If Hollywood location scouts were to be given the assignment of finding the best place to film the re-make of “Shangri-La”, they would need drive no further than an hour north to the Ojai Valley. Artists, mystics (and farmers) have been flocking here for well over a century for the combination of perfect weather, great soil, and some ineffable spirit of the place that is hard to describe. You have to visit to understand.

When you arrive, breathe, let the city drain out of you, and then go on up to the Zen Gardens overlooking the Valley. Walk out to the edge of the ridge, sit down, and breathe again (well, hopefully you’ve been breathing all this time). Perhaps then you will “get it”, and say to yourself, “Oh, this is what they’ve been talking about. It is Shangri-La.”And when the crew arrives to make that movie, there is no doubt where the Stars, the Director, the Producer, and anyone else with any pull will want to stay…the venerable Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. If the Ojai Valley looks like Shangri-La, The Inn & Spa makes you feel like you’re there.

We could have flown into LAX, about 90 minutes south of Ojai, or into Santa Barbara, just 35 minutes north. Instead, we flew into Burbank, about 75 minutes east of the resort. Now I have the good fortune of traveling a lot to some great places. I always seem to forget that I hate flying. Maybe this is similar to women who forget the pain of childbirth and are actually willing to go through it again and again, but when my flight was caught in what seemed like a tornado (the pilot called it unexpected turbulence), and it looked like we were flying perpendicular to the ground rather than the normal horizontal, I swore I would never fly again. Of course, I was back on a plane two days later. Somehow the pull of visiting some cool place outweighs the risk of imminent and certain death. Oh well.

The folks at the resort were incredibly accommodating to our small group. There were so many wonderful things that happened during our stay, but  I would have to say our art class stands out. Art class (you ask)? The resort has their own arts studio with super friendly and talented artists on staff. They are patient, talented and free-spirited, and had us each make a poster using multiple mediums that we felt represented ourselves. There was, of course, a lot of joking and laughter, and sharing of materials amongst the group, as well as a much greater appreciation for each other as we watched our projects unfold. And if you were willing, an art therapist was on hand to have a private consult with you to talk about what she saw in your art and how it reflected your personality. A very cool, southern California kind of experience.

Since its inception in the 1920’s, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa has been a sophisticated escape with the feel of a private estate, playing host to Hollywood notables, world leaders, and captains of industry. The world-class Ojai Country Club was one of the first great golf courses in California and has hosted seven Senior PGA Tour Events.

A $90 million renovation took place in the spring of 2005. The legendary resort debuted 308 new rooms and suites, a new lobby and entrance, new golf shop, new restaurants, and new ballrooms and meeting spaces while preserving its original charming architecture and unique sense of place.
The Resort is awarded the coveted 5-Diamond Award for excellence. Of the thousands of hotel and resorts inspected by AAA, less than 100 receive this distinction.

The Resort/Hotel Features:

    * 305 guest rooms and suites
    * 20,000 square feet of meeting space
    * Championship golf
    * A 31,000 sq. ft. spa
    * 3 restaurants