Simpson House Inn

An 1874 Eastlake Victorian on an acre of English gardens, a few blocks from State Street in central Santa Barbara. Simpson House is the rare American B&B that's held the AAA Five-Diamond rating for years — fifteen rooms across the main house, a barn-conversion, and a few cottage outbuildings, all on a single landscaped acre.

The property's entire pitch is the garden and the level of service. The acre is mature: hedges, a koi pond, paths, fruit trees, the kind of landscape that takes a hundred fifty years to look the way Simpson House's grounds look. The Eastlake mansion sits at the center; the cottages and barn are scattered across the back garden.

The setting

Santa Barbara is the coastal California town two hours north of LA — Spanish-mission tile roofs, the courthouse clock tower, the Mission, the Funk Zone wineries, and a beach that runs the length of downtown. Simpson House sits on Arrellaga Street, a few blocks east of State Street and walking distance to the historic core.

State Street's restaurants and shops are a five-minute walk. Stearns Wharf and the beach are fifteen minutes on foot or five by car. The Santa Barbara Mission is a ten-minute walk uphill. The Funk Zone for wine tasting is fifteen minutes south.

The building

The 1874 Eastlake Victorian — gabled, painted-lady detailing, wraparound porch, restored repeatedly over the decades. Behind it on the acre sit a converted barn (now several guest rooms), three garden cottages, and the gardens themselves. Materials are clapboard, painted woodwork, plaster, and the kind of antique furniture used at moderation rather than installed wholesale.

Public rooms include a parlor with a fireplace, a library, the dining room, and the wraparound porch. The aesthetic is high Victorian without spilling into theme.

The rooms

Fifteen rooms across the main house, the barn, and the three cottages. Categories vary by location: main-house rooms have the most period character, the barn rooms are larger and quieter, the cottages have the most privacy with their own entrances and patios. Most rooms have fireplaces; many have whirlpool tubs. Beds are good. Bathrooms have been kept up.

Rates from $545 in shoulder; festival weekends and peak summer climb meaningfully.

Food & drink

A full California-style breakfast is included — served in the dining room or on the garden patio. An evening wine and hors d'oeuvres reception runs daily for guests. There's no on-site restaurant. State Street's restaurants are a short walk.

On the property

The garden is the program. There's a koi pond, paths, fruit trees, and hidden seating areas across the acre. Bikes are available. There's a small spa-treatment service that brings massage to your room or to a garden treatment area.

• Full breakfast and evening wine reception included
• One-acre English garden
• In-room or in-garden spa treatments
• Walking distance to State Street
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Couples on a milestone Santa Barbara weekend
• Travelers who appreciate AAA Five-Diamond service standards at a B&B scale
• Anyone whose ideal afternoon is a book in a hammock under a pepper tree
• Garden people

Who it's not for

• Travelers who prefer modern or contemporary aesthetics
• Families with young kids — the inn is adult-leaning
• Budget travelers — the rate floor is high for a B&B

Nearby

State Street and the Funk Zone wine tasting rooms are five to fifteen minutes' walk. Stearns Wharf and East Beach are five minutes by car. The Santa Barbara Mission is ten minutes' walk uphill. The Santa Barbara Courthouse (with its tower view) is five minutes. The Old Mission Santa Barbara, the Botanic Garden, and the Museum of Art are all walkable or short drives. Montecito and Butterfly Beach are ten minutes south.