Santa Barbara

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Famous people and Labour Day

Leaving LA via Mulholland Drive and the huge mansions of the Hollywood Hills we encountered holiday traffic along the beautiful Pacific Coastal Highway and stopped over in a grim motel in the OK town of Ventura before getting to the heaving, and expensive Santa Barbara. The town was full of interesting things to see but also felt homely and classy, we strolled down the buzzing pier and around the harbour and explored the Spanish-influenced architecture of the town.

We knew that Santa Barbara was a favourite hangout of the rich & famous but we didn't expect to be walking down the road side-by-side with Halle Berry and her husband & baby. After looking around the many upmarket shops along the main street we spent some quality time on the clean beach, enjoying the atmosphere and people-watching. On our final morning in Santa Barbara we decided to head out of town via the scenic highway, taking great views of the area as well as a good look at the beautiful mansions in the hills, again.

'The Ranch'

That afternoon we arrived at the picturesque seas-side town of Morro Bay and immediately had a stroll through a small market before heading down to the sea. We visited an extremely popular fish & chip shop, which had a view of a load of sealions all perched on a tiny raft near the shop and were making a real racket. The walk along the boardwalk was quiet and offered great views of the ex-volcanic 'Nine Sisters' rocks that made a perfect backdrop for this quiet town.

The following day we took in a tour of the incredible 'Hearst Castle', built by newspaper-tycoon William Randolph Hearst, which was a testament not only to the American Dream but also excess. The site was enormous and the rooms of the houses all decorated laviously, sometimes elegantly and sometimes extravagantly, and it was easy to see why it was constantly the scene of parties whose guests included all the famous people of the day such as Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Hope and more, who all stayed in one of its three guesthouses. Although the highlight for us had to be the view of the outdoor pool and incredible views of the bay area from the hill.

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