Montecito
United States · Americas
About Montecito
Montecito is an upscale community in Santa Barbara County that is home to high end resorts and the rich and famous including Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe.
Montecito travel guide
Understand
During the 2020s, much of Southern California's real estate market has stagnated, while Montecito's market has boomed because of the natural beauty of its coastal location. Most importantly, as part of Santa Barbara County, Montecito sits on the longest stretch of south-facing east-west coastline on the West Coast of North America between Alaska and Oaxaca. As long as there is no cloud cover, the sun is always directly visible at all daylight hours. This is superior to other Northern Hemisphere destinations with a north-south coastline where one can enjoy the sun on the beach at either sunrise or sunset, but never both (because structures, trees, or terrain along the beach always cast a long shadow on the beach at one end of the day).
Eat
1 The Honor Bar, 1255 Coast Village Rd, Suite 101, ☏ +1 805 969-6964. Su–W 11AM–10PM, Th–Sa 11AM–11PM. The deceptively straightforward menu of burgers, ahi tuna, and omelettes is raised to another level by excellent service and preparation. The outdoor patio seating is pleasant on sunny days (which most days here are). Dogs welcome. Vegetarian options available. There is also a full bar, and extensive wine list. Burgers $15, entrees $30. (updated Mar 2016) 2 Los Arroyos, 1280 Coast Village Rd, ☏ +1 805 969-9059. The restaurant serves popular and very good Mexican food. (updated Nov 2015)
Sleep
1 Coast Village Inn, 1188 Coast Village Rd (Take 101 to the Coast Village Road exit.), toll-free: +1-800-257-5131. Located in the tony Montecito area on the city's east side. Breakfast included. Basic room $169, Suite with kitchen $259, deluxe suite with two bedrooms and kitchen $469. Midweek rates as low as $99, also check for internet discounts of about 20% off.. (updated Nov 2015) 2 Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore, 1260 Channel Dr, ☏ +1 805-969-2261, fax: +1 805-565-8323. Spanish Colonial with red roof tiles and adobe on Butterfly Beach. Also has a restaurant that is expensive but not universally praised. (updated Nov 2015) 3 Montecito Inn, 1295 Coast Village Rd, ☏ +1 805-969-7854, toll-free: +1-800-843-2017, [email protected]. Boutique lodging two blocks away from Montecito's Butterfly Beach. It was built in 1928 by Charlie Chaplin as an escape to paradise for his closest friends. $300-400. (updated Nov 2015)
Go next
Santa Barbara - 5 miles (8 km) west of Montecito, the "American Riviera" is a historic mission city that is an incredibly popular getaway destination. Its wide beaches, highly rated wineries, luxurious resorts, art galleries, and a large variety of excellent dining choices, enable the town of just 90,000 residents to enjoy the sort of cultural and social amenities which are usually found only in much larger cities. Carpinteria - This small oceanside town is 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Montecito and offers a salt marsh preserve, tide pools, and a seal and sea lion rookery that is active from December through May. During the first weekend in October Carpinteria plays host to nearly 100,000 visitors at its annual avocado festival, which features the world's largest vat of guacamole.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.