Best Airbnb in Santa Barbara: 5 Romantic Things Just Minutes Away

Looking for the best Airbnb in Santa Barbara? If you’re like us, every so often you just need to shake things up. Or at the very least,  a new setting for all those daily Zoom meetings. There are some days that I don’t even leave my bedroom. I’m pretty sure that counts as negative steps! My husband Kevin and I just love Santa Barbara and its proximity to wine country. And finding a comfy Airbnb in Santa Barbara will make that next trip even more special.

For years, Santa Barbara was a regular getaway destination (eh hem, before the twins arrived!). We were long overdue to come back, reconnect and experience it once again. So we packed up our bags, our swim suits and headed 1.5 hours north by car to explore “The American Riviera” (aka, Santa Barbara, nicknamed for its idyllic seaside setting).

There is no shortage of romantic things to do — all within minutes of your Airbnb in Santa Barbara. In this latest post, we’ll share our favorite Airbnb in Santa Barbara as well as the top 5 romantic things to do. And no, none of these picks will involve any form of a Zoom call!

Best Airbnb in Santa Barbara: Your Home Away From Home

Since COVID hit, we’ve traveled a lot, doing everything from a week-long cross country road trip to Florida to see our family to countless weekends at Joshua Tree National Park, one of our new favorite vacations spots in California. We’ve done Airbnb for just about all of these trips. Now that we have kids, it’s important to have extra space as well as a kitchen to prepare food at home. Plus, it’s a good way to keep your social distance. We want to keep the kids as healthy as possible.

This downtown charmer in the heart of Santa Barbara has it all. This past year alone, we’ve stayed in 25 Airbnbs. That is an insane numbers, especially since we NEVER did Airbnb before COVID. But we can say that this home topped them all — based off the care that the host put into the space. It was immaculately clean, walkable to all of the action and had a big backyard for our dog, Doug, to run around (or let’s face it, mostly just lounge around in the sun all day).

The home has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large modern kitchen, a gated yard and plenty of space for the family to stretch out. It was exactly what we needed. It runs on the higher cost of places we’ve stayed, starting at $294 a night. But we felt like it was worth it. You can make reservations by clicking here.

And to top it off, the home is  just minutes away from all of Santa Barbara’s most romantic things to do. Here are our top 5 picks.

5. Feel Inspired by Hiking to Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point is a beautiful hike that is very popular with locals. For that reason, we recommend starting this hike as early as possible in order to score a parking spot. Otherwise, be prepared to make a long and very steep climb before you even reach the trailhead. We managed to find a spot about a half mile away. So yeah, we started off with a schlep before even hitting the trail.

This is a heart-pounding 3.5 mile, out and back trail. And as you guessed, it takes you up a mountain to get some incredible views. Who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired? We can tell you that we were at least out of breath. Though, that doesn’t have quit the same ring as “Inspiration Point,” right?

It is a pretty straight forward trail. Though, we do recommend following along on the All Trails app. The main reason? There is a very tricky turn off, a sharp left, that is about halfway through the hike. More than likely, you’ll find other hikers on this trail so just follow them if you don’t have the map. The All Trails App, particularly the real-time map tracker, helps keep our motivation up. After all, we love to know when we’re almost done. That’s our inspiration — paired with a post-hike brunch.

4. Go on an Urban Adventure Quest

Love solving clues? Ever think you’d just kill it on The Amazing Race? Or just kill each other? Well, luckily Kevin and I make good travel partners and know our strengths. Let’s just say, he’s in charge of the map (while I take the photos!). We first discovered Urban Adventure Quest while visiting Paso Robles and looking for things other than just wine tasting.

Urban Adventure Quest is a 3-hour scavenger hunt, part walking tour that’s mixed with puzzles and clues showing you the city’s most famous landmarks. The time will fly by as you work together as a team to figure out each clue. Best of all? It’s easy to work this activity into any schedule.

There is no official starting time — you just purchase the quest (starting at $49 for a team), and choose whenever you want to do it. The only thing you need is a Smart Phone to get each of the clues. A pen and paper is also very handy. The Santa Barbara Urban Adventure Quest has a lot of walking involved. Pre-COVID they recommended hopping on their city shuttle. During our visit, that was no longer in service. In total, it took us over 4 hours to complete. Though, I might have gotten us a LITTLE off track with some side shopping along the way. To sign up for a scavenger hunt, go directly on the Urban Adventure Quest website. Sign up for their newsletter to get special promotions. They also offer military discounts if you call them.

3. Eat Your Way Through “Little Denmark” in Solvang, Calif.

Driving into Solvang, Calif., located less than 45 minutes by car from Santa Barbara, feels a little like the boat ride from “It’s a Small World” at Disneyland. At any moment, I nearly expected a Scandinavian singer to pop out from one of the Danish-style homes that line the street.

I have to admit, when I first came to Solvang a few years back, I was underwhelmed. But the tiny Scandinavian-inspired village has embraced the COVID restrictions, and is thriving. To our surprise, we really enjoyed our time here just wandering around and sampling it’s many bakeries.

Before you leave, you’ll need to treat yourself to its most famous dessert, the Aebleskiver. Think of it more as a pancake topped with powdered sugar and raspberry jam.

You’ll find plenty of bakeries around Solvang selling the dish, but the most popular spot is Solvang Restaurant. There will likely be a long line, but it moves quickly. We shared an order and asked for the raspberry jam on the side. An order of Aebleskiver is just $4.25, or you can get it with ice cream for $7.75. Now that’s a steal, compared to the admission at Disney. And you don’t even have to subject yourself to the tune of “It’s a Small World.” Though, I was more than happy to sing it on repeat for Kevin.

2. Stroll Lotusland In The Celebrity Paradise of Montecito

Lotusland has long been on my list of places to explore whenever we visited Santa Barbara. Admission is on the pricier side ($50 per person), which was one of the main reasons we’ve skipped it so many times. But hey, this is Montecito, one of California’s most pricey places where you might just run into Oprah, Katy Perry or Tom Hanks (all of whom own homes here).

The 37-acre Montecito estate was once owned by the late Madame Ganna Walska, a well-known opera singer and socialite. She also was married 6 times, which seems pretty wild by today’s standards. But just think of how scandalous it must have been in the early 1900s.

The madame acquired not just husbands, but a hefty fortune and poured much of this into these gardens. She single-handedly oversaw the creation of the property’s famed Water Garden, where lotus plants continue to bloom every June through September. The Water Garden was originally a swimming pool left behind by the property’s previous owners. However, when the Madame moved in, the pool was a leaky mess and unclean since there was no filtration system. Her solution? Fill the bottom with soil and gravel and make it a garden. It’s stunning even without the lotus in bloom.

Normally, the grounds are seen by guided tours only. However, during COVID, it’s all done by self-guided tours. Or in our case, a special Valentine’s Day picnic, where we were able to enjoy the gardens as well as bring our own picnic spread to enjoy on their lawn.

The place is huge, so if you’re doing a self-guided tour, we recommend prioritizing the top spots including the Japanese Gardens, the Water Garden, the Theater Garden and the Topiary. We personally loved checking out all of the topiary shaped into chess pieces, horses and even a peacock.

Self-guided tours are at 9:15, 9:30 and 9:45 for morning visits and 1:15, 1:30 and 1:45 for afternoon visits. Reservation times are available Thursday through Saturday. All visits require a reservation and they are totally old school, meaning no online reservations. The only way to do it is by calling them at 805-969-9990. I didn’t have any luck getting a person but leave a message and wait for someone to call you back. I’m not used to actually picking up my phone, but knew it was probably Lotusland when I saw the Montecito number coming in. It takes effort to make a reservation and it’s expensive. But we feel like it’s well worth it.

1. Dine Al Fresco on State Street at Opal

We eat out a lot — in fact, we pretty much go out every week while we’re at home in Los Angeles. However, the outdoor dining on State Street in Santa Barbara couldn’t be any more romantic. We recommend reserving one of the outdoor tables at local- favorite Opal. It’s removed from the boisterous bar scene found on lower State Street. Yet, still has plenty of action to watch from your table.

On one of our very first visits to Santa Barbara, over a decade ago, we came to Opal for my special birthday dinner. The place hasn’t changed much over the years, but that’s a good thing. It was the comfort that these two dads needed. Oh, and maybe some creme brulee and cheesecake for dessert.

Sometimes it’s just the simple things in life — time away from the kids to reconnect and talk. The food is pretty delicious, too. Reservations are highly recommended, especially if dining over a holiday or the weekend. Reservations can be made on OpenTable or by calling the restaurant directly at 805-966-9676.

Looking for more ideas of things to do in Santa Barbara? Check out our weekend guide on some inexpensive ideas for a Santa Barbara getaway. Enjoy wine country? You’re just minutes away from Santa Barbara’s best as well as Paso Robles’ wine country where we’ve outlined the best wineries and things to do.