Follow in the footsteps of Reese Witherspoon and co with a visit to Monterey – aka the home of Big Little Lies
The Californian setting of the star-studded HBO series Big Little Lies makes for a deceptively dreamy holiday. Here’s our must-dos
DRIVE ACROSS BIXBY CREEK BRIDGE
You’ll recognise this landmark from the opening credits of the show, and no BLL trip would be complete without a drive along the picture-perfect Highway 1 (with the show’s soundtrack on Spotify). It hugs the coast from Monterey to Morro Bay, and Taylor Swift took a road trip here last year. The bridge is so famous, there’s a Death Cab For Cutie song about it, and it also appears in Grand Theft Auto V.
GO FOR A JOG ON DEL MONTE BEACH
Not a episode of BLL goes by without at least one character going for a run along the dunes, and it’s usually at Del Monte. This stretch of sand is where the Monterey locals go to escape the crowds – and have a flashback sequence about their traumatic past, too, obvs. If you want some moody, crashing waves to reflect your mental state, Garrapata State Park is the place where all those dramatic nearly-running-offa-cliff shots were filmed.
TOUR MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
BLL’S power mum Renata Klein (Laura Dern) is on the board of this world-class aquarium, which has more otters, sharks and turtles than you can shake a fishing rod at. Jane and Ziggy take a day trip here in the show, and it was also the inspo for the Marine Life Institute in Finding Dory.
HAVE A COFFEE AT FISHERMAN’S WHARF This is where Jane (Shailene Woodley), Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) convene to bitch about the other Monterey mums. The wharf was an active fisherman’s market until the ’60s, but today it’s all coffee shops, restaurants and gift shops. Try the clam chowder at Old Fisherman’s Grotto or the king crab at Domenico’s On The Wharf. Tasty waiters to flirt with not guaranteed, sadly. GO LUXE IN CARMEL HIGHLANDS This exclusive area is where Celeste and Perry’s envy-inducing home is located (you can buy it if you have a spare $6m). It’s located on Yankee Point, one of Carmel Highlands’ sought-after ocean-front roads. During filming, the BLL cast and crew dined at Rio Grill, with healthy dishes like quinoa-stuffed poblano peppers. Nearby Carmelby-the-sea is a quaint beach town, where Doris Day co-owns the Cypress Inn and Clint Eastwood was once mayor. BIG LITTLE LIE-INS If you’ve got a Renataesque budget, stay at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa (from £300 per night), where Madeline and Celeste come for a wine and a gossip by the fire pits. If your finances are a bit more like single mum Jane’s, then The Monterey Hotel (from £109 per night), built in 1904, is walking distance to both the wharf and the farmers’ markets.