• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Lodging suggestions & things to do around Santa Barbara, CA

dmharris

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
68
Points
408
Location
Butler, PA
My husband and I will check out of Newport Coast on March 25 and have four nights and days before we fly to Phoenix out of Santa Ana/John Wayne of Wednesday, March 29. He's never been to Santa Barbara and I've not been there in over 30 years (where does the time go?). We are renting a car and love to explore. I've got points with Hyatt, Marriott and American Express so we may use them for lodging. So do you have suggestions for where to stay, e.g. should we base in SB for 4 nights, or spend 2 nights there and 2 nights further north towards Pismo Beach/San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles? He drinks beer. I'm a wine snob. He will want to watch some of the NCAA Final Four games (it could be in a bar/restaurant).

Also, suggestions on what to see and do? Should we head to Hearst Castle (again, I saw it over 30 years ago). We love quaint, charming, non-chain restaurants and things to see and do. Your advice is valued. Thanks!
 

Luanne

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
19,353
Reaction score
10,185
Points
1,198
Location
New Mexico
Resorts Owned
Maui Lea at Maui Hill
San Diego Country Estates
There are some nice wineries in the area. Also Solvang is not far. Fun for a visit.
 

buzglyd

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Messages
3,697
Reaction score
2,187
Points
449
Location
Carlsbad, CA
Resorts Owned
HGV Lagoon Tower
HGV Carlsbad Seapointe
Gaslamp Plaza Suites
SVV Bella
We've stayed at the Fess Parker Doubletree a few times. It's a large, sprawling property across the street from the beach.

There is an urban wine trail in town. Some are awesome and others are crap.

Hit Jaffurs and Margerum. Both have outstanding wines.
 

vacationtime1

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
5,159
Reaction score
2,750
Points
649
Location
San Francisco
Resorts Owned
WKORV-OF (Maui)
WKV x2 (Scottsdale)
March/April is an excellent time to visit the Botanical Gardens in Mission Canyon.
 

dmharris

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
68
Points
408
Location
Butler, PA
All great suggestions, except we're not into casinos. :) Thanks!
 

nightnurse613

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
2,088
Reaction score
55
Points
408
Location
Phoenix, AZ
I'm not sure if it's worth the trip up and over the mountain behind Santa B (alternate route from 101) but if you like quaint, you might try the Cold Springs Tavern (hard to find). Maybe a day trip up 101 to Solvang (rent a bicycle while there and have an authentic danish pastry !)- I think March is one of their annual Danish event programs. Plenty of opportunity for a wine snob. Maybe with an early afternoon return and stop at CST. Not the best but a passable tri-tip sandwich or bison burger. If you go further north you can go to another quaint resturant in Orcutt called the Far Western Tavern. Used to be THE BEST Santa Maria tri-tip sandwich (Imho) in Central California. The back road into Santa B from CST is a twisty windy trip that requires you to limit your beer and wine consumption.
 

dmharris

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
68
Points
408
Location
Butler, PA
Thanks Night Nurse! What's a Tri-tip sandwich?? We love local joints and the locals themselves! My husband adores Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
 

Luanne

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
19,353
Reaction score
10,185
Points
1,198
Location
New Mexico
Resorts Owned
Maui Lea at Maui Hill
San Diego Country Estates
Thanks Night Nurse! What's a Tri-tip sandwich?? We love local joints and the locals themselves! My husband adores Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Tri-tip is a cut of meat. I've really only seen it in that part of California.

I had another suggestion. I took the Duck Tour of Santa Barbara some years back. It was fun and provided some interesting history and information of the area.
 

John Cummings

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
5,020
Reaction score
80
Points
433
Location
Murrieta, California
Thanks Night Nurse! What's a Tri-tip sandwich?? We love local joints and the locals themselves! My husband adores Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Tri-tip is a roast that is pretty popular all over California though its origin was Oakland and became very popular in Santa Maria CA. I don't know about other states.

It is one of my favorite cuts and I love tri-tip sandwiches. Our local supermarkets bbq it outside in the parking lot in the summer. It is very good.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip
 

VegasBella

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
3,307
Reaction score
1,017
Points
398
Location
Vegas
Resorts Owned
Carlsbad Inn
Avenue Plaza
Riviera Beach & Spa
Aquamarine Villas
should we base in SB for 4 nights, or spend 2 nights there and 2 nights further north towards Pismo Beach/San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles?
If you head north a bit and go to SLO then the night to choose to be there would be Thursday night. That's when there's the farmer's market, which is a street party/fair thing that's not just veggies for sale. It's got live music and crafters and performers and all kinds of things. All the bars are open then (including a few wine bars) and it's a party.

Here is info: http://downtownslo.com/farmers-market/
 

Icc5

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
1,950
Reaction score
570
Points
474
Location
Los Altos, California (Northern Ca.)
The best Tri-tip we've ever tasted is in SLO at the Firestone Grill in the center of town. It is so good that we found it by accident when looking for something to eat we ended up in a line that was out to the street. Since then we have changed the way we travel from Cupertino South. Anytime we are headed in that direction we now take 101 instead of 5 so we can get that sandwich. When we mentioned it to some friends kids that go to Santa Barbara they said everyone from their school go there for the Tri-tip sandwich too. Line goes fast and the sandwich melts in your mouth.
 

John Cummings

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
5,020
Reaction score
80
Points
433
Location
Murrieta, California
The best Tri-tip we've ever tasted is in SLO at the Firestone Grill in the center of town. It is so good that we found it by accident when looking for something to eat we ended up in a line that was out to the street. Since then we have changed the way we travel from Cupertino South. Anytime we are headed in that direction we now take 101 instead of 5 so we can get that sandwich. When we mentioned it to some friends kids that go to Santa Barbara they said everyone from their school go there for the Tri-tip sandwich too. Line goes fast and the sandwich melts in your mouth.

There is good tri-tip in the SF Bay area. Our local Safeway in Sunnyvale had bbq tri-tip sandwiches that they made and sold in their parking lot in the summer. There was also a bbq restaurant that had it but I don't remember the name of it.
 

Icc5

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
1,950
Reaction score
570
Points
474
Location
Los Altos, California (Northern Ca.)
Which of the Sunnyvale Safeways? Very interesting since I worked at Safeway for 43 years and in about 5 of the local cities and in each we couldn't do this. Didn't work in Sunnyvale though. Which of the 3 Sunnyvale stores?
 

John Cummings

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
5,020
Reaction score
80
Points
433
Location
Murrieta, California
Which of the Sunnyvale Safeways? Very interesting since I worked at Safeway for 43 years and in about 5 of the local cities and in each we couldn't do this. Didn't work in Sunnyvale though. Which of the 3 Sunnyvale stores?

It was on El Camino Real. We rented a corporate apartment right behind it for a year in 2006.
 

John Cummings

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
5,020
Reaction score
80
Points
433
Location
Murrieta, California
Hey John, the restaurant wasn't Armidillio Willies or Saint Johnn's was it?

It was Armidillo Willies. It is on El Camino Real just up from the Safeway. If you look at their menu, you will see tri-tip steak They had a special on it once a week ( Tuesday? ) that we ate several times.
 
Top