Head for the hills … or the beach - 10 great summer retreats

Sunset, July, 1993 by Peter Fish, Marcia Williamson, David Lansing, Matthew Jaffe, Lora J. Finnegan

CARPINTERIA: A hideout for top bananas

Growing up in Southern California, we considered Carpinteria and Summerland our secret: two pretty beach towns that tourists ignored because they were in a hurry to get to Santa Barbara. So last November, when Bill Clinton spent his post-victory holiday here, we got worried. Dateline Carpinteria? Summerland a photo opportunity?

We are relieved to report that neither Summerland nor Carpinteria has gone Hollywood, Washington, D.C., or even Little Rock. This is still an endearingly self-effacing stretch of coast where polo players and celebrities coexist with surfers and oil workers.

Start your tour near the Ventura-Santa Barbara County line, where, in Mussel Shoals, The Cliff House Inn (800/892-5433) looks like a spot to which Philip Marlowe might have tailed an errant heiress. The Shoals Restaurant here has a knockout pool-and-Pacific view, and the food lives up to it. Rates for the 24 simple rooms run from $70 to $155.

In the tiny beach town of La Conchita lies Seaside Banana Garden, California's first commercial banana plantation, offering such exotics as strawberry-flavored Mysore. A mile above La Conchita, surfers congregate at world-famous Rincon Point, while nearby Rincon Beach County Park makes a better choice for swimmers and sunbathers.

Carpinteria is best known for its beach, whose broad offshore shelf has led local boosters to proclaim it "the world's safest." You can reserve campsites at Carpinteria State Beach through Mistix (800/444-7275), but, like most California beach campgrounds, it gets crowded in summer. Otherwise, accommodations in Carpinteria consist mostly of basic motels; for more information, call the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce at (805) 684-5479.

Hungry? The Palms (684-3811) has let customers grill their own steaks for 40 years; Chuy's (684-2444) is popular for fajitas and other Mexican fare. And though Carpinteria garnered fame as a Democratic vacation spot, it gives the G.O.P. equal time: Robitaille's Fine Candies (684-9340) is the home of the official mint of Ronald Reagan's 1984 presidential inauguration.

Four miles up the coast, Summerland was founded in 1883 by H. L. Williams as a center for Spiritualism, a sect that believed in communication with ghosts. Today Lillie Avenue is lined with antiques shops, while the steep hills above hold prettily restored Victorians that gaze oceanward like pensioners catching the sun.

Summerland is blessed with two good bed-and-breakfast inns. Rates for The Summerland Inn (969-5225) run from $65 to $140. The Craftsman-style Inn on Summer Hill (800/845-5566) is more opulent--rates here run from $160 to $275. As for restaurants, seekers of haute cuisine tend to drive over the hill to Montecito. But you can get a good omelet at Summerland Beach Cafe (969-1019). And the new first couple apparently enjoys the burgers at The Nugget (969-6135)--Bill and Hillary are shown smiling in the photos displayed on the walls.

NORTH SAN DIEGO COAST: Family fun in the flower fields