Santa Barbara Hotels
Brisas del Mar, Inn at the Beach
- Critic's rating
- LAT
223 Castillo St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tel. (800) 468-1988, (805) 966-2219
Fax. (805) 962-9428
brisas@sbhotels.com
This hotel has probably never looked better. In a 2003 renovation of this 1958 complex (formerly the Tropicana Inn & Suites), the owners gave the place a pleasant modmed feel -- you know, sleekly modern, yet Mediterranean enough to sport the requisite Santa Barbara red-tile roofing and Spanish colonial flourishes. The tile work is colorful. A fountain tinkles out front, and a stucco stairwell curves gracefully skyward. Inside, you'll find upscale Mission and French Country furniture, linens and wallpaper. (The owners also run four other local hotels.) Kids are welcome, and the smallish pool is good for splashing, less so for laps.
Pros: Most rooms are set far back from the street, and the interiors are very comfortable. Staff was friendly. Upstairs suites have nice views of palms and mountains. And it's an easy walk to the train station and the shops of State Street.
Cons: Name notwithstanding, it's not at the beach; it's two long blocks away. Also, once you step past the design flourishes in front, you see that most rooms are arrayed around an automotive void: a sunken parking lot that must have seemed a great idea in 1958. The current owners' beautification efforts are impressive, but the neighbors haven't caught on yet: There's a bland apartment building on one side, a Chevron station on the other. And you hear the trains' horns as they pass. I liked that, but sopewo. You know, some people won't.
wherever it appears.