(SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif.) — The Santa Ynez Valley offers so many reasons to visit, it can be a challenge to narrow it to just one. So it should be no surprise that with the return of the Midweek Membership Club (Jan. 7-April 4, 2024) and Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks (Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2024), Visit the Santa Ynez Valley will offer TWO great reasons to visit the heart of California's Central Coast wine country this winter.

One is a delicious exploration of the Santa Ynez Valley's culinary culture, the other a limited opportunity to enjoy an incredible deal for a stay at the region's best hotels, wine country inns, and more — Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks and the Midweek Membership Club invite visitors to shake off the post-holiday doldrums.

“One of this region's great secrets is that the winter months are a prime time for a visit to the Santa Ynez Valley. And it's not just the mild, sunny weather that makes a winter visit so attractive,” says Shelby Sim, President and CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley. “The return of the Midweek Membership Club and Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks offer two once-a-year opportunities to come and savor the best restaurants and lodging that we have to offer at a price that fits most budgets.”

The Midweek Membership Club

Midweek is the new weekend, and no destination is more appealing for a midweek trip this winter and early spring than the Santa Ynez Valley thanks to the Midweek Membership Club.

Beginning Dec. 20, anyone who books an eligible consecutive two-night, Sunday-Thursday Midweek Membership Club stay at a qualifying lodging property — from Jan. 7 through April 4 — receives a $100 prepaid gift card upon check-in. That gift card can then be used for wine tastings, dining, shopping, activities, and other experiences during their time in the valley.

With only 100 Midweek Membership Club packages available, the popular late winter and early spring promotion is expected to sell out quickly.

Here's how the Midweek Membership Club works:

• Through April 4, or until all 100 Midweek Membership Club packages are sold, visitors must book at least one two-night consecutive stay, Sunday through Thursday between Jan. 7 and April 4. The stay must be booked directly with one of the Santa Ynez Valley's qualified lodging properties. Any booking made before the promotion start date will not qualify.
• Once booked, forward the original confirmation email to info@visitsyv.com at least 48 hours before the check-in date. Late entries will not be accepted.
• Receive your $100 gift card at check-in at your qualified hotel, and use your gift card like cash to pay for wine tastings, meals, shopping, activities, and more throughout the valley.
• One $100 gift card may be redeemed per reservation.

For more information, complete rules and regulations, and a complete list of qualified lodging properties, or to plan and book your Midweek Membership Club visit to the Santa Ynez Valley, visit visitsyv.com/midweek/. For questions about this offer, email info@visitsyv.com.

Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks

Now in its 14th year, Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks has long added a particularly tasty reason to experience the region's creative culinary culture. Santa Ynez Valley's annual festival of flavor will be no exception this year.

From Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2024, Restaurant Weeks will showcase the region's culinary bounty — and being that this is the Santa Ynez Valley, the perfect wine pairings — with a variety of special three-course prix fixe price menus.

More than two dozen restaurants will participate this year, each offering curated, chef-driven, three-course menus at prices of $30, $40, or $50, plus tax and gratuity. More than two dozen of the region's wineries and tasting rooms will also participate at various levels, offering two-for-one tastings, special tasting flights, and discounts on bottle purchases.

Those who partake in Restaurant Weeks will get a taste of why the Santa Ynez Valley's reputation as a culinary-driven destination continues to grow. Its imaginative chefs, deep agricultural roots, collaborative culinary culture, and cuisine that ranges from contemporary, innovative farm-to-table fare to traditional Scandinavian feasts, will be on full display.

MICHELIN-rated gems such as Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos, Bell's Los Alamos, Coast Range, and peasants FEAST in Solvang will be on this year's Restaurant Weeks menu. But with long-standing wine country favorites such as Hitching Post 2 in Buellton, Pico in Los Alamos, Los Olivos Wine Merchant Café, splashed with newer experiences like Vega Vineyard & Farm and Whiskey 'N Rye, there is so much more to explore.

For the latest updates on Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks, including menus and participating restaurants, wineries, and tasting rooms, visit www.DineSYV.com or follow Visit the Santa Ynez Valley on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

About the Santa Ynez Valley:

Barely two hours from Los Angeles and a scenic four-hour drive from San Francisco, the Santa Ynez Valley is home to six distinct towns each with its own culture, vibe, and menu of experiences. Blanketed with fruitful farms and vineyards, the California Central Coast wine region's temperate weather allows for year-round activities of all sorts, spread throughout the historical communities of Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, and Solvang. Destination dining and world-class wines await, accompanied by lodging at every level, all painted into atmospheric backdrops that colorfully mesh Old World and Old West. Visit more than 100 wineries, feast on chef-driven cuisine, and enjoy festive events and design details from Victorian-era to mid-century to modern Danish. For more information, including a listing of wedding venues, restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, and events, go to VisitSYV.com.

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