Los Alamos Area Lodgings

The Santa Ynez Valley is a tourist destination has many choices of lodging. They range from small exclusive Bed and Breakfast Inns to inexpensive roadside motels. None are particularly large and most are 10 to 15 miles from Los Alamos in one of the nearby towns (Buellton, Solvang, Los Olivos, Ballard or Santa Maria). The smaller places have a 2-night minimum stay on weekends. Following is a selection of possibilities including 4 places where we're holding blocks of rooms for wedding guests. For other possibilities and reviews of local lodgings, you might want to check the AAA guide and Trip Advisor. (You'll need to type in the name of one of the local towns to see listings on Trip Advisor. Be sure to click on the "B&B/Inns" tab as well as the "Hotels" tab to see all the listings.)

Click on the name of the town in the list to see the options there:

• Los Alamos
  
• Buellton - 15 miles
  
• Solvang - 17 miles
  
• Santa Ynez - 16 miles
  
• Los Olivos and Ballard - 12-14 miles
  
• Santa Maria - 15 miles
  

Los Alamos

• Skyview Motel - This is a western style, older, roadside motel right on the edge of town. We're holding a block of 20 rooms here (32 total rooms) at $75 per night for lodging and continental breakfast. There's a nice room for gathering, games and breakfast overlooking the valley and a swimming pool. Although a bit shabby, the Skyview is clean, friendly and very convenient. Call 805-344-3770 for reservations and ask for the Bennett-Lansford wedding. Website: http://www.theskyviewmotel.com/
• There is another motel (Los Alamos Motel - Al calls this one "no-tell motel") that is popular with the biker crowd and an old hotel (Union Hotel) and inn (Victorian House) in town that we do not recommend, other than for their convenience. The Union Hotel and Victorian House have their musty charm and are both historic buildings, but the owner is a bit unpredictable about when she's going to open them and when she'd prefer not to do so. Since she requires payment up front, that can be problematic. Also, the Victorian Inn is currently for sale. So, try these at your own risk.

Buellton (15 miles South on US 101)

• Andersen's Best Western is a pretty standard Best Western along the highway. It's adjacent to "Pea Soup Andersen's" restaurant, a Buellton tradition for over 80 years! Rooms are clean and modern and there is a swimming pool. We're holding another block of 20 rooms here at $94 per for lodging and continental breakfast. Call 805-688-3216 for reservations and ask for the Bennett-Lansford wedding. Website: http://www.peasoupandersens.com/
  
• Days Inn - clean and similar to Andersen's, but slightly more expensive - probably because it was featured in "Sideways" as the Windmill. We're holding another block of 20 rooms here at $117 per night for lodging and continental breakfast. The Days Inn has a nice pool area and might be a good choice for a family with children. Call 805-688-8448 and ask for the Bennett-Lansford wedding or confirmation # P32006. Website: http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=11567&brandInfo=DI
• There are several other major roadside motel chains including a Quality Inn. It is also clean and similar to Andersen's (but no pool) and is about the same price if you book in advance. As weekend rooms in the valley get scarce, the prices go up, so book early. Again, they include a continental breakfast in the room cost. Website: http://www.qualityinnbuellton.com/
• The nicest and most expensive roadside motel in the Buellton area is the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott. Rooms here run around $200 per night. We were unable to hold rooms at the Marriott for the wedding weekend since there's a big group event holding all of the standard rooms. If you wish to stay here, try them 30 days before the day you wish to arrive to see if any of the rooms being held for the convention have been released. A few people who tried this early were able to get suites for only slightly more than the price of a standard room. Website: http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/SBASY
  

Solvang (15 miles South on US 101, then 2 miles East on Highway 246) - Solvang is a "Danish" tourist town with lots of motels, hotels, and B&B Inns as well as many shops and restaurants. Al and Rudi find it a bit "kitsch", but it's a destination spot for many. So, if you want to stay somewhere with lots of choices and lots of places to walk to, this is your spot. Motels in Solvang cost a bit more than comparable places in Buellton since the Buellton ones have nowhere to walk to and are more strictly roadside venues.

• The Solvang Gardens Lodge & Spa Cottage. This is a really lovely small inn with all suites accomodations. Most suites are on the ground level (a few on a part with 2 stories) and each has a bedroom and a sitting room. There are 24 suites that vary in size, configuration and price. The back part of the inn surrounds a large and lovely garden (no pool) that would be a wonderful place to gather, as are some of the sitting rooms in the suites. A few of the rooms have sleeper sofas in the sitting room and a few have 2 beds in the bedroom. Most can only hold 2 people and have a single queen size bed. Decor is unique in each suite, the bathrooms are very nice - marble around the tubs and sink - and some sitting rooms have fireplaces. The rooms are described on the website: http://www.solvanggardens.com along with their individual prices (range is $119-$239; includes continental breakfast; 2-night minimum on weekends). The manager/owner, Paul, was delightful and can be reached at 888-688-4404 (toll free). The inn is down a side street (albeit the largest one) rather than on highway 246 and is about 2 blocks from the thick of things. It is very quiet and very pretty. This would be my #1 choice of the places I saw in Solvang. The only negatives are the Solvang traffic and the lack of a pool and the 2-night minimum. There's also a nice cottage in the garden for massages (2 tables) that can be arranged while you're there.
• The Petersen Village Inn is also a very nice B&B/Inn. The rate is $250-$300 per night for a nice room, breakfast and dinner. If you were going to eat there for dinner (won't need to on Saturday night unless you leave the wedding very early) it would be a very good deal for this type of place. It's a bit less pricey than the most expensive B&B's but more than the Solvang Gardens(above). Website: http://www.peterseninn.com/
  
• The Royal Scandinavian Inn is a very nice full-scale Inn in Solvang off of the main drag so it's less noisy and chaotic than being on the main route. It's about a 1 block walk to highway 246. There's a nice pool here and it's a good family place. I didn't see any rooms, but the lobby was nicely furnished and roomy. Weekend rates begin at $169 per night and there is a 2-night minimum on weekends. As of now, they are completely booked on Saturday night of the wedding weekend. The person I spoke with says this probably means there are one or more groups holding blocks of rooms for weekend events (e.g. weddings). So, we can't hold rooms here, but it's a place to check back periodically and definitely could have openings 30 days before the wedding when the unused blocked rooms are released. Website: http://royalscandinavianinn.com
  
• There are lots of other Solvang choices about which I know nothing (including more independent Inns as well as 2 Best Westerns, a Holiday Inn Express and a Vagabond Inn). I haven't heard raves on any of them or heard that they're exceptionally good deals. We did stop at the Holiday Inn Express and, while it was clean and well located, it had a flowery deoderizer smell that put us off. The price was around $140 per night. You may want to check out the reviews and details on these on Trip Advisor.
  

Santa Ynez (10 miles South on US 101, then 6 miles SE on US 154) - a small western style town with some shops within walking distance of the B&B's.

• Santa Ynez Inn - we're holding 5 luxury rooms under the name Bennett. It's very nice, but about $350 per night. This place has a nice cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and also a full cooked breakfast included in a lovely library and also has a jacuzzi. The rooms are all beautiful and very nicely equpped - fabulous bathrooms. These are the nicest rooms we've seen anywhere in the area. The only downside, other than price, is that they'll be adding some rooms in the fall and will be under construction. You might want to ask for a room that will be away from the construction (which is at the back), although they assured me that they won't be working on the weekend. This will feel like a plush vacation spot (2 night minimum on weekends). Website: http://www.santaynezinn.com/
• Edison Street Inn - a small B&B, only 4 rooms - less expensive than some of the other B&B's mentioned (maybe similar to Ballard in price). I haven't seen the rooms and wasn't overly impressed with the reviews on tripadvisor.com, but it's new and the common areas looked fine to me. One complaint people had was that they were unfriendly and that they felt imprisoned because the place is behind locked gates. The owner did run out to see what I was doing when I came by to look - not overly welcoming!! They have a cocktail hour and breakfast included in the room rate. Like the other B&B's they have a 2 night minimum on weekends. Website: http://www.edisonstreetinn.com/
  
• The Chumash Resort is a large hotel type facility adjacent to the Chumash Casino but with a separate entrance. It feels fancy when you walk in, more like the Marriott than like other places I've seen, but with the clientele range of a casino. I couldn't see a room, but they are pricey ($235-$255 per night on weekends - no 2 night minimum, includes continental breakfast). You can see the rooms on the web at http://www.chumashcasino.com/hotelandspa/. There is a full service spa onsite. This was not my cup of tea, but for those who like casinos, it might be fun.
  

Los Olivos and Ballard (10 miles South on US 101, then 2-4 miles SE on US 154) - Los Olivos is the "heart" of Santa Ynez Valley wine country tourism. It's very small and cute with shops, gallaries and restaurants in walking distance. It has a strong western flavor. Ballard is 2 miles South of Los Olivos down local streets and is tiny and rural with no shops, but is very quiet and residential.

• The Fess Parker Wine Country Inn is very expensive but very nice (similar to the Santa Ynez Inn). I've only stayed in the rooms in the main inn. While the rooms across the street maybe just as nice, that part of the inn has more of a motel ambience than one of a quaint inn and the rooms there are not less expensive. I'd ask for the main inn if it's available. Staying here will feel like a nice vacation. Room rate includes breakfast but begins at $380 per night on weekends for a room for 2. (2 night minimum on weekends.) 21 rooms total. You can only get weekend rooms by phoning - the online reservation system won't give you availability, but I stopped there last weekend and they said they had quite a few rooms available. They have a spa down the street where you can get a massage, manicure, etc. and give inn guests a small discount on spa services and a pool among the rooms across the street from the inn. I think the pool has a jacuzzi. Website: http://www.fessparker.com/html/wine_country_inn.htm
• The Ballard Inn is about 2 miles farther than Los Olivos and is less fancy and less expensive than Fess Parker, but is quite delightful. This is the place I'd choose for the B&B wine country experience without having to pay a ridiculous price for it. We were there recently and found that they still have rooms available, including several of their less expensive ones ($215-250 per night. The room price includes a full cooked breakfast and a lovely setting. You can see rooms online. Ballard is a very tiny town with about 3 storefronts in addition to the Inn (2 night minimum on weekends). Website: http://www.ballardinn.com/.
  

Santa Maria (15 miles North on USanta Maria (15 miles North on US 101)
The Santa Maria Inn is a historic inn that is a step up from a roadside inn and has some character (and the accompanying mustiness) from being historic. Rooms in the new (non-historic) tower are $144 per night ($154 with breakfast); rooms in the historic wing are smaller, hall carpets are musty, but furnishings in the rooms are new and not musty and they're less expensive ($124/$134 without/with breakfast). There's no where to walk to, but there are nice gardens, a nice restaurant, a pool and you can sleep in Jimmy Stewart's or Veronica Lake's room. If you choose this, be sure to ask for a room away from the street as there's a fair amount of weekend Harley noise on Broadway. Website: http://www.santamariainn.com/