Where We’ve Been: Santa Ynez Valley, California

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.

Click for the full list of where we stay and what we eat and drink in Santa Ynez!