VACATION
is MEDICATION
“Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun-kissed hair – California, take me there.”
Vacation is a natural source of medication and, in my opinion, by far the best. Consider it placebo if you must. It's a vast distraction from your pains, anxiety, stress-causing responsibilities. The mind is more robust in a new place where the curiosity arises to wander and knowledge oneself with as many new experiences as possibles. Be it a new location, new mesmerizing food, or even a fun activity.
We recently visited Santa Barbara & Santa Monica in California. I'll be honest here, I am an East Coast chic by birth essentially, and my heart will eternally be an East Coast enthusiast. However, the West Coast threw me by wonderment as to how much pleasure life can be there. With the sun gleaming all day, every day, the most delightful people you ever met, and the most aphrodisiac tasting food, it was just a blend of "Red Glitter Shoes, Don't Take Me Home Yet."
Arroyo Burro Beach
Arroyo Burro Beach County Park is the official name of what Santa Barbara locals call Hendry's Beach. Zishan and I drove there in a convertible with the top down, really catching in the gleaming sun, the airy breeze, and the fact that we were alone so far away from home. The beach itself was relaxing, with the mountainside on one and the ocean on the other; it reminded me of a smaller version of Tenby Beach in Wales, United Kingdom. Arguably, the most impressive restaurant ambiance in Santa Barbara, the Boathouse, sits on the sand at Hendry's Beach amidst the bluffs. Large Beachside patio with a giant fire pit. Because Hendry's Beach is a significant attraction for tourists and locals, the average wait runs one and a half to two hours. However, the time spent at this beautiful beach is so miraculous that time flies. A must-see. Bring a sun hat (I was lucky I chose the perfect drip. The sun was gleaming. I love the sun, but for those of you that don't, a hat is a good call. My fedora saved the day for hubby.)
East Beach
East Beach, located in Santa Barbara, is separated from West Beach by Stearn’s Wharf and is proximal to downtown Santa Barbara. This beach is kid-friendly, with nicely maintained walkways and restrooms. It is not a crowded beach at all. My girls and I walked along the strip to Mar Monte Hotel to grab some delicious food (beach concession closed due to pandemic,) and it was super relaxed and fun. Although I'll be honest, I love beaches; however, going to the beach with kids is much work. East Beach was seemingly the best and most accessible beach to go to with kids. Parking was super close, the hotel across the street, playground right on the beach, beautifully surrounded by palm trees, lovely views of the waves, intoxicating views of the sunset—such a beautiful beach to unwind and relax. I swear I had the best time with my daughters. If you are going with kids, definitely East Beach is your go-to.
The ANDERSEN’s
YUM is a HUGE understatement!! I was in my hotel room exploring for a good brunch place. I found The ANDERSEN’s on yelp with raving reviews. When we arrived, multiple items on the menu were obsolete, ergo we altered our options, presuming how can we enjoy brunch without crepes, pancakes, or standard french toast. Can I say the standard should be obsolete? Oh boy, this restaurant delivered the most unique and deliciously acquired tasting food. Even my daughters said it was better than typical french toast. They had croissant french toast dipped in pure raspberry with fruits. I had the most delicious veggie omelet ever to taste with roasted potatoes and hubby had smoked salmon, and my brother-in-law had crab cake omelet. We were content for hours on end. The lovely smiles and charisma of all the servers added to the experience. Highly Recommend.
Wheel Fun Rentals
Considering we are a family of five with varying levels of experience, interests, and capabilities, Wheel Fun Rentals turned out to be a wonderful experience. We rented a Surrey for the six of us, including my brother-in-law. It was fun biking alongside the strip of East Beach. We all felt like the Flinstones and hubby kept shouting, ‘Yabba Dabba Doo.’ It was amusing when we observed a Moke or an Electric powered scooters pass us by while we were catching our breath. Though that was the point, to create a family fun activity, we can all enjoy. Faaria Safa, our youngest, was the bell ringer to notify pedestrians of a large Surrey coming their way. We presumed we would be sore the next day, but actually, we were okay and ready for new adventures.
State Street Shopping
Okay, presumably, shopping will easily entertain a family with four females. State street is similar to Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Connecticut, or the Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills. Tons of selections and options from your brand name stores to California designer shops. The alleys were entertained by many craft tables selling their goods or a larger-than-life-size chessboard. Time can fly by when shopping in a new area; even though many stores are chain shops worldwide, it's the sense of memorabilia that creates the desire to shop in a new location. I surprised myself as most of the shopping was for my girls. God Bless; I possess all I want and mostly desired my girls to experience the childhood I never had. Mashallah, it was perfect!
McConnell’s
Fine Ice-cream at its best is McConnell’s; they were highly recommended by local moms in Greenwich, too, so we thought we try it out. Super delicious and very refreshing with a light taste. Surprisingly for a famous ice cream shop, I expected a massive line at the entrance. However, there it was with no one inside. We shrugged our shoulders and went in ordered a bunch of ice cream; I ordered the non-dairy mango sorbet (delicious), and when we were finished paying, and I turned around to exit; the line was half a block long. My kids said, ‘woah that was weird there was no one when we arrived.’ I guess we struck lucky both with the timing and the lovely sweet treat. The service was impeccable. The variety was excellent too. If you're heading out to Santa Barbara, it’s a must-try. You will be happy you did.
Cat Therapy
The entire credit for locating such a place goes to my Brother-in-law. The first day we landed, he took our kids to the Santa Barbara Zoo and this lovely place called Cat Therapy. My daughters are substantial cat lovers, and they seriously want a cat. Therefore this was 'purr-fect' for them. It’s a place with an average of twenty-two rescue cats that are waiting to be adopted. In the meantime, you can book a shared or private session for an hour to play with the cats. My girls experienced such a lovely time that they would not stop talking about it until we returned for a second trip. As the image displays, I also went coo-coo for cats during this session. We fell in love with Kai; he even posed with Aneela K. for a picture hehe. We loved them all, though he was our favorite. We hope to bring him home. Fingers crossed. If you ever visit Santa Barbara and you love cats, I highly recommend Cat Therapy. It was genuinely therapeutic and to provide love to a rescue cat and feel loved back is a win-win. We love you and miss you so much, Kai.
Mesa Verde
It’s sporadic to find an all-vegan creative, and delicious restaurant. Mesa Verde amazed us with its delicious menu. While ordering, we were somewhat indecisive, and however, we licked our fingers and the plates. The impossible Burrito was by far the best. The service was pleasant but long wait time. So if you like your food expeditious and inexpensive, this is not your kind of place. We enjoyed our time here. It was outdoor seating on a beautiful day. We all attempted something new, which is something Hubby and I always encourage our children to do. It also happened to be Hubby’s birthday, and Mesa Verde was lovely to allow in a cake from ‘Nothing Bundt Cakes’ (DELICIOUS af) and carry it in and sing Happy Birthday with us. Kenny was our server, and he was very polite and sweet. Overall a great experience and I would so go back for that Burrito..omg, vegan yum-a-lum.
Elephante
Vibrant and Happening Oceanside Rooftop in Santa Monica.
I was fortunate enough to find this gem the night before my drive out to Santa Monica. I requested the restaurant for a resy, and the woman on the phone was remarkably impressed that I was driving from Santa Barbara and my friend was driving from San Diego; they assured us the most desirable seat in the house. And they delivered. We were seated at the corner lounge table facing the ocean view and the palm trees; Nick was our fantastic server. The food was Italian and mouthwatering; maybe some of us were eating like an ‘elephant’ *ahem. I am both happy and lucky I experienced this restaurant. I swear from the whole trip that this experience was ideal. The manager was charming, their service was speedy, and prices were affordable. The bathroom was super modern. The entire ambiance was well thought out, and it felt like a massive celebration of living life mashallah. I can’t wait to go back.
Third Street Promenade
Similar to State Street in Santa Barbara, Third Street Promenade is a popular hang-out shopping area. Once again, we were lucky because it was simply a two-block walk from Elephante on second Street. It seemed as though our vacation could not be more perfect. Third Street was happening, yet in my opinion, it was not as upscale as State Street. We shopped at our favorite store ZARA. Once again, it was more for memorabilia as our hometown is only eight minutes from a ZARA store. We walked around with latte's and chilled drinks, captured photos, and caught in the Third Street ambiance. A dear friend of mine from college visited us at the location. I had not seen her in twenty-two years, so that was an exhilarating moment. She came up behind me, covered my eyes, and I knew it was her; I dropped all my bags and screamed, 'Yas lemme see your face!!!' Such a beautiful reunion. My kids loved my friends. A great vacation is even better when you are surrounded by love and light. I am happy my daughters experienced the drive to Santa Monica, a lovely rooftop, Third Street Promenade, and met my good friends. Talk about a healthy mix of inspiration and women empowerment. As you can see from the photo, we had a fantastic time.
Santa Monica Beach
Santa Monica Beach was massive. It was just a few blocks from Third Street Promenade and very close to our public parking garage. As you can see it was not very crowded at all. We practically had the entire beach to ourselves with a great view of the pier and the ocean. We knew we had limited time here, so we allotted the time to appreciate it by sitting with each other, taking photos, running and playing in the sand, enjoying some sweets, and creating this memory we drove so far for. It was a pleasant visit to Santa Monica altogether.
Lilac Pâtisserie
As beautiful as the name is, so are the ambiance and the service. We savored this place twice. First time for dessert and afternoon tea, and after viewing their options, we knew we would come back. We returned for breakfast the morning of our flight back home. We are happy we went back. The French toast, Belgium waffle, the freshly squeezed orange juice, and essentially everything was simply lovely. As we were speaking with our server Jerardo, he mentioned the entire menu was Gluten-free. I almost fell off my chair, happily surprised. Having been gluten-free for years now, I can assure you this was a taste I welcomed. You absolutely could not tell the difference. The texture, taste, none of it got by me, and I am very particular with taste. If you are vegan and gluten-free, you must try this place. I feel so blessed to end our vacation in such a pretty place with a lovely surprise that left me guilt-free. Triple Highly Recommend!
*There is a Turkish store named Lokum next to it with Turkish creative baklava delights you may have never seen before. Out of this world, creativity with their Baklavas. We bought a box to bring home. Highly recommend it as well.
Californishtas
After being home for twenty-two months, frequently in our stylish pajamas, we finally had an opportunity to rock our drips. This mini-me is my last beautiful angel, and I desired to make this trip unique and memorable. We dressed equally alike nearly every day we were on vacation. It was the cutest thing ever, and we received copious compliments and jaw-dropping reactions every place we went. So FUN.
(see more in gallery below)
Hilton Hotel in Goleta
FIVE STARS!! This hotel was super neat; the staff was exceptionally kind and considerate. They nearly felt like friends as they were extremely accommodating and understanding. The surrounding area was convenient. Only ten minutes from downtown Santa Barbara. One minute from the freeway. Target and a beautiful center with many options across the Street, including a handy gas station. OMG, as I write this, I almost want to fly back for that beautiful service and convenience; after being out vacationing all day, how lovely it was to come back to a quiet place where you are taken care of completely. Breakfast was delicious. As I am sure all guests were, we were treated like VIP guests—a full round fantastic review. Even my kids repeated endlessly how nice the hotel and staff were. After twenty-two months of no travel, this hotel was the best thing that happened to us. Hilton Goleta, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Ahmad family will forever remember you're excellent service.
Till Next Time Cali,
