Getting Out of Dodge

Citizens of L.A. agree that our relationship with this city is a love/hate one. When you’re not stuck in traffic, the spread out city is endearing and feels like home.  Then there are those times (right around 5pm) when your car is the last place you’d like to be, and when the city is absolutely conspiring against you.  For those times, it’s nice to know that if you went past your exit on the freeway, you’d end up somewhere with a pool, spa, and a view.

Getting away doesn’t have to mean completely neglecting work, especially if you’re in “the industry.”  Head to Palm Springs in January 2010 for their International Film Festival and get some work done in between facials.  At the Viceroy Palm Springs, there are packages from the Breathe Easy to the Rediscover Glamour Package that will have you reset and ready for battle in no time.

In the other direction, Santa Barbara offers pools and spas with a highly respectable wine culture to boot.  If drinking at noon is what you’re after, a stop at Lafond Winery in Buellton should be on your to-do list.  For $5 you’ll get a taste of six wines as well as complimentary snacks.  Another winery well worth stopping by (the more wine, the better) is Rancho Arroyo Grande – you’ll feel like you took the freeway to the South of France.  Or head into Solvang and get “dressed for dinner” at Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort.

For when you’re interested in getting farther out of dodge, the Ventana Inn in Big Sur offers some of the most spectacular views and trails to accompany their coveted spa treatments.  While you’re at the spa getting a mud wrap, your cell phone is somewhere in your room getting absolutely no service at all.

Via: Palm Springs Film Festival, Viceroy Palm Springs, Lafond Winery, Rancho Arroyo Grande Wines,
Alisal Guest Ranch, Ventana Inn