10/20/19

Santa Barbara


I will admit, when we moved to LA two years ago I had grand visions of weekend getaways every weekend to explore the entire California coast. We have gone on...a few...but on the top of my list has always been Santa Barbara. We finally decided to make it happen and booked a room at Hotel Santa Barbara.

It was important for us to find a hotel with a great location. Since we live at the beach, we didn't need to stay ON the beach in Santa Barbara. Instead, the most important factor for us was walkability. Hotel Santa Barbara is right smack in the center of State St (the center of it all!) A short walk west (literally 10 minute walk) to the beach and steps away from endless amounts of coffee, food, shopping, and incredible sights.



Stepping inside Hotel Santa Barbara I was immediately drawn to the colorful tile staircases and unique architecture. It looked like it was right out of a movie!



The stand out of the room was the brand new bathroom which was pristine! But truth be told, we didn't spend much time inside the room, as there was too much to see and do! But it was amazing to come back after a long day and relax in a beautiful and comfy room!





The first thing we did was check out The Santa Barbara Zoo. It was perfectly small for an almost 3 year old and she had SO MUCH FUN. There is an adorable train ride that goes around the whole zoo that she loved! Standout favorites were the gorillas and giraffes. There is also a play area for kids and tons of refreshments available throughout the zoo! We bought our tickets online and skipped the admission line, which is a nice little time saving hack!






Next on our list was State street. Which was great since the hotel was nestled right in the middle of it all! We walked up and down checking out all of the cute restaurants and shops. Everything from mom & pop shops to big names like Anthropologie, Free People and even a TJ Maxx! We walked up and down taking in the amazing architecture and vibe. It was amazing.



We had a dinner reservation at Bouchon and it definitely did not disappoint. It is always a little risky to go out to a nice dinner with a toddler but they went above and beyond to make sure Poppy was happy the entire time, so cool of them! There was a table next to us that was having a birthday party and Poppy was so intrigued, the waiter came by and dropped flower petals all over our table so Poppy would feel like she was a part of the party, they also brought her a little piece of cake, so nice. The food was amazing and the wine, too. YUM!


For breakfast the next morning we walked from the hotel to The Breakfast Culture Club which was awesome. It was airy, bright and spacious enough for Poppy to run around. The coffee was great and we got some awesome avocado toasts, yum! We explored a little more after and then went back to the hotel to check-out.







After checking out we drove a few blocks down to the water and took Poppy to the Moxi Children's Museum. What a place! She could have easily spent the entire day there, but we kept it down to 2 hours. The rooftop boasts amazing views of Santa Barbara, and there is just SO much to see and do there! It is definitely a must see for kids.





We could have spent a few more days in Santa Barbara for sure but I think we really got a nice taste of the area in our little weekend getaway! We can't WAIT to go back!