4 Days in October at Newport Beach California
Day 1 – We took a direct flight and arrived mid day. We checked in to our villa and then went to Newport Beach on the Balboa Peninsula. We played on the beach for a little while but it still gets dark early in October, even on vacation! Then, we walked to get dinner on the pier before the daylight was gone.
We enjoyed a sunset dinner of shakes and burgers on the pier at Ruby’s Diner. The view was surrounded by the ocean with a backdrop of the mountains. We enjoyed watching the locals fish from the pier as we ate our dinner.
We walked around the beach, watching the waves and then walked back to our hotel to get the kids in bed to be ready to enjoy their day 2 surprise.
Day 2 – We dressed the kids in their Halloween costumes and drove early morning to arrive for opening time to Disneyland Park. The kids were so excited when we let them know what we were doing! We spent the entire day at the park and the kids loved every minute of it. The youngest fell asleep in the stroller at the start of the nighttime show. The kids loved the Mickey Mouse pretzels and the Tigger Tails!
Day 3 – We spent the third day at Newport Beach. The waves got really high, which was really enjoyable to watch and appreciate but not so much for the kids to swim in. We ended up walking to the bay side at Marina Park to have the kids swim in much calmer water. This park has a playground with a lighthouse slide for the kids to play at as well. We packed a picnic lunch but there is a café on site if you prefer to not pack any food.
We drove and went out to eat for dinner at Cucina Enoteca . We made reservations ahead of time here as it is a very popular place. We recommend ordering the pizza. There is a kid’s menu as well if the kids prefer something different.
That evening, we took the ferry to Balboa Island. We enjoyed looking at all the houses decorated for Halloween. There were also many Halloween sand sculptures to admire.
As Arrested Development fans, we stopped at the original frozen banana stand. The frozen bananas are hand dipped and you choose from toppings to put on them. I chose the “everything” option and it was delicious.
Day 4 – On our last morning, we ate donuts at Balboa Bakery Donuts . Then, we went on an amazing dolphin cruise with Newport Whales where we saw over one-hundred dolphins swimming and jumping next to our boat. After, we rode the Balboa Ferris Wheel and enjoyed the views of Balboa Island. Then, we enjoyed an outdoor lunch Cancun Taco to take in our last views of California. Last, we headed to the airport and caught our flight to head back home, even though we were definitely not ready to leave.
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What is on your must do list for Newport Beach and Balboa Island? What California city should we visit next?