Santa Barbara Travel Guide

I read somewhere that Santa Barbara is the American Riviera, with it’s beautiful beaches and Spanish architecture set amongst a sprawling mountain backdrop. It’s known for it’s food and wine and near-perfect weather, all similar to areas along the Mediterranean. So it seemed like a no brainer for us to choose this as a vacation destination. Just 4.5 hours driving distance from our home, a place we’d never explored with a hint of feeling like we’d escaped to Europe? We’re in!

The planning process was a bit more work than usual. Maybe in part due to me being rusty with over a year of no travel due to the pandemic and the added pressure that this would be our first vacation in a long time and I wanted to make sure it was just right. Prices are also surging because as people are getting vaccinated and things are opening up everyone, it seems, has missed traveling just as much as us.

Where to Stay

Initially I thought we’d splurge and stay somewhere a little fancy since it was our first trip in a while. Some options I had looked into were, San Ysidro Ranch, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, The Four Seasons Biltmore, and The Rosewood Miramar. But as it turned out all prices for even regular hotels were astronomical so these luxury hotels were certainly out of reach and went straight to my wishlist for the future. The next hotels that were on my list and seemed to be in good locations were the Kimpton Canary and Hotel Californian, but with the surge in prices these perfectly nice looking hotels had prices high above their worth and so we just didn’t think it was worth it to spend splurge dollars on a nice, but regular, hotel.

I mention all these hotels we passed on because in all honesty, our hotel was nothing spectacular and once prices stable and things get a little bit more normal, I’d look into any of the above recommendations over the place we stayed.

We stayed at The Inn by the Harbor, chosen for both it’s proximity to the beach and to downtown and the cost. It wasn’t a motel, but a 3-star hotel that had good enough reviews, bikes to borrow and good proximity to things we wanted to do, although it was on a very busy street and definitely not a surrounded by a beautiful ambiance. BUT it did the trick and allowed us to walk to most things we wanted to do.

Where to Eat

We love to eat and it’s definitely a big part of all our vacations. I wouldn’t say we’re foodies, but we love a good meal and if it’s in a cute little café or a restaurant with great ambiance, all the better. We had some delicious food while we were in Santa Barbara, here are a few of my recommendations.

Renaud’s Patisserie & Bakery

This tiny bakery was bustling with people, even on a weekday. You got the sense you were in really in Europe, not only because of the delicious food, but the slower pace of the staff. It’s not that they ignore you, but the food took some time and you were not rushed out the way you often are in the U.S. Breakfast was delicious and the almond croissant was to-die-for and worth a trip back on it’s own.

Stonehouse at San Ysidro Ranch

I mentioned how San Ysidro Ranch was on my dream list of properties to stay at, but just didn’t fit our budget. The grounds were just too gorgeous not to visit and I found my way in by booking a reservation to eat in their restaurant. It did not disappoint and allowed us to stroll through this Montecito dream at a fraction of the price to stay there. (Not to mention snap a few photos with their bougainvillea before the season ended).

Not only were the food and drinks delicious and gorgeously plated, but they knew it was our anniversary month and they brought out this decadent little chocolate cake for us to enjoy!

Scarlett Begonia

A cute little breakfast spot on the edge of the downtown area, they had a lot of delicious-looking options, but I was very happy with my decision on the lemon ricotta pancakes.

Brendan ordered the Endless Summer Scramble and it was almost too pretty to eat!

Santa Barbara Craft Ramen

A humble spot, on the corner of the pedestrian street downtown, but certainly worth the visit for ramen lovers. I had the SB Craft Red Ramen and it had the perfect amount of spice without overpowering the flavor. Add an Asahi beer and we had a very satisfying meal.

Jeannine’s

There seem to be multiple locations, but we ate at the Montecito location. It was busy, but they were very efficient with their process. We lined up to order while they secured us a table, ordered at the counter and then made our way to our saved table to wait for our treats. Everything was delicious for breakfast-lovers like us.

Pickles & Swiss

We were craving a simple and easy lunch and came across Pickles & Swiss as an option for some sandwiches. Located in Paseo Nuevo, we grabbed the sandwiches to go and found a cute spot outside to enjoy them.

What to Do

There is lots to do in Santa Barbara—from relaxing on the beach, strolling along the pedestrian streets and shops to wine tasting. We mostly went to relax, enjoy the architecture and EAT. There were a couple of touristy spots wanted to see, but for the most part we just enjoyed the weather and walking around between meals. :)

Chromatic Gate

Located just off of the beach, this is one of the first things we did when arrived. I thought it would make for some fun, albeit touristy, photos and it was just about a 15-20 minute walk from our hotel along the beach. It seemed like the perfect, easy activity to stretch our legs after the drive and check a few things off our list!

Santa Barbara Courthouse

I never thought a courthouse would make it on my list of vacation destinations, but the beautiful architecture of this one made it a must-see.

Mission Santa Barbara

This pink, 1786 Mission was a site to see! With the San Ynez mountains as a backdrop, this Spanish mission reminded me of either a Wes Anderson movie set or where Malibu Barbie would go to Sunday mass if she was a Catholic.

San Ysidro Ranch

I obviously love this place, I listed it under places to stay (if you’re really splurging), restaurants to dine at, and now I’m putting it here as well. As I mentioned, we couldn’t make it work to stay here and so opted for a lunch on the property instead. This allowed us to stroll the beautiful and peaceful grounds at a fraction of the price. Plus, this is in the hills of Montecito, and we enjoyed wandering through the streets on both the way there and back and looking at all the beautiful homes.

And this bougainvillea? Worth the trip on it’s own, right? And we weren’t even there during the peak season—I think they had peaked in June, just before we made our trip down.

Butterfly Beach

Located in Montecito, this beach was a little smaller and quieter than the others and definitely worth a visit. It’s set in a residential area with some gorgeous beach-front homes.

Paseo Nuevo Steps and Shops

Paseo Nuevo is, for lack of a better word, an outdoor mall. It has lots of restaurants and shops, but what appealed to me were these beautifully tiled steps and all of the intricate light fixtures. It was great for a photo opportunity, but this is also where we grabbed sandwiches at Pickles & Swiss and perused the shops.

Paseo Nuevo is on State Street which also has ton of shops and restaurants. We somehow ended up on this pedestrian street at some point each day, whether it was to browse antique stores, grab dinner, or just enjoy the atmosphere.

Wander Around!

The weather is divine and there are some many beautiful tiles (maybe not as many as in Seville, but still) and cool details in the buildings. We had a blast just exploring without a real plan.

One thing we didn’t end up having time to do was borrow the bikes from the hotel and ride them to the beach, but I loved that we had that option and would definitely do it next time.