Guidebook: Booking an Ocean-Side Room in Santa Barbara
Getting there: Santa Barbara is 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles via U.S. Highway 101, about a two-hour drive from downtown L.A.
Amtrak makes several trips a day from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to the downtown Santa Barbara train station. Fares range from $34 to $56 round trip. For reservations, call (800) USA-RAIL.
When to go: The law of supply and demand drives rates in Santa Barbara, so prices escalate when visitors are plentiful. A room can vary in price by $100 or more depending on when you book it. Throughout the year rates tend to be higher on Friday and Saturday than during the week, and in summer a two-night minimum is almost always required on weekends (though walk-ins can sometimes get just a Friday or Saturday when there are last-minute cancellations).
Low season is generally January to March; shoulder season is April, early May, October and November; and high season starts in late May and lasts through September. Summer weekends usually book up far in advance; graduation weekend, June 22 and 23, and Old Spanish Days (called Fiesta by locals), the first week in August this year, are especially popular.
Room choices: Think twice about how important it is for you to get a room with an ocean view, given the substantially higher prices. In some cases, partial ocean view rooms are hardly better than a room with a view of town and the Santa Ynez Mountains. Moreover, Cabrillo Boulevard is busy and noisy, which can make it hard to sleep in an ocean-facing room.
Where to stay: Rates below are for double rooms in high season.
Cabrillo Inn, 931 E. Cabrillo Blvd.; (800) 648-6708 or (805) 966-1641, fax (805) 965-1623,
Casa Del Mar, 18 Bath St.; (800) 433-3097 or (805) 963-4418, fax (805) 966-4240,
Colonial Beach Inn, 206 Castillo St.; (800) 649-2669 or (805) 963-4317, fax (805) 962-9428,
Hotel Oceana, 202 W. Cabrillo Blvd., (800) 965-9776 or (805) 965-4577, fax (805) 965-9937,
Hotel State Street, 121 State St.; (805) 966-6586, fax (805) 962-8459; rooms have shared baths; $69-$79 weekend, $49-$69 weekdays.
Inn at East Beach, 1029 Orilla Del Mar; (805) 965-0546, fax (805) 962-7595,
Montecito del Mar, 316 W. Montecito St.; (888) 464-1690 or (805) 962-2006, fax (805) 962-1016; $125-$225 weekend, $95-$175 weekdays.
Motel 6, 443 Corona Del Mar; (800) 466-8356 or (805) 564-1392, fax (805) 963-4687,
Old Yacht Club Inn, 431 Corona Del Mar; (800) 549-1676 (in California), (800) 676-1676 (in U.S.) or (805) 962-1277, fax (805) 962-3989,
Santa Barbara Inn, 901 E. Cabrillo Blvd.; (800) 231-0431 or (805) 966-2285, fax (805) 966-6584,
Tropicana Inn and Suites, 223 Castillo St.; (800) 468-1988 or (805) 966-2219, fax (805) 962-9428,
Where to eat: Citronelle, 901 E. Cabrillo Blvd., (805) 966-2285, overlooks the sea and is one of the most stylish places in town, with a menu devised by Michel Richard; dinner for two, without drinks, $100-$150.
Brophy Bros., on the breakwater at the harbor, (805) 966-4418, caters to yachties and everyone else who loves seafood. It’s casual, noisy and almost always packed; dinner for two, without drinks, about $50.
Esau’s Coffee Shop, 403 State St., (805) 965-4416, is a longtime Santa Barbara favorite for breakfast and brunch; $8-$10 per person.
For more information: Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau, 1601 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101; (800) 676-1266 or (805) 966-9222,
The Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce has a Visitor Information Center at 1 Garden St., at the corner of Cabrillo Boulevard, which can help visitors find accommodations.
There are two hotel reservation services in town: Coastal Escapes, 123 Arboleda Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110; (800) 292-2222, fax (805) 683-7782,
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