Rosewood Miramar Beach reopened the storied Miramar site in 2019 as developer Rick Caruso’s love letter to old-money Montecito, and it has since become the marquee address on this stretch of the Santa Barbara coast. The look is Ralph-Lauren-does-the-Riviera: navy-and-white stripes, clapboard, brass, chintz and manicured lawns, all pitched somewhere between a Hamptons club and a Californian country estate. The 130 rooms, suites and villas are spread low across the grounds, and a pedestrian bridge carries guests over the railway tracks to the resort’s own stretch of Miramar Beach.
Dining is a genuine reason to book. Caruso’s, the coastal-Italian flagship, holds a Michelin star and takes the beachfront terrace at sunset; the Manor Bar and the more casual Miramar Beach Bar cover everything from martinis to poolside lunches. There are two pools, one family-friendly and one adults-only, plus a tennis court, a fitness studio and Sense, A Rosewood Spa. Service is polished and abundant in the American resort tradition, and the property runs a strong children’s programme, which makes it rare among hotels this design-conscious.
It is not cheap and it is not subtle, but it is very good at what it sets out to do. For a Southern California beach weekend with a serious dinner attached, or a family stay that does not force anyone to compromise, Miramar Beach is hard to beat.
