California

Exclusive guide to the best holiday destinations in California, independent reviews from award-winning travel writers

Field of Light at Sensorio Copyright © 2019 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. Photography by Serena Munro 16

Field of Light at Sensorio, Paso Robles 

Field of Light offers visitors one more reason to take the 101 coastal freeway from Los Angeles to San Francisco rather than the slightly shorter inland route and make an unforgettable mid-point overnight stop.

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Anthea Gerrie visits Hitching Post II to recreate a famous movie scene. Exterior credit Kirk IrwinII Images

 Hitching Post II. Memorable Southern California Wine Country.

Pinot noir is, understandably, the star of the wine list, since so many great versions of this difficult to make varietal have been created in this region. 

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Andy Mossack reviews Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica amd relives Hollywood's Golden Age. Shangrila CA Nicolas Cope 3

Hotel Shangri-La. Discover the Beautiful Golden Age of Hollywood.

The lights of the Santa Monica Ferris wheel have come on and It’s quite a spectacle from my perch on the rooftop bar of Hotel Shangri-La seven storey’s up.

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Anthea Gerrie attends Palm Springs Modernism Week, the annual celebration of its retro architecture. Frank Sinatra House credit Jake Holt

Palm Springs Modernism Week. Discover the joy of retro architecture.

Barack Obama put Palm Springs on the world map when he fled there from a chilly Washington DC on the day of Trump’s inauguration, and thousands of architecture buffs will follow him there in February. For this California resort awash in sun, sand and mountains is actually most famous for the greatest concentration of mid-century modern houses in the world.

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Twelve Top USA Art Museums

Many of the world’s finest art museums are in the USA and here are my twelve top USA art museums, from a list that could easily be twice as long.

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Anthea Gerrie reviews the Hook & Plow in South Los Angeles, a destination often missed by many visitors to LA. 47978d 7d3fb42230a24430bc9822a464b17d06

Hook & Plow. Taste excellent Hermosa Beach ocean to plate cuisine.

Too many visitors turn resolutely left out of LAX, heading north for Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or Santa Monica, oblivious to the delights which lie to the south. Yet within a half-hour’s drive of the airport sit LA’s delightful beach towns, a great place to kick back and enjoy good food in rustic surroundings. Hermosa Beach is one of the prettiest of these coastal villages, and The Hook & Plow has been its star turn since 2014.

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