HotelTonight – Ojai Hotels Up the Road
Southern California has more going on than a lot of countries around the world. Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties are all filled with different things to do, different ways to live and different people to enjoy getting to know. While I don't live in Southern California, I do get to go there often for work, which is something I consider a huge perk of my job. When I'm there, I always try to find at least a little bit of time to explore a new community to see what life is like there. On my last trip to that part of the world, I finagled 24 hours for myself, with the only catch being I had to find my own lodging for that night. I decided I'd spend those 24 hours exploring Ojai, a small community in Ventura County that I had never seen but that I had heard a lot about. I wasn't concerned about finding a place to stay anyway, as I travel with my HotelTonight app. When I got to the end of that day and needed some rest, I'd just book an Ojai hotel room instantly.
The Town
I had the idea that Ojai was much bigger than it is, simply because I had heard so much about it, but when I got there I realized that only around 7,500 people live there. Regardless, it's a beautiful city in terms of its architecture and layout. The middle of town feels almost like a village, and it's filled with locally-owned businesses of all different types. The people there milling about could not have looked happier as they comfortably intermingled with each other. I was surprised at first by how friendly everyone was with me, but I got used to it as the day went along.
The Hiking
Ojai is set in a valley in the Topatopa Mountains, which means that the entire community is surrounded by huge green hills. I wanted to see that on more of an up-close basis, so I found a hiking trail near town and jumped on it. I spent hours out there, taking in all of the beauty that was there to be seen. The mountains surrounding me, the trees everywhere, the sky and the lovely valley below. The town looked like a play set from my vantage point for a time, and I took a lot of photos.
The Dining
A nice couple out on the hiking trail told me about a local brewery that served great pub food, and after all that exercise that sounded really good to me. The place looked more like a European dining hall than a brewery, but it was nice with its wooden tables and chairs. The burgers were not only huge, but delicious, served with a mountain of bacon and fried onions. The fries were nice and crispy, and the local pilsner I had with it, brought the entire, filling meal together.
HotelTonight – Ojai Hotels in Seconds
I was quite full and tired after all the exercise that day. I also needed a place to stay, so I opened my HotelTonight app and booked an Ojai hotel room in seconds. It was just a couple of blocks away, so soon I'd be fast asleep, thinking of the wonderful day I had gotten to experience.
