Kimpton Canary Hotel, Santa Barbara

Location

Santa Barbara is more than just endless beaches and dazzling sunshine. A compact city, it’s home to inviting cafés and evocative Spanish colonial hangovers, including the splendidly preserved Spanish Mission church. Head downtown and you’ll find the Canary Hotel tucked away among boutique galleries and late 19th century Victorian homes. The Pacific Ocean is less than two miles away while the central coast wine country is a thirty minutes’ drive. For a taste of vino a bit closer, there’s the fantastic Urban Wine Trail that gives novices and seasoned veterans alike a chance to explore the sheer variety of Santa Barbara County’s best vineyards.

Accommodation

Accents of the Old World adorn four-poster beds, down duvets and hardwood floors as the hotel transports guests to the Mediterranean seaside. Upgrade to a Premier King for a corner balcony and Italian Frette linens on the bed while suites go as far as to put a TV in the bathroom for a slightly unnecessary level of luxury. This being Cali, you’ll also find in-room yoga mats and high speed WiFi in every room.

Dining

In Santa Barbara, restaurateurs are spoiled for inspiration with an abundance of farmers markets and the various bounties of the Pacific on its doorstep. Chef James Siao brings in both hotel guests and locals to the Finch & Fork, where favourites such as devilled eggs, hand-pulled flatbreads and rainbow trout are sure to please. And, of course, there’s a full range of world-class wines from Santa Barbara’s wine country as expert bartenders also hand-mix a selection of excellent cocktails.

Facilities

The hotel proudly boasts the only rooftop hotel in Santa Barbara and it really does make the most of it with 360-degree views that look out across the town’s adobe roofs to the sea. This is then paired with craft cocktails and a cosy fire pit for a perfect Californian evening. Canary Hotel also has access to the Bay Club fitness centre and the beach is only a 1.5 mile walk away; get there quicker by borrowing one of the Canary’s complimentary bikes.