We have to be in LA as our international flight land there. We've been to SB before but for a day trip only so we figure it's either SB or Sand Diego without having to drive too far to places like Big Sur, Monterey etc.

So what are some of the places?

Ojai, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Cambria.

Cambria may be slightly over a 2 hour drive, but it's a really quaint town along the coast nestled in pine trees and within minutes of Hearst Castle, an elephant seal rookery and Ragged Point where the Big Sur drive begins. It's also near the Paso Robles wine country, which has exploded in the last decade.

http://www.classiccalifornia.com

http://www.visitslo.com

http://www.cambriachamber.org/

Pismo Beach lodging: Dolphin Bay, The Cliffs, Sea Venture

Cambria: Moonstone Landing, Little Sur Inn, Blue Whale Inn

Solvang, Los Olivos, Ojai are all within about 45 minutes. Nice wine tasting options near the first 2 mentioned.

Ojai Valley Spa and Resort has a wonderful spaand gold if you think that would be a nice treat for you and your wife.

A little further away you have Pismo Beach and Morro Bay to the north. There is a beautiful Elephant Seal Rookery just past Morro Bay and then Hearst Castle.

To the South you have The Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

I second Cambria as great destination. It has a beautiful coast line, a quaint downtown with many shops and restaurants and some really great places to stay. I highly recommend The Fog Catcher Inn as a place to stay. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32148-d113954-Reviews-FogCatcher_Inn-Cambria_San_Luis_Obispo_County_California.html You might also look into Cayucos, which is about 15 miles south of Cambria. It's a quaint little beach town that is a little less touristy than Cambria. I have stayed at the On The Beach B&B and it is wonderful. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32188-d670698-Reviews-On_The_Beach_B_B-Cayucos_San_Luis_Obispo_County_California.html

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am researching them all and will plan accordingly.

Cheers!

We love Cambria for something a bit more "remote" than Los Olivos and Solvang, but we love Solvang as well.

In Cambria we love the Best Western Plus Fireside Inn, Blue Dolphin Inn and the FogCatcher Inn.

A really overlooked place we love is Carpenteria.

http://www.carpinteriacoast.com/index.html

San Luis Obisbo is a great place to walk around and grab a bite!

Pismo Beach is our favorite "base" for trips to that area. Hearst Castle and the numerous terrific wineries from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles are all less than two hours away. The pier and broad sandy beach at Pismo evoke an old-time California beach vibe! Many good restaurants in town as well.

Ah, sweet Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. Go wine and olive tasting in Los Olivos, visit the lavender farm - almost anyone in town can direct you there). Lots of tasting rooms in Los Olivos.

Ojai is definitely a place to visit - if you like outdoors kinds of things take the highway up toward Mt. Pinos and maybe picnic in an oak forest or go further and see the Lockwood Valley. Ojai Foundation is open to visitors on many days (it's findable on google), and you can make a trip from SB-Ventura-Ojai-Santa Paula-Ventura-Santa Barbara. Santa Paula has a small art museum and some Back-to-the-Future architecture, some historic buildings (the Oil Museum) and an airport with a lot of restored vintage planes (and other stuff).

Ventura has a great history museum (small but nice) and a Chumash museum attached to the Mission. Downtown Ventura is fun and has access to the beach (over the freeway, with dining on the pier).

But personally, I think wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley is so much fun (Pismo is great too; so is Cambria - we love the gardens and architecture in Cambria, lots of little art stores). Great beach in Cambria (and there's always Hearst Castle).

No one has mentioned Solvang (many people here like to put it down as overly touristy and perhaps it is, but we now have some Solvang locals to defend it - and my own family loves it enough to visit once a year and picnic - so many great places to pick up food and Nojoqui Park or the little park right in town are both great places to picnic). If you like Danish or Swedish food, it's also a great place to eat. Glad to see there are other Solvang-lovers here.

Carpinteria is indeed overlooked (great beach).