Santa Barbara - with $$ and without
Written: Jun 13 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Food, Happy Hours, Beaches, weather, atmosphere, walkable
Cons: Cost, ton o tourist, people from LA
|
|
|
| BootsnAll's Full Review: Santa Barbara |
Santa Barbara California is a favorite vacation spot for thousands of people every year. The sun, reliable climate and good food make it a well-known location, but what kind of vacation is Santa Barbara best suited to? Well, I feel that Santa Barbara is a great city to visit and party in if you have some money. I wouldn't classify it as a budget travelers haven.
There are over 450 restaurants in Santa Barbara, you name it and you'll probably find it somewhere on State St. Its very tempting to walk along late in the afternoon and smell those mussels boiling, or seafood sizzling in garlic. The number of places with outdoors dining is huge and its amazing easily you can be drawn in. This is definitely a double-edged sword. You can go through a ton of cash and with sales tax your money slips effortlessly through your fingers.
So who is Santa Barbara most suited to for a vacation? Let's be honest. It's no fun being in a beautiful place, if you've not got the money to enjoy what's on offer. Business people often come from the East Coast as well as folks from LA for the weekend, to escape the rat race and enjoy a mellower place. With great hotels all in easy reach of the beach and downtown, as well as a ton of bars, it's a good time guaranteed. Often times you'll see rather large visitors from these hotels lounge around in thongs all afternoon with no other intention other than getting sun burned. It can be very funny to watch people turn into lobsters.
On a Budget
Is there anything that less well off folks can do? With the good weather Santa Barbara definitely encourages one to get outside. There are plenty of good beaches with volleyball nets, barbeque pits and other opportunities for outdoor entertainment. Local outrigger canoe clubs invite outsiders to join in their training sessions and get out into the waves for some action.
Take a ride up San Marcos Pass and off to the right a couple of miles up is a place called Red Rocks. Only locals go here. It is a series of water holes that are fed by the local reservoir, Lake Cachuma. With the sun beating down on the barren rocks it can get up near 90 degrees. Contrast that to the cold crystal clear water that flows through and you will get an idea of the unique place this is. Drag a cooler of beer up there, but try get someone else to drive back and you are set for a mellow afternoon.
Festivals abound some of the best include Summer Solstice complete with alternative parade, La Fiesta, a celebration of old Spanish days, St Patrick's Day and 4th of July. The parades are all free and with the town being small, it's easy to enjoy the atmosphere.
For those not having the money to stay at the Biltmore, there is always the Banana Bungalow located on Ortega St. The Banana Bungalow is a Hostel located in the heart of Santa Barbara for only $15 buck per night. It is the one place that you can stay at in Santa Barbara and not spend a fortune.
There are many lunch specials available on weekdays and happy hour specials on various nights of the week. Happy hour is traditionally between 4 and 7pm. You'll probably meet a lot of yuppies at happy hour trying to impress the locals. It can be quite fun to watch the "pick-up scene".
My impression is that Santa Barbara is a fantastic place if you've got the cash to enjoy it. It can be done on a small budget, but is much better with a pocket full of money.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
BootsnAll
|
|
Member: Sean Keener
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 4 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.