Girl Time in Ojai

Whenever I get a chance to getaway, feelings giddiness and delight begin as soon as I sit down at the airport gate. It never fails, but this time I was especially excited for a deluxe weekend getaway with Amy.  I had so much fun visiting last year that it's become our brand new girlfriend tradition. 

This year I planned a weekend visit to Ojai, a beautiful valley town just an hour away from Los Angeles.  The Ojai Valley is home to resorts, orchards, wineries, and lots of trails for hiking. After getting early to for the drive up, Amy and I wasted no time and hit the Valley View trail.

It was a perfectly cool and breezy day for a steep hike full of rocks and switchbacks.  We were both equally out of shape so we took it slow.  The mountain was dotted with different varieties of wildflowers along the entire trail.

 We made the summit of the trail, and didnt fail to take a shameless selfie.

 After the hike we were hangry, and stopped at a whole in the wall vegan cafe in the town of Ojai.

In our dirty hiking clothes, we checked in to the fabulous Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. I learned of the resort from a good friend, who stayed there last winter.

 

Our room wasn't ready yet so we were given our keys to the pool.  The Indigo Pool is an adults only pool with full service. We chose a lounge bed and ordered wine and dessert.  Acting like the only Asians on the property, we kept completely clothed and asked the pool boys to put up the umbrella. Normally it's painful waiting for your room, but waiting poolside and receiving excellent service made it a treat. Fashion magazines, gossip, internet stalking-- check, check, and check.

 Before we knew it we got our room--  a mini-suite with fireplace, soaking tub, and amazing views.

 Originally I had wanted to rent bikes or take a yoga class, but after seeing our room we decided to relax and explore the property.

Dinner reservations were on the late side, and we took advantage of the empty lobby to take dorky photos in front of flower arrangements-- the kind our mothers would take if they were there, too.

The following morning I jumped out of bed to enjoy breakfast at sunrise. I brought classy reading material and ordered my benchmark breakfast dish, eggs benedict with smoked salmon.  Strong coffee, perfectly poached eggs, and silence-- perfection. After taking our time packing and strolling around the resort one last time, we head out for the farmer's market and one more hike.

 The Ventura River Preserve trail was nice and flat, with the trailhead close to town.  In search of water, instead we found wildflowers, oak trees with new leaves, and a couple of Great Blue Herons.

After changing my clothes in the parking lot, we hopped back into the car and drove to LAX. While it seems like a whirlwind trip in pictures, it actually felt long, relaxed, and well paced. I enjoyed every bit of Amy's company-- low key and down to earth, funny and fun, she is one of the easiest people to be around. While we have very different lives, our outlook on life is very much the same. Until next year...