“Weekend in Santa Barbara.”
Just saying it,or even hearing the phrase, gives one an almost imperceptible swoon as you envision seagulls over the water, dining on Stearns Wharf or at an outdoor cafe on State Street.
Don’t make me say “laid-back lifestyle,” but with a rich California history and mission architecture, Santa Barbara, like similar beach towns, seems almost on vacation every day. And yet it bustles with its own unique energy most days.
Until Annos Pandemica.
In the midst of an Omicron surge on a cool January Saturday night, State Street was an eerie ghost town, with few strolling the streets and bollards at every intersection directing auto traffic away. We opted to eat in our hotel. State Street was just too sad.
Sunday bloomed sunny and warm, and scores returned to the wharf, watching the fishermen, posing for selfies, and perusing artists along Cabrillo Boulevard. After a full afternoon of it all, we headed for our second hotel of the weekend, the Palihouse.
Situated on a mostly quiet street in the town’s Historic Presidio Neighborhood, the Palihouse holds 24 funky chic guest rooms and suites, built around a Mediterranean-style courtyard, a pool area and a garden café, cocktail bar and lobby lounge.
Our large smartly appointed room featured a sitting room, a stocked mini-bar fridge, and overlooked the pool from a cozy balcony. A housekeeping employee brought chairs to our spot in the sky, and life paused for the late afternoon.
The room itself was chicly appointed with a host of cool details, which are the mark of a cool hotel—from the Marshall bluetooth speaker and the couch set at the foot of the king-size bed in front of the large TV screen. Coffee table photo books also sat on shelves and coffee tables, offering alternatives to the TV that would never be watched.
They call their room design “Vintage Preppy meets American-Riviera.” Okay. That works for us.
We giggled, meanwhile, at the open window alongside the bathtub which opened onto a view of the room, gazing out onto the sitting area. Funny way to have a conversation, but let’s try.
When dinner time arrived, we couldn’t bear the thought of leaving our delightful little hideaway, and an hour later, an Oober/DingDash/DinDin Guy showed up with Thai food. Seated around the mid-70s cocktail table and chairs, we set a very stylish paper flatware table, and as far as we could determine, no one had it better than us that evening.
When the moon rose, we slept like children on the first night of summer, in a bed that was cruelly comfortable.
The Palihouse is in the middle of it all, and far away from it. As all hotels really should be. Hurry summer.
Palihouse Santa Barbara, 915 Garden Street. Santa Barbara, CA 93101. 805 564 4700. www.palisociety.com.
