LA has always been one of the places on my bucket list from when I was young, probably due to religiously watching The Hills. I was lucky enough to tick the golden state off last summer as part of my American tour.

LA was our last stop and for a very good reason - a beach on the doorstep! The main objectives of our four days - Universal Studios, Hollywood Hills Tour and then relax. Oh and try and get some sort of tan, which as you probably have guessed was an epic fail.
We stayed right on Venice Beach which was so lovely but if you stay in this area definitely be prepared for the vast amount of weed smoking and homeless people. We landed late afternoon and and took a quick exploration of the beach front before planning our route to Universal the following day. Be warned, travel in LA is not as great as you would probably think, and everything is so spread out from each other so research into this before you plan on going anywhere.
Luckily everything went pretty smoothly and I was so excited to be heading to Universal. I have never been to any of their parks before but knew that it was going to be pretty impressive. It definitely didn't disappoint. I loved the themed areas, especially the Harry Potter Land. You just felt like you were in a movie world the whole day with characters popping up and music being played. I would definitely suggest to take a look at what time the shows are on. They are repeated throughout the day but I wouldn't miss any as they are all so interesting in seeing how films are made whether it be with animals or stunt fighting. Also make sure you go on the tour around the studios. You get to see the sets in which TV shows such as the Voice are being filmed, along with old film sets such as Jaws. Definitely a great day out and something I would recommend.
Our other day trip during our time in LA was heading up to the Hollywood Hills to see how the other half really live. The Hollywood Walk of Fame and Chinese Theatre are definitely must see's and are so much more impressive than when they are shown through films and tv. However, be prepared to be heckled about tours and be not able to stop at specific stars, especially if a celebrity has just passed away.
As much as the heckling is annoying, do talk to them if you want to go on a tour as you can play them off each other to get a better deal. I would suggest it even if you're not super interested in celebrity houses as the views are truly stunning and is the easiest way to see so much of the city.
Our other two days were spent relaxing on the beach, and cycling up and down it. The latter was definitely needed after our final night meal at the Cheescake Factory. If you are going to anywhere in America, see if you have one of these nearby but do be prepared for the long queue to get in. The food is amazing and the cheesecakes are to die for. It was a perfect last night to an amazing trip, cheesecake and cocktails with a beach view, don't think it could have been any better.