A little while ago, Eve headed down south for a mid-week mini trip with her high school bestie K, and her boyfriend C. With C not being from the Golden State K and Eve decided that they should all take the drive south to Santa Barbara for some quintessential California weather, wine, and culture.

K is a fellow foodie and wine lover so planning this trip was a piece of cake: eat all the food, drink all the wine, and enjoy as much sunshine as possible. Check her out on Instagram: @cooking_with_koko

Eve and the crew headed out for the two-night getaway early on Monday morning to make the most of the trip. Here are some of our SB favorites:

xxx Ivy & Eve

Stay:

Hotel Milo- This beachfront boutique hotel is the PERFECT basecamp for all of your Santa Barbara adventures. They host a daily happy hour (featuring local wines), have an amazing daily breakfast, a fleet of cruiser bikes which are free to use! Eve stayed in their Deluxe King room with a sleeper sofa, which was perfect as our cousin J stayed with Eve for a night.

Eat:

Lucky Penny- Lucky Penny serves to-die-for pizzas, salads, and brownies (we would go as far as saying the best pizza in SB). You order at the counter and can take it to-go or do what we did - and sit out on their picnic patio and enjoy the warm Santa Barbara weather.
Lark- Owned by the same people as Lucky Penny and located just next door, Lark is the older, more sophisticated sister. The menu is broken down into three categories: From the Farm, From the Ocean, and From the Ranch. They serve only the freshest ingredients and have an impressive wine list. Great for a date or special occasion!
Sandbar- Sandbar is a great spot for casual cocktails and tasty (and affordable) Mexican fare. Their Happy Hour lasts from 3-7pm Sunday-Friday. We recommend any of their margaritas!
State & Fig- Hands down the best spot for lunch. State & Fig is located in one of the quiet outdoor arcades just off of State Street. Each item on the menu looked better than the last. We finally chose our dishes - and we were not disappointed. We recommend having a glass (or two) of bubbles and trying anything on their daily specials list; or go for the Fig Burger which ended up being the group favorite!
Sambos- A true Santa Barbara classic and has been in business since 1957. Our Mom used to go here on the weekends when she was in college and it is pretty much exactly the same! Their Eggs Benedict is amazing. K got the Crab Benedict which was a special and Eve got the California Benedict with tomato, avocado, and spinach. They also serve up the biggest mimosas we have ever seen! Sit on the patio to soak up the sunshine and people watch.
Backyard Bowl- This place creates the tastiest Acai bowls, smoothies, and hot breakfast bowls. We recommend Backyard Bowls for a quick, nutritious, and totally Instagram worthy breakfast!

Drink:

Joe's Cafe- Another true SB classic. Opened in 1928, Joe's serves classic steakhouse meals (order a French Dip if you're hungry) and some of the stiffest drinks in Santa Barbara. Order a drink and step back in time.
Funkzone wine tasting- Santa Barbara's Funkzone is home to 13 different wine tasting rooms. You can easily spend a whole day exploring the Funkzone but if you can only stop at one Tasting room, we wouldn't miss Kunin Wines (see below).
Kunin Wines- Our hands down favorite tasting room in Santa Barbara. Kunin is everything we like in a tasting room. We were greeted with a smiling and knowledgable host and chose from several tasting flights. We ended up having 2 red and 2 white flights so we could all share. Above the bar the sign reads "join the coolest wine club in town" (they know they're good but also don't take themselves too seriously). The atmosphere is fun and casual; like having a drink at a friend's house. We all left with several bottles (none lasted unopened very long).

Do:

Mission Santa Barbara- The top cultural attraction in Santa Barbara and nicknamed the "Queen of the Missions". Simply stunning.
Biking along the beach- We rented bikes (free at the hotel) for 2 hours and explored the coastline on the wonderful boardwalk trail.
SBMA- The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is the perfect place to spend hours exploring over 5,000 years of human creativity.
The Blue Door- A labyrinth of a shop spanning 3 floors filled with vintage and new items. We spent far too long in here for the boyfriend's liking.
State Street- State Street has everything and anything you would want in a day of serious shopping. You'll find a mix of high street and boutique shops. There is something for everyone!

A few weeks ago, we took a weekend trip down south to Cambria for a bit of relaxing "sister time" before the holiday festivities began. Cambria is a small beach town located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. When we decided to head south to Cambria for a quick girls-weekend, we chose to stay at the fun and trendy Cambria Beach Lodge. We teamed up with the Lodge to show all that Cambria has to offer!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Here is a map the Cambria Beach Lodge provided for even more great suggestions!

Stay:

Cambria Beach Lodge Situated right on Moonstone Beach, this newly renovated and trendy hotel is the perfect place to spend a relaxing weekend in Cambria. The lodge is centrally located, making it a quick drive to downtown Cambria or Hearst Castle. The rooms were trendy yet inviting with a great mini bar full of tasty treats and even a set of binoculars for all of your outdoor adventures. Outside each room is a small porch with bright turquoise chairs and there is a large glass surrounded deck on the top floor overlooking Moonstone Beach. We took full advantage of this amenity by toasting our trip with a bottle of bubbly before going off to the Christmas Market and dinner. Each morning, they serve a simple yet tasty continental breakfast which is a real perk for when you want to relax with a cup of coffee and pastry and watch the early morning surfers on Moonstone Beach! The Lodge also has beach cruiser bikes for guests to borrow. We loved cruising the boardwalk across the street! There are many quality beachfront lodges in Cambria, but none quite have the fun and hip vibe that the Cambria Beach Lodge has. We totally recommend it!

Perfect view of the sunset from the viewing deck!

Moonstone beach access right across the street!

Eat:

Madeline's Restaurant Located on Main Street, this is the perfect place to go for a romantic dinner date or for just a great glass of wine! We went here per our awesome Uber driver's suggestion. The restaurant's cozy ambiance, great wine list, and delectable menu make this a must try restaurant for everyone!
Indigo Moon Located also on Main Street, Indigo Moon is s a great place for lunch or outdoor dinning spot (weather permitting). They have three large outdoor dining areas and a great indoor/outdoor patio. Ivy had a delicious BLTA sandwich with a fresh green salad while Eve had delicious prawn fettuccine with a light white wine sauce and to die for cheesy garlic bread.
Sea Chest Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant Located right next to the Cambria Beach Lodge, the Sea Chest is known to locals as the best place to eat fresh seafood. The menu serves up everything from Oysters Rockefeller to New England Clam Chowder. Since this place is so popular be sure to get there right when they open to put your name on the waitlist (no reservations). Luckily they have a Wine Bar sitting area that includes a fire pit with a great view of the ocean so you can wait for dinner with a glass of wine.
Cambria Pines Lodge This hotel is where the Cambria Christmas Market is located. They have a sit down full service restaurant as well as their Fireside Lounge which is the perfect place for a drink while listening to live music. They have tasty local wine list and a creative cocktail menu.

Eve's sea bass dinner with rice and veggies

Play/Shop:

Moonstone Beach- The rugged pebbled beach is known for its moonstone pebbles. If you're lucky though you'll find a few pieces of jade as well! This beach and boardwalk is perfect for surfing, hiking/walking, biking, and beach combing.
Elephant Seal Vista- A few miles north of Moonstone Beach, this place is perfect for spotting the giant Elephant Seals. They can weigh up to 8,800 pounds and over 20 feet long!
Antique malls- These antique emporiums are dotted along Main Street. We especially loved Rich Man Poor Man Antiques. They have well thought out displays and very friendly and helpful staff. Eve left with a pair of beautiful Wedgwood candle sticks.
Cambria Christmas Market (Only runs from November 25th-December 25th)- When we initially planned this trip we did not know that Cambria had a Christmas Market. This was the highlight of the trip! We have spent Christmas in Europe before and always loved the European Christmas markets with their little artisan stalls and mulled wine! This particular market is known for its Christmas light displays. They have over ONE MILLION lights on display. We really enjoyed walking through the gardens and vendors, googling at all the Christmas lights. We are already planning a trip back to visit next year!
Hearst Castle- William Randolph Hearst's grand estate is a few miles north of Cambria. An architectural and Interior Design marvel, any tourist should visit this spectacular home. Make sure to take the tour that visits the pool room as it is our personal favorite.
The Shops at the Garden Shed- We spent several hours perusing the shops in this secret garden shopping center. To visit all of the shops, first you must go though the Cambria Garden Shed shop. This shop is full of beautiful and thoughtful gardening related gifts and tools. Once you hit the back of the shop, it opens up to a small courtyard full of wonderful shops. A few of our favorites were Ocean Heir (great gifts, clothing, and books), Junk Girls (upcycled awesomeness), and GROW Nursery (succulent heaven).