A Guide to Day Trips from Santa Monica

Santa Monica, California is easily one of the best places on earth.
Just west of Los Angeles, it makes a great base for your vacation because of the Pier, shopping and of course the beach.

The Santa Monica Pier is where the famed Route 66 ends and meets the Pacific Ocean.
There are rides, lots of great junk food and sights to see. If amusements are your idea of a good time, you can always take a stroll up and down the 3rd Street Promenade, which has some fantastic shops and cafes.

Of course, you're not in California to just sit still, right? There are some fantastic places for you to go on a day trip that won't break the bank or have you spend a million hours in the car.

Malibu!

I love, love, love Malibu. Hop in the car and take a drive north on the Pacific Coast Highway. You will see some of the most breathtaking views! I used to drive to Ventura from Hollywood on nice days, just so I could take in the ocean air and soak up the views.

At a certain point, you have the Pacific Ocean to the West, and the mountains to the East. It really is an amazing sight.

A lot of big Hollywood A-listers call the 'Bu, home. Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson and Suzanne Somers all live in Malibu year �€˜round. If you're out and about on a school day, you might see Pam picking up her kids from school, or if you're hanging out late night, head over to Moonshadows and you might see a barefoot Britney ordering a burger. Jennifer Aniston, along with BFF Courtney Cox-Arquette and her husband, David, all live along Malibu's luxurious shorelines.

Houses along the ocean start at a paltry $4 million for a "shack" and go way above $20 million.

Many places along the beach are public, but the celebs make them hard to get to because they want to keep the prying eyes of the paparazzi and the public away. If you are lucky enough to get on the beach, there are some restaurants that are literally on the beach. There's nothing better than having your feet in the sand while you're downing shrimp.

One place I recommend is The Sunset. It's located at 800 Westward Beach Rd on Zuma Beach.