3 Days in Santa Ynez
Vineyards, lavender farms, orchards and ranches…what’s not to love about the Santa Ynez Valley. This charming area encompasses the slow, California, laid-back lifestyle. We quickly fell in love.
Where To Stay
The Inn at Mattie’s Tavern - This luxury rustic hotel offers amazing amenities, newly renovated rooms, located right in the heart of Los Olivos. This property has also been on my radar for a while, and it was the perfect escape for our 8 year anniversary. Built in 1886, The Inn was recently renovated and brought back to life by the Auberge Hotel brand (a personal favorite of ours). The location was perfect to explore the award winning vineyards of this region, stroll through the quaint towns, and just relax. The reimagined guest rooms and cottage-style accommodations are nestled among acres of old-growth palm trees. We felt right at home with their laid-back version of wine country luxury.
Where to Eat & Drink: our exact itinerary
Night 1: Before dinner, we enjoyed some wine at DaFoe Wine tasting room, and it was lovely. Dinner was at the very well known Bar Le Cote, a stylish seafood tavern. The food was elegant, yet approachable, and oh so delicious. We enjoyed oysters, branzino, and little neck clams with house chorizo (I definitely want to recreate this recipe at home).
Day 2:
First stop was Spear Winery, a gorgeous property consisting of a few reimagined farm structures. Great tasting room, stunning views, and some outstanding pinot noir.
Lunch that day was at Bells. If you are ever in this area, be sure this is on your list. We are still raving about this meal…chips and caviar, sardines with homemade crackers, escargot, steak tartare, and hands down the best egg salad sandwich you’ll ever have. Add to that a charming, rustic atmosphere and a restaurant team that genuinely loves what they do, and the result is one of the top lunch experiences I’ve ever had.
To help digest that amazing meal, we strolled the quiet streets of Los Alamos, and then Los Olivos. Yes, that meal deserved 2 strolls.
Back in Los Olivos, we checked out the tasting rooms of Stolpman and Terre et Sang before dinner back at The Inn.
To wrap up day 2, we enjoyed a chickory salad (think Caesar), crispy cauliflower, lamb, and a great glass of Nebbiolo. All were delicious, and there amazingly accommodating team only enhanced the experience.
Day 3
One more day to take in all that this area has to offer. Once again, it was routines and productivity first. The Inn has a fitness facility that gave me major inspiration for a future home design. Simple, inviting, functional, and elegant.
The big stop today was lunch at San Ysidro Ranch. This place has been on my list of hotels for a loooong time, and from the moment we entered the property, I could see what all of the hype is about. It is a perfectly manicured escape tucked into the hills of Montecito. Definitely need to come back and stay.
Lunch was a perfect mix of small plates…oysters, salmon belly on a bed greens, yellowtail sashimi, and lobster dumplings. All exquisite. We really didn’t want to leave, so we just kept ordering, haha.
On our way back to Los Olivos, we stopped at The Belmond El Encanto to relive memories from a previous trip and enjoyed tea. Still a lovely place.
We kept it low key on the final night, utilizing the lovely bar at The Inn. We sat on the couch by the fire, sipped on red wine, reminisced about the wild ride that the past 8 years has been, and enjoyed some upscale bar food…a great wedge salad and one of the best burgers you’ll ever have.
What a memorable few days in such a special part of the world!
