Smart Meetings

It’s magenta bougainvillea, coral hibiscus and white sand beaches. It’s the rustling palm trees lining the broad boulevard along the waterfront. There’s the backdrop of bright-stone mountains that sweep down, nearly to the sea. Homes tucked into the crags of the mountains’ foothills are reached by twisting narrow roads seemingly made for a sports car rallye, each switchback yielding an even lovelier view. And the grand 19th-century Belle Époque villas, with windows shaded by cream canvas awnings, are secure behind intricate wrought-iron gates.

The celebrated dine with the affluent, serenaded by fountains in the city’s outdoor restaurants. Santa Barbara Airport (SBA; flysba.com), the charming, quaint and remarkably stress-free airport north of town is your first taste of what’s to come. Prettier than the one in Nice, it has a red-tile roof and thick, white stucco walls adorned with hand-painted tiles reminiscent of an old hacienda. Locals only have to sweep into the terminal about a half hour before their departing flights, according to Shannon Turner Brooks, director of communications for the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission (santabarbaraCA.com); that’s how easy it is.

The spell is never broken because Santa Barbara is about aesthetic beauty. “There are no neon signs and no billboards in the city limits,” notes Brooks. And always there’s the backdrop of mountains. “At sunset, there is this magic hour when they’re purple.”

State Street, the city’s main avenue, runs northward for miles from the waterfront, right through downtown Santa Barbara, all very walkable. The hub is up and down both sides of the street near the 1920s El Paseo. With its open-air courtyards and meandering walkways, it claims the distinction of being the first shopping “mall” in South-ern California.

Paseo Nuevo (sbmall.com), directly across the street, is El Paseo’s stylistic 17-year-old descendent, anchored by Nordstrom and Macy’s and 80 other shops and restaurants.

Outside on State Street, you’ll find cafés, more shops, hidden paseos (or walkways), and the bougainvillea, the fountains and architectural details, the tiled benches along the street, the wrought iron grills and hanging lanterns that characterize the whole area.

PLAYTIME

Many of Santa Barbara’s outdoor activities take place on the water. There’s the profound experience of watching the whales cavort as they migrate past the nearby Channel Islands. There you’ll also find extraordinary coves and inlets to explore in a kayak. Closer to land you can arrange a reception and dinner cruise on the 85-foot Channel Cat catamaran (channelcatcharters.com). Or plan a sailing regatta, racing in tiny fleets, one afternoon, and schedule surfing lessons, the next.

Wine figures prominently into the locale’s offerings, as well. In downtown Santa Barbara, wine-tasting goes full bore on the Urban Wine Trail, tracking the city’s own winemakers. Also right in town, you can even learn how to paint with wine at Artiste.

But travel 30 miles north of Santa Barbara and you’ll find Sideways country, the glorious Santa Ynez Valley. Tour organic wineries and go behind the scenes for wine-blending seminars.

Brooks also suggests that you arrange for your group to learn how to eat like a Locovore, i.e., locally and sustainably. “Go to the harbor, buy fresh fish at the fisherman’s market. Go to the farmers market on Saturday and pick up some vegetables, cheese and bread and then do a cooking class in a historic estate. Or go to Fairview Gardens in Goleta; it’s the oldest organic farm in Southern California,” she says, warming to the subject. “It’s a fresh farm produce stand, and you can take tours of the property, plus they have cooking facilities.” You get to dine on your creations afterward.

Santa Barbara has just begun its own First Thursdays program, featuring in-gallery artist receptions and live music from 5–8 p.m. The first one was a month ago and it was very successful. Brooks says it will now run monthly.

Architectural tours abound: the traditional Red Tile tour focuses on the best of the city’s Spanish Colonial-inspired buildings. There’s a green building tour, and also opportunities to stroll through some of the area’s gracious estates like the Casa del Herrero (casadelherrero.com).

Incidentally, there’s a fascinating pocket guide, produced for the CVB by Lonely Planet, to Santa Barbara’s movie locales. Moviemaking started here in 1912, so there are myriad opportunities for movie-themed tours.

FAVORED VENUES

Among the many unique spots for gathering in town are the The Santa Barbara Bowl (sbbowl.com); The Arlington and The Lobero (lobero.com) theaters; the classically beautiful Music Academy of the West (musicacademy.org); and The Santa Barbara Zoo (santabarbarazoo.org), called “The zoo with the view.” The wonderful courtyard at the Santa Barbara Historical Society Museum (santabarbaramuseum.com) and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (sbbg.org) are other favorites.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Ty Warner Sea Center (sbnature.org) on Stearns Wharf at the end of State Street has been polished with a major renovation and is perfect for smaller group evening events. The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (sbmm.org), near the yacht harbor, is another waterfront option. And the 1911 Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (sbpolo.com) can arrange golf-cart polo.

LARGER MEETING PROPERTIES

Minus a convention center, Santa Barbara’s largest group property is the waterfront Fess Parker’s DoubleTree Resort (fpdtr.com), with 360 rooms and 44,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Bacara Resort & Spa (bacararesort.com), with the same room count, offers 22,550 sq. ft. The Hotel Andalucia (andaluciasb.com) is a very stylish boutique hotel right in town. Hotel Mar Monte, the former Radisson (hotelmarmonte.com), has 173 rooms on the bay.

Smaller groups will appreciate the homey ambience of The Upham Hotel (countryhousemeetings.com). Looking forward, the beloved El Encanto Hotel & Garden Villas (elencantohotel.com)—now an Orient-Express property—will be reopening in early 2008 after a stunning renovation. There’s also the sunny 86-room Harbor View Inn (harborviewinnsb.com), located within easy walking distance of Stearns Wharf. It just added a new wing, and is now set to update its original rooms.

El Capitan Canyon (elcapitancanyon.com), north of downtown, offers a unique retreat ambience with its 100 cedar cabins and Hemmingway-esque, fully furnished safari tents…by the beach.

Fifteen minutes’ drive south of Santa Barbara’s downtown is the village of Montecito. There the ultra-luxurious Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara (fourseasons.com/santabarbara/) overlooks Butterfly Beach. Not far from the Biltmore is the seaside Miramar, which dates from the 1870s. After being closed since 2000 and with a transfer of ownership in January, the property will begin a total renovation over the next few years. Hidden away in the hills and perfect for a cosseting executive retreat is Montecito’s San Ysidro Ranch (sanysidroranch), with individual cottages amid exquisite gardens with ocean views. This is Santa Barbara’s version of the Hotel Bel-Air.

DINING

When in Santa Barbara, dine like the natives, with seafood from the harbor, farm-fresh produce served with the area’s renowned wine. As the CVB’s Brooks counsels, “It’s good for you; it’s good for the environment.” She cites Bouchon Santa Barbara as an example of Santa Barbara County’s own wine-country cuisine, strictly farm-to-table with the much-honored local wines from Santa Ynez, Lompoc and Santa Maria Valley.

Other restaurants that welcome groups include the Wine Cask, in El Paseo, and Cafe Buenos Aires, with Argentinean cuisine and an outdoor patio with fireplaces. The Palace Grill has a Cajun-Creole menu and a lively ambience to go with it. The Bella Vista at the Four Seasons Biltmore is a more formal option.

AFTER HOURS

SOhO Restaurant and Music Club has live music nightly. Brookes calls the Wildcat Lounge the most clubby. It’s the most popular with locals for nightclub atmosphere. Sevilla’s bar is welcoming and intimate and Indochine is a cabaret-style nightclub.

WHEN TO GO

Santa Barbara’s busy season is June through September, with the Old Spanish Days Fiesta (oldspanishdays-fiesta.org) in the first five days of August as the busiest. May and June tend to be foggy. And the summer usually heats up by July. The best weather is September through November, with October as an especially delightful time to come for clear skies. The temperatures are generally pleasant through November when there are lower rates, fewer crowds.

But you can occasionally get spectacular days, with clear views of the Channel Islands, even in January. I hold one New Year’s Day lunch, under palm trees at a restaurant on the beach—a panorama of a calm sea and the Channel Islands before me—as one of the sweetest and sunniest I ever enjoyed.

For additional inspiring ideas, you can order the CVB’s very current meeting planner guide; it came fresh off the press two weeks ago.

Getting There