Any info on Ojai is appreciated

DH and I are taking a small trip later this month for our anniversary and since we haven't been to Ojai yet, thought it would make a nice little getaway for a few days.

Just wondering if anyone has been there and what information they can share with me....hotels, motels, sites to see and good restaurants. Anything, really.

Thanks,
Donna

Can I go?

Yes you can. teehee We are going on the 26th.

I'll be really quiet....or you could just drop me off on any corner in town andpick me up on the way out.....I wonder if the j.jill outlet is still there.....

Sherry, you're too funny !

Whaaat, JD?? Don't you wanna go too?

too bohemian for me...

Well, when we go up we're usually just there for the day in passing through and hit the shops, but last year one of the DG'rs was coming in from out of state for her daughter's wedding which was going to be in Ojai. She'd asked the same questions you just did and got some responses....not much specific, but a little flavor:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/655970/

Thanks Sherry for that link. I remember when she posted it, but couldn't remember who the person was to look it up.

Still looking at places to stay.
Donna

http://www.ojaiinn.com/activities.htm

http://www.ojaivalleydirectory.com/

http://www.ci.ojai.ca.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={39385BE0-B862-469B-AE47-AD98A979172B}

Let us all know if it is worth the drive.

OK. I read that other thread and now I want to go, too!

Let us know where you stay and how it turns out, Donna. Maybe one of these days I'll un-glue the DH from here for a little getaway.

Okay, these are places that have been recommended to me and I carry the addresses in my wallet so whenever we're up that way, we have somewhere new to try......not in Ojai, but if you go to Carpinteria, Ventura or Santa Barbara....

Carpinteria.....'The Spot' for burritos and tacos (sorry, don't have the address)
'Busy Bee'
'Clementine's Steak House'
The Palms
Ventura Meridians Cafe (Von's Plaza at Seaward and Harbor) open 11-9
Santa Barbara...I never go through without stopping at La Super Rica (on Milpas east of the freeway)...hole in the wall place with super Mexican food and usually a long line out the door.

I highly recommend that you take the old Ojai - Santa Paula Rd. for your entrance into the Ojai Valley. It is extremely scenic. You drive North on Hwy. 150 from Santa Paula, into the mountains, and then you begin to descend through orange groves into this beautiful, smog free valley, filled with groves of citrus trees. The smell knocks you over, so roll down the windows! There are a couple of scenic overlooks that are totally worth stopping for. As you get to the valley floor, you will still be in old orange groves, with dry-stone walls along the road. It is interesting to think that this was how Southern California once was during the early 20th C.. Just miles and miles of orange groves. The town is picturesque, artsy, and the locals are nice.

Most people drive in from the coast, but if you can - this route is truly breathtaking.

Jeff

Jeff, your discription is breath taking and I can't wait to see it all. We will be going north on the 5 fwy, so won't be coming in from the coast.

We made reservations at the Hummingbird Inn. Now to find a nice place for our celebration dinner.

Donna

Hey wait a minute ! I was confusing Ojai with Idyllwild....in which case, I'll tag along ! LOL

I'm glad I read Jeff's post. He's right, it's really nice in thru there.

Gee, I so want to go too! It is almost 6 hours from here. Doable!

That settles it Donna. You're going to have to rent a van for all of us tag alongs !

No, no, no....I get JD's spot...he said he didn't wanna go.

JD, you said you didn't want to go AND now you do? I think I will give Sherry the back seat and we will have fun perusing all the fun shops and artists dens....lol Jerry is going to play golf for a few hours and I have all that time to spend by myself or with a friend. hehehehe

Kell, 6 hrs is still a weekend get a way. I'll let you know if it's worth the trip and if we find a nice place for a wonderful dinner.

D.

Donna, I was going to ask you if there wasn't a golf course in the deal somewhere....lol....

Of course there is Sherry!!! At first he said he wouldn't play, then I said he could while I go through all the shops....which he doesn't enjoy either. He always has one thing on his mind...GOLF!!

...and the Mrs. will find every nursery and plant shop around !!!

Hey, heh, heh, you got that right Mr. JD!!! There is a small garden there that is open to the public...I have it written down for sure.

I just don't see how anyone can get so wrapped up in golf...I mean, are there plants or the possiblity of acquiring any involved?

Maybe the golf course is also a botanical garden and the pro shop has a greenhouse attached.

I feel the same way about television.

Ditto the TV.....I no longer have to listen to one...OH JOY!

Ok I don't know when your anniversary is but it is our top pick for a cool close romantic and leisure getaway, there is a place to stay that is called the Emerald Iguana, We love it, cool gardens and artsy there, cool furniture and a few of the rooms have fireplaces for if it is close with a two story town house, with kitchen and a couple of patios. It is a great and reasonable place for what you get. To us it is quite a place, we feel like we went to an Island or something. Lots of cool stuff to stroll around and see and it has this awesome Garden art place down the road on the main street, that you must go to see. You will notice the Wisteria vines and Arbors in front, it is like a bunch of garden rooms with all kinds of art.

You go to the Website from the BlueIguana.com and then click Emerald Iguana, it is in a private neighborhood and it is very quiet, nestled in the trees at the end of a residential old neighborhood. Check it out. It is close to Carpenteria if you want to go some place the next day and that is a great place to stroll around to antique shops and candy shops and cute too.

The cricket and the Tree house are the favorite rooms there and they have some cool special that has a gondola ride or something and massage and something for anniversaries too if you are looking for extras they have it, but we just like to kick back there. Let me know, if you want more info.

I just saw the dates Donna, sorry I just started working and have no time for my dg anymore. I am all screwed up. Did ya go and did you like it. If so where did you stay?

Donna-I was born andraised in Ventura.Several of my friends were from Ojai.I love that town,but can't afford a home there.Anyway,if you did go,please tell me that you found the gardening center in Ventura,called The Green Thumb!It's been there forever.I remember going with my dad,and I was young.
Anyway,if you did get to take the trip you planned,I hope you had a great time..


Terri

Did ya go lady? I love it there too.

Hi Dawn and Terri,

Sorry I haven't replied sooner, but I never had the time to give you all the information from our trip.

Yes, we went and I'm sorry to say we came home after only one night. We didn't realize that most of the busines's and many of the restaurants are closed on Mon. and Tues. Even the museum was closed. It is very hard to spend time browsing in that small town when nothing is open. In fact, some of them were even closed for Vacation.

We also went the day the weather turned really hot. It was 99deg. there that day and it was not enjoyable to walk all over.

I think the worst thing that happened was our accomodations. We stayed at the Hummingbird Inn and when we pulled into the parking lot, we weren't even sure it was still in business. The parking lot was empty and the landscaping looked like no one had done anything for months. In fact, if there had been a board across the office door, we would have thought the placed was abandoned!!! As we approached to office, we saw a sign on the pool gate from the Health Dept. that the pool was closed and it was dated the middle of June. How come no one told us that when we made reservations? My dh brought his bathing suit also.
They also tried to give us a different room than what we had asked for. We asked for the room with a private patio and they wanted to put us in the back 40.... When we saw our patio we just threw up our arms and had to laught. It had 2 chairs and a little table and there was no way either one of us would have sat down on those chairs. They had not been cleaned off for months and there were spider webs encasing both chairs and the table. Yuk, Yuk!!!
We decided by the end of the day to leave the next morning and either go somewhere else or to go home. The lady in the office told my dh that we still had to pay for 2 nights and then my dh started talking legally to her about all the things that were not up to par, including how the pool was closed and no one told us. After a few days of emails to the owner, they finally refunded our credit card.

We did have a nice lunch and dinner that day but were ready to leave the next morning. My dh was supposed to play golf on the second day and he cancelled his tee time also.

We did go to the Garden Art place and enjoyed seeing all the unique things.
Terri, no I didn't see the Green Thumb garden in Ventura. When we left Ojai, we just headed south on Rt. 1 and stopped at the Santa Monica Pier for dinner.

I'm really sorry girls to tell you these negative things, but you both asked. Thanks for thinking of us though.

This was taken after dinner at the Pier.

Donna

Oh, Donna! That's so bad you've almost got to laugh......and I'm sure it wil be a story for years. Hadn't known that everything would close up on Mon-Tues, true they get a lot of weekend business, but you'd think they'd get week day biz also. I guess not making enough to pay help to be open 7 days...run into that at some of the shops in Idyllwild and Arrowhead also as I recall. I hope everyone reads this.....you don't want to stay at the Hummingbird Inn in Ojai!

That would suck Donna, I had that to a degree in Cambria, we went on a day that was an alternating business closure day during the week. We still found good stuff to browse in there, but we think that if we did not love the Emerald Iguana and had so much fun the first time discovering things, that there after we may not have been so enthused. The last trip was not as good either, but we do love the E.I. Sorry that would be so depressing.

You look so good btw.

My brother lives in Ojai and I've been visiting for about 50 years. I love the Ojai Valley Inn.
Sorry to hear about your very unfortuate experience SoCal.
Its a different sort of town with a philosophy.

NO it is Emerald Iguana all the way.