El Encanto Hotel Reopens In Santa Barbara, California

After seven years of restoration, Orient-Express has announced the opening of El Encanto in Santa Barbara, Calif. The restored hotel (said to have once been a favorite of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard) includes seven acres of landscaped gardens and includes 92 individually designed "California-style" bungalows with hardwood floors, plantation-style shutters, and bespoke accessories. All bungalows also have their own private patio or garden.

According to the release, the property offers both indoor and outdoor dining areas facing the Pacific coastline. Ingredient sourcing is a top priority for the hotel's executive chef Patrice Martineau, who reaches out to the area's "most responsible" farmers and food purveyors to create a "Californian Coastal" cuisine. In addition to serving local sea urchin, he sources a portion of the kitchen's produce from his on-site garden. El Encanto even has its own personal Holstein cow, Ellie, who will produce customized cheese for the hotel's restaurant.