My getaway to Port Hueneme began when the family and I discovered the Holiday Inn Express Port Hueneme, the perfect hotel for exploring the city. Located a block from the beach, the hotel is modern, clean and efficient. The staff is super friendly and the rooms are spacious and feature a refrigerator, microwaves, HD TV’s, high-speed Internet access and comfortable beds.

The hotel also offers free gourmet breakfast to guests, a heated pool and Jacuzzi, a fitness center, and bike rentals. Besides being next to the beach, the property is across the street from lots of food options, a few blocks from the new U.S. Seabee Museum, and three miles from the Ventura County Maritime Museum in Oxnard.

Once acquainted with the room, we walked five minutes to Hueneme Beach Park, a 50-acre park on the water, with soft white sand, picnic tables, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, and a long, beautiful walking/biking path following the sand. The park also features a great seafood joint, Port Hueneme Lighthouse, and the city’s historic pier.

Port Hueneme Pier was originally constructed in 1956, when it was 650 ft-long. Today, after a few renovations, the wooden plank pier is 1,250 feet long and is a great spot for fishing, strolling, viewing large container ships coming in and out of the port, and watching the sunset behind the nearby Channel Islands.

After visiting the pier we walked down the long, paved beach path towards the port and lighthouse. The path is partially protected by a large wall of rocks to keep high tides at bay. It is great for walking, jogging and running, and takes visitors past the pier, scores of wild cats, and ends next to the lighthouse and port.

Port Hueneme, where the city gets its name, is the only deep water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The port is a leading importer / exporter for autos and fresh produce, such as pineapples, bananas, onions, strawberries, flowers and more. The port brings in an estimated $2.8 billion in economic activity while creating nearly 25,000 trade-related jobs.

Next to the port is Port Hueneme Lighthouse, which is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and was constructed in 1941. The Art Deco styled lighthouse is currently closed, but will soon be open for public tours. On the long rock jetty next to the lighthouse we encountered fishermen, more incredible views of the Channel Islands, and a group of cute, wild cats that live among the rocks and abandoned port buildings.

Near the lighthouse is the Alaska Air Flight 261 Memorial Sundial. The Memorial features a 36-foot diameter concrete plaza with a curving sand wall and seating area and a raised sundial in the center. It commemorates the 88 passengers and crew who lost their lives aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 261 near Anacapa Island on January 31, 2000.

Back at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel, we had the entire heated pool and Jacuzzi to ourselves. For dinner we walked across the street to Pizza Man Dan’s for tasty pizza and chicken wings.

The next morning we enjoyed a great complimentary breakfast buffet at the hotel. Sitting next to a big window looking over the pool, we devoured biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh pastry, coffee, a variety of cereals and fresh juices.

After breakfast I met hotel manager Ruben Franco who suggested we rent a surrey bike to explore the beach area. He also gave us a loaf of bread to feed the local ducks.

The first highlight of our ride was rolling over the railroad tracks made famous in the movie Back to the Future III. The tracks, which aren’t used much anymore, were the sight of a charging locomotive crashing into Michael J Fox’s time-traveling Delorean car. From here we pedaled the four-seat Surrey bike along the beach and onto the old wooden pier, where we saw a few fishermen and got an incredible view of the Channel Islands about 20 miles offshore.

Our next stop was Bubbling Springs Park, a 21-acre community park, with lots of grass, walking paths and canals. The park surrounds a natural, unlined stormwater channel draining to the ocean. There are a variety of animals living around Bubbling Springs, including beautiful bird species, fish, frogs, turtles, crayfish, squirrels, raccoons, lizards and Canadian geese. There were also lots of hungry, quacking ducks that instantly surrounded us as soon as we showed them our bread. The animals came right up to us for a bite and the kids loved it.

From the park, we pedaled back to the beach for lunch at Seaside Seafood, a popular local spot, set right on the sand! Our meal was highlighted by the best fish and chips I’ve had in a long time. They came with Alaskan Pollock, coleslaw and fries. We also enjoyed thick and tasty clam chowder, seared ahi tuna, oysters on the half shell with pico de gallo and ponzu sauce.

Back at the Holiday Inn we returned to the pool and Jacuzzi, where we watched the sunset behind the Channel Islands.

Port Hueneme is also home to beach and banana festivals. The Hueneme Beach Festival, held each August, is a two-day event with live music, rides, games, attractions, food and exhibits. The Banana Festival is an annual event with tours of the port, food, and entertainment. Attendees spend the day celebrating the over 3.3 billion bananas that come through the Port of Hueneme each year.

The Holiday Inn Express Port Hueneme is located at 350 E Port Hueneme Rd, Port Hueneme, CA 93041. For more information on staying at the hotel, call 805-9865353 or visit: www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/port-hueneme/ntdca/hoteldetail

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The only thing better than a great hotel room, is a great hotel room on the beach. And this is why Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach is one of my new favorite Southern California destinations. Located steps from the beautiful sand and ocean in Oxnard, California, the resort has everything one could want for a waterfront vacation.

The family and I began a recent two-night stay at Zachari Dunes by experiencing two different rooms. The first night we stayed in a luxurious 2-queen suite, overlooking the water, and the second night we were in a palatial presidential suite.

The 625-sq-ft, 2-queen suite overlooked the ocean and stunning Mandalay Beach. It came with a large entertaining room, featuring a sleeper sofa, comfy chairs, chest of drawers, huge TV, and balcony looking out to the water. This main room also had a wet bar, microwave, refrigerator, table and chairs, and a bathroom with a shower.

In the suite’s separate bedroom, there were two queen beds, a private bathroom with a tub and shower, big closet, another TV, and access to the giant balcony overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands in the distance.

Outside the suite, we played on the beach or in the sparkling hotel pool. To get to the beach, we walked out the back gate of the resort, crossed a walking/biking path and stepped on the fluffy white sand of Mandalay Beach. I love this beach because it’s rarely crowded and it is great for sunbathing, building sand castles, and playing in the water with kids.

Another favorite spot was the hotel pool, where we had our own private cabana for a day. Available for rent, the cabanas offer shade, a refrigerator and a couch and chairs. They are a great way to enjoy the pool and the extra large Jacuzzi. While relaxing in the cabana we enjoyed champagne and fresh, local Oxnard strawberries.

After a day at the beach and pool, we enjoyed dinner at Ox & Ocean, the hotel’s signature, gourmet restaurant. Located beside the lobby, the restaurant offers an elegant and eclectic mix of surf and turf dinner options, as well as creative and tasty breakfast and lunch – all in a fun, indoor / outdoor setting.

“Tying into the unique makeup of California, Ox & Ocean serves locally sourced produce and seafood fresh from Oxnard’s plains and sea, celebrating a diverse influence and distinct flavors in an elegant, yet approachable fashion,” reads the hotel website.

Our dinner at Ox & Ocean began with a beet salad, with roasted poblano vinaigrette, avocado puree, goat cheese amaranth and local citrus. This heavenly salad was followed by delicious Oxtail Bao Buns, with hoisin, cilantro, kimchi and kewpie mayo.

Our savory adventure continued with a fresh and spicy Ahi Tuna Crudo, with aji amarillo, yuzu, apple pieces, avocado and radish. One of my favorite dishes on this incredible culinary journey was the Crab Croquettes, with lump crab meat, panko bread crumbs, and sesame chili-garlic dip.

These croquettes alone are worth a drive to Oxnard.

While dining, we sat outside, enjoying a cool ocean breeze and the beautiful Zachari Dunes resort. Featuring Spanish mission-type architecture, the white hotel buildings are highlighted by arches and red tile roofs. The grounds are covered with palm trees, lush vegetation, brooks and ponds, and winding pathways.

The hotel, which became part of the Hilton Curio Collection last year, is one of only two beachfront Hilton branded properties on the Pacific Coast. Besides 250 suites, Zachari Dunes boasts a fitness center, full-service spa, a bar with a game room, tennis and basketball courts, a small convenience store, and a beach gear rental shop with surf boards, paddle boards, hoverboards, skate boards, DSLR cameras, gopro cameras, binoculars, backpacks, wagons, a record player and more.

After dinner we strolled along the beach, as the sun fell behind the rugged outline of the Channel Islands about 20 miles offshore. We then joined other hotel guests for s’mores at the hotel’s giant fire pit.

The next morning I worked out at the fitness center and then it was back to Ox & Ocean for breakfast. And it was another delicious affair, as I devoured Chilaquiles with roasted red pepper salsa, tortilla chips, sunny side egg, queso fresco, pico de gallo, and lime crema.

After breakfast we rented a four-person surrey bike and pedaled along the beach path. We pedaled by the ocean and next to large sand dunes and by a park, where we rested our legs and enjoyed lunch under a shade tree.

Back at the hotel we took advantage of a great perk at the hotel that allows all guests to check out anything in the gear shop for free for two hours. The first day we borrowed a large beach wagon with oversized plastic wheels, to pull the kids and all our stuff across the sand to the water.

Our next adventure at Zachari Dunes was also quite memorable. We checked into a 1,600-sq-ft presidential suite that was fit for a king. The suite, which can easily sleep up to six people, came with two separate bedrooms, with a king bed in one and two queens in the other.

The suite also came with three bathrooms, two balconies overlooking the ocean and the pool, and a giant main living room with fireplace, office desk, wrap-around sofa, dining table, and kitchenette area with microwave, refrigerator, and wet bar. A highlight of the suite was the stand-alone bathtub in the main bedroom that was perfect for bubble baths.

The presidential suite was so great, we didn’t want to go outside. But with a sparkling pool below us and the blue pacific ocean mere steps away, we had to venture out. So on my second day at the hotel, I headed to the gear shop and used my free two-hour rental on a longboard skateboard. Measuring about 48 inches long, the board came with a long paddle-like oar that I used to propel myself along the walking/bike path. Not only was this fun and thrilling, but it was also a great full body workout. I think I have a new sport!

Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Bay is located at 2101 Mandalay Beach Road, Oxnard, California, 93035. For more information and reservations, visit: www.zacharidunes.com or call (805) 984-2500

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