Located in Santa Ynez Valley, Los Alamos is a rustic Cali town
full of old western character – and a surprising number of
acclaimed eateries. This is real rural America: fewer than 2,000
inhabitants call Los Alamos home and, as in most small towns,
restaurants and bars are normally closed Monday to Thursday, so
weekends are best for visits. Our advice? Make this a restaurant
crawl. Start your day with a pastry from Bob’s Well Bread (order
the pain de mie toasts, served with house-made almond butter), then
take a wander in the direction of Bell’s
Restaurant, whose plates of farm-to-table French cuisine are
loved locally. Work your way through wild burgundy snails and grand
steak tartare, then take your pick of the many wine bars on the
main strip. Bodega, a well-curated natural wine shop showcasing
rare and unique bottles, is our favourite. Stop by for a glass
beside the fire pit in the back garden. Set beneath stretching
California oaks and surrounded by aromatic rosemary plants, it’s a
Med-inspired experience night and day.

In Ojai, time slows down. Backdropped by the mighty Topatopa
Mountains, this is a place where nature takes centre stage, and
local life runs by the seasons, rather than seconds. Commercial
chains are outlawed, so farm-to-table menus and independent
producers are the go-to for residents. Ergo, quirky businesses like
Bart’s
Books are common. Head to the self-proclaimed world’s largest
outdoor bookstore to browse over 130,000 new and second-hand titles
covering everything from best gardening practices to classical
literature. Once you’ve selected some reading material, you’ll want
to dive in. Head to The Dutchess, book in hand, for a croque
monsieur brunch cocooned in the elegant, antique-filled café. All
ingredients are sourced from within an 80km radius (small fry in
the USA), and ecologically responsible practices reign supreme:
think in-house-fermented tea leaves and freshly baked bread. Book a
room at the Capri Hotel for the night. Offering exquisite
modern interiors, the hotel’s soft, rusty colour palette was
inspired by the Topatopa range’s famous “pink moment” – the time of
day when the sunset radiates red off the northern edges of the
mountains. On Sunday morning, stop by the local farmers’ market
before heading back to LA – you’ll want to pick up some freshly
picked Pixie tangerines to take a little bit of Ojai back with
you.

Make sure to have physical directions at the ready when heading
into the Cuyama Valley; you’re unlikely to get enough phone signal
for Google Maps this far into the desert. When you do eventually
find your way through the arid landscapes (thanks, AA Route
Planner), you’ll find New Cuyama. Located – literally – in the
middle of nowhere, this resilient rural community started life as a
1950s oil town. Today, it’s switched nodding donkeys for a
distinctly nostalgic hospitality offering. Find your home for the
night by spotting the 1969 Mercury Monterey parked outside the
Cuyama Buckhorn, a refurbished motel offering
Cali-cool interiors under pastel-toned sunsets. The stay’s
cowboy-esque aesthetic will make you want to tour Cuyama Oaks
Ranch, a 33-hectare property with majestic, 360-degree mountain
views. Afterwards, stop by the low-key roadside diner Burger Barn for a classic American cheeseburger and
crinkle-cut fries. Ready for a nightcap? The motel lobby stocks
Cuyama Beverage Co’s high desert mead, a sweet tipple
made with native wildflower honey. Proceeds from each bottle go
back into the regenerative economic development of the rural
community. Take it outside for some nighttime viewing – the skies
here are unsullied by light pollution, and offer a jaw-dropping
celestial display.

Did you know that LA asphalt can reach temperatures of up to 65C
in summer? Escape the city heat by hitting the highway early and
driving until you find yourself surrounded by the cool, dark shade
of Big Bear Lake’s mighty pine forests. California might have made
its name with bright lights, dusty deserts and palm-fringed shores,
but it’s the state’s lesser-visited climes that make for a
crowd-free weekend away. Start your Saturday with a moderate 4km
hike along the Castle Rock Trail for panoramic views across the San
Bernardino Mountains. You’ll need to stop by the Big Bear Visitor
Centre to grab a hiking day pass – the £4 ticket also allows you to
park your car at any of the nearby trailheads for 24 hours.

We’re staying at Noon Lodge when we’re in this neck of the
woods. The cute cabin accommodation is all about outdoor living,
offering easy access to mountain trails, plus communal fire pits
and BBQs around the cabins for evenings under the stars. You’re
only 1.5km from the bustling Big Bear Lake Village, so if you’re
reluctant to grill your own dinner, head over to Saucy Mama’s for a
slice of Tracy’s choice pizza (topped with Canadian bacon and
pineapple). Big Bear Lake turns into a white wonderland from
mid-November onwards, so if you’re seeking a weekend of skiing,
switch the LA streets for snowy slopes at Big Bear
Mountain resort.

Ready to adopt that classic Cali-cool lifestyle? Head to
Encinitas for the weekend. Find your feet (or… fins?) in the
surfing mecca by booking a room at the Surfhouse hotel. Founded by two Encinitas
natives, this bright and airy motel does its best to get you
sandy-toed, salt-sprayed and feeling suitably Zen with daily yoga
classes, surfing equipment rental and a prime location right next
to the waves. Everyone in the team has extensive knowledge of San
Diego surf breaks, so we’d recommend tapping into their experience
to find the best spots to suit your skill level. After you’ve hit
the waves, make a beeline for the town’s restaurants and bars in
search of some craft beer and seafood specialities. The tuna-based
beacon roll from Kai
Ola, one block from Beacon’s Beach, lives in our head
rent-free. Pick up some surf-town looks at Salt Culture, a
globally inspired lifestyle boutique created by Sophie Machado and
her husband, world-renowned professional surfer Rob Machado, then
head over to La Paloma Theatre, San Diego’s oldest cinema, to catch
a movie. Having been in operation since 1928, the venue pairs
Hollywood throwbacks with new releases.