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Staycation is the only vacation. With covid cases spiking in Los Angeles , I wanted to do a fun, social-distanced getaway to give the feeling of summer vacation. Summer 2020 is NOT cancelled, it just requires more creativity in vacation planning. With that said, I took the liberty of creating a “new” travel guide by curating a couple weekend trips into one for a mini vacation. I am sharing all my favorite places and new discoveries from my trip up the coast to Santa Barbara and Solvang.
Stay – Hotel Californian
As a UCSB alumni, I’m pretty familiar with Santa Barbara but I wanted to tackle on new adventures past my drinking days in Isla Vista. Cue Hotel Californian , the most dreamy luxury beachside hotel located conveniently in Santa Barbara’s funk zone (wine zone). The five star hotel designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard transports you to Morocco while in the heart of Santa Barbara.
Eat + Drink
Hook & Press Donuts – Impressive gourmet donuts
Blenders – Best smoothies in the 805
Goat Tree – Delicious outdoor brunch
Lilly’s – Authentic award winning Taqueria
Loquita – Spanish tapas Bar and restaurant
Zaytoon – Lebanese dinner spot
Marjerum Winery – Great Rose tasting
Outfits
Shop my looks
Activities
Walk along the harbor and rent a speedboat , it was so fun and they go so fast! Ours was $225 for an hour. They also have kayaking available for $25 a person.
For a cheaper alternative, rent a bike. Its one of the main forms of transportation with everything being on State St.
Solvang
Part 2 of the trip and only 30 minutes up north from Santa Barbara. Solvang is a slice of Denmark in Southern California and has been on my must-see list since college. The small Danish town is cute, quaint, and has great wines.
Stay– The Landsby
The Landsby is a small bed and breakfast hotel right in the center of town. The rooms were really spacious and we loved having an outdoor patio with our suite.
Activities
Horseback riding and wine tasting at Vinos Vaqueros followed by feeding ostriches and emus at Ostrich Land.
What I wore
Shop my looks
Eat+Drink
Consilience Wine – Great neighborhood wine spot in the heart of Solvang
Mad & Vin- Restaurant connected to the Landsby hotel on an outdoor patio with excellent service and really fresh ingredients.
Osteria Grappolo – Excellent Italian food. The linguine pesce was perfection
Olsen’s Bakery – Most famous pastry shop in Solvang.
Bell’s Restuarant – Laid back french Restaurant about 15 mins from the main town.
For any specific questions regarding this trip for your upcoming travels, please feel free to comment! There are many more details left to share if you like.
XOXO Catchmeeksifyoucan
