10 Days in Southern California

DAY 1 INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

Hop aboard your 11-and-a-half-hour flight from London to Los Angeles at around lunchtime, arriving mid-afternoon the same day (thanks to the time difference). Once you have cleared customs and collected your luggage, one of our team on the ground will meet you for a private transfer to your West Hollywood hotel, about half an hour away.

DAY 2 LOS ANGELES

After a leisurely breakfast enjoy a full-day tour of the ‘City of Angels’ by electric bike. With a local guide, you will take in all the highlights - from tourist hotspots in Beverly Hills and the bustling Hollywood Walk of Fame to locals' favourite haunts and hidden gems- covering about 30 miles (hence the e-bikes). Lunch will be at a hip restaurant at Venice Beach - home to the infamous Muscle Beach - before cycling along the canals which gave the neighbourhood its name. Your tour will end with a visit to the iconic Culver City, home to the movie studios that made LA the film hub it is today.

DAY 3 LOS ANGELES & PALM SPRINGS

After a late breakfast this morning you will collect your hire car (or even opt to get it delivered to you for a super A-list start to the day). From here you will make your way to Palm Springs, two hours from Los Angeles, in the middle of the California desert. We will provide you with detailed driving instructions, as well as a few suggestions for places to stop for lunch - after all, we're not sure if a Stateside-road trip really counts if there isn't at least one American diner ‘burger-and-milkshake meal’ along the way. Once you arrive at your hotel we recommend getting out and exploring America's (or at least Hollywood's) most famous spa town before dinner. For dinner this evening, our local Concierge will have booked you a table at a Palm Springs institution, The Edge Steak House is a favourite of ours, with its epic views across the desert thanks to its cliff-top position and wraparound glass walls. Your reservation will be perfectly timed to tie in with the sunset, so you'll have sundowners with a view.

DAY 4 PALM SPRINGS

Palm Springs is known to architecture buffs as the home of some of the best examples of mid-century modern architecture in America, designed by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Dubois. This morning your design-expert and Palm Springs architecture aficionado guide will meet you at your hotel for a private tour of some of the best architecture and design in the city, including access to the interiors of some private homes.

This afternoon, make your own way to the Palm Springs Arial Tramway, where you will ride up and across the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon. Once at the top, we recommend spending some time exploring the hiking trails, before making your way back down and to the San Andreas fault zone. Explore the geological nooks and crannies, which have shaped the area for millennia, in an open 4x4 and with the help of an expert guide. If a little more wilderness is what you’re after, make the 50-minute drive to Joshua Tree National Park. The barren wilderness is dotted with eponymous Joshua trees and a network of winding trails that are great for all abilities, even those with the littlest legs. An afternoon spent on a guided hike is a great way to get to know this barren wilderness.

DAY 5 PALM SPRINGS & NEWPORT BEACH

This morning you will make the two-hour drive to Newport Beach, on the coast south of Los Angeles in Orange County. Once you have arrived and settled into your hotel, whether that be with a round of golf or having a bite to eat in the restaurant, you will make your way down to the harbour. Here, you will set off in your speedy electric boat before spending the afternoon and early evening cruising around the harbour as the setting sun makes everything shimmer. Make sure you stock up on a delicious smorgasbord of snacks to take on board or hold out and grab bites to eat later on a waterfront bar crawl.

DAY 6 NEWPORT BEACH

This morning you will make your way to the meeting point for your whale watching excursion. After you have boarded your RIB (rigid inflatable boat), you will head out to where the whales are known to spend their time, in the company of an expert guide. Depending on the time of year, you will be able to spot blue, fin, humpback, grey or minke whales - maybe even all of them if you're really lucky.

DAY 7 NEWPORT BEACH & SAN DIEGO

After breakfast this morning you will make your way south to San Diego, an hour and a half along the coast by car. Your hotel is on a spit of land in San Diego Bay, so we recommend spending the rest of the day soaking up some sunshine on the beach (we'll give you a list of our favourites with your final documents).

DAY 8 SAN DIEGO

This morning we recommend heading to Torrey Pines State Reserve bright and early for a hike (we will arrange permits for you), through the forest and along the beaches on well-marked trails. If you fancy a splash of adrenaline, we can also arrange surf lessons or board hire. Later today, we recommend visiting the USS Midway Museum, a maritime museum aboard the eponymous aircraft carrier, where you will learn about the history of this vast ship, once home to 4,000 sailors.

DAY 9 SAN DIEGO & INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

Spend today relaxing on the beach before heading to the airport in good time for your overnight flight home.

DAY 10 HOME TIME

Your ten-and-a-half-hour flight will land in London mid-morning.