Our family just returned from an absolutely refreshing weekend in San Clemente, CA. Located about seven hours from our home in the Bay Area, San Clemente is a chill beach town with strong Spanish architectural influences and gorgeous beaches. It has been a few years since we have made it down to So. Cal as a family and none of us had spent time in San Clemente before so we were excited to go and make some new family memories!

We were happy to be hosted by the elegant Casa Beleza, which is in the MOST ideal location for exploring the beach and pier as well as downtown shopping and dining. Literally the perfect location. It is only five minutes to the beach and pier and five minutes in the other direction to shopping along Del Mar. Staying in this large two bedroom two bath with full kitchen and laundry was a dream for our family of six.

Anytime we are able to stay in accommodations with extra living space and a kitchen makes us so happy. Casa Beleza is a Spanish-style home featuring two separate villas in the heart of San Clemente. We stayed in Villa B, which was both comfortable and luxurious. An added bonus? It is especially designed for families and groups. Everything you could possibly need to have a great beach vacation is right there. Try a beautiful built-in BBQ on the large outdoor patio with ocean view. Or a beach wagon filled with boogie boards, surfboards, sand toys and chairs for pulling down to the beach. Or even a large laundry basket and washer/dryer for doing laundry while on your trip. See what I mean? Ideal.

The owners of Casa Beleza thought of everything that would make a comfortable home away from home while still kicking it up a notch with a little extra luxury. For example, the beds here are the MOST comfortable beds I have ever slept on. EVER, ANYWHERE. What a fluffy dreamland on those beds! The bunk room with two sets of bunks are actually full size beds and have equally soft, comfy mattresses and duvets. There were multiple times where we discovered we were missing one or two kids and found them in their BEDS watching TV! It was pretty funny.

Everything in the home is thoughtfully curated with a discerning guest in mind; we felt comfortably spoiled the whole time. And isn’t that what you want your vacation accommodation to feel like?!

We tried to explore as much of San Clemente as possible before lots of RAIN changed up our plans. Walking down to the beach and pier was super quick; only a five-minute walk.

We enjoyed lunch on the pier at Fisherman’s Restaurant with a comprehensive seafood menu and ideal ocean view scenery. Sam and I had some amazing seared ahi tuna that was really good.

We spent time on the beach soaking up some So Cal sun…before the rain hit, that is.

We also did some exploring around the main downtown area of San Clemente. Again, this was just a five-minute walk from our house to all of the shops and dining options. We ran out multiple times during our visit to pop into the candy/soda shop, grab pizza, look for some clothes, go to the book fair at the library. Having everything so close meant we left the car in the garage at the house for most of our visit.

I hit the jackpot at a store in town called Tuvalu. It is a chic home furnishings store and I scored the most amazing floor pillow for only $30 (normally $220)! Sam was even impressed (he is pretty tired of me bringing home ALL of the pillows ALL of the time, but proclaimed this pillow was worth it). I was so excited!

We visited Rocket Fizz, an old-time candy and soda pop shop, multiple times on our trip. You could fill bags of candy for like $9.99 and at one point we had three bags at the house. THREE. Oh well, we were on vacation…right?f

We tried Selma’s Chicago Pizzeria on a tip from a friend and it did not disappoint. We barely got photos of this pizza because everyone was so hungry! Try the “The Works” deep dish. Ridiculous.

We also tried Biggie’s Burgers one night with just me, Sam and Sebastian. The other three kids were full from most likely candy and wanted to lounge in their jammies watching TV so it was just three of us. OH my goodness, such good food. Big juicy burger, tasty fries and the TASTIEST milkshake I have had in a long time. YUM. Go to Biggie’s Burgers if you are ever in San Clemente. Trust me.

We were also able to spend time with lots of friends on this trip. Having our people spread out all over the country is a benefit when we travel and having so many of them in Southern California is awesome. We were able to catch up with the Privett’s on our way to San Clemente, the Lundell’s stopped by our beach house to visit one afternoon and then we drove out to Fountain Valley to spend an evening with the Merrill’s. Never enough time to talk with everyone but we made the most of the time we had.

We were sad to go home but felt genuinely refreshed and well rested when we hit the road to head back to the Bay Area. Vacations aren’t always like that. Sometimes you feel like you need a vacation after the vacation, right? Because we were able to sleep so comfortably and had everything we could possibly need at our beach house, everything was easier.

Casa Beleza is a jewel and San Clemente is such a chill, artsy beach town. If you want a perfect getaway in So Cal, please consider staying at Casa Beleza. Right now they have a few openings for April and May but hurry because this property fills up fast. You can see why! For more information on reservations go here. We loved our stay and really loved getting to know San Clemente!

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Casa Beleza. All opinions are my own; I would happily pay to stay at Casa Beleza and could go on and on about what a fantastic property it is. I also appreciate and support properties that are owned and managed by a family. Casa Beleza is truly a gem and I hope that you will check it out!