Leta Hotel Brings Old-Fashioned Style To Santa Barbara Accommodations

In today’s travel world, most of the hotels you are likely to encounter are of the multi-story version or high-end B&Bs. Yet in Santa Barbara, there is a throwback place which brings to mind what traveling must have been like in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.

It is the Leta Hotel and it is in the town of Goletta, a small beach community just north of Santa Barbara where the UCSB campus is located (UCSB is the only college in the country with its own beach, by the way).

Actually, to call the Leta a hotel is really a misnomer. In reality it’s a motel, a term dating back to the 1950s when Americans first started to travel the country in their cars. It is a combination of the words motor court and hotel. Motels are places where you can park right in front of your room (or very close to it) with a small and cozy lobby and a swimming pool. They are two floors with simple accommodations.

The 158-room Leta takes the motel to a higher level with a restaurant – even a bar – and a conference room with 6,000 square feet of meeting space and rooms with a luxurious look.

Now a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel, the Leta is a hybrid of the classic and the classy. There’s even a turntable in the rooms. With its surf-inspired decor it has a “Golden State of Mind attitude,” as its mantra.

For those who can pry themselves away from this laid-back place, the surrounding area has a well-regarded wine region with more than 275 wineries. Santa Barbara County vineyards produce more than 70 varietals, primarily Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet.

Rates at the Leta start at $179.

Website: Santa Barbara | The Leta