Staying in Santa Barbara and Visiting the Zoo (7/09)
The Inn at East Beach is a small, charming hotel in the heart of Santa Barbara. It is located off the main strip, but only 100 yards from the beautiful sandy beach and literally walking distance to the very charming Santa Barbara Zoo. A shuttle that comes every 15 min. costs only .25 cents and takes you around the town!
Upon checking in you will be warmly greeted from general manager Frank Santana who lives on the property with his wife. He is there for anything you need and is never hard to find. The staff was also very friendly and hustled anytime you needed something.
The pool in the courtyard was perfectly heated and crystal clear. It made for a great swim and a relaxing setting in the temperate climate of Santa Barbara.
The rooms have all been updated with new lighting fixtures, large flat screen t.v’s, flooring, and amenities. The beds were comfortable and made for a great nights sleep.
In the morning there is a well-stocked continental breakfast with juices, pastries, cereal, bagels, toast and hard boiled eggs. Just don’t use your fingers on the pastries because Frank is on strict “tong patrol”!
The Inn at East Beach is a perfect location for a great getaway in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, CA. It’s no wonder why customers come back year after year.
For more information please visit:
Old Yacht Inn- This very quaint place was the first Bed and Breakfast to pop up in Santa Barbara in 1980. Located only one block from the beach, this Inn offers great amenities including a nice breakfast, friendly staff, free bike rentals and very nice rooms. Besides the guest rooms inside the Inn, they also have a cottage in the back where we stayed the provided more privacy and great for a family with children.
The Old Yacht Inn is also walking distance from the Santa Barbara Zoo and bus shuttle. The cottage came with a tv, nice sized bed and beautiful Jacuzzi bathtub. The breakfast was delicious consisting of an alternating egg dish, pastry, fruit and coffee/juice. The kitchen was very flexible if you had diet constraints to cook something special like egg whites or cereals.
The Santa Barbara zoo is quaint, charming and well worth the short drive from L.A. It’s close proximity to the beach makes for cool weather all year round and beautiful blue views toward the west. Look east and you look over the water of a lagoon which is framed by the green mountains of the Los Padres National Forest.
There are plenty of spectacular animals to be found at this intimate zoo and you can get very close looks at all of them. For a small fee you can feed giraffes right from your hand! Their long tongues gently take the biscuits from your fingertips. Lions and gorillas can be seen inches away through safety glass and elephants are only yards away from the elephant viewing deck. Penguins can be seen from directly above the water or through glass underwater.
The Santa Barbara zoo also is very proud to have the new California Condor exhibit. It’s only the 2nd zoo anywhere to have California Condors as residents. These giant birds were nearly extinct a short time ago, but have made a brilliant recovery. Their large wing span is truly a sight to behold.
There are plenty of things to keep the kids interested when they are taking a break from viewing animals. There is a small train that goes around the entire zoo, a play area with an artificial grass hill, and an outdoor stage that have performances throughout the day.
The zoo is also available for weddings after 5 p.m. It would make for a spectacular setting.
For more information on the Santa Barbara Zoo please visit: www.santabarbarazoo.org