Neither of us had ever been to Santa Barbara, it was a short, direct flight from Seattle, and we knew it'd be sunny and warm, so it met all of our prerequisites. The boys were in good hands with my parents and while we missed them (and talked about them) tons, we loved getting away sans kiddos for a weekend of R&R.
We stayed at the beautiful Belmond El Encanto, and although it was definitely a splurge, it was exactly what we were looking for, and worked out perfectly. We had considered hotel options closer to downtown/on the beach (the El Encanto is about 1.5-2 miles away), but between Uber, cabs, the complimentary hotel shuttle, and walking, the location worked out just fine. And with so many transportation options, we had no need for a car so we didn't regret our decision to forego a rental car a bit.
The only items on our agenda were relaxing, sleeping, exploring, and enjoying the sun, and we checked every item off on our list.
On Friday evening, after cocktails and appetizers in the hotel bar, we walked into downtown Santa Barbara on Friday evening, and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Los Agaves.
The next morning, we headed downtown and had breakfast Tupelo Junction Cafe and then walked down to Stearns Wharf where we enjoyed the sun and people watching over blended coffees. We walked back into downtown while popping into a few shops along the way, and then grabbed a yummy lunch at South Coast Deli. The afternoon found us napping poolside and then I enjoyed a massage at the hotel's spa. We decided on Cielito for dinner that night before a nightcap at our hotel bar.
On Sunday, we grabbed breakfast at our hotel, and were dining just a few tables away from Tony Bennett and his wife. After our big celeb spotting, it was time for napping and football back in our room for a few hours, before packing up to head home.
I enjoyed relaxing baths all three days we were there, started and finished two books, snuck daily naps in, and ate way too much. It. Was. Perfect.
We fell in love with Santa Barbara and hope to return again soon.
Mommy + Daddy selfie while waiting to board our flight to Santa Barbara. I think we need some selfie practice though, as this was our first try:
Seriously one of the cutest little airports I've ever seen.
The El Encanto property was absolutely beautiful:
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Yep, that's a dog on the balcony wall of a second story apartment. Roxy would die of jealousy if she knew this dog got away with this.
We didn't have a bad meal - in fact, every meal was even better than the last.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Waffle w/ Caramelized Bananas, Candied Pecans and & Real Maple Syrup at Tupelo Junction Cafe. Amazing.
The Italian Three Way at South Coast Deli.
His and hers coffee at our hotel. (One pot and one portion of half and half would have been MORE than enough for the both of us, but we weren't going to complain.)
The blackberry margarita at Cielito. Yes PLEASE.
Yep, this looks pretty amazing!! Next up, Hawaii!!
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