SantaBarbara iscafé-andgallery-lined
StateStreet,whereamuch-awaited
publicmarketdebuted thisspringwith
artisanalco ee, cheese,oliveoil, and
anorganic icecreamery, allunderone
roof.Apourofpinot isnever fareither,
with22wine-tastingroomsdowntown
representingvineyardsacross thecounty
andevenbeyond.Andnewrestaurants
suchasIndonesian-inflected
SamaSama
Kitchen
and
ScarlettBegonia
,where the
menu includesoystersand lambmeat-
balls, aredynamicandpopularadditions.
Wesalivateover themenusandvow to
return, sincedinnerawaitsat
Belmond
ElEncanto
.At the92-bungalowhotel’s
wisteria-fringed terracerestaurant,our
dinnercomprisesarrived-hours-ago
morels, andwecouldn’tbemoredelighted.
Weretire toourCraftsman-stylebunga-
lowsuite tofindsaltedcaramelsatour
bedside.Wedepart thenextday,butnot
withoutbiddingadieu to thehand-painted
ceramicpigsscatteredacross thehotel
grounds, asourdaughter insists.Wespend
the followingnightat the
FourSeasons
Resort,TheBiltmoreSantaBarbara
,
whichdatesback to1927, andhasseen
stars fromGretaGarbo toBingCrosby
CLOCKWISEFROMTOP: JAYSINCLAIR/VISITSANTABARBARA; BILLZELDIS/VISITSANTABARBARA;ADRIANHOUSTON/ORIENTEXPRESSHOTELS; FOURSEASONS HOTELS
TRAVEL
SANTABARBARASTYLE:
CLOCKWISE FROMTOP
:
Galleriesandcafés lineStateStreet; thecoastal beautyof SantaBarbara; the
charmingBelmondEl Encanto; andCoral CasinoBeachandCabanaClub’spool
toGregoryPeckgrace itscorridors.The
167-foot-longpoolat theadjacent
Coral
CasinoBeachandCabanaClub
(acces-
sible toFourSeasonsguests)practically
dropso into theoceanandbecomes the
highlightofourday.Feeding thegira es
at the
SantaBarbaraZoo
, earlier that
morning, isaveryclosesecond.
SUMMER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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