My mom and I just took my two kids to Santa Barbara. This is the second February we have taken this long weekend trip. February is the perfect time to escape the freezing Missouri temperatures to the mild 60 degrees and sunshine California offers. 

Flights / Transportation: Roundtrip MCI to Santa Barbara using our Southwest Companion Passes and points. The cost for the 4 of us to fly was just under $45. 

We used Lyft and earned 5X the points with my Chase Sapphire Card to get to and from the airport to our hotel. The total to and from was $66 and about 15 minutes each way. 

All of our plans this time were within walking distance from our hotel.  

Stay: We stayed at the Mar Monte HoteI redeemed points from my Chase Business Ink Cash $0 annual fee card and Freedom Flex $0 annual fee card for this stay. This was made possible since I hold the Chase Sapphire Card that gives me access to 14 incredible transfer partners, including Hyatt. 

The Mar Monte Hotel is across the street from East Beach. Upon arrival, I requested a complimentary upgrade to a room with a beach-view balcony, which was granted. Always remember it never hurts to ask! 

Fun: Since this is our second trip on points to Santa Barbara, I will include experiences from both times. 

Last year, I booked the Channel Islands National Park sea cave kayaking with Santa Barbara Adventure Company. It was a memorable experience. Our guide was fantastic and taught us so much about the islands and all the sea life that call the area home. 

We took the ferry with Island Packers to get to the Channel Islands. The guys that ran our boat were some of the nicest people I have ever met. The amount of wildlife we saw during our ride was incredible! We saw multiple grey whales, a humpback that came right up to the boat, and many dolphins. My kids had a ball! We will be doing this adventure again! 

The Mar Monte Hotel is right across from East Beach. This beautiful beach has sand volleyball pits and a public playground. We took advantage of the complimentary bikes and rode several times to the pier and back. 

We hiked to Inspiration Point in the beautiful Los Padres National Forest last year while in Santa Barbara, and it was a great hike for my kids. I’ve heard awesome things about Lizard’s Mouth Trail. 

Eat: The Mar Monte does not offer a complimentary breakfast, and I do not have Hyatt Globalist, so we got some easy foods from Tri-County Grocery Store. It is a block behind the Mar Monte Hotel, an open-air market with everything we needed. 

Reunion Kitchen + Drink is right across the street from the Mar Monte Hotel and is delicious. It is not the cheapest of restaurants, but it is terrific. We sat outside on the beach both times, and my daughter highly recommends the french toast and sausage served all day. 

Costa is the laid-back restaurant in Mar Monte Hotel. We ate a late lunch here since it was raining one day. They have delicious Moscow Mules if that is your jam.

Great Pacific Ice Cream Company is a cute little shop on Stearns Wharf. 

Final thought:  These weekend trips with my kids and mom are soul-filling! They are only possible with points and miles. If you are even thinking about learning about points and miles, do it today! You got this! Travel as you deserve at a price you can afford!

Cards that made this trip possible

If you decide to open a card for traveling with points and miles, I appreciate you using my affiliate links. It’s a free-to-you way to support all of my free content. Thank you!