Hey beautiful people,
It’s been a while since I wrote a blogpost and I am kicking it off with my travel and finance series. Over the last few years, I have enjoyed seeing the world with my loved ones and also alone. For my birthday, my best friend and I went to LA for a girl’s trip and had the best time. Here’s what we got up to and how much it cost.
This wasn’t my first time in L.A. so this trip looked a little different for me as I wasn’t trying to do any of the touristy things. For more details on what to get up to in L.A. as a first timer, check out this post.
I booked my flight a month before my intended travel date and it cost $448 CAD.
My best friend and I stayed downtown at the Hilton Checkers, our stay came up to $730 USD for 3 nights (this was my birthday gift from my parents). We paid for valet parking (the only option available) for two nights and that cost us $130 USD for the two nights.
From what I read before my trip, you need a car to move around LA. My friend and I rented a car using Turo and it cost us $263.97. Note: depending on what you need the car for, you might have to be mindful of how many miles are offered to you when you rent the car. You don’t want to end up paying for miles when you could have gotten a car that offered more miles.
What we got up to (3 FULL DAYS)
Venice Beach and lunch at Belle’s Beach House – We grabbed a bite at Belle’s Beach House in Venice. Now, I’m not sure if I was just really hungry but the spicy tuna crispy rice was soo good and the Huli Huli chicken. When in doubt, ask the waiter what they recommend.
Dinner at Nobu – This was my first time at Nobu and I had such a great experience. I read online that you should ask the waiters for their suggestions and recommendations to get the best experience out of dining at Nobu and honestly, I agree. They asked us how hungry we were and made some suggestions based on what we were feeling. The menu is very confusing so I highly recommend asking the waiter for help especially if this is your first time visiting.
Hot air balloon in Temecula – Temecula is about an hour 30 mins away from Downtown LA without traffic and we had to be at the meeting point for the hot air balloon ride at 5:30am to catch the sunrise ride as most of the rides were only offered in the morning. Cost – $180/pp. Now as someone who is a bit scared of heights, I had second thoughts when I was signing the waiver and during takeoff but it was such a smooth and fun ride. We used Magical Adventure Balloon Rides for the ride and they provided refreshments and champagne at the end of the ride.
PS- at the end of every hot air ballon ride, there is a champagne toast and the Balloonist Prayer. This tradition dates back to the 18th century when the first manned hot air balloon flight took off and the champagne was used as a peace offering to the farmers when they landed on their farms.
** Cancelled** Winery visits – Temecula has a lot of wineries around but they didn’t open till noon and I was exhausted so we drove back to LA. Wine tastings would have cost us about $15/pp at a winery if we decided to do that. There were also wine tours available on groupon but we were not interested in that.
Six, the Musical – I really enjoyed this musical and no, I didn’t sleep in this one haha. Very interesting spin on the six wives of King Henry the 8th. This cost $87.69/pp. Note – this was in Orange County and was about an hour away from downtown.
In N Out – No CALI trip is complete without In N Out however, I think I am at the point where I personally don’t care for the burgers. I’ll happily stick to my animal fries and vanilla milkshake, thank you!
Driving at night and in the day through Beverly Hills – This was probably one of my highlights of this trip; driving around listening to music at night and in the day too. We were in search of the palm trees but we couldn’t find the ones we saw online – maybe another time.
Brunch at The rooftop by JG at Waldorf Astoria – I got the best views of Beverly Hills from here and enjoyed the brunch. Their mocktails were delicious and the view was really breathtaking.
Going to the Dunes- As an insecure fan girl, I had to visit Issa’s apartment building in Inglewood. The gates were open and I saw others go in but I just took the IYKYK photo and left.
Total Costs
- Flight – $448 CAD
- Accommodation – $730
- Food – $481.19
- Car rental – $263.97
- Musical – $175.38
- Hot Air Balloon – $358.28
- Gas – $115
- Parking – $165.55
- Ubers (to the airport and back) – $100
Total shared costs without flight- $2,389.37 ($1,195 USD pp)
Total Costs In USD – $1,526.85 ($2,061.25 CAD)
Tip – when visiting LA, factor in travel time and traffic too. LA is pretty big and traveling from one spot to another might take up to an hour if not more.
That’s it for this post. I hope you enjoyed reading this and would be interested in visiting LA. Have you been to LA, is LA on your list?
Talk Soon,
AwahShasha 