Canary Hotel

Casablanca meets the Canary Islands: a posh, full-service hotel with a panoramic roof deck, just steps from Santa Barbara's shops

If you think you hear tree frogs and crickets chirping as you turn your car over to the valet, welcome to Canary Hotel. Named for Spain’s lush Canary Island archipelago (where chirping tree frogs are common), this posh incarnation of the historic Hotel Andalucia greets you with a Casbah-style lobby blending original Spanish tile and decorative wrought iron work with Moroccan textiles and antiques.

Upstairs, 97 sleek and stylish rooms and suites are outfitted for 21st-century nesting, with four-poster beds, iPod docks and yoga mats. Guests flock to the expansive roof deck for the heated pool, hot tub, fireplace and jaw-dropping views of the Santa Ynez Mountains and Pacific. Join locals, celebs and weekenders at the restaurant and bar, a hip gathering spot in the heart of Santa Barbara. With every reason to preen, Canary Hotel maintains a chirpy playfulness, combining fun (a surfing tree-frog bath toy) with functional (good-for-the-body, good-for-the-world treats from the “Good to Be Bad” minibar).

Highs

• The style, comfort and location trifecta; perfect for nesting or flitting about town (the hotel is one block off Santa Barbara’s main street)
• Elegant lobby and sleek rooms designed by Michael S. Smith, recently tapped by Michelle Obama for the First Family’s White House living quarters
• Guest-only roof terrace with heated pool, hot tub, fireplace, acres of seating and panoramic views
• Multiple venues for intimate to lavish weddings, parties, executive meeting and corporate retreats; a full floor of meeting space
• Polished service covers all the bases from personal pampering to detailed event planning

Lows

• Additional fees quickly add up: valet parking, in-room internet, hefty surcharges for state-of-the-art telephone
• Breakfast not included
• Muffled traffic, city sounds and uninspiring view of the bus depot in street-side rooms on lower floors; sound can carry between rooms
• Some rooms small
• So very SoCal: self-conscious, style-obsessed; if you’re not “feeling it,” go with a lower profile alternative