Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Surrounded by lush, perfectly-manicured gardens in a peaceful location, Santa Barbara’s grande dame has been a favourite haunt of Hollywood's elite since the 1920s.
Nestled right on the California coastline (renowned as the ‘American Riviera’), and set between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, the reborn Four Seasons Resort on Butterfly Beach is full of character!
You can almost imagine Lauren Bacall slinking down the corridor, or Clark Gable playing croquet on the lawns; with its distinctive Spanish Colonial style, it feels like a throwback to a Golden Age.
Guest rooms and suites, featuring rain showers, deep soaking tubs and hi-tech gadgets, are located in 12 single-storey cottages, each with their own private entrance; and amenities include a sumptuous 10,000 sq ft spa, which includes 11 treatment rooms; the jungle pool and exclusive access to the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, a private members’ club on Butterfly Beach.
The gardens are utterly beautiful, too – when you arrive, the Concierge even hands you a map showing all the different flowers.