Los Angeles is an important getaway destination for millions of people around the world. But I already live in Los Angeles, so where do I go when I want a break or to see something fresh? Fortunately, there are many different, fun, and interesting places within a couple hours or a couple days drive, and one of those is Santa Ynez Valley. It is just about 100 miles north of my home, but it seems like a different world — a real “countryside” experience, with quaint towns, rolling horse ranches, and countless vineyards.
Just recently my son went on a 3-day “retreat” into the mountains with his high school class (I can hardly believe it: high school!), and that almost coincided with my wedding anniversary. So, while our son was away, I arranged for my husband and I to get away to relax and celebrate at the same time. Destination: Santa Ynez Valley, which is just a few miles inland and into the mountains near renowned Santa Barbara (another of our favorite getaway places).
We have been there several times before, but every trip, we seek out new places to explore and enjoy.
This time we headed for Ballard Village, the oldest and smallest “city” in the valley (originally a stage-coach stop) — population about 500! Ballard Village is basically a quiet, upscale, rural (we had to stop to let a deer cross the road in front of us one night) residential area that is convenient to the attractions in the valley that we wanted to see.
Where we stayed: Ballard Inn
Ballard Inn is a 15-room bed and breakfast, fronting on the village’s main road. It gives off the feeling of a rich farm home, perhaps from the Colonial period. There is very nice antique furniture in the bedrooms, as well as the common areas. Very tastefully decorated, I must say.
Each afternoon, Ballard Inn offers complimentary afternoon wine and cheese tasting in its “socializing room,” and complimentary Continental-style breakfast in a room with a long wooden table. By the way, all of the food at breakfast was very fresh, including artisan-style baked treats, hot cereal, and more. Delicious! We ate ours, slowly, on the large front porch that overlooks the main street of Ballard Village. They also offer free coffee through most of the day, and we drank our share.
What I Wore: Misa Los Angeles Dress (also comes in a long version)// Rose Cherie Paris Hat // Shoes (I can’t go travel without them!)
What I Wore: Rebecca Vallance Dress // BTB tote Bag
Dinner at The Gathering Table
Ballard Inn also has a fine restaurant, called The Gathering Table. We dined there early, shortly after we checked into our room. The dishes were all fresh and delicious and wonderfully flavorful. I had a tender flat-iron steak, and my husband and I shared farm-fresh succotash and “crisp potatoes,” which were like finger potatoes, golden and very light.
What We Saw in Santa Ynez Valley
During the day we explored Ballard Village and other parts of Santa Ynez Valley. A particular pleasant surprise was the Ballard Old Red Schoolhouse, just a block from the Ballard Inn. It is the oldest public building in Ballard (140 years old, in fact), and it still operates as a schoolhouse! Between this schoolhouse and the many nice houses, I somehow had the vibe of being in Charleston, S.C., one of my favorite towns.
Nearby (really close, within very few minutes drive or even a bike ride on the country roads) towns are Los Olivos, Los Alamos, Santa Ynez, Buellton, and Solvang, all of which we have visited before. This trip, we headed for the “big city” of Solvang, a Danish farming settlement that has grown into a popular and thriving tourist spot, full of gift and antique shops, clothing boutiques, and more fun spots. For gamblers, there is an Indian casino just outside, the Chumash Casino.
Sunstone Winery — A Bit of Provence
The biggest highlight of our exploration on this trip was a visit to Sunstone Winery. Santa Ynez Valley is justifiably called Santa Barbara’s Wine Country, and it boasts many vineyards and, of course, tasting rooms. On this visit to the area, we headed to Sunstone Winery because my friend Sonja (Marketing Director at The Wine Militia) raved about it as a special place to see, and she arranged a tour for us on our quiet, mid-week visit.
Besides the lovely wines, the big attraction at Sunstone Winery is the gorgeous construction there, especially a building known as The Villa that includes 5 suites. Now, I have to point out that Sunstone Winery is a beautiful property all-around, and it offers “open to the public” wine tastings in a park-like setting every day (except a few holidays), from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended for weekend visits. But Sunstone has a thriving Wine Club, and access to The Villa and some other parts of the property are limited to Wine Club members. The winery hosts weddings and other special events, too. You can check the details, if you are interested, at SunstoneWinery.com.
The interesting story about Sunstone is that the original owners, the Rice family, planned to build a Spanish Colonial home and buildings there, but then discovered the architecture of Provence, France. Turning on a dime, they decided to build as authentic as possible in the Provençale style, and bought many ancient stone buildings, even ruins, there, and shipped them to Santa Ynez Valley to blend them into what became The Villa. It is a breath-taking place to see, with beams that are centuries old, and even a limestone sink in one room that is 3,000 years old! The Villa sits on a hill, where there is a great view of the whole property — vineyards, production buildings, and the tasting area.
What I Wore: Prada hat (old, similar here) // Charina Sarte dress // Loewe basket Bag
Fairly recently, Teddy and Djamila Cabugos bought the winery, but continue what the Rice family had begun. In fact, Brittany Rice, who was raised in The Villa, is still the Director of Winemaking. It was the patient Djamila who showed us around the entire property and told us so many interesting details about it!
By the way, we spent so much time exploring and admiring the property that we had to abbreviate our wine-tasting. But we tried a Grenache rosé that my husband and I both loved, as well as a lovely red blend. We will head back another time for a more thorough tasting!
The Great Pancake Quest
Solvang still offers that Danish feeling almost everywhere, and has a few restaurants renowned for Danish pancakes — my husband loves them, but often the wait for a table is too long, especially during tourist seasons. But we were mid-week in the off-season, so finally we were able to satisfy my husband’s craving and had a lunch at Paula’s Pancake House there. I had a veggie omelette, but my husband finally was able to indulge his yearning and ate Danish pancakes. He was pretty happy!
Final Words
Santa Barbara Wine Country, aka Santa Ynez Valley, is a terrific destination for an interesting and restful escape from Los Angeles’ crowds and bustle. It is an easy drive (about 2 hours, with moderate traffic), and the sight-seeing is wonderful almost the entire way.
I have to thank the staff at The Ballard Inn for their gracious hosting, and Sunstone Winery for letting us explore their amazing winery and Villa. Thanks also to Santa Barbara Wine Country(See our last amazing trip with them here) and The Wine Militia for facilitating this fun getaway.
