Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

If you want to make mom happy this Mother’s Day, consider one of these special events and promotions going on at Montage Laguna Beach. From lavish brunches to spa bliss, Montage knows exactly how to celebrate moms!

Grand Ballroom Celebration
10:30am – 4pm

Take mom to the best place for Mother’s Day brunch in Orange County with a sumptuous 12-station spread including live music and a keepsake photo. $105/adult; $40/child 4-12 yrs.

The Loft
12 – 3pm

Does mom prefer lunch to brunch? Take the family to The Loft and enjoy a four-course prix-fixe menu (choice of appetizer, entree, cheese and dessert) as well as a glass of sparkling wine upon seating. $85/adult; $30/child 4 – 12 yrs.

Studio
4:00 – 9:00pm

After a delightful family day, get a sitter and take mom out for a date night to celebrate in peace with a five-course Chef’s Tasting Menu at Studio. $125 per person; $200 per person with wine pairings (A la carte menu also available.)

Click here or call 949.715.6420 for reservations.

Looking for the perfect gift for mom? I don’t know a mama who wouldn’t relish some much deserved time to relax at a spa. Add in the beauty and splendor of Spa Montage Laguna Beach and mom might think she has gone to heaven!

A Day of Indulgence

Starting from $215, this OC spa special includes one 60-minute massage or facial, lunch from Mosaic Bar and Grille, a sunset yoga class plus full use of the Spa Montage facilities all day. Click here to learn more. This special is valid Monday – Thursday, so line up childcare, give mom a break and send her to the spa on a weekday and she just might cry some tears of happiness!

Ashley Turner Yoga Workshops: Saturday May 12th & Sunday May 13th

I have written and raved about these workshops on numerous occasions. Enlightening, spiritual and soul-charging. All levels are welcome, and each two hour session is only $65 each, which includes full use of the Spa Facilities for the day. Click here to learn more about the May retreat on Mother’s Day Weekend.

Say “Thank You and I Love You and I Appreciate You” with a Montage Gift Card

Let mom decide for herself if she would like to use it on a getaway, fine dining or spa service with a Montage Gift Card. Two words: Slam dunk.

Call 949.715.6010 to reserve your yoga mat or make a spa appointment.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

[Disclosure: Montage Resorts is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor]

Want to take a local SoCalCation this summer but worried about summer traffic and through the roof gas prices? With this Summer Memories Metrolink Package at the beautiful Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa, you can take your family for a getaway and save on gas by traveling to the resort on the Metrolink Train from Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside and more.

Now that’s what I call eco-fun!

Can you imagine how thrilling it would be for the kids to go on vacation on the train? Love it!  The kids will be so entertained “are we there yet?” won’t even cross their little minds!

The Summer Memories Package includes:

* Accommodations at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa (Advance registration of 10 days + 2-night minimum stay required. Offer is good for stays booked and completed by October 10th, 2012)

* One roundtrip Metrolink pass per guest booked in reservation. A maximum of 4 Metrolink passes booked per room. Metrolink passes are valid from any Metrolink station to the Oceanside station.

* Complimentary roundtrip transportation from Oceanside station to the resort. Guest must schedule the hotel shuttle 72 hours prior to arrival. Subject to availability.

* Two adult LEGOLAND California Resort Hopper admission tickets per room, per stay. Park Hopper tickets valid for LEGOLAND, Water Park & SEA LIFE (Water Park only valid on open operating days. Click here for the schedule.) Additional tickets available for purchase at the hotel. Tickets have no cash value. The resort is conveniently located adjacent to LEGOLAND.

* One complimentary DVD player for use in room during stay based on availability upon request.

* Kids 12 and under eat free. One free kid’s menu item per paid adult entree value at 20/Twenty Grill & Wine Bar only. Not applicable to in-room dining.

Book online or call 866-716-8134.

My family is going to be going to the resort on this package next weekend. Big WOO HOO! Can’t think of a better way to experience Mother’s Day than with a little getaway! I can’t wait to report back about our adventure!

[Disclosure: I will receive a complimentary media stay to facilitate my review.]

Over Presidents’ Week this past February my family and I had the BEST trip to Santa Barbara at the lovely Hotel Oceana. I wrote all about the awesome family friendly hotel HERE. On our getaway we discovered a ton of things to do in Santa Barbara with kids so I wanted to share them with you!

We went for 3 nights, giving us 2 full days to explore. I wished we had a third day, but I would recommend at least 3 nights so you can fit it all in.

Here was our itinerary of things we did…

Day One: We left OC late morning and arrived in SB mid-afternoon. All my girls wanted to do the first day was swim in the beautiful Hotel Oceana heated pools!

Day Two: After enjoying the amazing continental breakfast at Hotel Oceana, we departed for a fun day at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

This quaint zoo is absolutely breathtaking, including peek-a-boo views of the Pacific. In fact it is coined, “The World’s Most Beautiful Zoo.” I have to say, if visiting Santa Barbara with kids, the Santa Barbara Zoo is a must-visit.

Tip: Feed the Giraffees!! You can buy your tickets when purchasing admission ($6/person.) My girls were a little freaked out to do it themselves, but they loved watching my husband feed them.  Pretty spectacular to see these amazings creatures up close.

One of my girls’ favorite parts of the zoo was the Kallman Family Play Area. In it is a hill made of AstroTerf and a ton of cardboard pieces to “sled” on. My girls could have spent the entire day “sledding.” I have to admit, it looked pretty fun, so I took a ride down with them too! Isn’t it funny how sometimes it is the simplest things that can be the most entertaining?

We spent around three hours at the Zoo, then headed back for an afternoon of swimming at Hotel Oceana.

That evening we walked across the street to the beautiful harbor to enjoy dinner at Brophy Bros. Seafood Restaurant, my absolute FAVORITE restaurant dating back to my college years.

If you have little ones bring a jogger or good stroller. It is a lovely walk but a tad long for little legs. The view of the boats in the harbor with the mountains in the background is stunning.

Be prepared for a wait, but it is always worth it. Best clam chowder you will ever have.

Day Three:

Again, after a lovely continental breakfast, we took a little jaunt down Cabrillo Blvd. to check out one of the beachfront playgrounds we spotted on the way in off of Cabrillo Blvd. and Ninos Drive.

From there, we went back to the hotel to get ready for a little sightseeing on State Street, which is the main street that runs through the city and is packed full of restaurants and shops.

From the hotel, we walked to catch this Downtown Waterfront Electric Shuttle  by Stearns Wharf. The shuttle fare is 25 cents one way and children under 5 are free. Can’t beat that price! We did see some local characters on this shuttle but it added to the adventure.

There are also narrated tours available on the Santa Barbara Trolley.

We took the shuttle up State Street to the Historic Courthouse, which is one of the most beautiful structures in the world.  You can take an elevator up to the tower and get the most stunning 360 degree views of the city, mountains and ocean.  It is free and worth it! My girls favorite part was running around on the expansive lawns.

If we had a little more time, we definitely would have gone to visit the Santa Barbara Mission, which is farther up State Street, but we had to get back to the hotel to put little one down for a nap and big one was pining to go to the pool again!

That night we took the jogger and walked down Cabrillo Blvd. to Rusty’s Pizza Parlor. Perfect spot for a casual dinner. I loved that everything we did was walking distance from Hotel Oceana.

Day Four: After breakfast, I borrowed one of the beach cruisers from Hotel Oceana (free), my husband took little one to jog in the jogger and my oldest ride her bike that we brought with us and we hit the oceanfront boardwalk for a bike ride.

There is an amazing park called Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara on Cabrillo Blvd. across from the ocean, and a short ride from the hotel.

In it there is a beautiful carousel and super fun playground called Shipwreck Playground. We were too early to ride the carousel, so you might want to check the hours (bottom of this page) if you wanted to go when it was operating.

My girls LOVED the Shipwreck Playground.  Very unique structures and sparked a lot of imaginative play.

We ended the trip that afternoon to visit the UCSB campus, which is my alma mater. Of course I had to hit the bookstore and get my girls some Gaucho gear! It was SO weird to be back on campus again. I hadn’t been in a gazillion years.  It was even weirder to be there with my two little girls!

We loved our trip and there were even a ton more things we would have loved to do…things like a visit to the Ty Warner Sea Center, like I mentioned, the Mission, there are a ton of water excursion possibilities, museums, etc. But that just means we will have to plan a trip back!

If you go, can’t more highly recommend staying at the Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara. You can’t get a better location! Here is my post with pictures and details about the property.

Happy travels and happy weekend mamas!

Last Christmas my parents gave my husband a “coupon” for a night out on the town and offered to take our girls for a sleepover at their house, which we redeemed this past Saturday night.  As a sort of spontaneous decision, we decided to try www.priceline.com to see if we could get a good deal to stay at a local hotel for the night.

Has anyone done Priceline before? I have to say it was pretty exciting going through the bidding and seeing where we ended up!  My husband did all the bidding – check out his tips below if you ever want to try it!

We ended up getting a room at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, which was a great location for a one-night getaway.

The weather was gorgeous, so we arrived around lunchtime on Saturday dressed pool-ready and checked our bags with the bellman.

We spent the afternoon reading, snoozing and enjoying the Jacuzzi (the small batch of homemade margaritas we snuck in made it extra fun. Yes, we were rebels sneaking in some booze – living it up on our big night away! Woo hoo!)

Later in the evening we walked over to the Newport Dunes and had a great dinner at the Back Bay Bistro. There happened to be a great live band that night (Tom Solis) playing my favorite kind of mellow music. By the way, if you go there for dinner, the Kobe beef sliders were out of this world. Didn’t see them on the menu, so they might have been a special, but ask for them!

The next morning we slept in and I read a People magazine in bed with a Starbucks coffee. My version of Heaven. For breakfast, we walked from the hotel over to Balboa Island and ate at Wilma’s Patio (the BEST.)

We headed home around noon relaxed, happy, and ready to see the kids. 24-hours to be a couple and it was amazing.

Now, admittedly, we are VERY lucky to have local and willing grandparents to help us out. But if you don’t, maybe you could recruit a family to do a trade off sleepover with each other’s kids so you can get a night away every once in a blue moon?

And with Priceline.com can score you a steal of a deal! Our accepted hotel bid was $78 (+ tax + $20 parking it ended up being around $120 total.) If you didn’t eat out at pricey places, it could be a very reasonable getaway! Heck, you could grab take-out burritos and head back to the hotel to eat at the pool. Main point being, for not a whole lot of money, a date like this can be  priceless.

Here are my husband’s tips on how to bid using Priceline:

1. Learn which hotels are in the area you chose – for example, if you select 4 star hotels in Newport Beach/Huntington Beach, first look on Priceline/Hotwire to see what # star hotels show up in that area.  This will give you a good idea of what hotel you might get if you make a Priceline offer.

2. If you want 4 stars – have an idea of how much a 4 start hotel room is going for on the night(s) you chose.  You can do this on Priceline/Hotwire.

3. Make an offer – remember your offer excludes tax. Also, remember that some hotels charge resort fees, parking, etc. so that you know exactly how much to expect to spend.

4. If your bid is not accepted you have a few options:

a. Wait 24 hours and submit a new bid for the same area and hotel rating.
b. Immediately bid again by adding in a new area and/or hotel rating.

Tip: If you find areas that do not have hotels matching the hotel rating you chose, you can bid again before waiting 24 hours. For example, I wanted to stay in a 4 star hotel in Newport Beach/Huntington Beach and my initial bid was rejected. I then had the option to bid again by adding a new area into your search.  I looked through nearby areas and noticed that Santa Ana and Laguna Beach did not offer 4 star Priceline hotels.  So for my next bid I increased my offer and I added Santa Ana knowing that my bid would only be accepted in Newport Beach/Huntington Beach.  If my second bid was not accepted I could then increase my offer and add Laguna Beach.  You can keep adding new areas and keep rebidding, just be sure to do your research so you know you are only adding areas that do not offer 4 star Priceline hotels.  The hotel mix changes frequently, so be sure to check before you bid.

5. After your bid is accepted and you know the hotel, call to hotel directly to see if you can request a room type (i.e. King, two doubles, etc.) The hotel will not be able to guaranteed bed or room type, so you have to be open minded and go with the flow on whatever you get.  We were lucky the hotel was able to get us into a King bed room.  We also had the option to upgrade our view for an additional charge upon check-in.

That’s it! This would be really fun to do as a spontaneous family get away for the night!

So it’s Friday!  Anyone have a fun date night planned this weekend?

Hope you all have a great one! XOXO

[Photo credit: Hyatt.]

For those that have been following my blog, you probably know by now my family is a huge fan of the SoCalCation, or family getaways that are easy driving distance from Orange County.  With our two little ones, now 2 1/2 and 5 1/2, it is a dream to load up the car and be at our destination within a few hours.

My oldest daughter had Presidents’ Week off school last week so I thought it would be fun to go somewhere together. When thinking of places, I realized that although I went to UCSB and spent four years there, I had yet to visit with my family! The thought of visiting my old college stomping grounds (and one of my favorite cities in the entire universe) with my family sounded like so much fun.

Once we decided on our destination, next order of business was where to stay? When looking at hotels to stay with the family in Santa Barbara, location was number one priority to me. I wanted a convenient hotel that was walking distance to all the major downtown attractions, which is how I happened upon Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara.

Special thanks to Trekaroo for the awesome review – after reading I was sold. Now that we have experienced our own stay at Hotel Oceana, I am excited to share my own Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara review because we absolutely fell in love with this property!

Situated on Cabrillo Blvd. across the street from the ocean and beautiful expansive beaches, my favorite part about staying at this hotel was the stunning view and amazing convenience.

In our 3 1/2 day stay, we actually only used our car one time to go to the Santa Barbara Zoo. The rest of the time, we walked everywhere! It was so relaxing to not have to load and unload the kids in the car for outings.

From the hotel we were able to walk to the beach, Sterns Wharf, marina, State Street (Santa Barbara’s main strip with tons of shops and restaurants), ocean view playgrounds, you name it! In my opinion, this hotel has the best location in all of downtown Santa Barbara.

I absolutely love bright decor and Spanish style artitecture and this property was delightfully bright and cheery. Bright colored striped rugs decorated the walk ways and colorful foliage hung in Spanish style pots throughout the hotel. Although a fairly large property, the way the buildings were spread out with picturesque courtyards tucked in between, the hotel had a very intimate and quaint feel. It was hard to not be immediately in “vacation mode” when stepping foot into Hotel Oceana.

When staying at a hotel with my kids, to me it is not a true relaxing vacation unless there are separate sleeping quarters for the kiddos, so the Deluxe King Room with sleeper sofa was perfection. Best part? The sleeper sofa was tucked into a separate little alcove with a door that closes off the main room, and my hubby and I got the big comfy King sized bed, TV and access to the bathroom without worrying about waking the kids after putting them down at 8pm.

And the silly girls had such a fun time sleeping in their own little room – felt like a cozy fort to them! They were in heaven!

We got a beautiful room on the second floor with an ocean view, and we found the accommodations to be very comfortable. Although the room was not overflowing with a ton of bells and whistles, we had everything we needed during our stay including a little mini-fridge, iPod docking station and most important to me: a Keurig Coffee Maker and free WI-FI!

Here was the amazing view from our room…

Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara includes a free European Style Continental Breakfast every morning from 7am – 10am weekdays (10:30am weekends) in a charming Bistro with indoor and outdoor seating.

It was so nice to not have to get the kids fully dressed to go out to breakfast. Each morning we all sort of rolled out of bed, threw on our sweats and hit the Bistro for an amazing spread of muffins, bagels, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, ham, cheese, coffee, tea and more.

Having a breakfast included is a huge time and money saver as well!

[Photo credit: Hotel Oceana]

My oldest learned to swim last summer and turned into a little fish. So when we learned there were two separate heated (HEATED! Yes, HEATED!) pools, one of which also had a newly refinished Jacuzzi, I knew where we would be spending a majority of our time.

Lined with poolside cabanas, colorful towels and comfy lounge chairs for relaxation, the pools were great and having them heated was awesome! One day my daughter swam for 5 straight hours. Only in So Cal in February can you do that!

[Photo credit: Hotel Oceana]

The Fitness Center was adjacent to the main pool and they also have a mobile spa service available as well. Sadly to say I did not get to experience either firsthand, but that just means we need to make another trip back!

Hotel Oceana also offers complimentary two hour beach cruiser rentals. One beautiful morning I got one of these bikes and my husband ran my youngest in the jogger and we all cruised along the beachside boardwalk.

One of our favorite stops along the way was Chase Palm Park, but I will save my favorite things to do with kids activities for another post as this one could get quite lengthy! Stay tuned!

If you are looking for a great place to vacation with your family in Santa Barbara, I can’t more highly recommend staying at the very family friendly Hotel Oceana. It was one of the best trips we have ever had, and we will take those memories with us forever! Thank you Hotel Oceana for the most incredible stay!

www.HotelOceanaSantaBarbara.com
Follow Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara on Facebook 

Here are a few of my favorites I took on Instagram…

[Disclosure: My family received a complimentary stay to help facilitate a review. This is not a compensated post and all my opinions are my 100% honest ones. I am so excited to share this property with you and can't wait to share all that Santa Barbara has to offer little ones!]