There's much to be thankful for this time of year as we gather with friends and family for the holidays. We want to take the opportunity to enumerate some of the things we're most grateful for in Santa Barbara, an extraordinary and unique place that we're grateful to call home, which we hope you'll consider your home-away-from-home.
Reason to be Thankful #1: The Goldilocks climate.
I mean, seriously people, does it get any better than this? The Santa Ynez Mountains, our warm southern California sunshine and coastal breezes ensure a temperate, year-round routine of warmer winters and cooler summers that have earned us the nickname "The American Riviera." No matter where you're from, the weather is better at your vacation rental.
We know that for a growing number of travelers, going home for the holidays means celebrating with loved ones at a sunny and exotic home away from home. While snowbirds have always enjoyed heading south for the winter, more travelers than ever are choosing a vacation rental to get away and enjoy sun-filled beach vacations during the holiday season.
Reason to be Thankful #2: Exceptional value.
There are a lot of opportunities to stretch your vacation dollar in Santa Barbara. Vacation rentals offer great value and flexibility to better fit various travel lifestyles, needs and budgets. For less than the cost of a hotel room vacationers can rent a whole home while enjoying countless benefits like avoiding the unnecessary expenses of a hotel stay with laundry, internet fees, tips and room service.
Vacation rentals offer a great way to enjoy the winter sun on a budget. At the five-bedroom Vista Riviera, guests can take in views of the ocean and city and enjoy soaking in the private pool or relaxing in the sauna. They can also take advantage of all the amenities of a luxury hotel including pre-arrival grocery stocking, in-room spa treatments and other concierge services.
Reason to be Thankful #3: Welcoming smiles.
Santa Barbara is, at heart, a small city with fewer than 100,000 residents within the city limits. People know each other and bump into acquaintances and neighbors all the time with warm smiles and happy greetings.
Tourists are just as likely to be greeted like old friends. If you're staying in a vacation rental, you're probably going to be in town long enough to engage in healthy habits like walking to the same café every morning, shopping at a preferred vendor stand in the farmers market, etc. It's all part of the warm, friendly Santa Barbara culture.
Reason to be Thankful #4: Mother Nature.
There are very few destinations that offer as much in the way of stunning nature. You can laze on the deck of your beach rental watching porpoises play or the winter gray whale migration. You can work up a sweat hiking the Campbell Trail and then enjoy a soak in Gaviota Hot Spring. You can even dress in camouflage and take your binoculars to the Andree Clark Bird Refuge.
There are meadows, mountains, creeks, beaches, parks, hiking trails, a 65-acre botanic garden designed by noted landscape architect Beatrix Ferrand. In short, whatever your inner Smokey the Bear desires, you will find it in Santa Barbara.
Reason to be Thankful #5: The architecture.
A 1925 earthquake pretty much leveled downtown Santa Barbara, and we have been grateful ever since. The city fathers and mothers took the opportunity to rebuild with stricter structural standards and in relative Spanish/Moorish uniformity, and the result is Santa Barbara's stunning red-roof district. As you walk through the downtown area you gain a heightened appreciation for the idea of a planned city. Most burgs are a mishmash of wildly divergent architectural qualities and styles, but Santa Barbara's downtown area almost feels like a movie set, it is so charming and idealistic.
A lot of the residences, including many of the vacation rentals, in the area also cleave to the California bungalow style (with a few Victorians thrown in) and the result is a charming walk through California history.
Reason to be Thankful #6: Festivals.
If you, like Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, are in search of a "festivus for the rest of us," you should book your Santa Barbara vacation rental immediately. Our annual festival calendar boasts something new almost every month: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, Earth Day celebration, Santa Barbara Fair & Expo, Cinco de Mayo festival, Summer Solstice Parade, wine festivals, Fourth of July, French Festival, Greek Festival, Old Spanish Days Fiesta, Santa Barbara Sandcastle Festival, California Lemon Festival, Santa Barbara Harbor & Seafood Festival, New Noise Music Conference & Festival.
Reason to be Thankful #7: Unexpected outdoor delights.
No matter how much time you spend in your vacation rental home, there are still many delights to discover. Many people who pass the corner of State and Victoria every day never notice the lovely statue of Sacajawea that is set back from the street. Sacajawea was a Shoshone woman who guided the Lewis & Clark exploration through the western part of the American continent in the earliest years of the 19th century. She was very brave and diplomatic and is credited by many historians as the primary reason for the mission's success.
Santa Barbara visitors in the early spring are often pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous profusion of flowering trees in the area. Both leaves and blossoms create a stunning, delicious-smelling canopy wherever you turn.
There are many beautiful fountains in town. There are notable examples in the dolphin fountain at Stearns Wharf, the mission fountain and the fountain at La Arcada shopping mall. How many more can you find?
You can tell a city that really loves its artists because they proudly display so much art in public places. There are lovely bronze sculptures tucked away in some unexpected corners like the La Arcada shopping mall and downtown area. As you step from your Santa Barbara vacation rental, keep your eyes open. You never know what treasures you might come across.
And last but not least, I am personally grateful for all the wonderful vacation rental guests I get to meet year after year. Once you enjoy all that our fair city has to offer, you'll be grateful that you will always have a second home away from home.
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