Two weeks ago, Neil and I spent our 10 year wedding anniversary away for 4 glorious days! We hadn’t been away from the kids for that long since my surgeries and I’d been looking forward to this little vacation for months. Needless to say, it was an amazing time and I am so excited to share all about it with you. After two days in Ojai, we made our way down to Santa Barbara; where we spent 2 wonderful nights at the Simpson House Santa Barbara celebrating our anniversary and exploring the wonderful surrounding areas.
Situated on an acre of English gardens, Simpson House Inn Santa Barbara is truly a gem in the City of Santa Barbara. This Bed and Breakfast features 15 guest rooms that are spread across the property in the Victorian Manor, the Carriage Barn and English Cottages. Pulling into the Inn, we immediately felt a sense of serenity in this secluded paradise and were eager to check in to our cottage. Nicole, the Simpson House Inn assistant manager, greeted us with a warm welcome as well as some freshly made cookies.
Neil and I have actually never experienced a bed and breakfast before and were pleasantly surprised at how quiet and tucked away this Inn was amongst the hustle and bustle of the fun city of Santa Barbara. The staff instantly made us feel at home and we were ready to spend the next couple days in this pretty setting for our anniversary.
Dress | Co Company (similar)
Sandals | Carrie Forbes
After a quick walk around the Simpson House Inn property, we made our way to our cottage. The cottage was called the Pendle Cottage and what a cute cottage is was! Not only did it have a patio outside the front door, but we also had our very own private patio as well. I loved the rustic cottage feel of the interior and it was super convenient to have a kitchen within our room as well. The first floor consisted of a cozy living area equipped with a TV and full kitchen. Our equally adorable bedroom upstairs had a king bed, plenty of closet space and a bathroom stocked with Kiehls skincare products. While Neil started unpacking, I ordered Latin food from Grubhub to have it delivered straight to our door.
After scarfing down our delicious burritos and chips and guacamole, we got ready for our anniversary photo shoot up at Knapp’s Castle. Honestly, if you are staying in Santa Barbara, I urge you to try and make a trip up there during sunset. Not only is it super romantic but also breathtakingly beautiful. It definitely was worth the 20 minute drive and 10 minute walk up. Don’t worry, I will have a whole blog post with those pictures soon! How could I not?!
We came back to Simpson House Inn, changed into some jeans and drove about a mile away to downtown Santa Barbara for a casual late dinner. I am ALL about seafood. I would be happy eating lobster rolls for every meal and so of course we found a fun seafood restaurant called, Enterprise Fish Company. We ordered the mini lobster rolls, crab grilled cheese and salmon. Everything was super tasty and we washed it down with passionfruit mojitos. Once we finished dinner, we drove back to the Inn where they had fresh desserts and tea. The brownies were sensational! What a great start to our time in Santa Barbara.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early to walk the grounds of the Inn, read a little and then sit down for breakfast in the main house. My favorite spot of the Inn was the back patio. It was comfortable, quiet and peaceful. I read a book while Neil went and took pictures and grabbed some coffee. Did I mention, today was our actual 10 year anniversary? I sure love him.
Breakfast was amazing. The first morning, they served tomatillo enchiladas with fresh fruit, oatmeal and pastries along with fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee. The blueberry cream cheese pastries were fantastic as well as everything else. The staff is so friendly and did a great job making sure we had everything we needed. Once we finished breakfast, we got our swimsuits on and headed to the beach in Montecito.
We had a fabulous time relaxing at the beach. I have always felt a pull to the ocean. It’s definitely one of my happy places. If you notice, many of the trips we take always have some beach element to them. What can I say, I just gravitate towards the water! We found a spot to eat for lunch, did some window shopping and then headed back to the Inn just in time for their Happy Hour serving yummy hors d’oeuvres and wine. They serve the appetizers in their main dining room in the Victorian Manor. Along with their dining area, they have a large inviting living room complete with a large library of books and cozy fireplace. We also enjoyed the firepits outside later in the evening.
For our anniversary dinner, we drove out to the Ritz Carlton. Whenever Neil and I travel, we always like to pop into a Ritz to eat or get drinks. It was a wonderful evening eating dinner out on the deck overlooking the ocean as the sun set. I don’t think I have ever been as full as I was that night! We ate sooooo much food and then they surprised us with two desserts. I almost needed Neil to roll me out, ha ha.
The next morning, Simpson House Inn had apple French toast for breakfast and I was in Heaven. It was definitely delicious and filling. We walked back to our cottage to pack up and head home, with a short stop in Solvang! It truly was an amazing four days together with many highlights to our trip. Simpson House Inn is such a special place in such a beautiful area. I would wholeheartedly recommend staying here if you are in the area or planning a trip this way.
LUCKY for all of you, Simpson House Inn has graciously offered all my followers and subscribers a HUGE discount on rooms until the end of the year! Isn’t that awesome?! You can click here for more information regarding rooms and my special rate. You can also type in CCG into the promotional code tab as well. Make sure to check them out on Instagram, here.
I hope you enjoyed this lengthy post on our stay at Simpson House Inn! We took so many amazing pictures, it was hard to decide which ones to post! We loved our time there and I hope it’s evident in this post!
April
Simpson House Inn Santa Barbara
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In my happy place for a long weekend….Comment COAST and I’ll send the link for this cute sweater (comes in East Coast too)!
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Ahhh! Neil and I finished our biggest #diyproject yet! 💪🏻I’m so lucky I’m married to someone who goes along with all my ideas with little complaint 🤣 Our #diy entertainment space features an electric fireplace, frame tv and the biggest showstoppers of all…the #whiteoak mantel and floating shelves from @dakotatimberco I’m so in LOVE with how it turned out! #dakotatimbercompany sources their wood from retired buildings, urban tree removals as well as other sustainable sources. The quality is INSANE! Each piece meticulously crafted and ready for install. The mantel and shelves come with detailed instructions, steel brackets that hold 150 lbs or more and six 2.5 inch screws. Did I mention it’s #americanmade 🙌🏻 Right now, they have a BOGO sale on floating shelves and various awesome mantels on sale as well. Head over to my website for ALL the details on building, decor and everything in between! ...
It’s the ultimate twirling dress! 🙌🏻
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SAVE AND SHARE THIS POST! Check out my Strawberry Cheese Heary Pastries! Perfect for that #galentinesday brunch or for dessert with your loved ones. So yummy and the perfect serving size!
•Preheat oven 400 (this bakes approximately 15 min)
•2 sheets Puff Pastry
•1 egg yolk and 1 egg (for egg wash)
•1 8oz package cream cheese
•1/2 cup sugar
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•10-12 strawberries
Preheat oven to 400 (this will bake for approx. 15 min) Use a heart cookie cutter to cut out your puff pastry hearts and then use a knife to trace a heart into them. Brush on egg wash and set aside. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, vanilla, egg yolk and sugar. Add the cheese mixture to your little hearts (only spreading it up to the line you scored). Add fresh sliced strawberries and bake for 15-20 min! This is SO EASY AND SOOOOO GOOD! #recipeoftheday #danish #dessertrecipe #brunchrecipe #recipereel ...
SAVE AND SHARE THIS RECIPE! This recipe, by far, was a follower favorite last year! So so easy and omg so good! It’s a great brunch #recipe or dessert!
•store bought puff pastry
•raspberries or raspberry jam (I like fresh fruit better)
•6-8 oz of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•1 egg YOLK only
•powdered sugar
•sliced almonds
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roll out your puff pastry and cut slices down each side (approximately 1 inch) leaving the center intact and set aside. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Place the cheese mixture in the center of your puff pastry ( you may have extra leftover). Sprinkle fresh raspberries on top of the cheese. Fold each side of puff pastry one at a time in a lattice pattern. Brush some egg wash on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar and fresh almonds on top for the finishing touch.
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SAVE AND SHARE MY MOST VIEWED RECIPE! This is one of my favorite and most watched recipes and for good reason! My Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake is SOOOO easy to make and perfect for brunch! This can also be frozen and eaten later!
Don’t take my word for it...make it and let me know how fast it was devoured.
•4 large croissants
12-16 oz of cubed ham
•6 oz of shredded gruyere cheese
•6 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup chopped chives
•6 eggs
•1 cup half and half
•1 tsp. honey
•1 tsp. Dijon mustard
•salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 375. In a baking dish (spray with non stick spray) add in croissants, ham, cheese and chives. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, honey, mustard and salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture over the bake and press down with a fork. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 50 min. This is such a great family recipe and feeds a good amount of people. So before ya come for me with how much cheese is used ( remember that!
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•clover cookie cutter
•puff pastry sheet
•Dijon mustard
•Swiss cheese
•corned beef (pastrami also tastes great)
•egg for egg wash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use your cookie cutter on the puff pastry. Smear a good amount of Dijon mustard on half of them. Add the corned beef and cheese. Place the puff pastry on top like a sandwich. Using a fork, press down around each clover. Brush egg wash over and poke 4 little holes in the top. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. These are SOOOO YUMMY and quite a hit in our home! The kids love them! #puffpastry #cornedbeef #easyrecipe ...
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Comment DENIM and I’ll send you the details! I call this my errand running look….if you are on the fence about this denim jacket….DO IT!
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Comment TUXEDO for the details…. Tuxedo shirt but make it casual…. Also, the jeans linked are my FAVORITE right now.
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SAVE AND SHARE MY MOST VIEWED RECIPE! This is one of my favorite and most watched recipes and for good reason! My Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake is SOOOO easy to make and perfect for brunch! This can also be frozen and eaten later!
Don’t take my word for it...make it and let me know how fast it was devoured.
•4 large croissants
12-16 oz of cubed ham
•6 oz of shredded gruyere cheese
•6 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup chopped chives
•6 eggs
•1 cup half and half
•1 tsp. honey
•1 tsp. Dijon mustard
•salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 375. In a baking dish (spray with non stick spray) add in croissants, ham, cheese and chives. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, honey, mustard and salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture over the bake and press down with a fork. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 50 min. This is such a great family recipe and feeds a good amount of people. So before ya come for me with how much cheese is used ( remember that!
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Adding a little sparkle to my #valentinesday look ♥️
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Yami| 4th Sep 18
Such a beautiful place April .
Tara| 4th Sep 18
Wow! This looks so relaxing! I would love to visit this beautiful place!
Renee Sheesley| 4th Sep 18
Absolutely beautiful! The location is breathtaking. Happy anniversary to you both!
Sarah L | 5th Sep 18
What a beautiful place to stay. The food looks very good. Happy 10th Anniversary.
Tracy Robertson | 5th Sep 18
What a beautiful place! Your stop in Ojai brought back memories for me. My Grandma lived there when I was little. I remember seeing a deer in front of her home once and thinking that was the coolest thing ever.
Kim Pincombe-Cole | 5th Sep 18
Happy belated Anniversary!
I’ve only spent an afternoon in Santa Barbara ~ I definitely need to plan a longer visit back. Those cottages are so beautiful…
Ashh| 5th Sep 18
This place looks absolutely beautiful, cosy and inviting. Thanks for sharing April.
kelly tupick | 5th Sep 18
The house looks stunning!! It’s picture perfect! love it.
Babette | 5th Sep 18
How beautiful!! I visited LA with my daughter in 2011 for her senior trip and I loved California! Sadly, we didn’t get to see Santa Barbara but The Simpson Inn looks divine! Just gorgeous!!
Nikki| 5th Sep 18
This hotel looks like a gorgeous retreat!! No wonder I thought it looked like the secret garden, it’s english gardens!!
Niqui| 5th Sep 18
What an amazing accomplishment and place! Happy anniversary to the two of you!
Tinseldot| 5th Sep 18
We loved the cozy corners of this magical place! So beautiful!
Cat & Jules
Michelle| 15th Sep 18
Hope you had an amazing time! All your photos are so beautiful!
Kristi @ Way Beyond The Norm| 24th Sep 18
What a charming little place! Hubby and I are always trying to find nice little places to go and stay for our anniversary. I’ll be checking out this place to see what they have for late December during our anniversary. It’s always such an expensive time of year for us to celebrate our anniversary.
Monika| 27th Sep 18
Gorgeous place! Glad you enjoyed yourself!