After a week on the road up at Monterey for this years annual Car Week event, Trevor and I decided to take a day off and spend 24 hours in Santa Barbara before heading back to Newport.

After hearing nothing but good things about the Bacara Resort and Spa, and drooling over their #Bacarabliss feed, I decided to book a one nights stay in the deluxe king suite and surprise Trevor for his 25th birthday.

We left Monterey late morning after shooting @whitesse's new Koenigsegg Agera RS1 and drove south along the highway before reaching the hotel in the afternoon. By this stage Trevor knew I had the hotel, but he had no idea what I had planned for the next 24 hours.

As soon as we arrived, the hotel staff greeted us in and showed us to our beautiful Mediterranean-inspired suite where earthy textures and exotic patterns present in the furniture and soft furnishings are artfully balanced with clean lines and traditional fixtures.

After checking out our suite and soaking in the views from our private balcony, we headed straight for the pool and spa.

One thing that caught my eye when booking this hotel were the two pools, who's sparkling waters only urge you to take a refreshing dip. As soon as we got there, Trevor and I dove right in before jumping into the heated spa.

There's a few cabanas and sun loungers around too, so if your idea of a holiday is relaxing by the pool all day, then by all means, take up residence here. Be warned though, you probably won't want to leave.
Oh and the resort is also dog friendly too! We saw so many cute puppers by the pool. It made me miss Italia!

After a quick dip in the pool and spa, we decided to walk around the resort a little (we find it hard to sit still!), before making our way towards the beach.

I decided to wear one of my new dresses from Publish Brand which I am obsessed with even though I don't typically wear dresses at this length.

It also comes in a grey and black but I think I like the sand colour the best, especially for Summer. I paired it with a denim jacket from Forever New, shades from Le Specs and some neutral sandals that I got back home in Australia.

After admiring the view, we managed to take a few drone shots of the beautiful surroundings before our SD card became full. Why can't drones allow you to save content directly onto your iPhone!?

One thing that I loved about the resort is how it is covered with beautiful lush greenery and sweeping beach views, making it a stunning oasis retreat that would be the envy of any landscaper. Surrounding the main pool area is a perfectly manicured lawn, tall palm trees and bright tropical flowering plants housed between gorgeous architecture. It kind of felt like we had left the country!

For dinner we decided to eat at Angel Oak, which is a fine-dining restaurant located at the top of the resort, overlooking the Santa Barbara coastline.

As you enter the modern building filled with warm rich tones, you experience a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor seating options available.

We decided to sit inside next to the floor-to-ceiling windows so we could watch the sunset.
For appetizers we got the tuna tartare to share and for mains I ordered the lobster and house made gnocci gratin with a side of roasted carrots (the sauce was that good that I may or may not have licked the bowl clean) and Trevor got the alaskan halibut which I practically ate all of. Whoops!

As always we shared our dishes, allowing us to get a taster of everything, and then complemented our food with a few glasses of merlot before calling it a night and heading back to our suite.

The morning of our departure left us sleeping in for once and enjoying some much needed relaxation. The king size bed was soooo comfy, so if you plan on staying, definitely upgrade to the king suite!

After we rolled out of bed, we made our way downstairs to the bistro for some brunch.
Trevor got the rock shrimp omelet, whilst I got the delicious pastry board with fresh berries.

We enjoyed the sweeping views of the beach in the distance, and just like the service at Angel Oak, the staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating.

After brunch it was sadly time to leave the resort but thankfully the trip wasn't over yet, because I had 2 more surprises left for Trevor's birthday which involved meeting a famous Giraffe! So stay tuned for the next post!