Americans don’t need a passport to experience the resplendent chic of Euro summer. Where the waters never stop glistening, the sun never stops shining, and the palm trees never stop waving, Santa Barbara offers a slice of Euro chic without the hassle of flying internationally at LAX airport. At the intersection of brush-dappled mountains and turquoise lapping waves, this Spanish colonial town has all the amenities of a European beach town without the hassle of getting there. Maybe that’s why they call it the American Riviera. Maybe that’s why celebrities like Brad Pitt and Ellen De Generis call this breezy locale home. With 300 days of sunshine, white stucco walls, Spanish red tiles, slow-paced mornings and enough wine to give an AA instructor a heart attack, this is the closest to Europe America gets, offering my favourite place in all of the United States. Looking for a place to stay? Here are five pristine luxury hotels that reflect the luxurious, leisurely, wonderful Santa Barbara, California.

Miramar

Arriving at Rosewood Miramar, with its pristine wooden cottages and perfectly manicured roses, you might think you’ve just entered the set of Stepford Wives. The hotel sprawls out onto the beach with a train running through the middle of it, sweeping away sun hats and flirting with Montecito moms to pull a Marilyn Monroe, their skirts flapping magnificently in the breeze. In 2020, billionaire Rick Caruso teamed with Hong Kong development group Rosewood to transform this once-abandoned property into an East Coast-inspired daydream, where eras stand out of epoch and hours slip away into a glowing glass of Aperol Spritz. There’s a Michelin-star restaurant serving pasta as fragrant as a bite of caviar, peppered with lemon hues matching the oyster umbrellas lining the oh-so refreshing pools. This is what the kids call Instagram-worthy—Rosewood Miramar is old money chic reimagined, magnificently, along the lapping shores of Santa Barbara.

Hotel Californian

Visitors wanting an escape without escaping people should try Hotel California, located smack dab in downtown. While other luxury hotels are tucked into secluded hills and perched along seaside bluffs, Hotel Californian is located directly in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, surrounded by wineries and coffee shops, and boasting a rooftop pool overlooking the sprawl. Designed by artist Martyn Lawrence Bullard, you’ll notice a distinctly Moroccan influence, boasting intricate patterns every bit as detailed as a Lucienne Day textile. Equally detailed are the pop-art rooms, the Michelin Guide restaurant, serving sumptuous steaks over hearty glasses of red wine, and the spa, adorned with zellige tiles and mysterious black and white colours that give “Morocco by the beach.”

The Ritz Santa Barbara

Nothing says “Rivera vibes” like a classy hotel on the beach, oyster umbrellas, Aperol Spritzes and lounging in the sun without a care in the world. That’s what The Ritz Santa Barbara has to offer. A slice of American Riviera perched on the bluffs of Goleta, glowing with white-stucco walls and red Spanish tiles, The Ritz is a beachside vacationer’s dream, offering relaxing amenities like a world-class spa, clay tennis courts, pools overlooking the sea and a restaurant straight out of Nice, overlooking the crashing waves while plates of pasta arrive steaming on your table. It’s a place where you can feel like Alain Delon, slowly sauntering through the 40,000-square-foot property while showing off your new tan and summery outfit.

El Encanto

On the hills of the Riviera, overlooking the downtown area sprawling to the sea, is Belmond’s peaceful oasis. With greenery-covered walkways and lushly adorned trellises, El Encanto is worlds away from American culture, soaking in the French Riviera aesthetic of crisp white walls, clinking glasses, infinity pools overlooking the water and unhurried visitors who take their afternoons napping poolside and waiting patiently for their drink bills to arrive. Americans are notoriously in a hurry, but at El Encanto, all those worries seem to fade away into a cotton candy Santa Barbara sunset.

San Ysidro Ranch

Driving through the winding roads of San Ysidro Ranch, you might think to yourself, “Isn’t this the opposite direction of the beach?” Yes, but that’s part of the appeal of the property, featuring just 40 cottages, each with its own unique decor, view and aesthetic, replete with handcrafted wallpapers, trinkets from across the globe and priceless pieces of art peppered about. This is a historical hideaway, where Jacqueline and John F Kennedy were married, and where John Huston completed the script for The African Queen, inspired by the ground’s lyrical fauna, trickling streams, Cotswold-esque cottages and glowing, thriving, living, breathing wildlife.

Glamorous yet laconic, the only sounds you hear on the property are the distant whispers from Stonehouse, the immaculate steakhouse on the property, the occasional dip into the pool and the sound of birds chirping, creating a vervian chorus that whisks you away to a fantasyland even Snow White couldn’t dream of.

Written by Asher Luberto for Luxuria Lifestyle International