It’s common to spend weeks or even months planning the perfect family vacation, save throughout the year to be able to afford it, and then for everyone to develop incredibly high expectations for the experience.

Summer is here, and while Los Angeles is blessed with near-perfect weather year-round, now, especially, is the perfect time to plot an unforgettable LA beach vacation. With over 30 miles of shoreline and over 20 beaches, there are plenty of spots to catch a few waves, watch spectacular sunsets and soak up gorgeous scenery.

Los Angeles is a beautiful city graced by miles of well-kept sandy beaches and high, canyon-cut mountains. The coastal scenery alone makes it worth a visit, but LA’s outdoor lifestyle, glittery nightlife, trendy restaurants and superb museums also contribute to its allure. Whether searching for a bit of Hollywood glamour or an easygoing change of pace, heading westward—perhaps dodging paparazzi and battling the city’s notorious traffic in the process—is the appropriate choice of action.

Many visitors to Los Angeles flock to the city for its bright lights, beaches, Hollywood allure, and the like, often avoiding (or at least overlooking) downtown LA. For them, downtown is an ungainly clutter of buildings viewed from a car on the freeway. But confined in the massive pretzel of highways is the historic heart and soul of the city. Visiting downtown is essential for any traveler hoping to explore Los Angeles beyond palms, beaches, swimming pools and film industry-related lore.

Located at one of the most iconic intersections in the world, Hollywood and Vine, the new 305 room W Hotel sits above Los Angeles’ Metro Red Line station. Once inside, the reception area leads to a vast, light-filled 45-foot living room with a dramatic corkscrew-shaped chandelier, a mirrored floating staircase, soaring 34-foot ceilings and a footbridge suspended overhead.

The Jersey Shore was recently catapulted into fame—and some might say notoriety—by the lascivious MTV show of the same name. The exploits of Snooki and crew made for an entertaining slice of “reality” television, attracting more attention to a locale that is already a popular visitor’s site. For many, visiting the Jersey Shore is an annual tradition, often making for a relaxing week of quality family time in a beachfront cottage.

Set on the southern coast of Spain, yet clinging to a language and culture all its own, Barcelona is a city with one foot firmly rooted in the past and the other planted jubilantly in the modern world. It’s a study in contrasts; it’s definitely Spanish yet is the capital of Catalonia, a region with its own character and a language spoken by only nine million people. Many Catalonians consider it a separate country from Spain

Barcelona has pioneered the introduction of sports to Spain since the end of the 19th century. This tradition has given the city a legacy of sporting clubs, some of which are a century old and enjoy great international prestige. The city leapt onto the collective international consciousness with the 1992 Olympic Games, but for the people who live here, sports are just a way of life.

The columns stretching above my head were slender and graceful, the ceiling undulating and spiraling away in plaster waves. Walls and corners were rounded, decorated with bits of circular colored glass and mosaic tiles. There wasn’t a corner, square or hard edge in sight.