While home may be where the heart is, wanderlust is real for a reason.
After spending a few days being pampered in Palm Springs with my blogger bestie, Karen Farber of Little Black Shell a couple of weeks ago, I was starting to get what I like to call the "post-trip blues." Whenever I travel, I immediately start to feel low in the inspiration department, so we decided to take a little road trip to Santa Barbara for Memorial Day weekend.
We partnered with The Goodland Hotel in Goleta during our stay, and right when we arrived, I was already starting to feel inspired when I saw that the sun was out and there was an airstream right in front of the building.
(Top: Forever 21 // Skirt: Glam LA Apparel -similar linked- // Shoes: Converse)
If you know what my apartment looks like, then you know that I'm completely obsessed with home decor. Let's just say that this hotel basically fits my entire "dream decor" board on Pinterest.
After checking out the lobby & dropping off our bags in our room, we were borderline hangry (angry-hungry) and decided on a vegan restaurant not too far from the hotel called Mesa Verde. You can tell that I was hungry AF because I only snapped one photo the entire time we were at the restaurant. (And yes, the food is as good as it looks.)
Once we were so full that I thought I might pass out from a food coma, we decided to do a little sight-seeing and check out the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. The inside of it was closing by the time we arrived, but I was completely stunned with the architecture and foliage on the outside that I really didn't mind.
We honestly didn't do too much more after that except walk around the downtown area, but something I really appreciated while strolling along the street was how much plant life was incorporated into the aesthetic of the buildings. One of my favorite sights was this apartment complex (at least that's what I think this is) with a crap load of flowers decorating the side of the building and balcony.
The following day started off with coffee first (of course) in front of the most amazing plant wall in our hotel. I couldn't help but feel happy surrounded by all of the potted succulents as it made me feel like I was right at home in my apartment (seriously considering building a wall like this FYI).
Oh and P.S. The Goodland is full of the cutest furniture and wall decor. How amazing is this chair and macrame wall hanging?!
Since Karen wanted to go back to see the inside of the courthouse we visited the day before, we drove back and found ourselves equally inspired by the inside.
The detailing in the floors and tiles was absolutely breathtaking, but what I really loved about it was how open the building was with its huge arched hallways and balcony staircases - allowing for natural light to come in and showcasing an amazing view of all of the palm trees outside.
(Cardigan: People's Project LA -similar linked- // Bag: Cleobella)
(Top: Cleobella // Pants: Thrifted - similar linked-)
Funnily enough, Karen and I were so stunned by the inside of the courthouse that we forgot we were having a collaborative lunch at the Four Seasons and had to make a mad dash to the car to get changed and head over. I'm not proud of how long it took us to remember where we parked (I want to say it was a solid 20 minutes), but once we arrived at the Four Seasons Resort - The Biltmore Santa Barbara, we completely forgot about our embarrassing runaround after stepping into the resort.
Lunch was such an enjoyable experience that I honestly wanted to just enjoy & refrain from taking any flatlays while eating, but I did manage to snap a quick photo of Karen and I enjoying our rosé by the flower fountain once our meal was over.
The rest of the resort is just as amazing as the restaurant in case you were wondering, especially this lush courtyard we found just past the entrance.
(Top: Forever 21 -similar linked-)
Realizing that we hadn't gotten any exercise apart from walking for the last couple of days, Karen and I decided to go on a hike once we found out that there were natural hot springs in the area. Neither of us had ever seen one up close, so we decided to hike the Hot Springs Canyon Trail in search of one.
(Shorts: Vintage Levi's)
While the hike was seriously beautiful, I truthfully couldn't imagine realistically finding a hot spring by the look of all the foliage. You can imagine my surprise when we actually found one
(Bracelets: Simbi Haiti)
The hot spring wasn't huge (more like a huge puddle really), but that didn't stop us from stripping down to our bikinis and dipping our feet in for a while.
The water was so warm - not quite hot, but still really relaxing - and I couldn't believe how blue the water was coming out in photographs (and in real life). Considering how beautiful it was, Karen and I decided that we needed to find more hot springs in the future (Blue Lagoon in Iceland, anyone?). It was a perfect end to our trip, and one that I would gladly take all over again.
If you decide to take a trip to Santa Barbara, I would definitely recommend seeing these sights. Until the next adventure!
✖✖ Audrie