My California vacation was fabulous! Things that are great about California include the sun, the beach, the people watching, and the occasional movie star sighting (sadly, had no sightings this trip, but I did see Courteney Cox at this restaurant last time).

I flew into L.A. on Friday, and my friend and I took advantage of a mean happy hour at her neighborhood British gastropub so we could catch up. We left for  Santa Barbara on Saturday morning, by way of the outlets (obvi). I have to say, despite trying desperately to find an excuse to spend money on clothes, I didn’t really get anything. I did get something (this is ME after all), but my spending was modest, meager even!

Santa Barbara was absolutely gorgeous. GORGEOUS. The weather was perfect – not too hot, but not too cold. We hit up some town favorites during our stay. We had a fabulous old-timey drink here and an awesome Mexican meal here.  But I have to say, the best part of the trip was the wine tasting. Sure everyone talks about Napa and Sonoma (both on the bucket list), but Santa Barbara put up some solid competition. The vineyards were quaint, but lovely. See below for a view!

Oh, and wine was delish! We visited here, here, and here. The last one was my favorite. I don’t know if it was the fact that we made two other stops or if I just loved the wine. I certainly hope it’s the latter since I bought a case of Sauvignon Blanc. Whoops! In my defense, I saved a ton of money by not spending any cash at the outlets and the case was on sale.

See how much fun I was having?

Needless to say, I was sad to come back. I’m definitely planning another trip to Santa Barbara as soon as I can! Have any of you been there? If so, comment below with any Discountess-friendly recommendations that I should keep in mind.