The Biltmore and the American Riviera

Across from Butterfly Beach in Montecito stands the resort that helped define Santa Barbara's reputation as the American Riviera. The Biltmore opened in nineteen twenty seven as part of the famous Bowman Biltmore hotel chain, arriving just as the city was rebuilding itself in Spanish Colonial style. Designed by the architect Reginald Johnson with gardens by Ralph Stevens, its white stucco walls, red tile roofs, and arched colonnades set a standard of seaside elegance that California resorts have been chasing ever since.

For most of a century the hotel has been a discreet playground for Hollywood stars and the very wealthy, part of the Montecito world of hidden estates, ocean views, and privacy. In more recent years it has operated as the Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore Santa Barbara. It closed during the pandemic in the spring of two thousand twenty and, after a long stretch of uncertainty and renovation, has been set to reopen.

Whatever its ownership, the Biltmore remains the physical symbol of the resort era that turned this stretch of coast, with its mild weather and mountain backdrop, into one of the most coveted addresses in the country.