Canary Hotel Santa Barbara. A luxury Kimpton boutique hotel.
First of all, I love Kimpton Hotels, they are luxurious boutique hotels located in interesting neighborhoods. Each hotel reflects the style of the city and neighborhood they’re in. No cookie cutter chain hotel here. I’d stayed at The Alexis in Seattle and loved the cool, urban vibe of it. So I was excited when I recently stayed at The Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara . It was welcoming, understated, and exuded the laid back California elegance of Santa Barbara.
Canary Hotel Santa Barbara. A luxury Kimpton boutique hotel.
Location:
The Canary is located right in the hub of downtown Santa Barbara’s busy State Street. It’s in the busy center of town with top restaurants, shops, large retailers like Nordstrom and Banana Republic and many unique, local boutiques within walking distance. Historical sites like the famous Mission Santa Barbara are nearby. On the weekends State Street is packed with students from UCSB. There are lots of people out strolling about on a warm weekend, which makes for fun people watching.
Style:
The Canary reflects the Spanish revival style and architecture of Santa Barbara with red tiled roofs and classic Spanish touches throughout the property. The decor is understated and eclectic. Brightly patterned Spanish tiles mix with modern touches. The lobby is open and airy with comfy couches and chairs grouped throughout. It was a great place to sink into a chair to put some time in on your laptop. They have a wonderful rooftop with cozy fireplace, pool and hot tub. You can order drinks and food as your soak in the view and the sun.
The Rooms:
We stayed in a spacious one-bedroom suite with hardwood floors, luxurious four-poster bed with pristine, pillowy linens and down duvets. The living room had several stylish upholstered chairs and a couch. It became a wonderful place to nestle with a cup of coffee in the morning. The bathrooms were quite large with a tub, and separate glass doored shower with rainfall shower head. The bath amenities were high quality CO Bigelow Apothecary bath products that smelled wonderfully refreshing.
Extras:
Each morning there was fresh coffee in the lobby and each evening, the Canary hosted a wine tasting of local wines from surrounding wineries. The wines were wonderful and the staff was on hand to answer any questions about the wines or wineries the various offerings came from. The evening tasting encouraged mingling and talking with other guests. I met some delightful travelers from Canada. Kudos to the Kimpton for getting people off their devices and actually having conversations!
Dog Friendly
Not only are they dog friendly, the Canary has a handsome rescue pup, Wiley, manning the front desk. Wiley’s official title is Executive Director of Pet Relations and he keeps all the dogs happy with plentiful dog biscuits and water by the front door and even more dog biscuits at the front desk. I brought my puppy Custard the Chihuahua. We both had a great time mingling with other puppies and their parents. Between the dogs and the wine tasting in the evenings, we got to know other travelers and staff which made the stay seem more like hanging out with friends that some sterile hotel.
Restaurant:
The Finch and Fork, the hotel’s restaurant, is one of Santa Barbara’s top restaurants. The restaurant is known for feel good elevated American cuisine. Think comfort food with a gourmet twist. On Friday and Saturday nights it’s packed with locals clamoring to get a seat. (They set aside tables especially for hotel guests each night). The food was exceptional. A favorite appetizer was the Cheddar Hush Puppies. The Sunchoke risotto entree was delicious with olives and manchego cheese. They also have a plentiful and interesting wine list highlighting local wines from the Santa Barbara central coast region. The 2013 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara available by the glass or bottle was a stand out.
Fitness:
They have free bikes right outside the front door that you can take out to explore the local area. On Saturday mornings they offer a morning yoga class beside the rooftop pool. The front desk has running maps available for various mileages at the front desk. All guests even have access to The Spectrum Club next door. Just show your room key to access all the classes and facilities of The Spectrum Club.
The Staff:
The staff truly made the visit. Everyone was welcoming and very knowledgeable about the local attractions including wineries, shops and restaurants to try. The concierge was so helpful. They helped me get a dozen gourmet carrot cake cupcakes delivered from a local bakery to the room on short notice! They truly went above and beyond.
The Canary Hotel, Santa Barbara
The Finch and Fork Restaurant, Santa Barbara
I can’t wait to return to The Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara, the ambiance, location, beautiful rooms and warm atmosphere have me already planning another escape there!
Beautiful. I want to vacation now!
I am pinning this for the future. I want to stay there!
Carol Cassara recently posted…Sleep is a waste of time
Carol, you will love it!