This Beachy New Santa Barbara Hotel Is Giving Us All the Spring Wanderlust
We’re so over the winter, and this Drift is giving us all the dreamy vibes.
Photo courtesy of Drift Hotels
The winter weather just won’t let up here in Southern California, and it definitely has us dreaming of sunnier skies. Thankfully, Drift Santa Barbara is giving us all sorts of inspo for spring and summer travel with the opening of their design-forward restoration of a traditional 1920s building in the heart of Downtown. Local architecture firm ANACAPA brought the minimalist, modern space to life while keeping its Mediterranean architectural bones in mind, and it’s totally swoon-worthy.
Erin Feinblatt
Drift sits in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara on State Street’s 10-block pedestrian-only promenade and is within walking distance of West Beach, Alameda Park, and our personal favorite, The Funk Zone, where you can enjoy wine tasting, quirky local artisan shops, microbreweries, distilleries, and all sorts of delicious restaurants.
Erin Feinblatt
If you’d rather do a true staycation and hang out on-property, Drift has two of its own eateries on the first floor, Dawn and Dusk. Dawn is a bright and airy daytime cafe inspired by SoCal surf culture, serving local pastries and savory house-baked treats. Dusk, the evening offering, has plenty of agave-based cocktails including the Picante Amante, made with pink peppercorn tequila blanco, mezcal, prickly pear, lime and habanero, as well as non-alcoholic libations to go with Baja style classics like ceviche and fish tacos.
Erin Feinblatt
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The design at Drift is on-point, too, right down to the bathrooms. Each of the rooms is adorned with local artwork from Will Adler and Anacapa Ceramics, giving things a subdued sense of place. In the Penthouse Suite you’ll find floor-to-ceiling windows and an outdoor lounge and fire pit overlooking State Street, the Santa Ynez Mountain Range, and the Santa Barbara coast.
Erin Feinblatt
If you can manage to pull yourself from these swoon-worthy beds, the hotel also offers complimentary experiences and amenities like yoga classes, longboards and racks, and Dutch-style city bikes by PUBLIC.
This is the second opening for Drift after their hip San José del Cabo property, with plans to expand into Palm Springs, California; and Nashville, Tennessee in 2023. We can’t wait to see what comes next.
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