We found that Mammoth Mountain offers some really great skiing for all levels. The snow cover was brilliant, and later we learned Mammoth enjoys extended ski seasons of good snow quality. There’s an excellent network of lifts to keep it all moving with minimal queues, too.

We skied all day, only stopping for a scrumptious lunch at The Yodler restaurant, located at the base of the ski resort.

Skiing isn’t all there is to do at Mammoth Mountain of course – there’s so much snow fun on offer! Snowmobiling, tubing and many more non-skiing options. If that isn’t enough activities for you, Mammoth Lakes even has its own bowling alley! We had some delicious finger food alley-side for dinner whilst (trying to) hit some pins!

After bowling we headed back to The Village for some Apres-ski fun. Whatever you do, don’t miss the outdoor fire pits, where we learned how to toast s’mores! You can buy a full s’more kit at The Village reception desk, so there’s really nothing to putting one together, and they are scrumptious! If s’mores aren’t your thing, you can always enjoy a drink from the bar whilst you warm your hands and have a cosy chat around the fire. What a fun way to end the day!

There’s nothing quite like starting your day with a swim in an outdoor heated pool and a soak in a hot tub – surrounded by snow!

Follow that with a super-cosy breakfast at The Warming Hut in Mammoth Lakes, and you have snowy-morning perfection!

With high winds forecast we opted to road-trip it back to our next amazing California destination, Santa Monica! Our day was spent kicking back in a black SUV complete with cinematic TV, watching movies and enjoying the scenery out of the windows – there are no boring road trips in California!

We travelled through the magical Mojave’ Desert landscape, and had a rest stop at Lone Pine, an iconic country town used as a backdrop for several movies.

It was very exciting to see the colourful lights of the famous Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel come into view. We arrived to a welcoming glass of champagne at the gloriously decadent Santa Monica Shore Hotel, our accommodation in Santa Monica. This elegant hotel is located right at the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier – hotel locations just don’t get any better than that!

With the colourful lights beckoning us, we went for a beautiful stroll along the Pier before dinner and bed.

It’s amazing how fast we went from snow to beach holiday in California. It really is the best of both worlds!

There are so many things to do in Santa Monica, we were really spoilt for choice. I decided a bike ride would be a great way to take a look around Santa Monica. We went on a really fun tour of the city streets and elite residential areas with The Bike Center. This guided tour included a a stop-off at the scrumptious Sidecar Doughnuts coffee shop – yum!

For a tour of a different kind with no roads involved at all, we also hired bikes right off the Santa Monica Pier at Blazing Saddles Beach Rentals and Tours. We loved riding along the wide bike paths to Venice Beach to check out its eclectic shops, murals and skate park.

After we rode back we visited Heal The Bay, a wonderful little aquarium located beneath the Santa Monica Pier. There we spent a fun hour exploring and learning all about the diverse local marine life – and even fed baby sharks! Then we had a delicious lunch at Seaside On The Pier – the pasta is especially good!

Of course we couldn’t leave the Pier without spending some time at Pacific Park, the famous fun fair. We had so much fun riding the roller coaster, pirate ship, bumper cars and many more. For the best view in Santa Monica, you can’t go past the iconic big wheel at Pacific Park – which also happens to be the only solar powered Ferris Wheel in the world!

Soon after we headed off for dinner at The Gallery Food Hall on Third Street Promenade, where there’s a huge range of yummy food bars and an epic sweet shop – complete with pink chandlers!

After dinner it was time for some more fun and we headed just a little further up Third Street to try out some virtual reality experiences at The Void. We donned the special back packs and head-gear, and stepped into the virtual worlds of both the Jumanji and Star Wars experiences. We were blown away with how real they seemed!

Finally we headed back to the Shore Hotel where we spent some time on our balcony, taking in the fabulous views over the colourful night lights of the Santa Monica Pier.

What a fantastic California winter holiday we had – we’ll be back!