Decided to dedicate a blog post to this hotel as I was really impressed. We went to visit it back in 2015, during our US holiday we spent in California. Slight mishap by booking 1 night on Expedia, well ahead our trip and later decided to arrive a day earlier, because we drove on our road trip and things got a bit delayed. So booked an additional night on Expedia again. Unfortunately, the owner who presumably jumped in to help out the reception didn’t quite put the two separate bookings together, still don’t know why or how. He wasn’t a helpful either. Anyhow, after offering him to handle the operation in Micros Opera (hotel crm I knew very well as I worked in hotel operation at the time) he decided to leave the whole thing to me and gave us a room. One of those things that can go wrong during traveling.
Room was great. Really tasteful design, just like every other part of the hotel. Good bed. Nice bathroom. Travel cot fit well. Yay. Cleanliness. Yay. Free parking and wi-fi. Yay. Free coffee and tea in the lobby. Yay. Free wine in the lobby. Yay. Wait, what??? Yep. And cream cheese with crackers. Off you go with your glass of vino into the lovely garden, pick a white-washed sun chair and relax. Let little one run around and finish 1/25 of a chapter of your current read plus two glasses of vino. What a treat.
First night we were so exhausted that we just opted for a meal in the restaurant. Later we have learned, that they aren’t the same business, the hotel just rents the space for them. Well, I won’t be too proud of having them either. See, I love to cook, but far from being a pro. Mainly just loving it, but not very good at it. I know that. I’m just helpless with following recipes, don’t ask me why. But I prepare a better pasta with tomato and shrimps than this place. Honest. Same applies for husbands’ lamb. Except we don’t eat this much food at home. Because we can’t finish this much, not even if it would have been actually really nice food. The wine was good though.
(Mind you, went out the second night to some fancy Italian restaurant, which was a horror. Food was really bland, but the portion enough for an entire Italian village.)
Breakfast next morning. Basic, but perfectly adequate. Had it on the terrace. Really nice and friendly breakfast staff. Feeding chair? No probs. Entertaining Little One whilst you’re getting your bagel? No probs.
Out for the day, but honestly, I was looking forward to the late afternoon in the garden and the comfy bed for the night. Loved the venetian shutters.
Walked around in Santa Barbara, the hotel is only a few minutes walk to the main street, in a nice and quiet area. Would stay again.