Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, a former warehouse district-turned-arty hub, boasts restaurants, wine-tasting rooms and galleries galore. It’s also welcomed several new hotels in recent years, including the luxe new Hotel Californian — not to be confused with the Eagles’ musical inspiration — and the boutique Hotel Indigo, a European-style inn on the edge of the Funk Zone and a block’s walk from the beach.
The Indigo is owned by the same hospitality group that runs Kimpton hotels. They all share a certain arty, eclectic vibe, with lobbies and lounges that invite you to stay awhile, and easy proximity to a vibrant, walkable downtown.
ZZZ’S: The Hotel Indigo’s rooms are sleek, modern and compact at 95 to 165 square feet. They’re designed for people who don’t plan to spend a lot of time indoors — and why would you? The Funk Zone’s bars, restaurants and tasting rooms are a stroll away. King, queen and double rooms offer plush beds with high thread-count sheets. Some rooms have a small patio. The hotel is a block from the train station, so expect to hear the occasional chug and whistle of passing trains. (Hotel room amenities include ear plugs, as well as black-out shades.)
SPLASHES: Sleek, white-tiled bathrooms go eco-European with high shower heads that splash merrily into a drain in the floor. (So leave your clothes in the bedroom or on a bathroom shelf, not on the floor, while you lather up with Aveeno bath products.)
EXTRAS: Named one of the nation’s top 10 “art hotels” by USA Today, Indigo is a satellite for the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, which hosts exhibits here. Los Agaves’ new Santo Mezcal, a Mexican restaurant and bar, is just off the lobby.
DETAILS: Rooms start at $172. Valet parking is $30 per day. And the Wi-Fi is free. 121 State St., Santa Barbara; www.indigosantabarbara.com