1/5

Each hotel image sequence, including the selection and arrangement of its images, © 2026 PressBeyond. All rights reserved

PressBeyond Logo

El Encanto, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA • Riviera • OVER THE TOP

avg. $1,074 / night

Includes $57 / night in cash back

Cash back is redeemable via Virtual Visa, Venmo, or bank transfer starting 24-48 hours after check-out

LHW Leaders Club property

Exclusive PressBeyond Benefits

Get to where you see yourself

Ultra-clean, global, hand-picked hotel curation & imagery designed to help you visualize enticing environments and the elevated social experiences they create

Cash back

5% cash back on all completed stays (redeemable via Virtual Visa, Venmo, or bank transfer starting 24-48 hours after check-out)

Credit card points

Credit and debit card charges are processed directly by the hotel (i.e. not PressBeyond), meaning that any travel-specific credit card points or incentives that you normally get as a cardholder for direct hotel bookings are preserved

Hotel loyalty points

Points accrual and status eligibility with major hotel loyalty programs: Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, and others

Free breakfast

Breakfast-included rate options available

Room upgrades

Complimentary room upgrades (subject to property availability)

Extend your stay

Early check-in and late check-out (subject to property availability)

Part of Leading Hotels of the World

Location

Loading map...

At a glance

A 1918 craftsman compound on Santa Barbara's Riviera with ten acres of gardens and ocean-to-foothills views.

Best for: Architecture enthusiasts and California history collectors

Highlights:

  • 1918 California craftsman compound restored by Alexandra Champalimaud
  • 92 rooms across ten acres of terraced gardens
  • Dining room overlooks Santa Ynez foothills to Pacific Ocean
Hillside-residentialinherited-elegance

PB hotel design editorial

Perched on Santa Barbara's Riviera hillside above the city's red-tile roofline, a cluster of white clapboard cottages has drawn writers, diplomats, and Hollywood figures to this address since 1918. El Encanto — the name translates simply as the enchantment — was reimagined after a seven-year closure by Orient-Express Hotels, reopening in 2013 following a restoration overseen by interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud. Her brief was to recover the property's original California craftsman character while fitting it for contemporary expectations, threading 92 rooms and suites across ten acres of terraced gardens without disturbing the compound's deliberately residential scale. The herringbone brick motor court visible at the entrance, with its sandstone fountain and vine-draped porte-cochère, establishes a register that the main building — white-painted weatherboard, pitched shingle roof, multi-pane casements — sustains throughout. Champalimaud's interiors work through accumulation rather than declaration: wide-plank hardwood floors, woven lattice headboards, carved Spanish colonial armoires, and iron-and-glass nesting tables layered against cream walls with deep crown mouldings. Fireplaces anchored in white marble surrounds and French doors opening onto garden terraces give each room the atmosphere of a well-inherited house. The dining room's coffered ceiling and wraparound fenestration frame a panorama running from the Santa Ynez foothills to the Pacific, a curtain of amber late-afternoon light catching the rattan chairs and the cascading amber-glass pendant above the room's centre. The lap pool terrace, set into the hillside below mature eucalyptus, completes the picture — the ocean visible just beyond the treeline.

Travel notes

Formerly a Belmond property

About

No description provided yet.

Amenities

Pool

Internet

Kids Activities

Shuttle Bus Service

Suites

Room service

Free Internet

Wheelchair Access

Restaurant

Bar/Lounge

El Encanto, Santa Barbara Reviews

1,625 reviews

"Amazing! The property is beautiful, sprawling, with modern, clean, and comfortable rooms. Hard to find a boutique hotel in this day and age that is maintained with so much love and care. The staff are amazing - friendly, helpful, kind, and resourceful. The food is great, really fresh with good service. Located conveniently in the middle of Santa Barbara and easy to get around. It’s a comfortable atmosphere to hang out and relax between the pool, lobby, patio, and fire pits. New ownership is great and renovating the property in real time. We will be back!"

A Tripadvisor traveler review

Jul 03, 2026

"Our stay at El Encanto was absolutely wonderful. The property is stunning, the atmosphere is peaceful, and every detail exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to Michael Noone, who went above and beyond to take care of our family during our stay. His kindness, professionalism, and genuine hospitality made us feel truly welcomed and made our experience even more memorable. Michael’s attention to detail and dedication to guest service are what make El Encanto such a special place. We highly recommend El Encanto to anyone visiting Santa Barbara and look forward to returning in the future. Five stars all around! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"

A Tripadvisor traveler review

Jun 28, 2026

"Beautiful hotel and grounds. Feels a million miles away yet only 12 minutes from State Street up in the hills. Amazing service from all staff including front desk, valet, and restaurants. Romantic and relaxing- an absolute treat. Thank you for making our anniversary so special!"

A Tripadvisor traveler review

Jun 28, 2026

"This property was absolutely beautiful and full of charm, and although the location is a bit farther away than most, I thought it helped to capture that private and "hidden" resort vibe. The far location wasn't a problem at all, as they provided a shuttle service within a short distance; enough to easily get to Downtown SB. The room was beautiful and quite large, but we were pretty disappointed at how far ours was from the lobby. The walk to and from our room was inconvenient mainly because we had to essentially wrap around the entire property. There was an area right in front of the room that seemed like it would lead to a staircase (and would be the perfect spot for one) to cut that walk time in half, but there isn't. Otherwise though, there was really no issue with the room, it was big, beautiful, clean, and quiet. The restaurant had really amazing breakfast and I *really* miss some of the dishes, but the one time we tried dinner was disappointing. I ordered a vodka pasta that lacked any kind of flavor at all, the penne was overcooked and a bit mushy, and the sauce was soupy. Our server was missing for over 20 minutes once the food arrived, but a busser eventually came over and asked if we needed anything. We asked for parmesan and red pepper flakes, but we never received it and we never saw him again. We also tried ordering room service one night, but our order had issues with every single thing except for one item. And I'm not exaggerating, I really mean every single thing. We ordered two cocktails, truffle fries with ranch, extra plates and utensils, and a dessert. One of the cocktails was not what we had ordered. The 'truffle' fries came and they were just plain fries but also incredibly soggy and old, and we did not receive ranch. They also did not give us the extra plates and utensils requested. The dessert came fine, though the spoons that they gave were visibly dirty so we did not use them. We called room service and asked them to bring plates, new silverware, and ranch, so they brought just plates and silverware but still no ranch.. My partner was fed up at this point and decided to go to the lobby and ask for it, and I was surprised to hear that they told him to go back to the room and they would send someone to deliver the ranch. That wouldn't ordinarily be a big problem, but the ranch did not show up until about 15 minutes later, so it was honestly unneeded at that point. The last issue we had was an issue with our bill, which was never corrected to this day. We had free breakfast every morning, but on the last morning our server mistakenly marked it as a lunch, causing a $90 charge for something that should have been free or nearly free. I've sent three or four emails and made three phone calls, but they were all unanswered except for one of the phone calls. The host informed me that she would check in with the manager and I should receive a call or email back, but I never did. Although the property was extremely beautiful and I really enjoyed taking some walks around it, those issues kinda ruined it for me, especially for the price of this hotel. Before realizing the issue with my bill, I was open to staying here another time and giving them another chance, but after being completely ignored about it, I definitely would not come back. If you do decide to stay here though, I would 100% review your bill before you leave. If you notice an issue when you get home, good luck being able to get a hold of anyone."

A Tripadvisor traveler review

Jun 05, 2026

"Special shout out to Alec Foster, the general manager of the restaurant, who made our meal experience extra special. I will be back… for sure… and am excited at the renovations to be made."

A Tripadvisor traveler review

May 11, 2026

Guest photos

Guest photo
Guest photo
Guest photo
Guest photo
Guest photo

+135

Reviews and certain descriptive content powered by

Policies

El Encanto, Santa Barbara | Best Design-Driven Stays in Santa Barbara, CA