Santa Barbara, CA

We stayed at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort which is directly across the street from East Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The location really can’t be beat if you enjoy being close to the Ocean and being able to walk or bike along the bike path or walk to area restaurants. The hotel hosts many functions and weddings. There were several being held while we were there. The rooms are a good size and each room has a balcony or patio. The pool is large and the area has a small bar serving drinks during the day. There is a jacuzzi as well. In addition there is a bar and restaurant serving food and drinks. One evening we had a charcuterie and a couple of glasses of wine which made the perfect light meal.

Included in the resort fee is a daily bike rental for 2 hours. It was nice that it wasn’t an extra fee for the bikes and we got our money’s worth. Overall we really enjoyed staying here and recommend it for anyone visiting the area. No, we don’t get any money from Hilton for saying that and this is not a sponsored post. We try to be honest in our reviews.

Click above image to visit the Hilton Website

We splurged to stay at this hotel, the hotel's location was a big plus, the beach was just across the street and perhaps 200 yards from Stearns Wharf.

Mission Santa Barbara was established on December 4, 1786 by Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen (1736 - 1803), and was the tenth of the 21 California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. So this Mission is not part of the Junipero Serra mission construction efforts, as he passed away in 1784.

Today the Mission operations include a museum, gift shop, cemetery and mausoleum, and several historic gardens, as well as being the home to a community of Franciscan Friars on about 15 acres. The Mission is also home base for Saint Barbara Parish, which operates under the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library, a separate Franciscan-sponsored non-profit, and a training center which provides the first year of education for Friars from across the United States.

Built in 2000, this concrete skate park in Santa Barbara serves both locals and tourists. Next to West Beach and Chase Palm Park, the 14,600-square-foot concrete park features ledges, rails, hips, quarterpipes, banks, a “taco” bowl, and pyramid. Admission is free, and helmets are required. Since skating is illegal in many parts of town this is a popular spot for local kids and draws attention from passers-by.

We came across this park as we were exploring our way to West Beach, and we stopped to watch some skaters have fun. Note that it has its own free parking lot. One of the more inspiring things about this park, is that the design came from Mike Taylor at Powell Skateboards nd different local pros like Sammy Baptista. Apparently, Shorty’s clothing company donated funds for the construction, and team manager George Nagai was also involved with the project. The location has to be one of the better ones ever chosen for a skatepark in California.

If you examine a map of Santa Barbara, you will see that there are 4 main beaches; Farthest east is Butterfly Beach, central to our hotel is East Beach separated from West Beach by the Marina and Stearns Wharf. Leadbetter Beach occupies the West Beach area.

There is quite a bit of free parking available for East Beach, but locals will tell you that it goes fast on a nice day. Parking is also allowed along Cabrillo Boulevard, and there is a parking lot near the marina & Stearns Wharf.

Click here for a complete description of activities & amenities at both East & West Beaches.

One of Santa Barbara's main attractions is the Cabrillo Boulevard bike path. It connects Leadbetter Beach and Shoreline Park to Butterfly beach in Montecito. It passes by Stearns Wharf which is the perfect place to stop and eat lunch or get your tourist shirts. It's perfect for families as it's completely paved and flat. If you are staying at the Hilton you can get your bikes there and head out. If not there are numerous places to rent from in the area.

This section of East Beach (directly across from the Hilton) has two trails, one near Cabrillo Boulevard and the other just before the sand area of the beach. Image # 1 shows how large the grassy area is, and there are occasional events or festival within this area. In fact, there was a 5k being held along Cabrillo Blvd the second day of our visit.

Images 2 & 3 show Stearns Wharf in the near distance, where you can find several restaurants. The wharf is a good location for pictures of Santa Barbara & East Beach.

Image # 2 also shows you the bicycle path as it proceeds west towards Santa Barbara Harbor and Leadbetter Beach.

NOTE: Click here to view a complete list of the Santa Barbara bicycle trails.