Getting in the car and heading north from Orange County help!
 

Alrighty! I am thrilled to say that dh was supposed to be gone all weekend - arrived at the Orange County Airport this morning to be told his flights were canceled and that he could try maybe Sunday - well since it was for a work conference he and the boss decided to skip it (the conference ends Monday)... the snow has made a mess of everythying.

So here is where the good news comes in. DD is gone for the weekend and we now have the weekend to OURSELVES and decided to get away! Wahhhooo...

We are going to get up in the morning and just drive north. This works great for dh - and since we always go to San Diego when we have a chance to get away; thought it would be fun to go in the other direction ...

Dh was thinking Santa Barbara. I have only stayed in SB once - and it was about 10 years or so ago... sooo..

This is where you all come in - I KNOW it is Valentines weekend and it might be risky just going and the planner in me is having a panic attack (see: I usually have a travel folder et... you get the idea).

Hotel recommendations -

Good eats?

Also - we are not locked into SB - just going to head north tomorrow... We have to be back by 4:00 pm on Monday.

Open to any suggestions!

We like wine tasting, good food (does not have to be expensive),

I do prefer a little nicer of a hotel but have stayed in lower ends and been fine too - (we stayed in a beachy place for one night in SB the one time we went - and it was fine).

Music, festivals, that sort of thing... and just being together alone! Wahhooooo!

Help :)

Oh we talked about going to the snow but passed due to the busy weekend and not having the right clothing et... so that is out.

YEAH! for you!

so fun right??? I am thrilled beyond words; and maybe we are just supposed to wing it.

Hi Dawn, here is one thought and that is Ojai which is about 20 minutes east of 101 on Hwy 33.

Here is a lot of website (from Google) if you want to review some of them to see if Ojai would be of interest and if there is any lodging that is available, et.

Another thought is Ventura. You could invetigate that city too for lodging, restaurants etc.

I have always enjoyed Ojai and Ventura. Happy Valentines Weekend to you two!

I like Santa Barbara because they don't do handsprings to attract tourists. The city is primarily there to serve the residents of Santa Barbara and nearby communities. Tourism is a welcome addition to the city's revenues of course. Here's a list of things to do and see.
http://www.santabarbara.com/points_of_interest/

I like the Moreton Bay fig Tree.
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/sbtree.html

The original Sambo's restaurant is there. It's good for breakfast and they do serve stuff besides pancakes. If you're black (how would I know?) you might take offense at the name and its past connotations. Or you might not.
http://www.sambosrestaurant.com/

thank you so much LI! I have never been to either and will check them out when I get home from school.

Db - thank you for the links - and no, I am not black. But dh LOVES a good breakfast!

Has anyone been to El Capitan?

What about Pasadena? The Norton Simon Museum is wonderful and there are loads of great restaurants.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...alifornia.html

Trip advisor showing rooms available for tomorrow night.

Deb

just did a quick check on expedia and most things all over are sold out and a 2 day min.
my suggestions are:

Catalina Island
Santa Barbara
Las Vegas
Sedona
San Diego
Palm Springs/Palm Desert

Last minute deals on expedia and if you see something you like, call direct.
Keep us posted!

This place in Pasadena has decent write ups on Trip advisor and is #3 of 28 hotels in Pasadena. They have a king, non smoking, with breakfast for $95 and it's available for Sat night.

http://tinyurl.com/ybcphh6

The Langham Huntington is a stately hotel and its only $235 a night in Pasadena.

I saw that, ksucat -- looks grand.

Not sure what Dawn's budget it, so I went lower. For a place in the middle of the 2, Courtyard [ranked #2 in Pasadena] is $149 for the night on expedia.

Don't forget (I'm sure you already know) that there is terrific wine tasting from Santa Barbara all the way up the central coast. Depending on how long you want to drive, Pismo Beach is beautiful and there are some lovely places to stay.

Since it is last minute on Valentine's Day weekend, you may need to look at less well-known places to stay such as Arroyo Grande. It's perfectly situated for some great wine tasting in the San Luis Obispo area.

Speaking of wine tasting, did you see the movie "Sideways"? If you decide to go to Santa Barbara and if you have seen the movie, you might find it enjoyable to follow some of the paths that the two characters in the movie followed in their wine tasting journey. You can get a map here.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Sidew...ient=firefox-a

Hmmm, that link doesn't work. If you're interested, post back and I'll figure out what's wrong. Or you can just google "Sideways Map"

We are staying either 2-3 nights - not sure if we are going to head out today or tomorrow am now.

Ksucat - worried about the sold out thing - am home from school so will start searching now. Dh just doesn't fret about those things.

The wine tasting is inviting to me!

Sedona is too far for just 2 nights to drive from here I think. Would like to keep it around 4-5 hour drive max.

Keep the ideas coming - off to hunt :)

just got back from Sedona and it was 7 hours to SD so thinking OC might be 5.5-6 hours max.
Sedona was stunning as usual.
Any other weekend I would say go and meander and get a room but I would have reservations this weekend since VD falls on Sunday.
Grande Del Mar had some rooms left at $299 a night..
This is a gorgeous 5* resort but don't know your budget.
Also, Rancho Santa Fe Inn is off the beaten path and a lovely place to stay..they had rooms at $159 last time I checked.

We wanted to head north ksucat since we always come to SD for get aways - but Santa Barbara is not looking good. I am slightly discouraged after doing a quick search...

anyone know some good last minute travel sites - with weekend deals? I use to get emails from one...

Santa Monica is great. Loews is good and so is Shutters on the Beach. Lots of good restaurants in Santa Monica and you are close to Getty Center.

I was thinking Santa Monica too Trisha - so many good places to eat. I was thinking of trying to see if tickets are available to the Color Purple tomorrow or even Sunday...

Just scanning prices for a couple of places up north - Santa Barbara, Pismo... all pretty pricey for this weekend. I did see a $150 Holiday Inn in Solvang - good wine touring and Scandihoovian hoohah if based there.

OTOH you could hop a flight to SFO and there are a bunch of good hotels in downtown SF for under $175 for Sat/Sun night, and if prices are in that range I'm betting you could probably get a 4-star place using Priceline for under $100/night. The savings could go some way to covering the airfare.

Gary - I was thinking that too! (The SF) I was going to check the flight prices. Everything is REALLY pricey up north. Dh is taking a nap - he was up at 4:30 this morning to catch the flight that was canceled. When he gets up I will see what he wants to do. Thanks everyone for your help!!

I have some Starwood points and some Marriott points so am looking at that as well.

Looks like we are heading south... nothing at all in Santa Barbara..we tried.

MomDD..
US Grant Hotel is $149 a night for 2 nights on Expedia..
Gorgeous 5* luxurious stately hotel.
It was just $329 in the morning..that is one heck of a deal as you know.
I would book that in a heartbeat and come down and enjoy the 75 degree weather in SD!!
Ask for an early check in..
Westin Gaslamp was $99 for a 4* too.

Hey Ksucat - I saw that! We are driving down in the morning. Looking forward to it - we went with the Marriott Marina due to the view/walking on the water side.

I prefer the US Grant myself but dh wanted to be on the water. I suggested the Westin too at 99.00 bucks - that savings makes for a nicer bottle of vino :)) but dh wanted the view - got a balcony room at an okay rate including breakfast - do not want to quote it as I do remember it 100% dh actually did the work this time.

We did get married at that marriott and have our reception there so it is appropriate to have a nice Valentine weekend. :)

Thanks for all for their help today - we might go out on the harbor in a sail boat - I will report back on Monday.

Dawn, you will have a great time in San Diego. I too would want a sure thing reservation for this weekend. We had thought about going away, but now are getting company so will be entertaining at home. Have a wonderful and most romantic weekend. You lucked out with the Eastern Snowstorms!!! If you ever do want to go somewhere close, the Langham Huntington in Pasadena is a wonderful hotel and Pasadena has really turned into a fun city to visit - again!!

Marriott Marina is an awesome hotel/resort!
Take the water taxi over to Coronado to Il Fornaio.
Whale watching is in full swing.
They have Segway tours around Coronado that is a hoot.
Hilton Bayfront the new hotel next door has a great happy hour.
Basic for the best pizza evah..
Ivy or Hotel Solamar for drinks at the rooftop bars.
Weather should be perfect mid 70's..
Wooooo Hooooo..
Have a great time!

www.sdhe.com

Hit the gelato shop on fifth and have one for me!

off we go! Change of plans - scored a place in Cambria for tonight and there was plenty in Santa barbara for tomorrow so North we go! :) have a great weekend and I will report back on our adventure!

Have a great weekend Dawn.

Have fun Dawn. Will be anxious to hear how your adventure goes.

We had a great weekend. I am pretty tired but it was wonderful. I will do a trip report. :) We ended up in Cambria - it took a LOT longer than we thought to get there and stopped in Santa Barbara on the way home yesterday and ended up staying in Santa Monica last night. Really lovely time. :)

:o)