A Charming 1920’s Farmhouse Airbnb in Santa Ynez Valley

Santa Ynez Valley is a hidden gem of a region about two hours northwest of Los Angeles. We stopped there for a weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday, and while the area may not stand out to most on the map all of the places we went left us with excitement for what’s to come for the valley.

The small towns that are included this region include Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang and they’re all about 20 minutes apart. If you’ve heard of one you’ve probably heard of Solvang (it’s Dutch and every building/shop/restaurant is built in the same style architecture). In my very honest opinion it’s kitschy and I’m glad we only drove through it.

Instead we stayed in Los Alamos at an Airbnb attached to Bodega, a wine and beer garden that serves natural and organic wines and hard-to-find beers. The yard area has many firepits and tables to gather around, and even a garden shed for your green thumb. The attached guesthouse was built in the 1920’s and has a warm and inviting color palette, rattan furniture and accents as well as a cute patio seating area perfect for enjoying morning coffee.

Where We Eat & Drink

The Santa Ynez Valley is full of vineyards, up and coming restaurants and just generally cool places and people. Our favorite part of visiting was hearing the stories and meeting the people who started their businesses or opened shops after living former lives (like as professional snowboarders or surfers). We learned from the locals that Los Alamos is more about the food, while Los Olivos is more about the wine. Those two towns were the majority of where we spent our time.

Los Alamos Restaurants and Cocktails

Bell's: Plan for this one and snag reservations in advance - it has a Michelin star and is worth the stop. We did the prix fixe dinner menu (pro tip: select different items than those you’re dining with so you can try more!). On our night we had everything from Santa Barbara uni to mushroom gnocchi. We also loved sitting at the bar so we could watch all of the action from the kitchen. If you want a more casual experience they’re also open for lunch.

Elder Flat Farm Shop: If you need a snack or ingredients for cooking a meal (might we suggest picking from the array of dried pasta) this place has everything you need and more. Shop owner Carla has put together an excellently curated shop that also has beautiful flowers and thoughtful gifts.

Lo Fi Wines: Lo Fi is a laid back tasting room that has records spinning while you sip. The ethos of their label is that wine is like life and music (their bottles also feature a record logo). We had a great time chatting with other guests working through the tasting of the natural and approachable wines, and petting the friendly wine tasting room dog Ginger.

Pico: We stopped here before heading to our tour of the vineyards (technically for second breakfast, but you gotta fuel up on carbs to make it through the wine). The patatas bravas and huevos rancheros were an excellent combination - all of the dishes are made sourcing local and fresh ingredients.

Bob's Well Bread: It feels like everyone in town convene’s at Bob’s for breakfast. We went multiple times during our stay, trying everything from ham and cheese croissants to the breakfast sandwich and gravlax board. It doesn’t disappoint.

Los Olivos Restaurants and Cocktails

DaFoe Wines: Our new friends at Elder Flat told us to visit DaFoe and we’re so glad we did. We spent the whole time talking to the winemaker Rob whose interest in wine dates back 15 years but he just started releasing his own label a few years ago. We did the tasting flight and loved the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang rose so much we took a bottle home. His space is decorated with very cool personal photos and memorabilia and you’ll figure out pretty quick what amazing other life adventures he’s had (as mentioned above).

Bar Le Cote : This seafood tavern is actually the sister restaurant of Bell’s, and while they both have a pointed and individual design aesthetic they’re very different. On the menu here are more casual fare - we made it in time for happy and got the oysters, peel and eat shrimp and spiced fries along with the arugula salad and beef tartare to round it out.

Mattei’s Tavern: Auberge is one of my favorite hotel lines and I was so excited to check out their reopening of the historic Mattei’s Tavern - a 150 year old property that originally provide food and housing as a stagecoach stop in the West. Only the restaurant and bar were open when we went (rooms start booking in Feb 2023). It’s dark and cozy and candelit, and felt very fitting to enjoy an old fashioned as a nightcap on our last evening in Santa Ynez.