On a clear night in mid-April, I sat down at a long table under strung lights to enjoy dinner in Mother Nature’s dining room. I’d been invited to visit colorful Carlsbad, CA, for dinner in the Carlsbad Flower Fields—55 acres planted with Giant Tecolote Rununculus in full bloom, which was a seasonal fine dining experience prepared by the culinary team of the nearby Park Hyatt Aviara.

Given that it’s a few hours from home, I seized the opportunity to spend the weekend in Carlsbad, exploring this quintessential California beach town in North San Diego County. This included shopping in the village at its many boutiques, splurging on decadent doughnuts at The Goods, and having dinner at Campfire-—a very highly regarded casual foodie mecca in town. And that dinner at Campfire did not disappoint. We ordered multiple veggie dishes, including the infamous broccoli, as well as oysters and the fish of the day. I’d hoped to stop by Chuao Chocolatier because I love their bespoke chocolate bars but unfortunately it’s closed on weekends.

My friend Jenna and I spent two nights at the Omni La Costa Resort, which is about a 10-15 minute drive inland from the coast. This is a stunning property with a California mission feel that has been going strong for 60 years. While the rooms could use an update (the bed was a bit lumpy), we loved the breakfast at Vue and spent half a day at the spa, which includes an outdoor pool, cafe, salt rooms, sauna, steam, jacuzzi and a brand new lounge with zero gravity chairs. I thought it was a great touch that the spa lockers had a note that welcoming me by name and included complimentary eye masks.

This is a great weekend getaway from the L.A. area and the drive generally takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to when the traffic isn’t complete chaos.