Canary Hotel Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, United States

The Canary is a Spanish/Moroccan-themed luxury hotel, conveniently located between Santa Barbara’s fashionable State Street and the beach. The interiors are charming and well put together, with colourful Spanish fabrics and tiles, decorative arches and wrought iron furniture and fixtures. Outside the luxury hotel, State Street is filled with shops, bars and restaurants, as well as holding a farmer’s market every Tuesday.

The facilities

If you love seafood, you’re in luck – The Canary’s Coast Restaurant &Raw Bar serves up a huge selection of super-fresh seafood caught from the bay that day. Sauvignon Blanc oysters, clams, crabmeat and shrimp are all on offer, and there are imaginative dishes like grilled red snapper tacos on the menu.

Another big draw for this luxury hotel is its 4000 square foot 6th-floor terrace, which has a pool open year-round and a spa tub. Come to sun yourself and enjoy panoramic views of the city and the sea.

Saturday morning yoga classes are held free of charge by the pool. The Canary also offers guests access to the adjacent Spectrum gym, and a full range of in-room spa services are available.

The rooms

The Canary has 97 Spanish-style rooms with dark hardwood floors and four-poster beds. There’s a good blend of authentic Spanish/Moroccan print fabrics and original artwork on the walls, matched against modern comforts like ipod docks, 42” flat screen TVs and DVD players. Rooms at this luxury hotel are as functional as they are charming, with the decor never straying into cringey “ethnic” gimmickry.