Santa Barbara hotels collection

Santa Barbara turns its back on the mountains and faces the sea due south: the Santa Ynez range runs parallel to the coast. When an earthquake brought down the centre, between the wars, the city chose to rebuild to a single design: thick walls of white stucco, red tiles, arcades, and pedestrian passages known as paseos. The courthouse carries the exercise as far as painted tiles brought from Tunisia. The Mission keeps its two sandstone bell towers and its fountain. From the courthouse tower, the rule can be checked at a glance: one tiled roof after another, down to the water.