Poems, Friendship, Whisky, Sea
Sat. Jan 24 - Sun. Jan 25, 2026
Encinitas, CA
This weekend marks the birthday of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Which means it’s time for one of the most interesting and wonderful traditions of the year: the Burns Night.
If you’ve never taken part in one these, here’s your chance. Seclude yourself in an ocean-view site in Encinitas, wander (with purpose) through the beaches and boutiques of town, and experience the soul-reconstituting effects of a traditional Burns Night.
As always, your stay, meal and local experience are all bookable in one click.
Scroll for the full story of the weekend.
Why here?
“Here’s a bottle and an honest friend! What would you wish for more, man?,” wrote Robert Burns, who may be the world’s most poetic champion of drink, sumptuous dining and friendship as the co-enhancing essentials in life.
Burns covered a breadth of themes in his poetry, but nature and life (and the nature of life) were frequent ones. So he may be the perfect patron poet for a brief escape to a seaside Encinitas, possibly with someone you love, where you can “muse,” as Burns put it, “on the roaring ocean.”
A Scottish poet is not the first thing you think of in a surf town like Encinitas, but it’s a pairing that makes sense. And this weekend it’s going to be delicious.
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Read on below
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Burns died in 1759, but his legacy is jubilantly alive in the form of the Burns Night, an annual dinner celebration of life and poetry — usually taking place around Burns’ birthday on January 25 — that’s been a tradition for a whopping 225 years.
This weekend, be a part of it. The San Diego Highland Games organization is putting on a faithful rendition of Burns Night in nearby Rancho Santa Fe.
These things go a bit differently depending on where you’re celebrating, but the common dinner formats include a ‘piping in’ of the guests (as in bagpipes), a presentation of the main course (always haggis, a savory meat pudding that you’ll just have to trust us on), a reading of Burns’ essential ‘Address to a Haggis’, and a great load of recitations and performances and whisky.
So grab an honest friend for an evening on the California coast, enjoy (at least part of) a bottle, and rediscover simple togetherness as a prime ingredient for joy.
What would you wish for more?
This weekend in Encintas and Rancho Santa Fe, discover…
The stay.
The Encinitan Hotel
Sweeping ocean views, and you’ve got a balcony to do some sea-pondering.
Mild retro-80s touches with a true Pacific panoramic view for the taking-in.
You’ve got reservations for two on Saturday night.
The day.
Downtown Encinitas and Moonlight State Beach
Leave your balcony perch and go on-the-ground beach-roaming, because you’re just a few minutes walk from Moonlight Beach. It’s a beautiful stretch of the strand that got its name from being a popular midnight picnic spot in the early 1900s.
Your hotel is also a great jumping off spot for downtown shopping; many boutiques and bakeshop stop-ins; the whole scene is unpretentious and coastal-calm.
The find.
Salt Culture
Situated right on the Pacific Coast Highway in its jaunt through Encinitas, Salt Culture is a uniquely-arrayed fashion boutique set up in a 1930s beach bungalow.
It’s owned by professional surfer Rob Machado and his wife, Sophie, who curates the wares here: handpicked fashion brands, non-obvious gifts, fun/unique home decor and a selection of Rob’s custom-designed surfboards.
As they put it it, it’s a “surf-chic lifestyle that embraces many cultures, relationships and friends from around the world.”
We’re including a $50 credit to put toward any purchase here.
The food.
Traditional Burns Supper
Will emphasize: if you’re not a Burns Night veteran, you’ll have to go on faith for a few of these elements.
On Saturday evening, you’ll be rolling into the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club (one of the oldest garden clubs in America) for a seated dinner and all-around celebration of life, poetry, Scotch and Robert Burns.
The classic menu centerpiece is haggis. It’s the national dish of Scotland; a traditional minced meat pudding (go on faith), but there are also chicken and vegetarian options, rest assured.
This is not a particularly large affair. It’s an intimate dinner setting, you’ll share a table with other Burns-revelers, and there’s no ironic or winking performative quality to this. It’s an authentic, highly quirk-filled and absolutely one-of-a-kind evening.
Pre-paid, festivities start at 5:45pm on Saturday evening. Pre-paid, just arrive.
The tucked away.
Necessity & Co.
Small, pink-hued, great. Make this your Sunday morning coffee (and other good stuff) place. Just down the way from your hotel.
Owner Jon Runion says he has “been dreaming about making Necessity Coffee for a long time,” and he wants to “make it a special experience for everyone who comes across it.”
You should come across it. They also have a monthly coffee subscription that’s nice.
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The evening mood.
Moonlight Beach Overlook
A good spot. Just across from the main parking area for the beach. Swing by before you head off to your haggis; or stop here for a later-evening look after dinner.
It’s where the midnight picnickers of 125 years ago gathered, in the Burnsian spirit, to eat, drink and be with each other. And to find simple and sustaining pleasure in it all.
One-night stay for two at The Encinitan on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. Ocean view suite with balcony.
Two pre-paid seats at the table for a traditional Burns Night. Full dinner and a wealth of readings, performances and bagpiping included. The evening starts at 5:45pm in nearby Rancho Santa Fe.
A $50 credit to get you started doing a little coastal shopping at Salt Culture, just down the way from your hotel.
You’ll receive a detailed itinerary after booking confirmation.
Book it all in a click.
See here for a full list of photo credits for this story.