Day One
Day one of our American road trip was a whirlwind of excitement, travel, and a healthy dose of "firsts"! After a surprisingly good night's sleep at the Hilton London Heathrow T5, we were up and at 'em by 6 am, ready to catch the shuttle to Terminal 5. Our 10 am flight to Los Angeles awaited!
We arrived at Heathrow a little ahead of schedule, which gave us a chance to soak in the pre-flight buzz. Thankfully, our pre-arranged disabled assistance arranged with British Airways made check-in a breeze. We were whisked through security, leaving us with ample time for a quick browse through duty-free. And, of course, no airport experience is complete without a full English breakfast and a cheeky morning pint!
Our Flight Highlights
Boarding time arrived quickly, and we were thrilled with our pre-booked seats. Our plane's configuration had two-seater rows by the windows at the back, which meant extra space and comfort for us, especially with the kids. British Airways provided pillows, blankets, and headphones, making the 11-hour flight more comfortable.
Louie didn't sleep a wink on the outbound flight but was surprisingly entertained! We'd packed plenty of activities into his hand luggage, colouring, toys and his Nintendo Switch but he wasn't interested in any of it as the in flight entertainment had everything that you could need. plenty of films, paramount plus to catch up on series and lots of games.
The service on our outbound flight was fantastic, with attentive cabin crew. We were brought drinks and snacks once we were up in the air, as we got close to half way through the flight we were brought a lovely meal and then towards the end of the flight we were brought another meal/snack, each time being offered a range of juices, cold drinks, hot drinks and alcohol. As we were seated towards the back of the plane we were close to where cabin crew were based so were able to request anything needed between this easily too.
The journey itself was breathtaking. The initial stretch over the Atlantic felt long, but the views over Canada and North America were spectacular. From the right side of the plane we has beautiful views of snow-capped mountains and icy landscapes,. Then as we got closer to our destination we had stunning views of the Rocky Mountains, Salt Lake City, The Hoover Dam and the Las Vegas Strip. If you look closely you might even see the Hollywood sign on approach to LAX.
Our LAX Arrival
We landed at LAX around 2 pm, bracing ourselves for the infamous immigration queues. However, our disabled assistance came through again, and we were escorted through the diplomatic line! Our immigration officer was friendly and helpful, a welcome surprise given many of the stories you usually hear about US immigration. Luggage collection was equally swift, and we were out of the airport within 30 minutes of landing!
Hitting the Road
Next we headed off to find the rental car, there were shuttle buses a short walk from LAX arrivals to take us to the car hire depots. We had booked through Avis via British Airways when we booked our flight and hadn't realised that we could have arranged express collection at no extra cost but as we didn't we had to head up to the main depot. There weren't many advisors available so the queue was slow and it took us longer to get the car than it did to get out of the airport, but once we reached an advisor, the process was seamless. We were assigned a Ford Escape, similar in size to my Kia Sportage at home.
We found the car and loaded up the cases. I'm used to driving a manual car, so the automatic car with key-less start was a bit daunting. After a brief moment of confusion (the start button was hiding!), we were on our way. My first attempt at driving an automatic on the opposite side of the road resulted in a rather abrupt stop, giving Mark a seat belt bruise, i was only driving slow but used the wrong foot on the brake pedal which slammed on the car! After a few minutes and realising where i had gone wrong, I got the hang of it. I was nervous about driving in LA but it was surprisingly easy, the roads were spacious, the traffic was manageable, and drivers were courteous.
Our Beachfront Family Suite
Our LA hotel was a collaboration with the Sea Sprite Hotel in the perfect beachfront location on Hermosa Beach, about 30 minutes from the airport. We parked the car and were wowed by the beautiful beach. We headed into the reception to check in, which was very welcoming and quick. Our room was a beautiful family suite, perfect for the 4 of us, it has 2 open plan rooms, the first has 2 large double beds and an en suite, it then leads to another with a kitchenette, large dining table and sofa bed, off this was a balcony which has a lovely partial ocean view. Read our full hotel review here.
After settling in, we decided to head out to visit to Venice Beach, a must-see for Charlie. By the time that we reached Venice Beach the sun was starting to set, we paid to park the car, had a little stroll and watched the stunning sunset. It then got dark very quickly in more ways that one, the vibe felt a little different after dark, and with a few unusual characters lurking about so we decided to leave quickly.
By this point, we were all exhausted after more than 24 hours of travel and had a busy 2nd day planned so we decided to grab something quick to eat. We stopped at In-N-Out Burger, another item on Charlie's wish list, and then visited Ralphs grocery store for some supplies before heading back to the Sea Sprite Hotel ready to recharge for another exciting day of our American adventure!
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