Review: Hotel Californian in Santa Barbara, California

I was midway through a self-made California wine tour: Earlier in the week, I spent three days in Sonoma County, touring wineries and sipping my way through flights of locally produced wine. And over the following weekend, I had plans to attend a wedding at Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles, a wine-producing region along California’s Central Coast.

Swirl, sniff, sip, repeat.

But in between those two adventures, I found myself in Santa Barbara, Calif., at Hotel Californian, a 121-room boutique property with its own unique connection to wine. Owned by Bill Foley, founder of Foley Family Wines, the hotel lines Santa Barbara’s iconic lower State Street and is conveniently located within walking distance of 30 tasting rooms and Stearns Wharf. 

Since the hotel opened in 2017, I had been eying it for a weekend away from my home in Los Angeles, but a new Winemaker dinner series that landed between my two other wine-themed events offered the me a perfect opportunity for a quick trip up the coast. Beginning this summer and lasting through the end of 2022, the monthly dinners include a four-course meal featuring creations by Travis Watson, executive chef of Hotel Californian, and are complemented with a selection of wines from a Foley Family Wines vineyard. (My specific event, which took place in October, featured varietals from Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma.)

During the event, I savored such items as fall root vegetables paired with a 2020 Chalk Hill Felta Chardonnay; braised pork belly paired with a 2018 Chalk Hill Malbec; American Wagyu beef ribeye with a 2018 Chalk Hill William P. Foley Cabernet Sauvignon; and a piece of maple persimmon cake with a 2014 Chalk Hill Botrytised Semillon. (While I was initially concerned that my partner’s vegan diet would throw Chef Watson for a loop, he was able to prepare plant-based items with a similar flavor profile to pair with the same wines the rest of the guests were enjoying.)

Tickets for the Winemaker dinners, which take place in the hotel’s Blackbird Restaurant, begin at $150 per person and are open to the public.

History and Design Steal the Spotlight at Hotel Californian

Of course, there’s so much more to Hotel Californian than its ties to wine culture (although it’s certainly a key selling point for oenophiles).

A member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Californian first opened in 1925, when Santa Barbara was a major Hollywood hub (in addition to serving as the setting for hundreds of silent films, it was also home to California’s first major movie studio). Sadly, the hotel was destroyed by the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake just a few weeks after its opening. But the earthquake — and the city’s subsequent rebuilding — led to a decision to design Santa Barbara’s infrastructure (including the rebuilt hotel) under the cohesive Spanish Revival-style design it features today.

Since its reconstruction, the hotel has changed hands several times; it reopened as the current Hotel Californian in 2017 before being purchased by Foley Entertainment Group in 2021.

Part of the property’s character lies in its unique position on lower State Street, where it’s spread out between three buildings on three separate blocks in downtown Santa Barbara at the intersection of State and Mason streets, connecting the city’s trendy Funk Zone with the pedestrian-friendly Harbor area.

Moroccan-Style Design

All guestrooms and public spaces within Hotel Californian feature the stylings of Martyn Lawrence Bullard, well-known for his work designing private residences with Moroccan-inspired flair. (Although I’ve never been to Morocco myself, I did feel as if I was right in the middle of Marrakech, thanks to Bullard’s 27 different patterns of tile work throughout the property that represent more than 1 million individual pieces.) 

Unique design elements flowed into my Almeria guestroom, which featured a comfortable king-size bed, a writing desk, a spacious bathroom and views of State Street (other room categories feature Juliet balconies, verandas, fireplaces and more). No matter the room category, though, design throughout the guestrooms are consistent, with slight variations in colors of the desks, headboards and accent pillows.

Dining and Amenities

During my two-night stay, I was able to try three on-site dining options, including Blackbird Restaurant. In addition to serving as the host of the monthly Winemaker dinner, the restaurant generally offers menu items that pay homage to Central California’s land and sea. Next door, The Society: State & Mason tasting room, meanwhile, features appetizers and tasting flights of Foley Family Wines from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. (or 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). 

There, my partner and I paired a hummus appetizer with the “Taste of Wine Country” flight ($35 per person), which featured the 2018 Silverado Firetree Chardonnay from Los Carneros; the 2018 Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley; the 2017 Kuleto Syrah from Napa Valley and the 2019 Foley Johnson Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford. Another option, the “Riviera Reserve” flight, was slightly more expensive but also featured pours from Foley Family Wine wineries.

But the true food highlight during our stay was at Goat Tree, Hotel Californian’s alfresco cafe, where I spent my breakfasts dipping chunks of flatbread into homemade shakshuka and savoring mouthwatering lemon ricotta pancakes, paired perfectly with creamy cappuccinos and fresh orange juice.

After all, it was important to gear up for the day ahead. 

Swirl, sniff, sip, repeat.