Luxury Travel Advisor - January 2008 - (Page 34) DELUXE FIREPLACE guest HOTELS rooms overlook the resort’s pool, gardens or courtyard. Photo by Peter Vitale/ Four Seasons FOUR SEASONS The Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore Santa Barbara (www. fourseasons.com/santabarbara) in 2006 underwent a massive renovation to restore it to its original grandeur. Here is our insider’s report on the top rooms at the property, which sits across from Santa Barbara’s tranquil Butterfly Beach, where you might spy the occasional celebrity. We suggest booking clients in Deluxe Fireplace rooms, which are peppered throughout the resort and feature gas fireplaces and overlook the resort’s pool, gardens or courtyard. Tip: Best to book are rooms 300, 306, 332, 721 and 725. Note: In some rooms, guests can hear the nearby Amtrak train come through. We didn’t find it an intrusion, but the hotel provides earplugs. The Escala Suite is popular among bridal parties, and the one-bedroom Anacapa Suite is the only one with ocean views and its own driveway, making it a favorite with privacy-seeking VIPs. All rooms are pet friendly. By far, The Biltmore’s most lavish accommodations are the Ty Warner Cottage (named after the hotel’s owner; we hear Tom Cruise once stayed here). The cottage is secluded, but also easily accessible; large plants and shuttered windows shield the 1,000-square-foot space from one of The Biltmore’s common areas, the Monte Vista Lawn. (Note: The train also runs behind the cottage.) Inside, your VIPs will find two fireplaces, a kitchen and two and a half baths. Two connecting rooms can turn the suite into a two- or three-bedroom space; the outdoor patio can accommodate 40 people for a gathering, 25 for a sit-down dinner. For VIPs, agents in the eastern U.S. should contact Drew Clarke (andrew.clarke@fourseasons. com; 805-565-8244), FIT sales manager; in the western U.S., contact FIT Sales Manager Ashleigh Rettmann (ashleigh. rettmann@fourseasons.com; 805-565-8243). The Biltmore’s Spa has 11 treatment rooms, four of which are suites. Treatments focus on ingredients indigenous to the surrounding wine country, such SANTA BARBARA as the Grape De Vine grape seed body scrub and the Chardonnay Clay Body Wrap. Insiders say no advance booking is necessary; contact Spa Director Jaana Roth (jaana.roth@fourseasons.com; 805-565-8269) for assistance in selecting pampering treatments for your client. We recommend snagging a complimentary bike from the spa’s accompanying fitness center; during the hotel’s high season, April through October, it’s best to reserve bikes in advance. The hotel provides route maps organized by activity level. Tip: Pedaling or lacing up one’s running shoes is a great way to see Stearns Wharf. Go early to scout out shopping on State Street minus the crowds. —Jennifer Merritt 34 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | January 2008 http://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara http://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara
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