Even though I live only 80 miles away from Ojai, I only visited for the first time this past July. I went with two girlfriends who, like myself, own small ecommerce businesses. This was our first annual business retreat slash weekend of relaxation.
We picked Ojai as the destination for a couple of reasons, among which are proximity to LA, reputation as a hippie town, great hiking and burgeoning dining scene. And the small town of population 8,000 did not disappoint.
Where we stayed: Caravan Outpost. The three of us chose the Tiny Home on the property (there is one Tiny Home and several Airstreams). The location was great, just on the eastern edge of the main drag. There were free bikes to borrow which made getting around town fun especially given the very hot weather.
What we ate: The dining scene in this charming town was absolutely fantastic. We loved the eggplant curry at The Dutchess, tomato pie from Pinyon, vegan fare from Hip Vgn, the chicken plate from Ojai Rotie, breakfast tartines from Rory's Other Place, Froyo with chocolate rocks from Ojai Bliss (no joke, I got this three times while in town).
What we did: We enjoyed wine tasting at The Ojai Vineyard tasting room. We got in a nice, sunny hike one morning on the Pratt Trail with stunning views of the Ojai Valley. We visited Ojai Valley Inn and jumped on a fun golf cart tour of the property. Our driver was only on his second day so he didn't have a ton of knowledge of the property so we mainly asked him to gossip about who was staying at the resort. We grabbed dinner at Jimmy's Pub which was better than it needed to be, honestly. And great service too. We also got our requisite spa day The Day Spa of Ojai which was really fantastic.
The highlight of the trip for me was, hands down, our visit to Meditation Mount. We went for a group meditation and visit to the grounds. Prior to the meditation, we were strolling the mountaintop property and came upon the largest wind chime I've ever seen. Each chime must have been at least 10 feet tall. All of a sudden, out of nowhere the chimes started swaying and gently bouncing against one another, creating a deep melody. Mind you, there was not a breeze in sight. It was 90+ degrees and hot AF. What made the chimes start moving all of a sudden? We got very woo-woo and giddy and presumed it was our energy. We ended up coming back a second time to the Mount for a sound bath with musician Suburbanoid. It was overall a very zen experience and I would highly recommend it.
What is the vortex? Ojai is known for being a vortex. To the uninitiated (including myself), I thought I'd be able to "feel" the vortex so I kept asking locals "where" I could feel "it." Not until I met a lovely woman at Mediation Mount who explained the vortex concept to me did I understand that the whole town is a vortex. You don't "feel" the energy necessarily in one particular spot in town (contrary to what a massage therapist in Ojai told me; she said go to the water fountain outside the museum; there isn't one); it's all around you. People compare it to Sedona, AZ. Apparently because it's so dry and warm in Ojai, people with TB back in the day would come to town to rest and recuperate.
Come back and read my blog post on Ojai Part 2, Weekend with Kids!