Montecito, California

A Different Side of Southern California

At Toukan International Travels, we spend a great deal of time planning and experiencing travel outside the United States, but that doesn't mean every great trip requires a passport.

Our visit to Montecito, California was a good reminder of just how much there is to explore closer to home.

Located just outside Santa Barbara, Montecito feels quite different from the busier parts of Southern California.

The Pacific is nearby, the mountains rise behind the community, and the area is filled with beautiful hotels, restaurants, gardens and homes. It is upscale without feeling overly formal, and there is a quietness to the area that we really enjoyed.

We did not arrive with every hour scheduled. We had time to enjoy the hotels, eat well, explore Montecito and Santa Barbara and take advantage of a few opportunities that ended up becoming some of our favorite memories from the trip.

Montecito and Santa Barbara

Having Santa Barbara right next door gives you the best of both areas. Santa Barbara offers more shopping, restaurants, beaches and activity, while Montecito has a quieter, more residential feel. We could spend part of the day out and then return to Montecito for dinner or a more relaxed evening without having to travel very far.

The scenery is a big part of the appeal. Between the coastline, mountains and architecture, this part of California has its own character and never felt overly commercial to us.

The hotel you choose also matters here. In some destinations, the hotel is little more than a place to sleep before heading out again the next morning. In Montecito, the grounds, restaurants and surroundings are part of what you came to enjoy, so spending an afternoon at the property can be every bit as enjoyable as going out sightseeing.

San Ysidro Ranch

San Ysidro Ranch was a highlight of our time in Montecito.

Tucked into the foothills, the Ranch feels intimate and secluded rather than like a traditional large resort. The gardens and landscaping are beautiful, and even though Santa Barbara and the coast are close by, the property feels removed from everything around it.

We had two particularly memorable experiences there: a private tour of the wine cellar and an evening at The Speakeasy.

A Private Tour of the Wine Cellar

Our private tour of the wine cellar at San Ysidro Ranch was one of the highlights of the trip. The cellar sits beneath the Stonehouse and holds an extensive collection of wines from around the world, and being able to go inside and see it privately made the visit much more memorable.

We were shown through the cellar by David Fainberg, one of the Ranch’s wine experts, who graciously walked us through the collection and gave us a much better sense of the wine program at San Ysidro Ranch. Having someone who knows the cellar so well take the time to show us around made the experience feel far more personal than simply choosing a bottle from a wine list at dinner.

We also took quite a few photographs while we were there, which will help show the scale and character of the space far better than a description alone can.

Inside the cellar is also The Secret Cellar, a private room that can be reserved for small groups for wine tastings and dining, with wines selected by the Ranch’s sommelier team. That makes it more than just an impressive wine collection; guests can actually spend time there and make it part of their visit.

We hadn’t expected the cellar to become such a memorable part of the trip, but it did. It was one of those things we were very glad we had the chance to see for ourselves.

Hidden beneath the Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch is its remarkable wine cellar, home to thousands of bottles from around the world. The Ranch also offers private dining and wine tastings inside The Secret Cellar, an intimate room within the cellar that can be reserved for small groups of up to 12 guests.

The Speakeasy at San Ysidro Ranch

Later, we spent an evening at The Speakeasy, which had a completely different atmosphere.

It is intimate, with low lighting, cocktails, live music and a setting inspired by the speakeasies of the Prohibition era. More importantly, it has personality. It doesn't feel like a hotel bar that could have been picked up and placed in any luxury property.

We settled in with a drink, listened to the music and stayed for the evening. There was no reason to go looking for somewhere else to finish the night, and that probably says more about the place than any long description could.

The Speakeasy

Montecito for Families

Montecito may first come to mind as a couples' getaway, but it can also fit nicely into a family trip through Southern California.

Families can spend a few days enjoying Montecito, Santa Barbara and the beaches before continuing farther south toward Los Angeles or Orange County. That makes it possible to combine this quieter part of the California coast with Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland Resort and the many other family attractions Southern California is known for.

The theme parks are not around the corner from Montecito, but when you are planning a larger Southern California itinerary, combining the two can work very well.

It also gives the trip some variety. Parents get time along the coast with beautiful hotels, restaurants and a slower pace, while the children can still look forward to Disney, Universal or the other attractions farther south. We have always liked trips that give different members of a family something to look forward to rather than making the entire vacation about one type of activity.

A Memorable Way to Come Home

We flew to California commercially, but returned home by private jet, which gave the trip a pretty memorable ending.

Private aviation can sound completely out of reach when you first think about it. For one or two people, it certainly can be. But when a family or group is already traveling together, it can be worth looking at the cost rather than immediately ruling it out. A charter is generally priced for the aircraft and flight rather than by individual passenger, so having several people share that cost can change the per-person expense considerably.

It still will not make sense for every trip or every budget, and we would never suggest otherwise. But for the right group and the right circumstances, it can be an option worth exploring.

In our case, it was simply a very enjoyable way to come home after several days in Montecito. The private flight wasn't what made the trip, but it certainly wasn't a bad way to end it.

There Is Plenty to Discover at Home

We will always love Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the many other international destinations we visit and plan for our clients. But travel within the United States sometimes gets overlooked, especially by people who automatically begin looking overseas when they start thinking about their next vacation.

Montecito gave us the California coast, excellent hotels and restaurants, Santa Barbara nearby, a private tour inside the wine cellar at San Ysidro Ranch, an evening at The Speakeasy and a pretty memorable trip home. Families can also build it into a larger Southern California vacation that includes some of the state's best-known attractions.

We enjoyed Montecito because we never felt we had to work particularly hard at enjoying it. There was plenty to do, but there was also nothing wrong with having a good lunch, spending time at the hotel, heading into Santa Barbara or simply taking the day as it came.

For Toukan International Travels, it was another reminder that some very worthwhile trips are much closer than we sometimes think.