Summer is the best time to leave Phoenix--the weather is beautiful just about everywhere else in North America, but well over 100 in the Valley of the Sun. This year I decided to follow the lead of others and escape to a beach in California. I'd never been to Santa Barbara, so I decided to check out the city. A little research led to the discovery that I could redeem Hilton points for a property right across from the water. The hotel was called The Fess Parker when I booked my trip, but the name changed to Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort by the time I stayed. With the change having taken place only a few months prior to my visit, there were still some temporary signs and the gift shop had discounted Fess Parker merchandise. I'm not sure what renovations went along with the name change, but the place was stunning. Even the elevator was ornate. And despite no longer being branded The Fess Parker, there are still pictures honoring the actor throughout the main level.
Before my arrival I called the hotel to get details on the free airport shuttle (the shuttle also goes to the Amtrak station) that runs 5am-9pm. The person who answered the phone took my flight information and assured me the shuttle would be there. It was! I was greeted by name with a bottle of water. The driver told me a bit about the area as we made the quick drive to the hotel. Everyone at the hotel also greeted me by name and made me feel incredibly welcome. The lobby was absolutely gorgeous with plenty of plush chairs and sofas.
Off one of the corridors were a couple of computers for guest use as well as an ATM.
I expected to leave my bag at the desk as I'd arrived well before check-in time, but was instead told that my King Bed Mountain View was upgraded to a Partial Ocean View and was ready for me. My stay was booked with points, so that eliminated the resort fee; it also apparently eliminated my receiving a glass of house wine that's a part of the resort fee though I was given two bottles of water at check-in.
My room on the second floor of the main building (which is where the adjoining rooms are) was quite large, but fairly standard hotel fare. The bed, sofa (which pulled out for an additional bed), and armchair were all comfortable.
Two bottles of wine and an opener were on the table next to the armchair; there was a charge, of course, if the bottles were opened.
There were also two bottles of water that could be purchased for an outrageous $7/bottle plus a coffee maker (fortunately, the coffee and tea were free).
Additionally there was a desk/chair combo and a dresser with a TV on top. The TV was set to be viewed from the sofa. It wasn't on a swivel stand, so I had to angle it myself to see it from the bed. The dresser contained a small safe and a mini-fridge. It would've been nice to have a microwave to heat up my leftover food, but I was glad for the mini-fridge.
While I found the view to be more pool than ocean, the sizeable balcony was great to sit on.
I had two chairs and a small table on the relatively private balcony. I could hear guests at the pool if I left the sliding glass door open, but it was pretty quiet with the door closed.
What I really appreciated was the number of easily accessible outlets--both bathroom sinks (there was one sink outside the shower/toilet area) had outlets and the four lamps (two of which were on the bedside tables) had them as well plus the alarm clock had two USB ports. And speaking of the bathroom, I loved that the mirror in the shower section had light all around. Otherwise the bathroom, which had a shower (no tub), had the standard Hilton shampoo/conditioner/lotion/soap along with a hair dryer. In the bathroom area there was a closet with hangers, an iron and ironing board, and an extra pillow and blanket.
One complaint (other than the lack of a swivel TV stand) was the touchscreen control for the air conditioning. It took me a moment to figure out that it was the control for air, especially since it was partially hidden by a lamp. After I was settled, I walked around the property to see where the Mountain View rooms were. The mountains were pretty, but the rooms primarily look at the parking lot and other buildings so I was more than pleased with my upgrade.
With my gold status at Hilton, I was entitled to a continental breakfast each morning at The Roundhouse. Each morning I gave my last name and room number to the hostess who gave me a cardboard ticket to "pay" for my breakfast.
The continental breakfast buffet consisted of the standards: fruit, yogurt, pastries, cereal, and oatmeal (plus warm, watery cottage cheese that I only took a bite of). The menu indicated the price was $21 which would've been quite overpriced. The Roundhouse offers the opportunity to upgrade the standard buffet to one that includes eggs and meats or one can order breakfast foods like omelets, but I stuck with my free meal.
The Roundhouse, which had seating both indoors and out, was the only one of the resort's restaurants that disappointed me. The food just wasn't that great, especially for the price. I'm glad I didn't pay anything extra for it.
I had an excellent cheese plate at Rodney's Grill and a variety of great food (and drinks!) at The Set. The service at all three was excellent.
Another great part of this resort is the wine tasting room (which is closed on Mondays). The tasting room features 16 different Santa Barbara wines (the wines rotate, so check the menu). Some were low-end and some were high-end, but all were wonderful. My favorite was The Big Easy. By doing the wine tasting you can get a discount on a bottle or a meal at Rodney's Grill.
Not being much of an athletic person, I didn't use the tennis courts or the bicycles available to rent.
The pool got some use--it was never too crowded. One nice feature of the pool was a private shower that can only be accessed by hotel key card.
Another amenity I never make use of is the gym. To my surprise though, plenty of other hotel guests were using it when I peeked in. It's much larger than the hotel gyms I usually see--this one had multiple machines. I did consider having a spa service, but in the end, ran out of time. The pedicure area looked really nice though.
For parking, the hotel offers self and valet with charges on both. If someone is traveling via an electric vehicle, they're in luck because there's a number of charging stations. And if you're renting a car, there is a car rental desk in the lobby.
