Santa Barbara has an undeniable effect on the senses that’s both singular and sublime. The natural beauty is immediate, and bordering on the supernatural. Soaring mountains cradle the cobalt Pacific in a rare, dramatic embrace. Yet on this golden crescent of coast, beauty is only the beginning. Here, rich culture and history blends effortlessly with modern cuisine and hip hospitality, as if at the hand of one of the region’s world-class vintners. At once bohemian and luxe, the locals’ welcoming spirit is warming beyond the unmatched Mediterranean climate. To travel the area is to immerse oneself deeply into a world that’s more than beautiful…it’s Santa Barbara.

Where other destinations have cuisine, Santa Barbara stands a James Beard Award-winning sommelier tableside to explain pairings with your urchin biryani. Where some escapes have outdoor activities, Santa Barbara invites you to kayak a national park marine sanctuary amongst a humpback whale migration. From the viniculturally adventurous Urban Wine Trail in downtown’s eclectic Funk Zone to the ethereal and historic Spanish Colonial Mission, this all-senses-go paradise gives you next-level reasons to return time and again.