Upscale Santa Barbara hotels try to offer guests something extra: a complimentary breakfast, the plushest linens, a higher level of concierge service. The Inn of the Spanish Garden, which describes itself as the only luxury hotel downtown, does all three successfully.
Quiche or frittatas for breakfast, Frette linens on the beds, extensive assistance from the desk. All are standard fare at the attractive 23-room inn, which is on a quiet side street in the city's Historic Presidio District, just three blocks from State Street.
The hotel, built on the onetime site of a Santa Barbara art colony, was designed to feel like a gracious Spanish home, unfolding as you walk through it, said manager Rebecca Johnson.
The landscaped grounds of the hotel include a central courtyard, fire pit and pool. All rooms have fireplaces and patios or balconies. Amenities such as a French press coffeemaker, high-speed Internet and turndown service are standard. Locally produced wines are featured at a free evening wine bar.