Marathon Shopping & Villa Blanca

After our lovely stay in Santa Barbara we headed back to my old stomping grounds of Los Angeles. A trip to L.A. would not be complete without a little shopping. A "little shopping" ended up to be a day of marathon shopping. We started in Old Town Pasadena and hit up my two requirements Zara and H&M. Another favorite of mine is A/X Armani Exchange, their blazers are great fitting for petites. I bought the most adorable jacket at Armani and I managed to forget to pack it in my suitcase. My BFF and hostess as I write this is probably getting as much wear out of before she sends it out to me.

After a quick bite we headed to Beverly Hills. A quick stop at Neimans to pick up my leopard cardigan I spoke of here. Turns out that sales associates from different locations snub each other when it comes to sending out stock. My poor SA didn't end up getting the sale because the other SA's from other locations did not want to take her call. So I ended calling myself and found my cardigan without issue. What sharks! Anyhow, upon entry we put our proverbial blinders on because we did not want to tempt ourselves, especially with no major sales going on. My last requested stop was to Club Monaco. My has this placed changed, not only did I want everything in the store but the price points were much higher than I remember from my days in high school. I ended up buying a cute off the shoulder cashmere tunic. That was our final stop. We definitely did some damage that day. I probably should do a haul post so you all can run out and get some of the things that are currently in store. I'll work on that.

{Blazer: J Crew, Tee: Miley Cyrus & Max Azria, Leopard Scarf: H&M,
Moto Leggings: Trouve, Shoes: YSL Tribute Sandals, Purse: Chanel}

It seems that I brought the weather with me because L.A. was overcast and misty. Thank goodness the rain held off because I wore my YSL Tribute Platform Sandals. Can you believe I shopped all day in 5 1/2" heels? Impressive right?

{Hills photo courtesy of Zimbio}

After a rough day of shopping it was time for happy hour, dinner, dessert and many glasses of wine in between. We dined at the beautiful Villa Blanca. For those of you RHOBV (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) fans, Villa Blanca is owned by Lisa Vanderpump. For you Hills fans this was the infamous spot where the girls had a Spencer intervention with Heidi. This place was absolutely gorgeous and I don't just mean the wait staff. The all white interior decor and fabulous stark white flower arrangements was serene and feminine. It was a little slice of interior design heaven. The best part, the incredibly handsome wait staff. Given that it was a slow Monday evening, we had the most attentive wait staff catering to our every need. We oggled each time they stopped to fill our water glass or dropped off another round of drinks. Most memorable was a young buck that had a slight resemblance to Taylor Lautner. The other cutie was a Belgium born brute that spoke 6 languages. We giggled like school girls the entire night and ended up closing the restaurant. The night felt like an extension of our mini vacation. It was a blast. There is nothing like great friends, great food and reminiscing about old times. Love you girls!

Back from Bliss

Bacara Resort & Spa

{Bacara Lobby}

{Amazing lobby floral arrangement}

{A mound of Gerbera Daisies}

{A fountain of succulents outside our room}

{Our cozy room}

{Bacara Bloody Mary}

Bacara was complete bliss. Beautiful grounds, spa and five star service.

My three gal pals and I headed to Santa Barbara for an overnight girls trip. It was a much needed mini vacay for each of us and for very different reasons. We all were looking to let loose, and started with a very early 3pm happy hour. After a couple hours of girl friend therapy we prettied ourselves up and headed to State street for a nice dinner then bar hopping. Partying in a college town like Santa Barbara was definitely...interesting. We paid the price the next morning. During breakfast we started to notice many of the patrons were at the resort to take advantage of the wellness offerings, yoga classes, hikes and spa treatments. Not us, there we were in the Bacara Bistro with the hair of the dog that bit us (aka bloody marys). Lets just say we had a rough start to our morning.

After we indulge in breakfast we headed over to the spa. I was the only one who was up for the inclusive pilates or yoga class. Majority ruled, so we detoxed in the jacuzzi, eucalyptus steam room and then the hot sauna. Bacara can be pricey, but the free classes and free usage of the spa amenities, between the four of us, was a great bang for the buck. We promised that the next time we came back it would be a wellness weekend.

The grounds were just gorgeous. It is a huge compound tucked into the foothills. Beautiful villas were nestled down cobbled paths and we were escorted around in golf carts. It is definitely a lifestyle that I can get used to. =)

Unfortunately, the weather was not optimal and we did not get to lay out poolside. It was a blast just to come together for hours upon hours of girl talk. I highly recommend this place for a relaxing stay with friends or a getaway with a significant other.