Ojai Weekend Getaway.. Oh Hi!
One of the best things about living in the Southbay is the lifestyle. You are able to live your best life, surrounded by beautiful scenery, quaint shops, amazing cuisine, breakfast at the local cafes surrounded by friends, all while living an active life on the sand or in the water. In addition to what our bubble has to offer, it’s also strategically located so that if you are looking for a weekend getaway, you have choices. This time, our getaway took us to Ojai, just about 2 hours away from the Southbay.
Located in the Ojai Valley, just about 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, and with the Topatopa Mountains as a backdrop, the drive there alone on Hwy 33 takes you to a different place before you even arrive in this idyllic town of roughly 8,000 residents. It’s serene, quiet, and welcoming, offering a myriad of locally-owned shops, farm-to-table restaurants, art galleries, and meandering trails that give you front row to the mountain range and the Ojai landscape. The town offers a wide range of hotels, from high end resorts such as the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, with its charming restaurants including the Farmhouse that has an impressive repertoire of visiting chefs, to quaint B&Bs hidden behind courtyards and walking distance to Downtown Ojai.
This idyllic place, although it keeps its quaint feel, is always full of tourists. So much so, that we had a very limited choices of hotels available for our weekend getaway. Staying true to my husband’s and my style, (we wait til last minute to book anything or better yet, decide to go somewhere the day before!), we planned a couple of days before and luckily, we found availability in a charming little inn located in the middle of town, close enough to the main street shopping and dining, yet far enough to enjoy much needed R&R. Su Nido Inn has approximately 6-7 suites, all surrounding a paved courtyard flanked by olive trees, herbs, and blooming flowers. We got lucky as the only suite available was probably the best one, the Heron Suite, which is located on the second floor, with a view of the surrounding mountains and the courtyard below. We had our own private deck large enough for my yoga practice the next morning, and a cozy fireplace in the living room with 2 sets of french doors opening up to the outdoors. My husband, myself, and our amazing 7-yr old checked in, with our e-bikes in tow, ready to hit the town!
Relaxing on the deck with some wine and cheese, we planned out our 2-night stay making sure we’d make the best out of our quick getaway. During our 2-day stay, we were able to enjoy great food, because when you are in Ojai, there is no reason to skip a meal. Rather mealtime it’s your chance to have a bohemian breakfast experience, a farm-to-table lunch, and a romantic (albeit three’s a crowd!) dinner surrounded by oak trees and the sweet smell of basil. And so we did, and below are some of our favorites.
Our favorite breakfast spot was Love Social Cafe (https://www.lovesocialcafe.com/). In their own description, “it’s an environment where people experience and express love”. It’s open every day from 8am - 2pm, so you can grab breakfast or lunch, We ordered the crunchy crust croissants fresh out of the oven, and the blueberry muffins. Our orange juice was freshly squeezed, and our lattes were just what we needed that morning. The decor is very instagram-worthy, and the outdoor seating is perfect for people watching, reading a book, or simply experiencing the surroundings. They also offer a wide selection of glutten-free baked goods.
We never skip Martha’s Mexican Restaurant for lunch. Off the main road, they have the best margaritas in Ojai, and best chips and guacamole. The food is nothing out of this world, but it does make for a fun Mexican food luncheon outdoors.
Our first dinner was at Ojai pizza, not too excited about it specially because I tried glutten-free pizza …(regular pizza was fine however). While I appreciate how I feel without eating glutten, pizza and pasta just do NOT belong without glutten (please prove me wrong!). Our second night, we decided to visit one of two best sushi places in town, Sakura Ojai. This place, while a hole in the wall without much of an ambiance, had really amazing rolls, a tuna burrito exploding in flavor, meaty baked green mussels, and a Korean beef bulgogi that amazed us after the first bite! Staff was uber pleasant, especially after a semi-drunk man accused us of stealing the table he’d been waiting for, even though hostess must sit you. Regardless, we had to roll back to our hotel as it was impossible to stop eating!
In between bike rides, the shopping never disappoints! In Ojai, I usually gravitate towards shops that offer items for the home, as many are artisanal or just things I cannot find easily in LA. We also love olive oil tasting as we are always on the hunt for the next best spiciest olive oil around! Luckily, we found both…
Carolina Gramm offers a wide variety of locally-sourced olive oils and olive oil products. Her olive oils are organic, California-grown, and COOC-certified. The shop is quaint, and Carolina, who modeled for Versace and Chanel early in her career (fun fact), will take you through a journey of olive oils, explaining the process and what to look for when you are shopping for high-quality oils, including the differing polyphenol counts that are present in each type of olive oil. Needless to say we walked out with a bottle of Leccino and a Taggiasca. Both are peppery and leave a burning sensation in your throat, which is exactly what we were looking for! While both bottles are amazing, I have to note that the Taggiasca was awarded 9 different medals in 2019, including Best in Show (only one awarded) at the Orange County Fair (https://carolinagramm.com/).
Cercana is another store that I will always visit while in Ojai! It had so many things to choose from we had to go back a second time! Per their own description, Cercana “brings the world closer to home with carefully curated and ethically sourced fair trade goods”. It is no joke, but almost every item we looked at had a story behind it. We walked out with a super cool shell-looking vase, and a few bowls designed by a Vietnamese woman who had to flee Vietnam when she was little. As an adult, she returned to her native Vietnam and now designs beautiful and environmentally-friendly bamboo dinnerware in bright, bold colors, which are manufactured in France (https://cercanaojai.com/)
Last but not least, Ojai offers an outdoor style that is unrivaled by nearby areas. The Ojai-Ventura bike path is a 15 mile path that parallels Hwy 33 and the Ventura River at times. It has a very gentle grade, so if you are doing the whole trail, you will have a great workout on your way back to Ojai. The trail meanders past oak trees, open grazing areas, home communities, and you may encounter a few horseback riders here and there. If you are cycling in the middle of the day, you will have some respite from the scorching sun where the grown oak and eucalyptus trees shade parts of the trail with their immense greenery. As you ride along, there is also a fresh scent of blooming flowers in the air every time the wind blows your way!
There are much more trails to enjoy, however this is the only one we had time for, but we did cycle up to the Shelf Road Trail and Valley Preserve after our breakfast at Love Social Cafe. You basically take the street going north, past all the beautiful private homes uphill, and you will find yourself at the entrance of this preserve that is closed to cars, but with lots of hikers and their dogs around.
Next time you are looking to make the best out of a quick weekend getaway, don’t hesitate to head for Ojai and be prepared to feel like you are far away in a distant land! Stay tuned for our next travel/lifestyle blog, as you never know where the weekend will take us!
