For my friend Monica’s Bachelorette weekend seven of us (three Angelenos, two Seattlites, one DC girl and a Hawaii transplant) traveled to Santa Barbara for a girl’s weekend away. Monica is my busy bride friend who guest blogged the other week and her wedding is in July in less than eighty days. I know this because my friend Neena’s August wedding is in exactly 80 days per her wedding website. Both on the calendar - and sooner than I realize - yet I still have to RSVP for both.
So while customarily bachelorete parties occur closer to the wedding date - Neena’s will be in July, this April weekend, three months out, was the only one that worked for everyone. Monica’s Maid of Honor, Neha, the organized MOH whose party planning email I shared back in March did a fantastic job putting together a memorable, stress-free, fun and affordable bachelorette weekend. Here are some of the highlights from the trip:
What to do:
For most of Saturday we spent the day wine tasting around Santa Ynez and Los Olivos (est. thirty minutes from Santa Barbara). Captain Jack provided the itinerary and the driver/guide, Dominic, who was top-notch and funny and I would totally recommend requesting him. Not sure why, but I really expected our driver to resemble Wilford Brimley not the Hawaii-raised, UC Santa Barbara college student who picked us up. We paid for the bride so for six of us it was $99 each plus tip for the day and that included all of our wine tastings, transportation and reservations.
Wineries and tasting rooms we hit included: Gainey, Bridlewood, and Daniel Gehrs. Bridlewood was by far my favorite in part because I most preferred their wine, our server was hysterical and the grounds on the estate were stunning. But Gainey is where I bought my only bottle - a delicious Sauvignon Blanc, as well as some mustard and horseraddish mayonaise. We also experienced an olive oil tasting at Global Gardens ($3) - where I bought an amazing walnut oil - as well as had lunch at the Los Olivos Cafe.
Where to eat:
On Saturday night we had a 9pm dinner reservation at a tapas restaurant called Milk & Honey. The check - split six ways including gratuity, drinks and the bride’s meal - came out to $42 per person and these were the largest ”small plates” of tapas any of us had ever had before so no one went hungry. And with half of the party being vegetarian there were many selections - both for the vegetable and meat eaters. My favorite dishes included the Brussels sprouts, the Tortilla Española and the “Nice Rack” lamb pops. What was also a nice surprise to kick off our meal was that the groom-to-be, Gary, arranged for a bottle of champagne to be poured upon our arrival. Aside from champagne - after a day of wine-tasting - the most popular drink on the table was the Passionfruit Mojito.
Milk & Honey is located at 30 W Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
On Sunday the Maid of Honor and one of the bridesmaids treated all of us to a bridesmaid brunch at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara. We ate at the Bella Vista restaurant that is known for its exquisite Sunday Brunch Buffet. We sat on the terrace overlooking the beach and made Monica open her lingerie shower gifts at the table. If you are looking for a memorable and delicious location for a small group, special event I definitely recommend this Four Seasons.
The Four Seasons Biltmore is located at 1260 Channel Drive, Santa Barbara, CA, 93108.
Where to play:
After dinner on Saturday night we walked - for quite awhile - to a club called EOS Lounge where we got a patio booth for our party. There was definitely a line outside, but Monica went right to the front and requested a table and we got it. Monica decided that this bottle service situation was going to be her gift to us, but we independently put together some money because we didn’t want her to pay for the whole table. It was fun, the design was engaging, and the music was good. But it felt like they closed early so went back to our hotel for our own dance party.
EOS Lounge (photo from their Facebook Fan Page)
EOS is located at 500 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Where to stay:
We stayed at The Beach House Inn in their King Patio apartment that included a full kitchen and two sofa beds. The cost came out to $99 each for both nights. For less than $50 per night this was an amazing find and right between the beach and the main street in Santa Barbara. The only tricky part about this hotel was that we had one bathroom for seven girls - not ideal - but it was only two nights. The Beach House Inn also brewed delicious coffee in the morning.
Miscellaneous:
Know that if you are going to have a big group to get around in Santa Barbara you can call for a minivan cab which is perfect - and budget-supreme. Also, getting away does not have to mean getting out. We spent our Friday night in the hotel. This way everyone could get there afterwork (approx. 90 minutes from LA) with no pressure to be there by a certain time and it was a very chill way for everyone to either catch up or meet each other for the first time.
Since our hotel room had a full kitchen, for dinner we decided to make personal pizzas and salad - ingredients from Trader Joes - and for dessert the MOH had brought two dozen outrageously decadent cupcakes from Sprinkles. After dinner we played three bachelorette party games: 1- Monica trivia, 2- Toilet Paper Wedding Dress design competition, and 3- a game I can’t really even begin to explain that involved panty hose and two small oranges. I won no games but still ended up with a lovely lavendar soap and dish as a favor.
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