- Beautiful old house
- Highly professional staff
- Great food
- Pretty gardens with lots of places to sit
- Expensive (but worth it)
- 121 E. Arrellaga, Santa Barbara, CA
Phone: 800-676-1280
website - 15 rooms
- Free wireless Internet access
- Refrigerators, DVD player (and video library), fireplaces, some private balconies
- Tripadvisor reviews
- Fresh-cooked breakfast delivered to your room on request, afternoon tea and dessert, evening snacks and wine
- Free, off-street parking
- Complimentary passes for the trolley
- No fitness center, but they provide day passes to a nearby health club
The historic, Eastlake style Victorian estate built by Scotsman Robert Simpson in 1874 sits just across the street from a pretty city park and just a short walk from State Street in downtown Santa Barbara. Rooms are in the main house (built in 1874), in the old barn and in cottages on the grounds. We stayed in the Hayloft room in the Old Barn, upstairs under the peak of the roof. Sitting on the balcony felt like being in a treehouse.
Every aspect of our stay was extraordinary, from the minute we arrived until the minute we left. The food was wonderful (especially the sherry cakes we found in our room on arrival), the staff more than accommodating and the bed so comfortable that the only reason I got up before 8:00 was because I asked for an early breakfast delivery.
All this comes at a price, though, and while it's worth every penny, it will take a lot of them if you want to stay here.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
