wrong wine tasting place. We were wondering why it took so long. We had gone pretty far in the opposite direction of the winery we originally meant to go to, so we decided to just go with the other one instead.
We ended up at Malibu Wines. When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised with how amazing it was. It was an outdoor park that had different vendors who were selling everything from flower crowns to wine popsicles. It was largely shaded from the sun and was such a cute place. There was also live music, which was really nice. At first we decided to try wine flights. After enjoying a nice round of reds, we realized it was cheaper to just purchase a bottle, so we did the rosé. We sat for hours just sipping wine and talking. It was seriously so much fun because we haven’t day drank since college or had that much time to just enjoy each other in a long time.
Santa Monica
Dinner Recommendations In Santa Monica
During our wonderful time at Malibu Wines, we realized our flight home the next day was earlier than we had thought, so we decided to do dinner in Santa Monica instead of our original plan to stay for dinner in Malibu as well. We had originally planned to see Santa Monica the next day before flying out, so we moved it up a day once we realized we’d be cutting it close on time to catch our flight if we went there the next day. LA traffic and the whole process of dealing with LAX are very time consuming! I texted one of my blogger friends for recommendations and we decided to try the Ivy Hotel. The atmosphere was really nice and romantic. It was very dark and had gorgeous flower arrangements. At first I was telling Jake it might be a private party or something because it was decorated so pretty. When we got seated, they handed us a complimentary glass of champagne, which was a special touch.
Santa Monica Pier
After dinner we walked the board walk, which was really interesting. It was super crowded and lively. It was fun to people watch. The Ferris wheel was so beautiful all lit up. The little town had a lot of beautiful lights strung everywhere. Definitely a must see!
What is your favorite place to travel to? If you need advice on traveling in style check this post out or if you need tips on how to make the most of a weekend trip make sure to read this post here.
Sounds like such a blast!! I love the pictures of you on the picnic blanket! Everything looks picturesque.
Katherine | http://www.oneswainkycouple.com
Thank you so much, Katherine! It was such a lovely vaca.
Sounds like so much fun! You dress is so pretty and perfect for a day in Malibu!
Taylor | http://www.livingtaylored.com
Thank you so much, Taylor <3 It was such a nice day.
This looks so fun! I love your dress!
Thanks, Courtney.
This makes me wanna travel to Cali asap!!! Love all of your recommendations and the outfits are all so cute!
Cali is seriously amazing! I LOVE it. thanks, babe.
Looks like you had so much fun! Sounds like an amazing trip! I love your swim suit btw! its too cute 🙂
http://www.somethingprettysomethingpink.com
It was so much fun. Thanks, Maria <3
I love your dress! It looks like a wonderful trip!
Lisa
Thank you. Yes it was fun.
Fabulous vacation pics Courtney. Malibu suits you so well! I love your pretty maxi , just right for a day out wine tasting and sitting out having a glass of wine(I love that wine glass and head turned from camera pose!) Also a very cute swimsuit pose . Is that your boat in background ? Have a great day, hugs, Terri xoxo.
Thank you so much Terri! It was seriously the best day ever. I wish that was my boat. So pretty
That dress and your swimsuit are SO cute! And I want to go to Malibu right this instant after seeing your photos. I’ve always heard such great things about Nobu too. So glad you had such a nice time!
Thanks, girl <3 it was so fun .
What a perfect day! Your dress is gorgeous and the scenery is too!
Thank you. It really was the perfect day.