Three nights of gorgeous sleep later, we’re just back from a long weekend in Santa Barbara…having entirely unplugged for the sake of our marriage.
After two weeks of working like dogs and communicating mostly by IM, we fled to the refuge of a new summer ’09 deal called Retweet with Broughton Hospitality, choosing their cozy Inn of the Spanish Garden property as our home base.
Broughton apparently has hotels in Palm Springs, Santa Monica, Solvang, San Simeon, and Chicago, too, but we had Santa Barbara’s cool breezes and lush flowers on our minds.
What’s a ReTweet, you ask?
In exchange for surrendering your Twittering/Facebooking/blogging electronics to a secure lockbox upon check in, you’re privy to a hefty discount on a big, quiet room with a bed like a cloud and a view of a towering oak, bouganvillea, or a central courtyard where Gerbera daisies float in a terra cotta fountain. Follow our lead and book in-room massages, dangle your feet in the secluded pool, or comb through the local lit they provide to find a historical walking tour, whale watching trip and more.
And certainly, print out my previous post on Santa Barbara…and take it with you.
Their map of a local phenomenon called the Urban Wine Trail led us to our new favorite wineries (post to come soon), and their central location led us to discover some great restaurants right out the Inn’s back door.
Zaytoon, a Middle Eastern cafe with yet another fabulous, vine-covered fountain courtyard (pictured here) was a favorite for lunch; all their chicken dishes are served with a garlic sauce so good it could make you weep.
Playa Azul, a cute Mexican place next door with a wide porch, seemed a great place to have brunch and is so close it’s almost attached to the Inn itself.
We were grateful to discover the State Street outpost of Saigon In and Out, a Vietnamese restaurant every bit as good as our beloved Absolutely Phobulous in LA, but with a warmer ambience and more attentive service. Their lemongrass beef and shrimp, pho ga (chicken noodle soup), and rice paper-wrapped spring rolls got the job done after a long, chilly stroll through town.
We found ourselves magnetically drawn to the authentic Andersen’s Danish Bakery for big, fresh, chocolate-dipped meringues not once, but twice. The cheerful (and puzzlingly thin) staff hand out dangerous samples of their insane baked goods, which could absolutely get you in more trouble than meringues. Try them for breakfast, where the coffee is rich, the quiche enormous, and the sunny walls bedecked with blue-and-white Danish porcelain.
Our evenings were spent at the Inn, back in our room beside the fireplace. We borrowed a movie from the front desk (they have a whole library of DVDs) and indulged in the games we were gifted with upon arrival. Turns out Mad Libs are still hilarious (you can’t go wrong with Learn to Talk Like a Pirate) and even though I was an Uno novice before this weekend, I’ve now proven myself a worthy competitor.
We…we even read books. Sunnyside by Glen David Gold for me, and Alan Emmin’s Mop Men: California’s Crime Scene Cleaners for Adam.
Free of digital distraction, we’re relieved to find we still have a wonderful time together. I’m glad to be back with you all, dear readers…but a little detox did us both right.
Broughton’s “Retweet” deal is on through August 2009, and reservations must be made by June 30.
sounds divine
The Urban Wine Trail is the way to go if you want the inside views on wine! Fun and Zaytoon is also a cool place to get dinner if you enjoy middle eastern food. Smoking hookah is always cool to do on the patio! There are a ton of great hotels to stay at depending on your budget and preference. Personally I enjoy spending more money on my actual trip then my accommodations, thats why the Sandman Inn (www.thesandmaninn.com) is the place for me whenever I come to Santa Barbara! Past the point of being affordable and the rooms are so comfortable and nice.