Wearing (Hers): FREE PEOPLE dress | GRAF & LANTZ bag
SAM EDELMAN shoes | RAY BAN aviators

Wearing (His): TOPMAN tee, jeans & hoodie
NIKE shoes | RAY BAN sunglasses

For Valentine’s Day this year, Michael and I decided to head up to Malibu to check out the Malibu Wine Safaris. What could be better than wine tasting with gorgeous views and the occasional exotic animal to feed carrots too? But seriously, it was a perfect day.

Our tour time was on the earlier side (10:30 to be exact) so we started the hour and a half drive a little early to beat the lazy weekend traffic. Once we were in the Malibu area, the drive was just as gorgeous as the grounds… almost. We got there, checked in, and browsed around the cute little shop that’s at the beginning of the tour.

We started right on time and it was an experience right from the beginning. The safari truck, which sat about twenty people, zoomed from the starting point out onto the road to take us to where the actual animals were. We saw the zebras, bison, alpaca, lamas, yaks, and plenty of horses before stopping for our first tastings. It consisted of three white wines, a chardonnay, a sauvignon, and a rose that was my favorite – but they were all amazing.

Next, we drove to meet Stanley the Giraffe. He was in Hangover 3! It was so crazy to see an animal so huge yet so gentle. He was honestly the biggest sweetheart. Meeting him was hands down my favorite part of the tour. After spending some time there, we drove to another site for our second tasting. This one included cheese and chocolates, which was part of the Valentine’s Day special that we did, and consisted of three reds. There was a merlot, my favorite of the three, a cabernet, and a port. That last one was definitely not my style of wine but most of the men seemed to like the whisky infusion. We were able to relax and enjoy the view and each other’s company – I couldn’t have asked for more.

After this, we headed back to the starting point. We bought a few things at the gift shop, said our goodbyes to the amazing staff, and headed back toward the coast. Michael had made reservations at Taverna Tony for dinner, so we had some time to kill. We spent it by getting some sandwiches at the Malibu Kitchen and walking to the beach. We sat on the sand, eating our little picnic, and eventually laid down on our blanket to get lost in the waves. There’s nothing better than doing nothing on the beach. Nothing.

After we couldn’t lie there any longer, we walked for a while on the beach and then went back to explore the shops in the Malibu Country Mart, which had so many good stores to kill time in. Then it was time for our reservation. Taverna Tony had some of the best Greek food I have ever had. Michael is part Lebanese, so he loves finding good Mediterranean food. He had me try taramasalata for the first time and, I’m not kidding, it is the best dip I have ever had. You have to try it!

After diner, it was time to head back home. It was a long day, but a joyful and gorgeous one. I can’t wait to go back up to Malibu and explore more that the little gem of a city has to offer. As for this year’s Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate love with my love.