I just returned from a perfectly relaxing vacation to Ojai and Santa Barbara. I spent the first three nights in Ojai with my husband and son, and the next three nights in Santa Barbara. I love visiting Santa Barbara. It is such a beautiful town, it’s hard to get bored with all the things to do. I’ve been to each place multiple times, and this was our best trip ever. Ojai is the cutest little town ever and they have some great wine tasting too, so does Santa Barbara. The beaches are out of this world and so is the food. Go check out some local art down on the beaches every weekend or go shopping on State Street. Here are my tips about what worked for us:
Ojai
Lodging
If you can afford it, stay at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. The rooms are big, with comfy couches, a fireplace, and a large patio. Note to self (and you, if you wish): ask for room 704. It overlooked the Artist Cottage / Apothecary (!) and golf course and had a huge patio with 8″ thick cushions on the seats.
Restaurants
We ate in town for all three nights. Suzanne’s Cuisine was nice, of course, and the chocolate souffle at Feast Bistro was so yummy that my husband and son dug into it, but my favorite was Azu. We ordered a variety of tapas, so everyone had several choices of what to eat. My absolute they-must-serve-it-in-heaven favorite was the chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. I need to get my son to cook that. (I bet he could: his creme caramel was better than what I had at Suzanne’s!) I topped it off with a scoop of mango jalapeno gelato for dessert.
Massage
I wanted to pamper myself and didn’t want to pay $150 / hr. at the resort, so I decided to get a $45 / hour massage from Angella Winspear at the Little Garden Spa. (805-890-9813) I saw her little spa as I was leaving my workout at the great Ojai Curves. Anyway, the massage was so therapeutic that I sent my daughter back there for a half-hour massage. ($25)
Santa Barbara
Lodging
We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast called James House. It cost about half of what the hotels we’ve stayed at in the past cost but was twice as good. Our room has spacious and comfortable, and although it was a Victorian house, we were easily able to connect to the wifi. It’s located a block off of State St., so it was easy to walk to dining and shopping. The owner is very sweet and helpful and is an excellent cook. We ate breakfast there each day and attended the 5 pm social hour, and the food was different and great each time. We also met some very nice fellow guests and gave/got tips on what to do in SB. More Cheap Hotel Options.
Restaurants – Dinner
For our dinner the first night, we returned to our old standby, The Palace Grill. It was fine, and I enjoyed a yummy gumbo and their famous bread pudding. However, it was really chilly inside since the door was open and the overhead fans were going full blast, so it was ok that everything arrived so quickly. I think we were in/out of there in 45 minutes. The next night we walked to Opal from our hotel. We’d had so much to eat at the B&B social hour that we didn’t order appetizers or dessert, so we were in and out of there in about 50 minutes also. My chicken scallopini was a bit dry. We hit the jackpot the next night at Stella Mare’s. It’s in Montecito, but it was right near the 101 so it was very easy to get to. My husband and I agreed that this was our best dinner all week. We shared a grilled artichoke with aioli sauce that was amazing. My scallops were served with a poached lobster flan (!) and thinly-sliced carrots that tasted like potato chips. I followed the waiter’s recommendation and had the lemon curd cake for dessert. Incredible. I only ate half because I was stuffed.
Restaurant – Lunch / Beach
I recently reconnected via Facebook with a friend I sent to school with. He lives in Goleta, so before we arrived in Santa Barbara I sent him a message to see if he could get together. We had a wonderful lunch with him yesterday at the Beachside Bar Cafe in Goleta. We had a noon reservation and had no trouble parking even though it was a beautiful day and the restaurant is literally ON the beach. We were seated immediately, and the food was very good. It was great to catch up after 35 years! I couldn’t believe there was free, close parking at such a nice beach. Apparently it’s not like that when UCSB is in session, but we made a note to go to that beach in the future.
Let me know if you have any other hot tips for Ojai or Santa Barbara!