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WEEKEND ESCAPE | GOLETA, CALIF.
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NEED TO KNOW NEWS • TIPS • TRENDS
Donated luggage can help everyone You can donate your gently used rolling luggage to charity and receive credit for a new bag. The program, by way of luggage maker Briggs & Riley, donates the bags to foster homes, women’s shelters, and organizations such as local Ronald McDonald House chapters, a company statement said. Turn in a Briggs & Riley bag, and you’ll receive a $100 credit to buy a new Briggs & Riley bag; turn in any bag and you’ll receive a $50 credit toward a Briggs & Riley bag. The luggage comes in four collections and costs $299 for a wheelie carryon to $699 for a large wheeled wardrobe. For a list of participating stores and more information: www.lat.ms/1Me1ChH — Mary Forgione
Schaefer Portrait Challenge
See faces of Hawaii
Valli Herman
RETRO YET OF THE MOMENT is the vibe at Kimpton Goodland in Goleta. Its pool is designed for energetic youngsters.
Ulterior motive Laid-back mom wants to shop and chill — with her energetic teen son. The Santa Barbara area provides a satisfying adventure for both. BY VALLI HERMAN >>> Traveling with a teenager doesn’t often offer appealing options for keeping parent and child equally entertained. Laid-back mom avoids commotion; high-energy kid craves action. The (sneaky) compromise? A vacation that can do double duty as an introduction to college. A two-hour drive to the town of Goleta gave us a look at a new hipster hotel, a student-swarmed college town and a peek at Antioch University, the Brooks Institute and UC Santa Barbara. The tab: from $229 a night, depending on the season, at the Goodland, $65 for dinner, $50 for breakfast and $10 for ice cream.
Visitors to Maui can explore the varied faces of the people of Hawaii in a free art exhibition in Kahului. Works of art from the Schaefer Portrait Challenge are on display through mid-March at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Every three years, the center invites artists working in various media — including painting, printmaking and sculpture — to submit works that depict the people and stories of Hawaii through what’s called “explorations in portraiture.” This year’s exhibition contains 66 works by more than 60 artists from the Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui and Oahu. Their works represent people of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds and vary from literal to abstract. The portraits are displayed in the center’s Schaefer International Gallery, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Admission is free. Guests who visit by March 8 can vote for the People’s Choice Award. It, along with a $5,000 prize, will be awarded during a reception at 5 p.m. March 15. Info: www.mauiarts.org — Jay Jones
The bed Done up with a retro, ecoconscious, surfer vibe, the 5month-old Kimpton Goodland (5650 Calle Real, [805] 964-6241, www.thegoodland.com), formerly a Holiday Inn, brings a big dose of hipster cred to Goleta, just a few miles north of Santa Barbara. The boutique hotel’s record player, vinyl albums and vintage mini-bar snacks (Goo Goo Cluster, Pop Rocks) let me share with my teen artifacts of my childhood. (“What? Albums have two sides?” he said in mock surprise.) Our comfortable room had the cheerful personality of an Ikea-shopping millennial: a mix of ethnic-textile-covered pillows, throws and walls; reclaimed wood fronted the dresser; and sliding barn doors concealed the colorful, concretetiled bathroom. Complimentary bicycles and a spacious pool area let youngsters burn off energy. Kids 17 and younger stay free when accompanied by an adult.
The meal Goleta seems to favor lunchoriented restaurants in strip malls such as the Calle Real Center next door to the Goodland. At the mall’s Nikka Fish Market & Grill (5722 Calle Real, [805] 967-2600, www.nikkafish marketandgrill.com), we hovered over the chalkboard menu of specials (lobster roll, shrimp enchiladas) and eyed the display case of fresh fish cooked to order (grilled, fried, burgers, pasta) and promised to return for lunch. For dinner, the lively atmosphere at the hotel’s restaurant, the Outpost (5650 Calle Real, [805] 964-1288, www.outpostsb.com), lured us to a tasty and convenient meal of tacos, empanadas and bao buns. For breakfast, we drove about five miles to downtown Santa Barbara’s Tupelo Junction Cafe (1218 State St., [805] 899-3100, www.tupelo junction.com) for the generous portions that can fill a teen boy (for a little while). Our picks: a starter of apple beignets; deepdish mac ’n’ cheese with collard greens; and a hearty spinach, bacon, caramelized onion and Gouda scramble with homemade banana pecan bread.
Mark Boster L.A. Times
State’s parks online
Valli Herman
RECLAIMED WOOD and sustainable materials accent the rooms at the Kimpton Goodland.
Barn-like doors conceal the bathroom and closet. Bold textiles provide decoration.
Goleta
Ventura
Santa Clarita 101
Los Angeles
Channel Islands National Park Pacific Ocean 20 MILES
Santa Catalina
Sources: Mapbox, OpenStreetMap Lou Sp irit o Los Angeles Times
Al Seib Los Angeles Times
STATE STREET in Santa Barbara is well stocked with shops
— including an Apple Store — yet can feel surprisingly bucolic.
latimes.com /weekendescapes
Go online for more Weekend Escapes.
The find Santa Barbara’s downtown State Street was so uncrowded, it felt bucolic even with a noticeable and sometimes-aggressive population of panhandlers. The street’s trendy clothing and shoe stores, bicycle shops, Apple
Lancaster
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A new website allows you to search all California parklands, from the big national parks to local dog parks. The CaliParks website — www.caliparks.org — will help you plan your next adventure at 11,826 parks statewide and find what you’re looking for in one place. It works in English and Spanish on smartphones and tablets as well as laptops and desktop computers. You can search national, state, regional and urban parks to connect with a place to hike or surf. Enter the city or ZIP Code you’re interested in or check out CaliParks’ favorites on the home page. If you’re thinking of going to a national park today (Sunday) or Monday, admission will be free (although not all charge admission). National forests, such as Angeles and Los Padres sites in Southern California, offer free admission on Monday only. Info: www.lat.ms/1EZjtXy — Mary Forgione
was able to survey the gourmet Santa Barbara brand’s entire collection and sample new flavors such as Sea Salt Cream & Cookies and Salted Caramel Chip.
The lesson learned Store and cafes held my son’s interest — especially Antique Alley’s collection of vintage cameras. Did I mention I was traveling with a hungry teen? Spotting a sparkling-clean, full-size McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, he
Kicking off the school search process with a quick trip has made the looming prospect of finding a college real — and a real adventure. travel@latimes.com
Valli Herman
ICE CREAM from McCon-
nell’s in Santa Barbara.
JamStik.com
Mobile guitar tutor Travel with a song in your heart and you can be accompanied by a guitar (sort of) in your hands — and learn to play it. All you need is an iPad, iPhone or Mac (sorry, Android) and the new Zivix Jamstik, a 16-inch, 3-pound device with steel strings and frets. The guitar (which looks like a guitar neck), is powered by an included rechargeable battery and connects wirelessly to your device by way of a proprietary interface with Jamstik Connect, the free app. A free music app, jamTutor, becomes your mobile teacher, and an online Jamstik-playing human takes you through the basics. The Jamstik comes with an adjustable neck strap, a micro USB charging cable and two guitar picks. A Bluetooth model is due this year. The digital guitar costs $280. Information: www.jamstik.com — Judi Dash
ROMA
STORYBOOK
Kauai, where lush greenery meets crystal-clear waters, provides a breathtaking setting for fairy-tale dresses. Photographs by TODD MARSHARD
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MANCE HORSE PLAY He may be a bit stubborn, but she knows she’s found the perfect ride. Romona Keveza shantung taffeta dress ($5,495). Styled by Sophie Pera
MEXICO A Slice of Sustainable
As Mexico’s glitzy Cancun flourished, visitors soon yearned for a more authentic, local, natural alternative to the mega-resort area, and the Riviera Maya Mayakoba was built—with sustainability in mind.
By Nicole Dorsey
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Along the far eastern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, stretching south of Cancun for 75 miles and running parallel to the Caribbean, the Riviera Maya coastline opens to still-deserted white-sand beaches and the legacy of an ancient empire. Known in Mexico as “The Venice of the Yucatan,” the region remained isolated from the rest of the country for hundreds of years due to the lack of adequate roads. As Cancun urbanized, visitors soon yearned for mellower, more authentic alternatives to the megaglitzy resorts, and the Riviera Maya was discovered. At Mayakoba, an eco-friendly resort development that includes three luxury hotels surrounded by natural lagoons that pay homage to local wildlife and rare birds, the varied landscape of mangrove swamps, jungle beaches, protective sand dunes and barrier reefs looks like a different world. Local biologist Hector Alafita, an environmental advisor, remembers watching the neighboring shorelines erode. “To preserve the natural balance of the delicate eco-systems here, we replanted 47,000 mangroves, recovered indigenous seedlings, and 108 species were saved,” says Alafita. The coastline is dotted with cenotes (naturally occurring sinkholes), a bio-diverse network of underground canals that lie close to the limestone surface. Created by rare underground river systems, ancient Mayans considered cenotes sacred, possibly the entrance to the underworld. Miles of fresh-water lagoons connect 590 square miles of jungle, an area full of iguana, fish, pelicans, monkeys, turtles and crocodiles. The unique canals and coastal byways are collectively known as the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (also known as the Belize Barrier Reef) and
continue southward to Guatemala. While this is the second largest continuous coral reef system in the world, it’s also extremely diverse—and fragile, Alafita says. “We learned the hard way that you must build farther away from the fragile eco-systems along the coastline, in back of the mangrove forests that naturally protect the coral reefs,” says James Batt, vice president of Operations and Marketing for Mayakoba. Here is a slice of sustainable Mexico.
ROSEWOOD MAYAKOBA The Annual Virtuoso Travel Mart show and Hotel Awards awarded the Rosewood Mayakoba its “Most Socially Responsible Hotel” honor in 2011. Along a mile of white-sand beach, the mangrove jungle at Rosewood is at the heart of the ecological enclave, says Alonzo Ortiz, the Environmental Responsibility Manager on site. Using indigenous materials such as Yucatán limestone and renewable woods, the resort design emphasizes simplicity with a natural, dramatic backdrop. “Mayakoba’s architects crafted a complex plan in which the natural and man-made aspects would intertwine, complementing and enhancing each other,” explains Ortiz. “The beach, golf course, mangrove swamp and jungle are linked by an aquamarine chain of lagoons and canals using subterranean water,” says Ortiz. Environmental thoughtfulness continues at the Sense Spa, where signature treatments embody the simplicity of an ancient culture, and where local abuelas, or grandmas, still make their own corn tortillas without electricity or running water. Common
Rosewood Mayakoba Punta Bonita Pool
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Take an electric boat ride along the lagoon, where you’ll spot vibrant fish in forest-green cenotes, plus rare waterfowl, including boat-billed heron, ospreys, roseate spoonbills and wood storks.
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local ingredients are used, including agave plants, volcanic rock and medicinal herbs from the garden, including organic aloe, eucylyptus and tepezcouhite, a Mayan herb used by elders to heal skin ailments, according to Spa Director Emmanuel Arroyo. There are 128 suites on either beachfront or on lagoons, and the down-home Mexican fare includes Marlin Tostadas, Scallop Ceviche and daily tequila tastings. mayakoba.spa@ rosewoodhotels.com
BANYAN TREE MAYAKOBA Six miles of freshwater lagoons lead to silvery sand Caribbean beaches. Here, electric golf carts and boats traverse resort beach clubs and a dozen restaurants, ecologically connecting several hotels in order to minimize cars and noise pollution. Amidst a tropical array of more than 200 species of flora and fauna, 132 pool villas are built into the carefully conserved landscape and tempt you to lounge the day away on your hammock. (My private plunge pool was so big, I did laps waiting for Tarzan to swing into my courtyard.) After dodging killer backhands and taking a restorative yoga class, most honeymooners opt for a romantic dinner on Banyan Tree’s drifting barge, the “Ixchel Goddess of the Moon,” which serves private meals for two in a secluded corner of the lagoon. Outdoor adventures include snorkeling, kayaking and cooking classes, but make time to visit the El Camaléon golf course designed by pro Greg Norman, host of the PGA Tour in Mexico. The course earns its name by weaving through three ecosystems: jungle, dense mangrove and oceanfront stretches. Banyantree.com/en/mayakoba
FAIRMONT MAYAKOBA Set along winding bayou-like canals that run to outlying beaches, this AAA five-diamond resort hosts 401 rooms including many family-friendly lagoon casitas. To experience the mangroves as sustainably as possible, try the Mangrove Boat Tour from the Fairmont to the Banyan Tree Riviera Maya on an electric-powered lancha (covered boat). Led by a nature guide— and accompanied by Batt, an avid birder—this interactive twohour session guides guests on an animal-spotting adventure, sharing knowledge of creatures including tortoises, iguanas and even crocodiles living freely in their natural habitat. Batt recommends one of the less famous archaeological excursions, just a 20-minute taxi ride past Tulum and crowded Chichen Itza, and you can poke around the Coba archaeological zone dotted with original adobe huts covered by jungle, barely visible from the newer roads. I visited Nohoch Mul, the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula: 12 stories straight up slippery horizontal stone staircase, but the prize at the top is a magnificent forest panorama with the pinnacles of ancient ruins protruding above a jungle canopy. Camera? Mandatory! fairmont.com/mayakoba-riviera-maya Clockwise, from top left: Exterior view of the lobby at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, with electric boat that connects the properties through canals; Spa treatment room at Rosewood Mayakoba; billed heron; suites on the lagoon; The Fairmont Mayakoba.
www.organicspamagazine.com
ANCIENT MAYAN SECRETS: VICEROY RIVIERA MAYA A few miles down the road sits the Viceroy, which welcomes guests with a Mayan Blessing performed by an in-house shaman. Rising from the tropical expanse of forest, 41 private villas feature outdoor showers and high-ceiling thatched-palapa roofs. The area surrounding the Wayak Spa is blessed with some of the world’s most extensive selections of native herbs. Perfumed by the sacred aroma of copal—a resin incense used in spiritual ceremonies—local traditions infuse each aspect of the experience. Signature treatments (in six airy rooms) at the Viceroy Riviera Maya feature local products and celebrate the honey derived from the hotel’s hive with hundreds of hard-working meliponas bees. Other indigenous luxuries:
° Deep wooden bath tubs carved from downed local Zapote Trees, and aromatherapy baths infused with medical herbs harvested from the resort’s organic herb gardens. ° The Xocolate Massage (80 minutes) offers an antioxidant zing with a firming chocolate body masque that utilizes caffeinated cocoa beans to boost circulation. ° The Kuxtal (Mayan baths; 50 minutes) steam-heat, with torrid steam rooms and an intense exfoliation using natural cloth followed by milk-andhoney hydration. ° After your Mayan ritual, schedule a Tequila Lesson or a ceviche tasting on the veranda, try Pilates or learn how to prepare tortillas the way Mayans did a thousand years ago. viceroyrivieramaya.com.
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© Ivan Gabaldon
Fairmont Mayakoba Wildlife Masterclass Photo Weekends, Mexico Experience the Mexican rainforest through a new lens on Fairmont Mayakoba’s latest series of masterclass weekends, hosted by photography expert Steve Winter. The forthcoming sessions (taking place October 23–26 and December 11–14) give amateurs a chance to shoot some of the most spectacular natural settings—coral reefs, water canals, dunes, mangrove forests, and tropical woods—under the guidance of a famed veteran. Package from $432 per night; Carretera Federal Cancun, Playa del Carmen Km. 298; 52/984-206-3000; fairmont.com.