Luxury Hotel · USA
Belmond El Encanto
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At a glance
Belmond El Encanto is a luxury hotel in Santa Barbara that overlooks the Channel Islands. It’s roughly a 90-minute drive from LA and 10-minutes from Santa Barbara. The centre of Santa Barbara is a short walk away. The hotel is in a quiet, tranquil setting. You’ll see the Pacific Ocean as you step into the lobby.
There’s a decent gym, an infinity pool, a spa with seven treatment rooms and all the amenities you’d expect. Belmond El Encanto is something of a historic hotel and it’s welcomed some very illustrious guests, including FDR and Clark Gable.
It’s proximity to Tinseltown made it an inevitable favourite among the Holywood elite. The aesthetic of the hotel combines Spanish colonial style with a Californian twist.
Belmond El Encanto opened in 1918 and it’s been a California favourite ever since. You could imagine parties worthy of The Great Gatsby taking place here.
Highlights
- Historic Santa Barbara hotel
- Overlooks The Pacific
- Central Santa Barbara is easily accessible
Accommodation
Rooms
There are 92 rooms are suites spread out over manicured gardens. Each bungalow is private – some come with private gardens and some with direct ocean views.
The decor is chic and done in a fairly timeless style. Rooms are furnished with cream green and beige colors.
Suites And Bungalows
The suited and bungalows make for the ideal retreat. All have king-sized beds and a separate living area with a fireplace. An ideal place to unwind after you’ve spent the day exploring Santa Barbara.
Further information
Food And Drink
The restaurant has a large terrace. The food is excellent – seafood is the speciality. Sweeping views of the American Rivera make for a very satisfying dining experience.
Executive Chef Johan Denizot presides over a tight ship. Sometimes he hosts The Wine Masters Dinner Series and serves food sourced from local producers and wine from a local winery.
Wellness
The Spa at El Encanto is a boutique full-service spa, with treatments running from deep-tissue massage and facials to aromatherapy and hydrotherapy. There is a 24-hour fitness center and a separate studio with daily classes, including yoga, plus a sauna. The centerpiece is the zero-edge outdoor pool, which looks out over the Pacific from the hillside, with sun loungers and a staffed poolside bar. Much of the wellness here is simply the garden setting and the quiet.
Activities
The hotel is set less than a mile above downtown Santa Barbara, so the city and coast are close. A fleet of electric bikes is free for guests, and the team arranges horseback riding, private sailing charters, and whale-watching. Santa Barbara’s wine country, from the Urban Wine Trail to the Santa Ynez Valley, is an easy day out, and there is golf at Sandpiper and Glen Annie, tennis through the Santa Barbara Tennis Club, and hiking from the hills.
USA
Getting Around The US is best navigated by a combination of air and ground transport. Domestic flights are frequent and reasonably priced, making them the practical choice for covering long distances, particularly between the coasts.
Our Experts
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Frequently asked questions
What does Out Of Office do?
Out Of Office is a luxury LGBTQ+ travel company specialising in tailor-made holidays and extraordinary journeys around the world. We create bespoke luxury holidays, LGBTQ+ honeymoons, safaris, cruises, beach escapes, private tours and group trips, with every itinerary designed around you. Our travel specialists combine global expertise, first-hand destination knowledge and trusted local partners to create seamless, highly personalised experiences.
Is Out Of Office a gay travel agency?
Out Of Office is an LGBTQ+ owned and run luxury travel specialist, with particular expertise in gay and LGBTQ+ travel. We understand the additional considerations that can come with travelling as an LGBTQ+ person or couple, from local laws and customs to finding genuinely welcoming hotels and experiences.
We welcome every traveller, including friends, families and allies. Many of our clients are not members of the LGBTQ+ community, but choose Out Of Office for our luxury travel expertise, personalised service and discretion.
Do you create tailor-made LGBTQ+ holidays?
Yes. Every tailor-made trip with Out Of Office is designed from scratch around your interests, travel style, budget and the way you want to experience a destination. We can arrange luxury hotels, private transfers, flights, guides, excursions, cruises and special experiences as part of one personalised itinerary. The journeys shown on our website are there to inspire you rather than restrict you; only clearly identified group departures operate as fixed itineraries.
How do you choose LGBTQ+ friendly hotels and destinations?
We combine first-hand destination knowledge with trusted local expertise to recommend luxury hotels, resorts and experiences where LGBTQ+ travellers can feel informed and welcome. We also consider the laws, customs and attitudes of each destination, because LGBTQ+ rights and experiences differ around the world. Our team regularly visit many of the properties we work with and where a destination requires greater awareness, we give you clear and considered advice so that you can make an informed decision about where and how you travel.
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For every booking made with Out Of Office we commit to planting trees in your name to help reduce the impact of travel on future generations. You'll even get a link to see where your trees are planted in the world via our partner Ecologi.
We donate to Rainbow Railroad with every booking
Rainbow Railroad helps LGBTQ+ people escape state-sponsored violence and persecution. A donation goes with every trip we sell, funded by us and never added to your price.
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Tell us where you would love to go, when you are thinking of travelling and what kind of trip you have in mind. One of our LGBTQ+ travel specialists will create a tailor-made itinerary designed around your destination, style and preferences.
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