VISITING OXNARD & VENTURA CAN BE A GREAT GETAWAY!

A great respite that’s only an hour and a half from L.A. 

Recently we visited Oxnard where we stayed at the Mandalay Beach Resort – a great location with the beach right across the street and a pool on the resort grounds as well as two hot tubs and a tennis court. Breakfast is included but the rooms are really quite average and need to be upgraded. They feel old-fashioned. It could be a romantic place to stay if there weren’t so many families with young children noisily playing in the pool. That being said, the hotel offers a beautful beach to escape the pressure and traffic of Los Angeles.

We decided to go to Oxnard because we were interested in getting back in touch with nature. So we embarked on a boat to one of the Channel Islands off the coast. There are five of them including Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa. We chose Santa Cruz Island (whereas most people choose Anacapa) – and spent the day hiking, picnicking and enjoying the blue sea water and being outside where cell phones do not work and there’s no souvenir stand.  It was an all day affair – some of the hiking is difficult as it’s straight up hill but once you’re there, you’re on top of the world. The foliage that is discussed on the website for the Channel Islands is nothing to write home about – it basically felt like a “desert Island.” Not a lot on it but fun to explore and boy, you’ll get a good workout. People can spend the night on a number of these islands – there are campgrounds but it’s very rustic and to be honest, I’m a room service kind of girl.  There’s a very tiny beach where the boat drops you off.  If you’re a bona fide hiker however, there are other beach areas – some take a little longer to hike to and are more for travelers staying over night. One plus is that you can go kayaking here. 

The hour boat ride arrives around 11 and leaves around 4 pm during the summer. Island Packers is the only authorized boat to drop off and pick up passengers to and from the different Channel Islands. Price is according to where you go – we paid $92 for the two of us for the day tripper pass to Santa Cruz. It’s an experience that is convenient for Angelenos, so if you haven’t done it – time for you to explore it.  (805) 642-1393 Serving you from two locations: Ventura Harbor: 1691 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura or Channel Island Harber in Oxnard, 3600 S. Harber

While up there, there are a number of interesting restaurants. Two restaurants I’d like to recommend if you go up to the Ventura/Oxnard area are Jonathan’s at Peiranos in Ventura and Cabo Seafood Grill and Cantina in Oxnard. 

Jonathan’s at Peiranos is a real find. Located in the heart of Ventura on Main Street across from Mission BuenaVentura, where the old Italian grocery Peiranos resided for 109 years. With the resurgence of Ventura’s historical downtown area, Owner and Executive Chef Jason Collis’ opened this gastronomic delight in 1998. Offering Mediteranean cuisine with a twist, Collis brings fresh ideas from France, Spain, Greece and Morrocco using fresh local California produce, herbs and fish. As if that wasn’t enough, they have an exciting wine list and martini bar. Next door, is the less expensive tapas bar, J’s, which is equally quaint, and still offers the culinary expertise of Collis. This is a must try.

Jonathan’s at Peiranos 204 E. Main Street Ventura, CA 93001 (805) 648-4853 

Cabo Seafood Grill and Cantina is an authentic south of the border delight – specializing in great seafood and heavy duty margaritas. A mariachi band plays and what looks like an old Denny’s is turned into Baja Beach.  Best of all, the prices are extremely reasonable. 1041 South Oxnard Blvd. Oxnard, California 93030 (805) 487-6933
Before we left Oxnard, we decided to stop by the only working winery in the area, Baron Herzog. Located in an industrial complex, and very unassuming, Herzog’s winery was a wonderful surprise.  First of all, Baron Herzog wine is the best Kosher wine around and they’ve been refining it for years, winning awards for their efforts.  This is not your Grandfather’s Kosher wine which we used to mistake for ice cream topping? Not sweet, not syrupy. Good wine.  They offer wine tasting and have a terrific gift shop. But they also have an incredible restaurant, Tierra Sur, run by Chef Todd Aarons. A Californian dining room, light and airy with an open kitchen offering smells of fresh herbs and spices Mediteranean-style.  A Kosher kitchen in Oxnard! The food was delicious and of course there’s the wine.  Aarons explores unpretentious, rustic and ingredients-driven dishes that made his Zuni Cafe in San Francisco such a long-lasting hit. Tierra Sur also offers a wine-tasters menu.  Reservations are recommended especially for Sunday. And of course because it’s Kosher, the winery and restaurant are closed on Saturdays as well as the Jewish Holidays.

Herzog Wine Cellars
3201 Camino Del Sol
Oxnard, CA 93030   Phone: 805.983.1560

And so ended our two night getaway – we left the Herzog Winery after lunch, taking the backway home through Fillmore and Santa Paula. We were home in plenty of time to walk the dogs and slowly get back into the rush of traffic but we didn’t let it bother us as we relished getting out of ourselves if only for a few days.