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Santa Barbara · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels near Wineries

Daniel Kovac

Daniel Kovac Central Europe

Updated 1 September 2026 · 59 Santa Barbara hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Santa Barbara, out of the 59 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.8.

All five are inside 1.2 km of Wineries, so you can walk it.

Casa Riviera, a ZenStay Hotel

Highest rated of the five

Casa Riviera, a ZenStay Hotel

★★★★★5 from 153 reviews

Casa Riviera, a ZenStay Hotel comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 153 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under poi and around $344 a night on the dates we checked.

59 hotels in Santa Barbara qualified for this list and five made it. Casa Jardin, a ZenStay Hotel is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Casa Riviera, a ZenStay Hotel1

    Casa Riviera, a ZenStay Hotel

    ★★★★★5 from 153 reviews

    400 m from Wineries, about a 5 minute walk

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    • Casa Jardin, a ZenStay Hotel2

      Casa Jardin, a ZenStay Hotel

      ★★★★★5 from 162 reviews

      500 m from Wineries, about a 6 minute walk

      • Parking
      • Kitchen
      • Pet friendly
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    • Simpson House Inn3

      Simpson House Inn

      ★★★★★4.8 from 210 reviews

      1.2 km from Wineries, about a 15 minute walk

      • Spa
      • Restaurant
      • Parking
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    • Casa De La Vina, a ZenStay Hotel4

      Casa De La Vina, a ZenStay Hotel

      ★★★★★5 from 150 reviews

      600 m from Wineries, about a 8 minute walk

      • Parking
      • Kitchen
      • Pet friendly
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    • The Eagle Inn5

      The Eagle Inn

      ★★★★★4.8 from 1,291 reviews

      1.2 km from Wineries, about a 15 minute walk

      • Spa
      • Bar
      • Parking
      • Kid friendly
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    How this list was put together

    59 Santa Barbara hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating first and on how close they are to Wineries second, then took the top five.

    Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

    The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

    What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

    Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

    Daniel Kovac

    Daniel Kovac Central Europe

    Takes the same two weeks every August and drives somewhere far with his wife and daughter. Twelve countries, all by road, all in one battered estate car. Plans routes on paper maps.

    Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.