Airport Commuter Black SUV chauffeur for the 121-room Spanish-Moorish hotel by Martyn Lawrence Bullard in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone (opened September 2017) — a rooftop pool with 360-degree views, the Blackbird restaurant, and the Goat Tree cafe, steps from the waterfront — deepening AC's Santa Barbara cluster with the downtown design hotel.
Hotel Californian is a 121-room hotel that opened in September 2017 in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone near the waterfront, blending Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with Moorish-themed interiors by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard — hand-painted tile, custom studded headboards, elaborate wainscoting, and Italian linens throughout. Amenities include a rooftop pool with 360-degree views and a rooftop lounge, the Blackbird restaurant (Mediterranean-meets-contemporary-American), the Goat Tree street-facing cafe and market, and a spa. Its Funk Zone location puts it steps from Santa Barbara's tasting rooms, galleries, and murals, the train station, and Stearns Wharf. Hotel Californian deepens AC's Santa Barbara cluster as the downtown Funk Zone design hotel.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard design. Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with Moorish interiors, hand-painted tile, and custom furnishings.
Rooftop pool + 360 views. A rooftop pool and lounge with unobstructed mountain-and-sea views for sunset.
Blackbird + Goat Tree. The Mediterranean-meets-American Blackbird restaurant and the street-facing Goat Tree cafe and market.
Funk Zone doorstep. Steps from the Urban Wine Trail's tasting rooms, the galleries and murals, and Stearns Wharf.
The Funk Zone + Urban Wine Trail. Tasting rooms, galleries, and restaurants, on foot.
The waterfront. Stearns Wharf, the harbor, and West Beach, a short walk.
State Street + the Mission. Downtown shopping and dining, the Courthouse, and the Santa Barbara Mission, minutes up the hill.
Santa Ynez wine country. Los Olivos, Solvang, and the Sideways trail, about 45 minutes over the pass.
Sibling anchors. AC's Four Seasons Biltmore, Rosewood Miramar Beach, San Ysidro Ranch, Belmond El Encanto, and Ritz-Carlton Bacara.
SBA Santa Barbara (closest). About 15 minutes from the Funk Zone in Goleta, with regional flights including from SFO.
LAX + the coastal drive. LAX about 2 hours south; many guests prefer the chauffeured US-101 coastal drive up or down.
SF Bay routing. An SFO-SBA flight plus the chauffeur, or the scenic drive; AC positions vehicles for the Funk Zone and wine country.
Hotel Californian is a 121-room hotel that opened in September 2017 in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone near the waterfront, blending Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with Moorish-themed interiors by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard - hand-painted tile, custom studded headboards, and Italian linens throughout. It has a rooftop pool with 360-degree views, the Blackbird restaurant, the Goat Tree cafe and market, and a spa. It deepens AC's Santa Barbara cluster as the downtown Funk Zone design hotel - the urban, walkable counterpart to AC's Montecito and hillside resorts: the Four Seasons Biltmore, Rosewood Miramar Beach, San Ysidro Ranch, Belmond El Encanto, and Ritz-Carlton Bacara. AC chauffeurs guests from the airport to the Funk Zone and across the South Coast and Santa Ynez wine country with a Black SUV on call.
The 121 rooms and suites are richly designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard - Moorish motifs, hand-painted tile, custom studded headboards, elaborate wainscoting, and Italian linens. The rooftop is the signature: a pool with 360-degree views of the mountains and the sea and a lounge for sunset. Dining is led by Blackbird, the Mediterranean-meets-contemporary-American restaurant, with the Goat Tree street-facing cafe and market for coffee, pastries, and provisions, and a spa for wellness. It is the design-forward, walkable downtown hotel in AC's Santa Barbara portfolio, in the heart of the Funk Zone's tasting rooms and galleries - and AC provides discreet arrivals, departures, and on-call chauffeur service for the Funk Zone, the waterfront, State Street, and wine country.
Hotel Californian sits in the Funk Zone - the eclectic district of tasting rooms, galleries, murals, boutiques, and restaurants between lower State Street and the beach. Stearns Wharf, the harbor, and West Beach are a short walk, the Urban Wine Trail's tasting rooms are at the doorstep, and State Street's shopping and dining and the Santa Barbara County Courthouse are minutes up the hill. The Santa Barbara Mission, the Funk Zone galleries, and the MOXI museum are close, and the Santa Ynez Valley wine country (Los Olivos, Solvang, the Sideways trail) is about 45 minutes over the pass. AC's sibling Santa Barbara anchors - the Four Seasons Biltmore, Rosewood Miramar Beach, San Ysidro Ranch, Belmond El Encanto, and Ritz-Carlton Bacara - are all minutes away. AC builds a Santa Barbara chauffeur program for the Funk Zone, the wine trail, and the coast.
SBA Santa Barbara Airport is the closest, about 15 minutes away in Goleta, with regional flights including service from SFO. LAX is about 2 hours south, and the scenic US-101 coastal drive from the SF Bay Area or Los Angeles is itself part of the experience. From SF Bay, an SFO-SBA flight plus the chauffeur is the fastest routing, while many guests prefer the chauffeured drive up or down the coast. Hotel Californian pairs with AC's Four Seasons Biltmore, Rosewood Miramar Beach, San Ysidro Ranch, Belmond El Encanto, and Ritz-Carlton Bacara for a Santa Barbara stay, and AC positions vehicles for the Funk Zone, the Urban Wine Trail, State Street, and the Santa Ynez Valley wine country, so guests can taste without driving.