Santa Ynez, the perfect weekend getaway from LA

Pinot Noir at Spear Winery overlooking the gorgeous scenery

Los Angeles is an electric city, but sometimes you just need a relaxing weekend getaway. Now, imagine being in a wine haven filled with vineyard lined highways, top notch food, and tranquil day spas. Luckily, just 40 minutes past Santa Barbara, the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley makes that vision a reality. Away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but with plenty to do, this wine retreat makes for a great girls weekend, couples trip, or tack it on with some time in Santa Barbara.

THE SPOTS

Alma Rosa Winery

This tasting room, tucked into a corner in Buellton, offers wine drinkers the opportunity to sit down and truly savor their top notch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The natural light and modern room, accompanied by top rated and truly great wine, make this a great stop on any Santa Ynez trip.

Spear Winery

I have a bit of a bias towards this winery – note the last name. Anyone who knows my family knows my dad is a big wine lover, so when he saw a winery bearing our last name being built, he got in touch. The lovely owner gave us a tour of the vineyards before the tasting room was even built or their first vintage had been released. That was about four years ago and we’ve been back every year since, seeing the this winery at every stage – even half built. Although it may be new, they have already made a name for themselves, getting amazing reviews and creating delectable wines. From the kindness and hospitality the owner and winemaker have, to the top notch wines, and absolutely beautiful tasting room overlooking their vineyards, Spear is in a league of its own.

Foxen

Foxen consistently is home to some of my favorite wines. I have visited this winery every year for the past few years as well, and I have never been anything less than transfixed. You do have to go a little bit off the beaten path, driving about 10 miles through other vineyards, to get to their two tasting rooms. Yes, you read that right, two tasting rooms. Foxen still has their original tasting shack from the 80’s and about 10 years ago they added a newer, more modern tasting room. They offer three different tasting options, and each wine somehow seems to be better than the last.

Tensley Winery

This small tasting room, hidden in the cute town of Los Olivios, is a great winery for a deeper red. Their four wine tasting includes three Syrahs that are all pretty incredible. It is actually in the same room as another winery, so you can do a second tasting right there if you want!

The Food

SY Kitchen

Everything is good here. From the food to the cocktails to the wine, this is the restaurant I make sure I go to EVERY time I’m in the Santa Ynez area. Their food ranges from exquisite truffle pizzas to top notch pasta and even some steaks. Make a reservation a bit in advance, I'd recommend at least a week, because this place fills up!

Sides

Bacon, bacon, bacon. That is what sides is known for. Don't get me wrong, they have a lot of great dishes. However, their thick cut "bacon steak" is unlike any other bacon I've ever had before! I'd recommend going to Tensley, walking around the cute shops of Los Olivos, and then stopping into Sides for lunch!

Always love exploring Spear Winery's grounds

The Best Day That Never Happened

Whitehaven beach is a dream

Stepping outside of my comfort zone: June edition (please excuse the delay.) 

I was insanely stoked for this...snorkeling/diving in the Great Barrier Reef, we’re talking an ultimate bucket list goal here.

Before I go any further, I'm just going to warn you right now: things did not go as planned!

Whitehaven beach is a MUST SEE if you're in the Great Barrier Reef

However, before everything went awry, my first full day in the Great Barrier Reef was pretty epic. One of my best friend's and I took a speed boat to Whitehaven Beach (read: the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen in my life).

We spent a few hours relaxing in the water and lounging on the white sand, just soaking up the tranquility. Then, I checked off the one (and only part of my June challenge I would complete), snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. It was magic. Beautiful coral in every color and at least a hundred different species of fish surrounded me as I saw a true glimpse of life under the sea. I may have just been floating on water, but I felt like I was flying. It was a pretty perfect day full of new experiences, great company, and memories I will never forget.

Ready to snorkel!

The next morning, I set out at 7 AM for scuba diving.  This is where things started to go a bit off course...

Once I arrived on the boat, the vibe was quite different than I expected. The day before, it had been a young crowd on a small, fast boat with a couple hunky Australian dudes operating it. Catchy music boomed from their portable stereos as they encouraged us to take a few swigs of our wine before jumping into the turquoise water for snorkeling.

Ok, now imagine the exact opposite of that. 

This was a cruise like ship.  The air was not filled with sweet tunes, but rather with kids screaming and crying as they ran around. No alcohol was allowed (ok, fair) and there was not another person my age in sight. 

The crew of the boat came around telling us that we had a 6 hour (eeek) round trip to get to the area of the reef we were snorkeling/diving at and had us fill out a couple intake forms. 

About 10 minutes later we had set sail and a member of the diving team came up to me and let me know very casually that, by the way, they weren’t actually going to let me dive.

WHAT?!?

After speaking to several staff members and the captain, it was clear that I wasn't going to be allowed to dive because I have asthma. Mind you, they didn't think to tell me this until I was out on their boat in the middle of the ocean.

So, I had a few options at this point: stay upset and let this hiccup define my last day or find a way to make the best of it. After giving myself a few minutes to just be upset and disappointed, I brainstormed. Luckily, there was one stop on the trip.  In about 20 minutes we would be at Hamilton Island picking up the rest of the passengers.  So, after a little debate, I decided that would be my destination for the day.  

I jumped off the ship onto Hamilton Island and grabbed some breakfast while I formulated a new plan. 

My view from breakfast. Notice those orange jet skis in the distance

Just out of the corner of my eye I saw a dock lined with jet skis. Jet skiing around the Great Barrier Reef? That didn’t sound half bad to me! Turns out, luck was on my side, I was the only one who signed up for this jet ski expedition, so I got a private tour! 

With the wind in my hair, I zipped through the ocean at 60 km per hour surrounded by picturesque teal water, mini islands of greenery, and my very cute Aussie guide. Much better than being surrounded by crying babies on a cruise ship if you ask me.  

Was it diving in the Great Barrier Reef? No, but was it pretty magical in it of itself? Yes, and unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

Pure relaxation at Spa Wumurdaylin

An hour later we pulled back into the shoreline. I started exploring the rest of the island. However, after pushing through the fear I had this morning to go diving alone, getting told no, and then jet skiing through the Pacific, I was pretty exhausted. I stumbled past a cute little spa, booked a treatment and completed my time on the Island with a glass of champagne and an amazing massage.

I finished the day off with a boat ride back to Airlie during sunset and a bomb Italian dinner with my best friend!

Sunset on the way back to Airlie Beach

So alas, pushing myself out of my comfort zone turned into something completely different. I still did snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef like planned, but the diving portion was replaced with exploring a foreign country by myself for a day.  Solo travel is something I’ve never done, but I have kind of always wanted to try it. While I wouldn’t say that my time on Hamilton Island fully counts as traveling alone, it was a little taste...an amazing day trip adventure and a great way to dip my toes into solo travel. 

Just like so often happens with traveling, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone often doesn’t go as expected. If this day taught me anything, it is that sometimes you just have to go with the flow, and find a way to make whatever happens amazing. 

So you want to throw a party...now what?!

My Live AuthenticAly launch party!

Ok, so you want to throw a party, great!

But...now what?

I realized that at the ripe age of 24 I had yet to plan and host a party on my own. Sure, I had birthday parties growing up and I still celebrated yearly with my friends...but that wasn’t quite the same. I wanted to do a little something to celebrate the launch of Live Authenticaly, so about a month before, I started planning.

This is what I learned, here are my top tips + tricks to throw the perfect party for you!

1. Start planning…early.  You’re never going to be upset at yourself that everything’s done way ahead of time. However, you might just be kicking yourself when you realize the decorations you really want from Etsy take over a month to ship...and your party is next week! This is probably what I had the most trouble with. I definitely planned ahead, but somehow I still ran out of time. Make a list and aim for everything to be finished 2 days before the party. This way you have time if anything falls through and you wont be running around the morning of like me!

The invitations!

2. Decide what you're doing, where you're doing it, who is coming & make invitations. OK, first things first, you need to decide what kind of party you're throwing and what you'll be doing. Are you planning a small, intimate soiree at an upscale restaurant or a large, laid back BBQ in your backyard? Once you decide this, you’ll have an idea of the overall vibe, ideal locations and the general size of the event. Make a guest list and book your location (or opt to throw it in your home like I did!)

Once all this is done, you need to let people know somehow. A Facebook event or simple group chat for a Super Bowl party is perfect, but a Galentine’s Day brunch might call for actual invitations (or e-invites). 

For my Live AuthenticAly launch party I wanted to keep it small with just close friends, and decided to design semi custom e-invitations. (Confession time: I originally wanted to print out and mail the invites, but due to time constraints that wasn’t possible. Please refer back to tip #1!)

3. Check out Etsy for a couple unique items, then hit up Target for the rest.

I could probably shop on Etsy all day long. I love the variety of items and the small shop feel you get even though it's online. However, while it would be great to buy just about everything from Etsy...that can add up. So, I picked a couple items I loved - a custom wooden Live Authenticaly sign for the DIY photo booth I was making, and some extra cute balloons to make a mini arch - then I logged off!

From there, I went to Target to get everything else. I grabbed a few supplemental balloons, plates, cups, signs, a fun activity (make your own jewelry), and little party favor bags filled with fun goodies!

4. DIY. Trying to save money? DIY is your best bet, plus it can be fun! Figure out what you want at your party that you can realistically create on your own! I opted to make a little photo booth. It was easy and I already had most of what I needed. I had the lighting, camera, and tripod thanks to self tape auditions! I just hung some temporary curtains that served as a backdrop for my photos, made a little balloon arch, and added a few more decor elements. I set the tripod up to work with my camera or any phone.

5. Plan the menu. So the food/drinks you serve totally depend on what kind of party you’re planning...although I will say, I always think it’s fun to have a special drink!

For my afternoon gathering I planned to have a bunch of different snacks to nibble on. I went for a cheese and salami plate, guac, and bruschetta. As for drinks, I had a make your own mimosa bar with champagne + orange juice or a raspberry puree mix!

My final touch - I wrote a little note to each one of my guests (aka my best friends) . They had all been so supportive as I launched, so the gift bags + notes were my way of saying thank you!

All in all, I would say my launch party was a success. Is there things I could’ve done better? Of course, and I learned I should plan ahead even MORE... but it was an afternoon filled with people I love, celebrating the launch of something I was insanely passionate about...that’s a pretty great day. And as fun as it for everything to be cute, at the end of the day it doesn't matter how picturesque Pinterest perfect your party is, because it truly is the people that make the party.