If you are looking for an easy and relaxing getaway, I highly recommend heading to Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., for a couple of days. It’s about 30 minutes from San Diego International Airport and 90 minutes from LAX. I recently spent a weekend there for my best friend’s wedding. It was the second time I visited, and it was just as wonderful as the first.
It’s a cute and quaint town with a small downtown area. There are great restaurants, coffee shops and a couple of hotels. It’s both relaxing and charming. I stopped by Caffe Positano when I first arrived and enjoyed an iced Americano for an afternoon pick-me-up before heading to dinner at Mille Fleurs, a French restaurant situated right downtown. There I enjoyed roasted duck with an orange-pink peppercorn sauce, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. I then had a trio of desserts — a lavender, chocolate-dipped cookie; flourless chocolate cake; and a crème brûlée. The restaurant is known for its piano bar on Friday night, the perfect way to end the evening. Saturday mornings in the downtown village are known for the secret car club gathering. There was a Ferrari, Model T, Lotus and a Mercedes-AMG GT Coupeto, to name a few. A car lover’s dream!
The rest of my weekend was spent at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe for wedding festivities. It’s a beautiful hotel with a whiskey bar, outdoor restaurant, winding paths and romantic gardens. I would go back in a second for an afternoon or weekend away to get out of the city. So when you next have some time to spare, book a weekend in Rancho Santa Fe and enjoy the quiet country lanes and charming architecture of an adorable town in Southern California.
— Kaitlind Eydelloth, account executive
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