Saturday in San Clemente
This week I’ve been enjoying a stay-cation and, oh, what a stay-cation it’s been. I’ve been taking day trips all week from San Diego to the San Fernando Valley and, boy, has it been fun. It all started last Saturday when my family and I headed to San Clemente…
San Clemente is the southernmost city in Orange County. Although I’ve spent much of my life in the area it’s one town I rarely get to. When I took my San Diego train trip a few weeks ago this was one of the stops and I thought to myself “I have got to come here more often.” True to my word I headed there last weekend and it was lovely.
After battling insane holiday traffic on the 5 freeway my family and I made a beeline to the pier. We parked on the main drag, Avenida Pico, and walked several blocks down to the ocean. It was a beautiful day and the pier afforded amazing views of the coastline.
This is the reason so many people flock to Southern California.
We walked to the end of the pier and spent some time admiring the beautiful area we’re lucky to call home. As we headed back to land I swiftly heard the siren call of coffee. Just across from the pier is Bear Coast Coffee – founded by Jeff Clinard, one of the original members of Portola Coffee. Sourcing coffee that’s hard to find in Orange County it’s a shop strongly devoted to the bean. I decided to try their famed off-menu caramel lavender latte.
Since it was a hot day I had it over ice and it was quite delicious. The caramel sauce has a freshly burnt sugar vibe and the hint of lavender made it delectable. Man, I wish I lived closer so I could have it everyday.
Walking back to the car was a bit of an ordeal as it was uphill but it ended up being a blessing in disguise for on our way we came across Casa Romantica.
Casa Romantica was built in 1927 as the home of the founder of San Clemente, Ole Hanson. This beautiful Spanish revival structure sits on a hill overlooking the Pacific and is a wonder to behold. It’s open to the public and we took a quick tour.
It’s truly a heavenly spot filled with lush foliage and cool ocean breezes. On the coast it was warm and muggy but here it was cool and lovely.
The interior was equally beautiful filled with fantastic California tile.
Now used primarily for private events it’s the perfect place to hold a wedding.
There is also a small gallery onsite showcasing rotating exhibits. On our visit there was a display devoted to Catalina Island that had a lot of wonderful pieces.
Casa Romantica and the town of San Clemente is a lovely place to visit. My family and I had a wonderful time exploring the town and I can’t wait to go back.