The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Collection

People say the reason to go to the Santa Ynez mountains, two hours northwest of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County, is to drink wine. The reason to go, really, is just to be there. My husband and I visited The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, where folks have been re-fueling for more than a century (our first getaway since our second kid was born). Mattei’s — pronounced “Matty’s” — is a recent expansion of a stagecoach stop that opened in 1886. It’s named for Felix Mattei, a Swiss immigrant who opened the tavern to serve hungry and thirsty travelers. (Long before Mattei arrived, this was Chumash land and Santa Ynez remains home to the Chumash Reservation several miles away.) Mattei’s kept evolving as a new regional railroad brought more travelers, followed by early automobiles, then Hollywood types keen to capture its old western vibe on film. Today, the tavern — a two-story wood-and-brick house filled with historical photographs, portraits, and taxidermy — houses a bar, restaurant, and Felix’s, a coffee shop in what was once the Matteis’ bedroom, complete with flocked, wine-colored wallpaper. In February 2023, the building became the heart of a picturesque Auberge Resorts compound, comprising 62 cottages and rooms, two barns with soaring windows (one for the gym, the other for events), a spa, two more bars plus a tap-room, and an absolutely lovely outdoor pool. Upon arrival, we absconded to the pool, ticking the hours by the neighboring church bells. The Tavern’s patio, surrounded by canoodling couples and locals with dogs, was an ideal setting for dinner before we borrowed the hotel’s G-Wagon for a sunset drive. On the advice of the bellman, we took Figueroa Road past Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch into the hills as they turned golden. The following day, we ventured to Demetria before the pool called us back. We sat at Mattei’s bar to end our stay, with classic cocktails, a shrimp cocktail, and revelatory cheeseburger. I took a bath in our suite’s clawfoot tub and slept that night for 10 hours. — Jenni Avins