Road Trip: Santa Barbara- Part 1

Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to show.

Our first destination on our road trip was the beautiful city of Santa Barbara. It is located in the central California coast with the Santa Ynez mountains as a beautiful backdrop. I love it here so much because of the ocean of course but also the city’s Spanish colonial heritage that you see along the city. The drive up from San Diego is seriously stunning. Beach views on the right and mountain views on the left.

Feed me tacos and tell I’m pretty.

Our first stop in Santa Barbara was for food. We were staying on East Beach and had heard wonderful things about a taco shop called East Beach Tacos . Hands down the most savory tacos I’ve ever had. I had the carne asada and their fish tacos. They also have a long list of beer on tap! Definitely worth checking out if you want a quick savory bite with craft beer on tap.

Find me where the wild things are.

Our first adventure was to the Santa Barbara Zoo . We stayed on East Beach so the drive to the zoo was literally 3 minutes from our hotel. We could have walked (10 minutes) but we were exploring a few other areas on the West side and with kids you never know what to expect, ha!

**Feeding the tallest and cutest residents evvvveerrr <3**

**So many amazing animals to see at the zoo!**

***Dani was excited to feed these cuties!***

What I loved about the SB zoo is that it’s not too big, so the experiences with the animals is so special. You can see them all up close. I would dedicate about 2.5 hours if you plan to visit. That should be enough time to see everything. I highly recommend taking the train ride around the zoo as well as feeding the giraffes. Such a neat experience!

**What do you think he is thinking? ha ha! Love this giraffe’s face.**

**Dani was having too much fun to stop for a family picture, ha! #toddlerlife**

***He loved the train ride and looking back at his sister while @ the zoo.***

***Smiling at baby brother on the train ride at the zoo <3***

**My sister was also in SB at the same time, so we met up with a good friend that lives in SB. Funny story, I met this friend on Instagram!**

Great service doesn’t cost anything. Poor service can cost you everything.

While in Santa Barbara we had the pleasure of staying at the Santa Barbara Inn . This beautiful Mediterranean Inspired Boutique hotel was just perfect. From the moment we walked in we were greeted like family. They even wished me a Happy Birthday! The hotel is located on East Beach putting us moments from downtown, the wharf and the zoo. East Beach is about 210 steps from their front door. I loved that this kid friendly beach was so close to our hotel. We made sure to visit here often during our stay.

**We loved our stay @ Santa Barbara Inn.**

Hotel Amenities include:

Renovated Rooms & Suites
Oceanview or Mountainview rooms
Oceanview Dining
Heated Pools
Complimentary breakfast at Convivo restaurant
Fitness Center
Dry Cleaning Services

Happiness is jumping from bed to bed in your hotel.

We stayed in a Standard King Room room with oceans views. The rooms were very spacious and we really enjoyed the balcony. We drank our wine here after the kids went to bed because #parenthood, ha!

Standard King Room- Click on Video to see our Room

**Loved relaxing on the balcony at SB Inn. The views of the ocean were amazing.**

***Dylan loved how comfy the beds were @ Santa Barbara Inn. He wants to come back stat.***

Seriously such a peaceful stay here at SB Inn. #Blessed.

Santa Barbara is not to far from San Diego. It’s the perfect weekend getaway. I would definitely highly recommend Santa Barbara Inn next time you are planning your trip!

***Love how beautiful this hotel is. I was relaxing in the hot tub when I took this picture.***

***You can see the ocean from the hot tub. Okay, never leaving. #goals***

SB Inn took care of all of our needs. They knew this would be our first trip with our newborn baby and had the pack & play all ready to go for us. They really took really good care of us! They also have a service via text message. They send a text message providing you with the ability to request or ask any questions about your stay. I would get a text every day to make sure I had everything I needed and if they could do anything else from me. They were super responsive and attentive to our needs. Hands down, the best customer service ever. These are the things you always remember! Thanks again SB Inn!

***SB Inn really takes care of their guests! Special thank you note from , Amanda, the sales manager. Sweetest person ever!***

The pool is right next to the restaurant. Plenty of seating and a waitress to bring you adult beverages and food! As mentioned before we could see the ocean from the hotel! The hotel is surrounded by palm trees and I truly felt like I was literally in paradise.

***Couldn’t get this mermaid out of the water.***

***Santa Barbara beaches are so beautiful . This beach was 210 steps from SB Inn. I’m in heaven.***

***Dani was so excited to sink her toes in the sand she didn’t even want to waste time putting her bathing suit on, ha!***

We celebrated my birthday at Carlitos. A Mexican cuisine restaurant in downtown SB on State street. This restaurant was about 6 minutes from the SB Inn. The food was amazing. I had the steak nachos and a michelada! Definitely a family environment! I would make reservations ahead of time.

**Wonderful birthday dinner with my little man <3**

We were in Santa Barbara for 2 days. A few things that we didn’t see were the Wharf and Funk Zone. These two areas are within minutes from one another so we will hit them up next time we are in the area. We plan to visit Santa Barbara again very soon! I would highly suggest to spend at least 3 full days in Santa Barbara to see all the must see spots! Let me know if you have any questions about this beautiful Southern Cali location! One of my favorites!