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Santa Barbara Beach Escape Where the Ocean Meets the City
Powered By TripAdvisorFeaturing Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and modern Moorish themed interior décor from celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the Hotel Californian is the new center of the Santa Barbara waterfront. Incorporating the façade of the original 1925 Hotel Californian, this 121-room seaside destination features a rooftop pool and event deck providing panoramic views of the coastline and the Santa Ynez Mountains. Located steps from the beach, one block from Santa Barbara Amtrak Station, and in the middle of Santa Barbara's vibrant Funk Zone, the Hotel Californian includes a luxurious Moroccan-inspired spa with hand-painted Moroccan tile, a fashion boutique, fresh and distinctive dining options, together with a best-in-class ballroom, event lawns and decks, and unique meeting spaces for weddings and group events.
- Named on the Condé Nast Traveler Hot List and Travel + Leisure The It List
- Stay in the re-imagined 1925 hotel with its unique Moroccan-inspired design
- Choose from breathtaking Pacific Ocean, Santa Ynez Mountains, or intricately designed courtyard views from your private balcony
- 121 uniquely styled guestrooms created by acclaimed Los Angeles designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard
- Indulge in personalized treatments at the Moroccan-influenced Majorelle Spa
- Dine at Blackbird with exquisite Mediterranean-influenced, locally sourced, and hyper-seasonal cuisine or experience Goat Tree, a café marketplace with al fresco seating offering fresh, local fare, including delicious pastries and baked goods, cold-pressed juices and coffee
- Gaze into the sunset and sip libations at Tan-Tan, the rooftop pool at Hotel Californian
Hotel Amenities
Accommodations
Three buildings combine to form 121 unique rooms designed by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard to ensure no two rooms are alike. Thoughtful touches bring a unique sense of luxury — tufted headboards, in-room cocktail bars, and leather benches — in Moroccan-themed décor with cool tiles lifted by pops of color. Choose a deluxe corner room for a dual balcony and roaring open fire, or the impressive presidential Alcazar Suite for the ultimate Santa Barbara retreat.
Beyond your room, find tranquility in the blue-and-white Moroccan-style Majorelle spa or get active at the fitness center. The library is ideal for peaceful contemplation over a coffee and cake — or a sophisticated cocktail. If you are in town for business, the deluxe ballroom makes an exceptional impression, and the modern meeting rooms ensure efficient and inspiring corporate events.
Book with PointsDining
Hotel Californian’s Goat Tree gourmet café exudes relaxed vibes, and the Mediterranean-inspired Blackbird restaurant emphasizes locally sourced, hyper-seasonal ingredients.
Goat Tree – With views of the wharf and a patio for alfresco dining, Goat Tree makes the most of local produce to conjure up diverse and exciting breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Start the day with the almond croissant, flavorsome smoked salmon, or your favorite smoothie. Arrange for a seasonally-curated picnic basket at lunchtime and head for the wine-tasting trail or to the beach. Pop by for healthy on-the-go snacks, cold-pressed juices, and fresh coffee. When the sun fades, discover Mediterranean flavors before taking a sunset stroll along the boulevard.
Blackbird – In the Mason building, with its vibrant mix of classic-meets-contemporary style, Hotel Californian’s signature restaurant showcases the pick of Santa Barbara ingredients with a Mediterranean twist. Choose from the freshest sustainable seafood and succulent locally produced chicken and beef, and finish with delicate desserts. Beautifully positioned, the restaurant has the Pacific Ocean and the lively Funk Zone in its sights.
Activities at Hotel Californian
Take in the views of the ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains from the rooftop pool or soothe your mind, body, and soul in the exotic Moroccan-inspired spa with its four treatment rooms, fitness center, and private courtyard.
Santa Barbara’s science museum Moxi is also just a few yards from the front door. Make time to explore Santa Barbara’s boutiques, a wealth of wine-tasting rooms, and highly acclaimed restaurants — many are just a few steps away in the hip Funk Zone and Presidio areas. For something more active, hit the beach for water sports, conquer one of the area’s many golf courses, or head to the Santa Ynez mountains for bike and hiking trails. Go whale-watching, deep-sea fishing, or hop on board a boat for a trip to the Channel Islands National Park.
Location
Between the Pacific Ocean and downtown Santa Barbara, on a prime beachfront stretch, Hotel Californian is next to the vibrant Funk Zone with its boutique tasting venues, restaurants, and galleries, and within walking distance of Stearns Wharf, a 145-year-old wooden pier packed with shops and restaurants.
Address
36 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
Transportation
- Airport
- Santa Barbara Airport is 11 mi / 18 km, 15 minutes away
- Train
- Santa Barbara Amtrak train station is just a block away
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Reviews
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Memorable stay in Santa Barbara
Sat Aug 09 2025 14:49:12 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Jonathan M
Amazing historic hotel in Santa Barbara. Short walk to the ocean, restaurants and shopping. 10 minutes from the airport. Staff is awesome, very courteous and accommodating. Rooms are very comfortable and we had a balcony with a great view of State St. Would definitely recommend this property.
Central and comfortable hotel
Thu Aug 07 2025 00:19:58 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Gemlou31
Stayed here for three nights. Not much to do in Santa Barbara so this was a rest point. Hotel room was very comfortable - excellent size. If you plan to use pool I’d recommend requesting a room in the same building as the pool. Bathroom and bedroom huge. Very comfortable for 2 adults and 2 children. We would go out for bike ride ( free to borrow from hotel) or walk, then spent afternoon by pool. We were there from 2 ish until 6pm ish and there were always plenty of sun beds. Ordering anything to drink etc was v expensive we found -tbh that was the case across our trip -,so buy drinks and store in fridge in room. We ate at brass bear and shalhoobs - both excellent for a casual relaxed meal with kids. Certainly cheaper than service restaurants. Finneys also good. Hotel offers umbrellas and chairs for beach but we didn’t use those…. We were a little disappointed with condition of beach. Santa Monica was a better beach - shame we’d not had time to spend time on that one!
Best birthday weekend at Hotel Californian
Thu Jul 31 2025 16:08:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Rob L
We had a perfect weekend in Santa Barbara for my wife's birthday. The hotel Californian experience put it over the top. The room was beautiful and the location can't be beat.
Perfection!
Tue Jul 29 2025 14:03:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Lee B
You cant beat the quality, location or excellent staff at Hotel Californian!! We had our family business meeting here and the entire stay was perfect. Cant wait to come back
California Coast Trip - First Stop
Mon Jul 28 2025 14:17:31 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Brenda B
Love this property! Bed was so comfortable, the shower is amazing and the courtyard location was so peaceful. Love the text notification/concierge and the ease of asking questions and receiving timely responses. Blackbird happy hour with $2 oysters was delicious and the perfect first stop after the drive from San Diego. The location can't be beat for a true Santa Barbara, California coast experience and the staff were all so friendly and accommodating. Can't wait to come back!!
