Just a quick note to keep an eye on the Monterey fires (and smoke). I know they’re not near Santa Barbara and your trip is next month. but Highway 1 is closed in Big Sur.
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Also be aware that some restaurants and stores in the Santa Ynez valley are closed on Wednesdays.
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Does anyone have any advice on going to the Channel Islands from Santa Barbara, and doing the cave kayaking tour while there?
I am pretty sure we will go from Ventura on the ferry, and use Santa Barbara Adventure Company for the kayaking part, but I’m wondering about details. For example, any idea how long in advance we need to arrange? Is it better to go on a weekday vs weekend? Place to get food, etc. for while on the island? (It sounds like they have no food/water there).
We booked it today. We paid slightly more to book both ferry and the kayaks through the kayak company, because it looks like sometimes they cancel the kayak tour and we are assuming we would be able to cancel our ferry to if they cancel the kayaking part.
It’s not cheap, but should be fun.
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I’m assuming the ferry is in the morning. You could get sandwiches or a salad the afternoon before from South Coast Deli that has a location walking distance from your hotel. There is also a Mexican place Mony’s nearby that you could get burritos the day before. Also there is a place Happy Cats eats nearby that is supposed to have good breakfast burritos. I find burritos travel well and taste good hot or cold.
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Thanks for the suggestions. We definitely need to get food. Current plan is to do the sea kayaking and then hike a 5ish mile trail. So we will need plenty of water and snacks.
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Assuming you already have the car the day before there are two grocery stores on the Mesa not far from the hotel. Lazy Acres is a beautiful market and they would have everything you need. There is also a Vons which is more of your normal grocery store.
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If people have favorite restaurant suggestions around SB please let me know. We have not made any reservations yet.
We tend to especially like seafood and will want to get good Mexican at least once while we are there. We aren’t big steak house fans.
We are staying at the Harbor View, so if there are great places near there that would be really great.
Thanks
We had our anniversary dinner at Oku last fall. Husband said his sushi was excellent and I enjoyed tempura. It’s very close to your hotel and has upstairs outdoor dining overlooking the harbor and pier.
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I’ve never eaten at Oku but my son-in-law always goes when he is in SB for business.
We usually go casual so places that won’t need or take reservations. Lots of Mexican restaurants from sit down to small places. Walkable to your hotel is Monys tacos. It’s casual go up and order with some tables. I like Los Agaves on DeLaVina, my kids like the one on Milpas. They have a full bar. It’s go up and order but the food comes on real plates. The enchiladas verde are really good. They also have seafood and fish options on their menu. If you want a fish taco I like On the Alley in the Marina. It’s also go up and order and picnic tables. A classic in the Marina is Brophy Brothers. I’ve never gone as we aren’t big fish eaters.
My favorite coffee shops near your hotel are the two Dart coffee shops. One in the marina has the best views. The one in the funk zone has a great garden across the street to enjoy it in.
Also in the funk zone is Tamar. It falafel and chicken shawarma and good hummus. It’s expensive considering they serve on paper plates.
Another spot I like is Third Window Brewing for smash burgers. Limited menu for food which changes depending on the day of the week. The beer is good and also a small winery that you can get wine by the glass. It’s a nice patio for dining. It’s a walk but it is doable if you’re in decent shape or you can uber.
Popular nicer restaurants near your hotel which would require reservations- The Lark which has nice outdoor seating. Menu changes weekly. Loquita (same owners as The Lark). They also own Lucky Penny pizza and Helena St bakery also walking distance.
flor de Maiz which is downstairs from Oku. I’ve not been but same owners as Los Agaves but a full service restaurant. They also own a seafood Mexican restaurant on lower state st. I’ve never been but it looks lively.
Santa Barbara public market has various restaurants inside. All casual. The Mexican, and noodle places are good as is the ice cream shop.
Edit- Finneys near your hotel is okay not great and it’s super noisy.
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You’re the best - thanks so much!
We have been known to walk 3 miles each way to breakfast, when the weather is good, so walking isn’t a problem. We don’t want to have to drive around a lot, find parking, worry about drinking/driving, etc.
We also enjoyed our breakfast at Jeannine’s, on your block. You order at a counter and sit out on a delightful courtyard. I had the most delicious orange juice and I’m used to fresh squeezed Valencia at home. https://jeannines.com/
I had done a lot of research for our one night and morning in town!
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I’d also skip the restaurant on Stearns wharf.
Jeannine’s is nice.
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There was an article in the LA Times today about buildings in Santa Barbara you might find interesting
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Last year I did the self-guided walking tour - Jeff Shelton’s website has a map.
It was a fun way to walk and see cool stuff over a couple hours.
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My son suggested a few more upscale place (expensive) he likes- Lucky in Montecito, Dom’s Taverna, Barbareno, eat at the bar at The Miramar hotel.
A special spot is the restaurant at the San Ysidro Ranch. If you can get a reservation time where you can catch the sunset but also have time to arrive a little early to walk their garden it’s the best view.
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If you like donuts Hook and Press makes delicious donuts. They are downtown. Another pastry shop worth a stop is Alessia Patisserie.
Ice cream- I love Rori’s. Some will tell you to go to McConnells is better. McConnells is across from your hotel.
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I’ve cream is one of my favorite things. McConnell’s is the one that makes See’s flavors, right? I’m sure we will have both.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
OP here. It’s our first full day in SB, and our plan was to take it kind of easy and get the lay of the land today. We wound up walking the beach end to end and back (@7 miles total), having lunch at Brophy Bros. Overlooking the harbor, walking up State Street almost to the end, checking out the court house (including seeing at least 4 bridal couples and going up in the clock tower (another bridal couple doing pics up there) which has amazing views). We had lattes from both Janine’s (hot) and Dart on the harbor (iced) and I had some McConnell’s ice cream. My watch says we walked 12.76 miles. Now we’re sitting on our balcony looking out over the beach drinking wine. It’s 82 right now. Yesterday when we were walking it was 96!
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Yesterday, after getting up early to make the ferry to Channel Island and having a pretty long day, we were talking about what to eat on the way back to hotel. I googled the grocery stores suggested here, and there was a Von’s just off the highway and about a mile from where we were. So, we tried following the directions, parked in the lot, and just couldn’t see a Vons.
My H was tired and getting VERY cranky. So, I hopped out and asked a lady “Is there a Vons near here?” We were parked right next to Pavillion’s (or something close to that), which is the upscale Vons. It worked for us, and we wound up just getting some pre-made food and a pint of McConnell’s (on sale for $5.99). Ooops - we didn’t have a freezer, so that meant I had to eat it all pretty quickly. Mission accomplished :).
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