Weddingbee Blog

The Inn of the Spanish Garden is AMAZING! I stayed there with my now FI a couple years ago and we absolutely loved it. The rooms are immaculate and SO charming and the staff is wonderful and extremely friendly. It’s very close to the shopping and excitement of State Street, but not too close so that it’s quiet in the evening so that you and your husband can enjoy romantic evenings together.

There are also so many wonderful little details, such as the Frette linens, Molson bath products, and they also have different packages such as a Romance package that you can choose from. I cannot rave enough about this place, you’ll have to check it out for yourself! http://www.spanishgardeninn.com

We spent a dating anniversary in SB one year — and loved it! We drove the scenic route up from LA, which added to the romance, and stayed at a hotel on the beach, which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend (overpriced and not that nice). Otherwise, HIGHLY recommend SB overall — you could do the vineyard thing, beach thing, spas, etc, etc. We loved it just as much as our trip to Sonoma.

We also did a date to Catalina — which I would not recommend for a mini-moon. Don’t get me wrong: it’s beautiful and it’s a great day trip, but after a few hours there we were bored.

i echo mrs kiwi and go to Solvang! it’s cute!

I went there on a post engagement trip. Didn’t make reservations and to our dismay, no vacancies during the summer (go figure). We finally found a vacancy at the Marina Beach Motel which was a cute place a block near the beach. We would go back there again. It was clean with a reasonable summer rate. Also check out the county courthouse because there you can go up the tower to see a 360 view of the city at no cost.

Ooh- try the Cold Springs Tavern. It’s a restaurant inland of SB (we went up to Solvang and then to Cold Springs) and it was one of the cosiest, most unique restuarants I’ve been to. It is not of the super glam, contemporary restaurants that LA is known for, but it really makes you feel tucked away from it all. There are a few buildings on the property- one with the live music and the bar, another where they do the cooking, and the other where you eat dinner. The restaurant section is the old main house and we actually were eating in what used to be a bedroom. The food was wonderful, it’s reasonably priced, and the music being played that night was amazing. FI and I always comment on how that was one of our best nights of our trip to CA.

Try to go to Bouchon for dinner. It’s just off State Street and has outstanding food and service! It is one of our favorite places to go for special occasions!
Another amazing hotel that I don’t think has been mentioned is the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito (where John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned)!

We’re probably going to have to stay local too for a minimoon and I think SB is a perfect choice. To make it feel extra-special, I would splurge on the Four Seasons Biltmore. I recently went there for a conference and their service/ammenities are impeccable (l’occitane and bulgari soaps and shampoos), their food is fantastic, the spa is wonderful, they have two gyms/clubs, and it’s secluded on a somewhat private beach so you can really focus on spending time together. and of course, do all the road trips as suggested above.