The Ballard Inn (Santa Ynez Valley) near Santa Barbara, CA. – (9/03) Revisited in (12/05)
The quaint Ballard Inn at Santa Ynez is a great place & location close to Santa Barbara and the Wineries.
Still nothing but great things to say as my staff writer Jim Vatcher visited the Ballard Inn in 2003. After hearing all his great comments, I decided to take a journey myself and not only was the Inn beautiful, but the service, our room and the dinner there was spectacular (We had the Scallops and Salmon). We ate a fabulous meal and enjoyed dessert in the living room while watching some DVD’s. All else was perfect. We even came back after we checked out to meet up with Greg Rose, who hosts the wine tasting on Friday and Saturday. We tried the wines he had (one of the best selections and varieties of all the winieries we visited), and loved them.
Looking for a perfect weekend getaway to get out of the chaos that is L.A? Head to the wine country…The Santa Ynez Valley. The Santa Ynez Valley is only a two hour drive out of L.A and offers a lot of the same quaint charms, beautiful scenery and great wines of it’s better known counterpart, Napa.
The rustic towns of Ballard and Los Olivos set amidst the picturesque setting of charming wineries and rolling hills is an immediate stress reliever. Once you make the turn off the main highway and head down the shade tree lined rural street into the town of Ballard, it feels like you’ve crossed into another world. You can almost feel time starting to slow down. This feeling comes over your mind and body that tells you it’s time to slow down and reconnect with the simple pleasures of life. A less hectic time when people found great pleasure in a leisurely walk or sipping wine on a shady porch.
At the center of this quaintness is the Ballard Inn. This elegant bed and breakfast has all the warmth and charm of the area rolled into a beautifully decorated, quiet and comfortable place to fully enjoy the unique charms of the area.
When entering the Ballard Inn you immediately feel at ease like you are walking into a house of an old friend. You are greeted with a smile and definitely get the feeling that the staff sincerely wants your stay to be truly memorable.
You can definitely feel the attention to detail that was pain stakenly put into the decor of each corner of the house. The main living room downstairs and Vintners Room has rich wood tones, the perfect place to eat the delicious cheeses, olives, fruits, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and other hors d’ oeuvres and wine which is complimentary every day for the guests between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. The guest rooms are all spacious and uniquely decorated keeping with certain themes such as an equestrian, western, or farmhouse theme. Every room has all the amenities and conveniences of a four star hotel, but the charm and warmth of an old bed and breakfast on a lazy country road.
Obviously wine tasting is a must when coming to the valley. There are many charming wineries within a short drive from the Inn. The Inn provides complimentary wine tasting passes to several of the wineries. One must is Rideau vineyard just around the corner. It is a magnificent setting with a New Orleans feel and jazz lightly heard throughout the grounds. Another great adventure is to find Bedford Thompson vineyard which is definitely off the beaten path. Reservations are recommended and you’ll probably leave with a few bottles of wine and some fresh vegetables which are abundantly growing in the vegetable garden. One of the best plans is to just pick a direction and see which winery you’ll turn up at.
After a great day of wine tasting, head back to the room, relax, shower and walk downstairs to Cafe Chardonnay. The cafe is very homey and comfortable yet still has an elegant “dress up” feel to it. On temperate nights there is seating outside on the porch which makes for a very enjoyable setting. The Seasame Crusted Fresh Ahi Tuna alone in worth the drive up from L.A. It’s a taste that will make you dream about it for weeks…months…years. The restaurant manager, Justin Simons, is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about wines and will happily pour samples and work with you to find the perfect wine for your meal. It makes for a fun and memorable meal. After dinner take a walk to find a spot to look up at the stars. There’s so many there they seem to overlap. You’re gauranteed to see some shooting stars.
Breakfast is included in the price of your stay and is made to order in the cafe downstairs from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. There is anything you want including pastries, fresh fruit and eggs and bacon/french toast and more. After breakfast get a bike from the Inn and ride off through the quiet, shady streets of this quaint town. Discover an old schoolhouse, an old graveyard or a place where you can pick all the wild blackberries or raspberries you can eat. For little bit longer ride, pedal into the charming town of Los Olivos and have lunch or do some window shopping.
After traveling around the area you will realize that there was no better place to stay than that of the Ballard Inn. It’s centrally located but also in the quietest, quaintest part of town. It is a great place to come, sit in a rocking chair on a spacious porch, sip wine and be at one with the world.
THE BALLARD INN
2436 Baseline Ave.
Ballard, CA 93463
805-688-7770 800-638-2466