Roam+Board :: The Goodland

[trip style =  sun + food + wine + weekend getaway]

What
Ever since The Goodland, a Cali-cool Kimpton Hotel, opened in late 2014, I've had my eye on the property. Because I have a thing for thoughtful hotel updos, a thing for good design and a thing for California, staying here on my recent trip to Santa Barbara seemed like the right thing to do. 

The Goodland does hotel'ing right, and then some, celebrating obscure and fabulous fêtes such as "national chocolate-covered raisin day" {when guests can swing by the lobby and fill up a cup of candy}, or offering a nightly social hour fuelled by spiked agua fresca. 

Channeling the Pacific Coast's easy-breezy beach vibes in every space—think: rope-adorned lights, driftwood tables, surf art—I'm struck by the '60s-surf-cabin-meets-art-gallery aesthetic, which makes me breathe a sigh of calm, as if I'm walking in the sand at a retro beach club.  

This vintage-mod vibe is carried over into the hotel's 154 rooms outfitted with woodsy floors, dark ceiling beams, chic tie-dye chairs, Barrington Blue pillows sourced from vintage rugs and artisan graphic-print tapestries hanging above each bed.   

At night, you don't even have to leave to find a bev or a bonfire. The good folks at The Goodland have got you covered with a poolside bar serving the likes of habanero-infused el Jimador tequila and pineapple tipples beside fire pits surrounded by Acapulco chairs. 

Trip Styler approved.

Where
Santa Barbara, California. A 10-minute drive from downtown Santa Barbara, or a 7-minute drive from the Santa Barbara Airport.  

When
Year-round. The endless summer is alive and well in Santa Barbara, where temperatures hover between 20-30 degrees C. I visited in March, and for a few days, the mercury rose to 26 degrees C. 

Who/Why
You surf (or aspire to) and hope to one day have your own beach retreat. Until then, you'll stay here. 

Cost
Rates start at approximately $200/night + $25 resort fee. Rooms include WiFi, parking, Crosley record players with a selection of vintage vinyl, in-room yoga mats, daily fitness classes, morning coffee and tea in the lobby and a nightly spiked agua fresca hour. Bark woof—pets are welcome for no charge.

Photos

The pool

Along with pool loungers, there are free daybeds for guest use {most hotels up-charge for this}.

Lunch at the pool, thanks to a beach-bites menu curated by the hotel's on-site Outpost restaurant.

Baby Styler chillin' at the pool surrounded by a mountain of pool pillows and towels.

The rooms

Crosley record players in every room. Want more vinyl? Ask the record concierge to curate a new mix.

The coolest lobby I ever did see

One of The Goodland's art installations: An entire wall of beach umbrella photos {only a few shown here} by Keegan Gibbs, who was raised near the ocean and inspired by its influence on humanity.

Au courant alfresco dining at Outpost, the hotel's restaurant helmed by Chef Derek Simcik, who was born in Greece and sharpened his culinary skills around the world before landing in California to cook and skateboard. 

Oupost: More of the stunning dining scene

Outpost: Drinks

Outpost: Build your own guac

Outpost: Pan-seared halibut in an Israeli couscous

Outpost: Steamed chocolate cake with roasted marshmallow and vanilla gelato

We were here :)

More Roam+Board
Pacific Sands Beach Resort - Tofino, BC
Wya Point Resort - Ucluelet, BC
RIMBA Jimbaran Bali
Villa Samadhi - Kuala Lumpur
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or - Morocco
Mandarin Oriental - Las Vegas
Hotel Lone - Croatia

[photos by @tripstyler (except room photo) taken while as a guest of the hotel I've been wanting to stay at since it opened]

Pant-Stretching Portland

[trip style = food & wine + weekend getaway]

If you read Trip Styler regularly, you know we try to take a bite out of Portland,Oregon's pant-stretching food scene at every opportunity—the provisions are that good. 

Completely obsessed with the city's preoccupation with hyperlocal and mouth-pleasing cuisine, I wrote an article in the Expedia Viewfinder Travel Blog about searching for Portland's freshest fare. Here's a taster:

There are conversations you overhear as a travel writer that cause you to grin and thank the heavens you were lucky enough to be within earshot of something so quotable. One such conversation, in Portland, was so perfect, I decided right then and there it would open this tale of the city’s fascination with fresh food (and my preoccupation with packing the right pants).

”Do they sell stretchy pants in Portland?” the guy behind me in the restaurant queue jokingly-yet-seriously quipped. Chortling, his friend replied, "By the weekend’s end, we’ll just want to go pantless.” I laughed out loud and exchanged knowing glances with the chaps because when in the Pacific Northwest’s nosh-central, I purposely pack jeans with a little stretch. It’s survival of the foodie-est.

Oregonians are not obsessed with food because it’s cool to post pretty pictures of plates with artfully arranged fare, or to brag about their culinary institutions that are sweeping the nation. For them, it’s about substance. It doesn’t matter how en vogue eateries or ingredients such as kale or bacon have become; if it’s not good or fresh, it won’t fly....

{Read the FULL article here}

Related
Oregon Travel Diary :: Feasting on Portland
Oregon Travel Diary :: Cannon Beach
That Travel Meal: Best-In-Show Burrata at Ava Gene's
That Travel Meal: Pok Pok Som Thai Basil Gin Rickey

[photos by @tripstyler] 

Baby Styler's First Trip

[trip style = urban + sun + food + wine]

Early in December 2014, once Baby Styler was 7 weeks old, he felt ready for a vacation. So did his parents. He pined for palm trees. So did his parents. He wanted to trade his sleeper for speedos. Well, you get the picture.

We chose a trip style = urban + sun trek to LA and Palm Springs as our first foray into traveling with a tyke, a} because it's in the same time zone as home, and b}, the flight is only two hours, so if things went South, we wouldn't be stuck in a capsule at 35,000ft for too long. 

All in all, our California-cation was a wild success involving pool time, dinners out, and rooftop lounges; that is, unless you count the time Baby Styler spat up all over my ladyparts {I was wearing light grey jeans} right before we stepped into one of our favorite restaurants. Because it looked like I'd peed myself, I got miffed in the moment {read: Felt sorry for myself and teared up a tad given the whole morning was a bit of a gong show}. But, in a fight or flight response, I pulled myself together AND my shirt over my jeans, and ducked into the bathroom to clean the whole thing up. Six minutes later I was sipping a coffee, sans tears, at my table.

An hour later, I sought retail therapy at the gorgeous Clare V. tote shop in Silver Lake {pictured in my recent LA, Seriously post}. Now every time I look at my newly purchased purse, I'm reminded to take everything in stride and make the best of every situation {no matter how embarrassing it might be}... When in doubt, buy a tote.

Read about the highs, lows and hilarity of new parents, aka: the Trip Styler crew, traveling with a tot, in my article for the Expedia Viewfinder Travel Blog. For more backstory, here are all the places we took Baby Styler in LA. And, since I'm obsessed with travel photos {and Baby Styler}, I give you:  

Waiting for the airport-bound train. We decided to bring carry-ons, which ended up being a GREAT decision. 

On the plane. Once we'd reached our cruising altitude and he hadn't made a peep, my stopped beating at the decibel of a pounding drum in a marching band. 

Walking to breakfast from our hotel in Downtown LA.

At Grand Central Market in Downtown LA. 

Lunching at Bottega Louis in Downtown LA.

Pit stop for a diaper change in a McDonald's parking lot enroute to Palm Springs from LA.

Sunglasses for the entire Trip Styler crew.

Sunglasses and diapers {all Baby Styler needed in Palm Desert}. 

Heading back to our hotel after a tipple at one of our all-time chart-topping stays, the Parker Palm Springs.

Crib life at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs.

We booked a room with an attached, enclosed patio, which allowed us to sip bevvies by our outdoor fire once Baby Styler went to bed. 

Le Mr. and le Baby Styler.

We had to. The Aaron Delacruz-designed wall was too cool.

We color coordinated.

I think everyone who stays at the Ace takes some variation of this photo...

Trip-Styler-in-training.

Hot tubbing with le bébé in tow.

So, we went a little nuts with fam photos...

Bye bye Palm Springs. Until next time.

[photos by @tripstyler]

That Travel Meal :: Pok Pok Som Thai Basil Gin Rickey

[trip style = food + wine]

Editor's Note: In our "That Travel Meal" series, we recreate memorable dishes or drinks we've tasted while trip styling around the globe. Don't miss our previous posts with recipes for burrata and chèvre-prosciutto-pear-arugula pizza. 

Whenever I'm in Portland, I have to stop by one of Andy Ricker's restaurants for two things: Fish sauce chicken wings and drinking vinegar cocktails. Even if the idea of drinking vinegar makes you pucker your lips and say "heckkkkk no" you must try it—I've changed the tune of many skeptics with this creative cocktail.

Also known as shrubs, drinking vinegars have been around this continent since colonial times as a health tonic and form of fruit preservation. They've been around Europe even longer; Hippocrates prescribed apple cider vinegar with water and honey to cure coughs and Roman soldiers drank sour wine or vinegar with honey as a daily indulgence. These days drinking vinegars have regained popularity as craft cocktail mixers.

Pok Pok Som drinking vinegars, inspired by Southeast Asian street drinks, can be purchased online or in local specialty grocers. My favorite flavour, Thai Basil, is tart, sweet and peppery, and pairs well with cucumber gin and soda. This cocktail, inspired by my visits to Pok Pok, will make you dream of Phuket—or maybe just Portland.

Pok Pok Som Thai Basil Gin Rickey
- 1 oz Pok Pok Som Thai Basil Drinking Vinegar
- 2 oz Hendrick's Gin
- Squeeze of lime
- Ice cubes
- 4 oz soda 
- Cucumber slices
- Lime slices
- Fresh mint

Instructions
- Combine drinking vinegar, gin, lime and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
- Shake until chilled and well mixed.
- Pour into glass, top with soda and stir.
- Garnish with cucumber slices, lime slices, mint sprigs and extra ice as desired.

Trip Styler Tip: Forget the gin for an almost-as-amazing mocktail or swap gin for whiskey or mezcal for a smokier spritzer. Play with the drink; you really can't go wrong!

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
That Travel Meal :: Best-in-Show Burrata at Ava Gene's
That Travel Meal :: Chevre-Prosciutto-Pear-Arugula Pizza

[photos by @heatherlovesit]

LA, Seriously

[trip style = urban + food+wine]

I take Los Angeles very seriously—possibly even more seriously than it takes itself.

When I descend upon the City of Angels, very little is left up to chance. While I'm all for discovery and strolling through a destination like a bon vivant unhindered by time or money, LA demands a plan. There's too much to see. Too much to do. Too much to take in. {Mostly because the sprawling city surrounded by hills, dusted in glitter and sprayed by the Pacific Ocean offers every trip style in one stay.} 

And so, instead of becoming overwhelmed by its never-ending neighborhoods and revolving door of what's new, I choose to embrace its spirit of re-invention, keeping a growing list on my iPhone of all the hotels, restaurants and shops I want to make part of my {ongoing} LA Story.

Because seriously, I don't want to leave a visit up to chance. Here are the standouts from my December 2014 LA-tinerary:

Eat

Superba Food + Bread: Because is there anything better than bread on a board {and a treat spread so tempting you have to order one of everything}?

LAMILL COFFEE: A reccurring stop on my long-time LA hit list. Think coffee so good you want to stick around for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Hart and the Hunter: Simple, everyday food "updid" with a Southern twang. 

L.A. Chapter: A breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks brasserie bringing a dose of Brooklyn to the Ace Hotel Downtown LA. 

Moon Juice: With juice so good {for you}, you'll make Jim Carrey faces as you sip.

eggslut: Once a food truck {I visited three years ago}, it's now a brick and mortar serving breakfast-fabulous food all day long. Visit early or in off-hours to avoid the line.

Breakfast at eggslut

DTLA Cheese at Grand Central Market: A 1917-built ode to food in the heart of downtown LA featuring a smorgasbord of hip chow from eggslut to bakeries and taco shops to pizzerias.  

Bottega Louie: It's rare for me to visit LA without making a stop at Bottega because of their macarons, impeccable marble-clad environs and Italy-meets-West-Coast cuisine.

TERRONI Downtown LA: Born in Italy, based in Toronto and bre{a}d in LA. 

Commissary: Where a veggie garden had a baby with old-school comfort food at The Line Hotel.

A portion of my dinner at Commissary

*You may notice many of the restaurants above appear empty... That's because I went midweek during off-hours to avoid waiting because I was traveling with Baby Styler. 

Stay

Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles: My stay for part one of my LA-tinerary. With cool restaurants, a rooftop pool and bar, included WiFi and rooms with their own guitars, how could I refuse? 

Ace lobby

Ace room

Ace room

The Line Hotel: Koreatown's hippest hotel

The Line

The Line room

Shop

There is soooo much shopping I could have done in LA, but my time was tight so I focused on my first love: Purses from Clare V. I've worn one of her bags for the past five years and since it held its shape and looks near-new after a half-decade, I decided to add to my collection.   

Related
Spotlight :: LA Food + Fun
Spotlight :: LA Shop + Stay
LA in a Flash
LA Stories
The Savvy Traveler :: Leighann

[photos by @tripstyler]