Four Seasons Santa Barbara Biltmore

Ratings: Baby/Child Friendliness: Romance: More about the ratings... Contact Information 1260 Channel Drive Santa Barbara, California 93108 Phone: (805) 969-2261 Fax: (805) 565-8326 www.fourseasons.com

Although Four Seasons hotels have become synonymous with opulence and luxury, most travelers do not realize how hard many of these properties work to cater to their very young guests. The Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara represents a wonderful conglomerate of elegance, child-friendliness, and, yes, romantic possibility.

When I checked into this resort, I was asked about my child by name at the front desk. When I entered my room, not only was it baby-proofed, but a little box was waiting for me with a stuffed Four Season's bear, a fluffy hooded towel, diapers, and a variety of baby accessories such as a baby gel for a bath, baby shampoo, and baby powder. I was able to make myself and Mandalin (then seven months-old) comfortable very easily in this room. The room came with all the comforts a parent traveling with a baby could hope for: a refrigerator for storing breastmilk and baby food; a rocker with a foot stool, perfect for rocking or nursing baby; a comfortable couch overlooking the fireplace, allowing parents to soothe the baby in a very relaxing context; and a radio, set on a classical music station, all creating a warm and calming atmosphere for the baby and the parents upon arrival.

Despite the hotel's snob reputation, I found the staff accommodating, from the front-desk attendants to the clerks in the gift shop. Some rooms (not mine) come with an ocean view. The resort has two complete health clubs with a full-service salon featuring spa treatments. An olympic-size pool overlooks the Pacific Ocean at the resort's private Coral Casino Club. Tee time privileges are available at the nearby Sandpiper Golf Course, Rancho San Marcos, and Glen Annie Golf Club.

The nearby Coast village is a smattering of upscale shops and restaurants where you will find authors, movie stars, and directors eating late breakfasts and quietly walking back to their jaguars. Having spent four years in this village, during my undergraduate years, I can say there has been a lot of turnover, but some of the best restaurants have solidly remained there for year, including Tuttis and the Montecito Cafe. Coast Village is certainly posh, but not highly baby-friendly. Be prepared that the streets do not have stroller or wheelchair access or mini ramps, at least not at the time of my most recent visit.

Many people do not realize that Santa Barbara weather is much more akin to that of Carmel than of, say, San Diego. Advertisers often paint Santa Barbara as a sun-drenched mecca of beautiful people cavorting in halter tops and short shorts. Actually, the fog is quite thick and chilly there and it hovers over the Spanish-tiled buildings until late afternoon when it leaves for a few hours and then returns at night. This climate can be perceived as much like that of Carmel. When traveling to Santa Barbara though, parents should be prepared for this and bring lots of warm clothes for themselves and their youngsters.

Baby/Child Friendliness:

• The resort offers a kids' program called "Kids for all Seasons" for hotel guests every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. It is also offered on a daily basis during June through August and on holidays and school breaks in March, April and December.
  
  The "Kids for all Seasons" program is designed to give parents the opportunity to enjoy the activities provided at the resort, but the program is much more than a baby-sitting service. Parents must be on the premises while their children participate, but there is no cost to guests. Many top resorts charge a hefty fee for their kids' programs. The program is for children ages five to twelve and includes: outdoor activities such as walking on the beach, building sandcastles, playing games on the lawn, sports and races, and use of the swimming pool. Some of the indoor activities are arts and crafts, including painting rocks from the beach, decorating visors to block the sun, and coloring. Children also play various games, watch videos, and listen to stories told to them by the staff. A child's lunch menu is provided upon check-in. Younger children can join the program with a guardian or the concierge can arrange a day or evening baby-sitting service for them. Each staff member of the "Kids for all Seasons" program is CPR certified.
  
  
• Upon request, housekeeping will baby-proof your room.
• Many items are available to assist parents. A variety of gates, including separate kinds for the patio and for bathroom doors; cribs, or if one prefers, single rollaway beds, or an extra mattress for the floor on which to lay baby; high chairs; humidifiers/vaporizers; baby strollers; outlet covers; and corner guards for the sides of tables.
• The only potentially unsafe feature I noticed in my room was the fireplace, which was set off only by a thin screen. I kept my pilot light off so that my crawling baby was not exposed to the potential hazard of being burned. Parents can request a room without a fireplace.
• Being greeted at the desk by people who already knew Mandalin's name was a comforting feeling and a nice, personalized touch. I had been asked previously about her name and age when the reservation was made.
• The gift shop is stroller-friendly, spacious, and not cramped. Although the selection is somewhat limited, it does contain a section of children's items such as clothes, frames and lullabies.
• The restaurant is stroller-friendly with wide spaces to allow easy movements.
• The walking paths along the property are flat and wide enough to accommodate a stroller. They are also beautifully tropical and have no stairways on them.
• Same-day laundry service: dry cleaning and laundry are returned before 6:00 p.m. This service is a real convenience when traveling with youngsters.
• Room service offers complete in-room dining and is available twenty-four hours a day for eating in with a baby or a toddler. Many hotels offer no room service after a certain time and provide a limited menu, but the Biltmore offers an impressive late-night menu, available between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. It is convenient to have an excellent food selection in the room should you arrive late with baby and not feel like taking her into a formal restaurant. At the Biltmore, you can order gourmet items in the room, such as grilled Atlantic salmon; New York steak; thin crust pizza of tiger shrimp and barbecue chicken; pasta with portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomato pesto, and goat cheese; classic Caesar salad with grilled shrimp or roasted chicken; and for dessert, order one of the pastry chef's daily creations or a warm French apple tart, or a plate of macadamia nut fudge brownies, or cookies with ice cold milk.
• The resort offers a "Just for Kids" food basket, distinct from the adult basket, which includes tuna fish, cheese, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; vegetables; fruit; potato chips; cookies; and a surprise gift for $12.50.
• Heating pads are available from housekeeping, and massages are available through the health club to aid tired and aching moms and dads.
• Pay-per-view movies are accessible in the room. The blocking of adult movies is available as a service through the front desk.
• The putting green, croquet, shuffleboard, and horse shoe pit are all complimentary to guests. However, children under twelve must be accompanied by an adult when using them. In addition, the resort has a swimming pool, but there is no lifeguard on regular duty; therefore, children sixteen and under must be accompanied to the pool by an adult.
• Housekeeping schedules its turndown service for rooms with young children between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to accommodate their early bedtimes.
• The Concierge has video rentals, toys, and games available, for the young guests.
• Quiet time is observed between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. so that the peace and privacy of all guests are not disturbed.

Romance:

• The hotel's location is idyllic, as it is ocean-front and at the base of the Santa Ynez Mountains. The resort itself is in a Spanish colonial style, in keeping with Santa Barbara's thematic architecture: ivory adobe with a red tile roof and graceful, long archways.
• The hotel boasts beautiful strolling paths among tropical gardens.
• The restaurant, The Patio, is considered one of the five top restaurants in Santa Barbara. It is designed to make you feel as if you are in a huge greenhouse, as it is an enormous, spacious room with endless light and lush plants everywhere (and it also happens to be stroller friendly). The dinner buffet offers oysters in the half shell, cold shrimp, Caesar salad, tomatoes and provolone, lamb shanks, chicken picata, baked salmon, and roast beef.